Keifer's POV
The moment Jay's voice came from the doorway, the room went dead silent.
"Tell me what?"
I didn't need to turn around to know it was her.
The others froze.
Of course she heard.
Denzel cursed under his breath. Felix looked like he wanted the floor to swallow him whole. Eman avoided my eyes.
Cowards.
Jay stepped further into the room.
"What plan?"
No one answered.
They were all waiting for someone else to do it.
Typical.
Her eyes found mine.
Of course they did.
They always did.
"You sure you wanna hear it?" I asked.
My voice came out colder than I expected.
But that was the point.
If she hated me… she'd stay away.
If she stayed away… she'd be safe.
Jay nodded.
"Say it."
For a second, the room felt too small.
Too quiet.
I remembered the warning.
If she stays close to you, she becomes a target.
So I did the only thing I could.
"I used you."
Felix inhaled sharply.
Denzel muttered something under his breath.
But I kept going.
"The whole Section E knows it."
Every pair of eyes shifted to Jay.
They were waiting for her to explode.
To yell.
To throw something.
Instead—
She laughed.
My chest tightened.
It wasn't a real laugh.
I knew her too well.
"That's it?" she said lightly.
My jaw clenched.
"It's fine. Really."
She said it like it meant nothing.
Like I meant nothing.
And somehow that felt worse than if she'd slapped me.
She turned and walked away.
The door closed behind her.
Silence filled the room.
Edrix was the first to speak.
"You're an idiot."
Denzel shook his head. "You just broke her."
Felix looked at me like I was the worst person alive.
But none of them knew.
None of them understood.
Because if Jay hated me…
She wouldn't come near me again.
And if she stayed away—
She'd be safe.
Still, as I stared at the door she had just walked through, one thought kept repeating in my head.
She didn't even fight back.
And somehow…
That hurt more than anything.