JAY-JAY POV
I woke up in a hospital.
The lights were too white. The air too clean. My head felt like a thousand needles were stabbing me from the inside.
My body— I couldn't take it anymore. Every breath hurt. Every inch of me screamed.
A nurse leaned over. Her voice was soft, but it felt like thunder.
"Are you okay?"
I wanted to answer. I wanted to say something clever. Something strong.
But all I could do was whisper one name.
"Jare."
"Do you want me to call him" She asked
I nodded
She nodded. Left the room.
I stared at the ceiling. Waiting. Hurting.
Trying not to fall apart.
The door opened.
Jare walked in first. Then Section E. Tita Gemma. Kuya Angelo. Aries.
Great. They all know.
I didn't have the strength to sit up. Didn't have the words to explain. Didn't have the energy to pretend.
Jare stepped closer. His voice was soft. Too soft.
"How are you, Jay?"
I stared at him. At the worry in his eyes. At the way he was trying not to fall apart.
My throat burned. My chest ached.
"I'm fine," I said.
It was a lie. A soft, stupid lie. But it was all I could manage.
Jare didn't believe me. I could see it in the way his jaw clenched. In the way his hands curled into fists at his sides.
Section E stayed quiet. Tita Gemma looked like she wanted to cry. Kuya Angelo had his arm around her. Aries wouldn't meet my eyes.
I wanted to disappear. Melt into the sheets. Vanish before anyone asked the real questions.
But Jare stepped closer. Sat beside me. And whispered—
"You don't have to be fine."
Doctor Paralta walked in. Clipboard in hand. Eyes already scanning me like she knew everything.
"Jay," she said gently. "How are you?"
I didn't hesitate. Didn't think.
"I'm fine," I said.
She raised an eyebrow. Didn't even blink.
"Well," she said, "that was a lie."
The room went quiet again. Even Jare didn't speak.
I stared at her. At the woman who'd seen me unconscious. Who probably knew exactly what was in my blood.
"I'm tired," I whispered.
She nodded. Finally. Like that was the truth she'd been waiting for.
"Is it fine if they stay?" she asked.
I nodded.
I don't think they'll leave.
I could feel them behind me. Jare. Section E. Tita Gemma. Kuya Angelo. Aries.
Their silence was loud. Their presence is heavier than the IV in my arm.
I didn't look at them. Couldn't.
But I knew.
They'd heard everything. They knew everything.
And they were still here.
"Okay, let me ask some questions," Dr. Paralta said.
Her voice was calm. Measured. Like she'd done this a hundred times.
"Do you feel immense pain from your head, like needles are poking you?" she asked.
I nodded.
She wrote something down.
"Does your body hurt like it's been hit by a truck?" she continued.
I nodded again.
"Any nausea? Blurred vision? Trouble breathing?"
I hesitated. Then nodded.
She didn't look surprised. Just kept writing. Like every answer was confirming something she already knew.
I glanced at Jare. He was watching me like I might vanish again. Like if he blinked, I'd disappear.
I wanted to tell him I was okay. But I wasn't. Not even close.
"Okay, Miss Mariano," Dr. Paralta said.
Her voice was calm. Clinical. Like she was about to peel back something I'd been trying to hide.
"I want everyone to leave," she continued. "Except for the people who live with her."
The room shifted. Chairs scraped. Shoes shuffled.
One by one, they left.
Tita Gemma. Kuya Angelo. Section E and Luna
Except for Keifer, Aries, Jare, Percy.
Of course.
They didn't move. Didn't flinch. Just stayed.
I didn't look at them. Couldn't.
But I felt it. The weight of their silence. The truth they already knew.
"Okay," Dr. Paralta said.
"Miss Mariano's condition is getting worse."
The room went still.
"If she doesn't take the treatment," she continued, "she might die in two months."
I didn't move. Didn't blink. Just stared at the ceiling like it could swallow me whole.
"If she takes the treatment?" Keifer asked.
His voice was tight. Controlled. Like he was bracing for impact.
"Well," Dr. Paralta said, "she can live. But the chances are very low. Twenty five percent, I'd say."
Fifty percent.
Half a chance. Half a life. Half a future.
I didn't speak. Couldn't.
Keifer looked at me. Areis did too.
"Take your time and tell me your option," Dr. Paralta said. Then she left.
The room was quiet. Too quiet.
Four of them. Three hearts breaking. One already cracked.
Then Percy spoke.
"Jay," he said softly. "Please take the treatment."
I closed my eyes. Of course it was him. Of course it was Percy.
"Percy," I said, voice low. "We went through this."
"It's a twenty-five percent chance I will survive. Twenty-five." I looked at him now. Let him see it.
"I don't want to be a lab rat."
He flinched. Like I'd slapped him.
"Jay, please," Keifer said. "I don't care if it's five percent. I don't want to waste any chance."
His voice cracked. Just a little. But I heard it.
I looked at him. Really looked.
At the boy who held me when I collapsed. At the boy who knew before I did. At the boy who stayed.
"I don't want to be a lab rat," I whispered.
"I know," he said. "But I'd rather have you fighting than fading."
Areis didn't speak.
Percy looked like he wanted to scream.
Jare looked heartbroken
I closed my eyes. I tried to breathe.
Five percent. Twenty-five. Fifty.
None of it felt real.
"Can I talk to her alone?" Keifer asked.
No one argued. No one hesitated. They just left.