Jay-Jay POV
School felt louder than usual.
Maybe it was just me.
After last night — after breaking down, after Keifer holding me like I was something worth protecting — everything felt different. Like the world had shifted half an inch to the left and no one else noticed.
I walked into class and immediately felt eyes.
Not the usual "Jay's here" kind. The quiet kind. The kind that made me wonder if someone knew.
I kept my head down, slid into my seat beside Keifer.
He didn't say anything. Just looked at me — really looked — and slid a granola bar across the desk like it was a peace offering.
I took it.
Because I hadn't eaten. Because he knew. Because it was enough.
Section E was loud as ever.
Ci-n was arguing with Felix about whether a hot dog counted as a sandwich.
"It's meat between bread!" Ci-n shouted.
"It's a taco with a superiority complex!" Felix shot back.
Calix was talking to Mica about something that involved glitter and a suspicious amount of duct tape.
Mayo and Kit were flirting in that way that made everyone else uncomfortable but also kind of invested.
David was asleep with his hoodie pulled over his face like he was hiding from the concept of responsibility.
It was chaos.
It was normal.
And somehow, it made me feel okay.
Keifer leaned over. "You good?"
I nodded. "Just tired."
He didn't push. He just stayed close.
The teacher walked in, already exhausted, and started talking about exam schedules and review packets. I stared at the board, but my mind drifted.
Last night. To Keifer's arms. To the way he whispered, "You're safe."
I blinked fast and focused on my notes.
Keifer stood up, stretched like he was preparing for battle, and said loud enough for the whole class to hear:
"We're reviewing at my house."
The room went silent for exactly two seconds.
Then chaos.
Ci-n: "Wait, is this a group invite or just Keifer and Jay thing"
Felix: "If there's food, I'm coming. I don't care if I have to sit on the floor."
Calix:"I can't come I'm going out with Mica"
Mayo: "Kit and I will bring flashcards. And vibes."
Kit: "Mostly vibes."
David, still half-asleep: "If someone wakes me up when it's time to leave, I'll go."
I blinked. "Keifer… did you just invite Section E to your house?"
He shrugged, completely unbothered. "They were going to show up anyway. Might as well make it official."
I groaned. "Your poor furniture."
He grinned. "My poor sanity."
By the time the bell rang, half the class was already planning who would bring snacks, who would bring notes, and who would bring emotional support plushies.
Keifer leaned over and whispered, "You okay with this?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Actually… yeah."
Because maybe I wasn't ready to be alone with my thoughts. Maybe I needed noise. Maybe I needed Section E.
And maybe — just maybe — I needed Keifer's house to feel like home for a little while.
______At Keifer's House____________
Keifer's house was unusually quiet.
Which, considering Section E was inside it, felt like a miracle.
No glitter. No pancake warfare. No one is trying to train a cat to do math.
Just textbooks. Flashcards. And the collective panic of impending exams.
Ci-n was pacing with a highlighter like it was a sword. "If I don't memorize this formula in the next ten minutes, I'm becoming a florist."
Felix didn't look up. "You'd kill the plants."
Drew was actually focused — which was terrifying. He had three notebooks open and was muttering something about derivatives like they'd personally offended him.
Mayo and Kit were quizzing each other with flashcards and somehow not flirting. It was suspicious.
David was awake. Studying. Voluntarily.
I was scared.
Keifer sat beside me, legs crossed, notebook open, pen tapping against his lip.
"Ready?" he asked.
I nodded. "As I'll ever be."
We dove into calculus.
And for the first time in days, my brain felt… clear.
Not perfect. Not painless. But focused.
Keifer explained things slowly, patiently, like he knew exactly when my mind would drift and how to pull it back.
He didn't treat me like I was fragile. He didn't treat me like I was broken.
He treated me like I was capable.
And that made all the difference.
Two hours passed.
No one exploded. No one cried. No one summoned glitter demons.
Just studying.
Real, actual studying.
And somehow, it felt like healing.
It started with a flashcard.
Just one.
Ci-n tossed it at Felix's head because he "wasn't respecting the sanctity of logarithms."
Felix retaliated by launching a pencil like a javelin.
And that was it.
The study session was over.
Drew stood up dramatically. "I declare war."
David: "On what?"
Drew: "On distraction. On mediocrity. On Felix's face."
Felix: "My face is innocent!"
Ci-n: "Your face is guilty of crimes against math."
Keifer groaned. "We were doing so well."
I snorted. "You really thought Section E could stay focused for more than two hours?"
He looked at me, betrayed. "I had hope."
I patted his shoulder. "That was your first mistake."
Mayo and Kit were now building a flashcard fort. David had fallen asleep inside it.
Blaster was drawing a diagram of "how chaos spreads in enclosed environments."
Ci-n was reciting formulas like battle chants.
And Keifer?
Keifer was sitting beside me, watching the madness unfold, and laughing.
I leaned into him, heart light.
"I needed this," I said.
He looked at me, eyes soft. "I know."
And for the first time in days, I laughed.
Really laughed.
The kind that made my stomach hurt and my cheeks ache.
The kind that reminded me I was still here.
Still healing.
Still Jay.