Jay Jay's POV:
I slump into my seat, still panting like a dog in summer. My socks don't match, my hair's doing its own thing, and I'm pretty sure I smell like burnt pancake and regret.
Keifer's staring again.
I can feel it. That intense, brooding, I know you're lying but I won't say it yet stare. I hate it. I hate how he sees through me like glass.
Why did I even go to Drew's? Oh right—because I'm a walking disaster who makes questionable decisions without thinking.
I scribble random doodles in my notebook. A tombstone. A pancake. Aries with devil horns. Keifer with... angel wings?
Ugh. What is wrong with me?
"Jay," Keifer whispers again. "You sure you're okay?"
I nod too fast. "Totally. Just tired."
Lies. I'm not tired—I'm just. Drew's words from yesterday keep echoing in my head like a broken record:
"You ever feel like you're just pretending to be okay? Like... you smile so people won't ask questions?"
I laughed when he said it. I always laugh. But some part of me still believes that what he said was... true. Something I do, something that...
I glance at Keifer. He's still watching me. Still waiting.
I zone out so hard I nearly forget I'm in class. Sir Alvin's voice is just background noise now like the annoying mosquitos at night , mildly annoying but impossible to ignore.
I zone out so hard I nearly forget I'm in class. Sir Alvin's voice is just background noise now—like the hum of a fridge, mildly annoying but impossible to ignore.
Keifer's still beside me, scribbling something in his notebook. Probably notes. Or maybe a list of reasons why I'm a walking disaster. I peek over.
Nope. Just actual notes. Of course. He's Keifer. The responsible one. The one who doesn't show up to school looking like disaster.
I sigh and rest my chin on my palm. My brain is still stuck on yesterday. Drew's words. His stupid, calm voice. His eyes that looked like they knew too much.
"You don't have to pretend with me, Jay."
Pretend? I'm not pretending. I'm surviving. There's a difference.
I glance at Keifer again. He's chewing on his pen cap, brows furrowed. He looks... worried. About me?
I want to tell him everything. About Drew. About how I feel like I'm floating sometimes, like I'm not really here. Like I'm just playing a role in someone else's story.
But the words get stuck. Like they always do.
Instead, I poke his arm with my pen. He turns, startled.
"Do I look like a pancake?" I whisper.
He blinks. "What?"
"Burnt. Flat. Slightly tragic."
He stares at me for a second, then snorts. "You look like a tornado hit a bakery."
I think he's telling the truth.
Sir Alvin glares at us, and Keifer quickly turns back to his notes. But I catch the smile tugging at his lips.
Maybe I'll tell him. Just not now. Not while I'm still figuring it out myself.
"Class dismissed" I hear Sir Alvin as he packs his things from the desk.
- Writing actual notes: Nope
-Daydreaming about food?: Ofc!
I'll just ask David for his notes later.
"So," he says slowly as I pack my stuff up, "you gonna tell me what Drew said?"
I freeze. I could lie, make up a random story or just ignore it... but I dont
"He asked if I ever felt like I was pretending to be okay," I say quietly. "Like... I smile so people won't ask questions."
Keifer's eyes soften. He leans forward, elbows on the table. "And are you?"
I shrug. "I don't know. Maybe. Sometimes I feel like I'm just... floating. Like I'm not really here unless Kuya's around. Or unless someone needs me to be the funny one."
He doesn't speak. Just watches me. Listens.
"And yesterday," I continue, "Drew said I didn't have to pretend with him. But it felt weird. Like he saw something I didn't want anyone to see."
Keifer nods slowly. "You don't have to pretend with me either, Jay."
I blink. That hit harder than I expected.
"Even if you're a tornado in mismatched socks," he adds, smirking.
Oiii Jay! This is the worst time to have mismatched socks, I really should have changed them in the morning!
The bell rings and I practically leap out of my seat like it's the Hunger Games. Keifer catches up to me in the hallway, backpack slung over one shoulder, looking way too calm for someone who just survived Sir Alvin's mitochondria monologue.
"You walking home?" he asks.
I nod. "Unless Aries decides to remember I exist."
Keifer raises an eyebrow. "Want company?"
I shrug, but I'm already smiling. "sure"
Maybe this is the time I can tell Keifer that I want us to be official?
We step outside the section e building.
It's quiet. Peaceful. For once, my brain isn't screaming. Keifer walks beside me, hands in his pockets, occasionally kicking at pebbles like he's trying not to say something.
"You know," he says finally, "you don't have to laugh everything off."
I glance at him. "I know. But if I don't, I'll probably cry. And crying in public is not on my to-do list."
He nods, like he gets it. Like he's been there.
We turn the corner near the bakery when I hear it—the unmistakable roar of Aries' car engine. I freeze. Keifer just frowns seeing Aries come out.
"Wow," he says, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Didn't know you and Keifer were a thing now."
I blink. "What?"
Keifer steps forward, calm but firm. "We're walking home. Chill brother-in-law."
Aries frowns. "HEY! Im not your brother-in-law"
"Oh, my bad! Soon to be brother-in-law" Keifer smirks at Aries as his face heats up
I want to laugh my head off so bad! He really knows how to get Aries angry in just 1 second!
Aries glares at Keifer like he's trying to set him on fire with his mind. I swear if looks could kill, Keifer would be six feet under and I'd be planning another funeral.
"Keifer," Aries says through gritted teeth, "you're not funny."
Keifer shrugs. "Well I'm just telling facts."
Damn he has the courage! First he can argue straight in front of Kuya and now?
I'm about to say something—maybe something brave, maybe something stupid—when a blur of navy hoodie and tangled curls barrels toward us.
"JAYYYYYY!" Percy screeches, nearly colliding into Keifer like a caffeinated squirrel.
Keifer jumps back. "Bro, personal space?"
Percy ignores him completely.
Keifer raises an eyebrow. "That's dramatic."
Percy points at him. "Says the guy who just called Aries his brother-in-law."
Aries, still lurking like a storm cloud, groans. "I'm leaving before I lose brain cells."
He peels off in his car, tires screeching like he's trying to win a race no one else signed up for.
Percy doesn't wait for Aries to fully disappear before turning to me, arms crossed like he's about to deliver a TED Talk on Bad Decisions.
"So you're really doing this?" he says, eyes flicking to Keifer like he's something stuck to the bottom of his shoe.
Keifer raises an eyebrow. "Doing what?"
Percy ignores him. "Jay, come on. You know how this ends. He's charming now, but give it a week and he'll ghost you like he did with Freya."
Keifer's jaw tightens. "No I didn't!."
Percy scoffs. "Like if!"
I step between them, heart thudding. "Percy, stop."
He looks at me, and for a second, the sarcasm fades. "I just don't want you to get hurt. You always act like you're fine, but I see it. You fold into yourself when people leave."
That hits harder than I expect. Because it's true.
Keifer doesn't say anything. Just watches me, like he's waiting to see which way I'll lean.
I take a breath. "I'm not doing anything yet. I'm figuring it out."
Percy nods, but his eyes stay wary. "Just... don't let him be the reason you stop laughing."
Then he walks ahead, kicking at the pavement like he's trying to shake off the worry.
Keifer glances at me. "He really hates me, huh?"
I shrug. "He really loves me."
Keifer doesn't smile. Just nods. "Then I'll prove him wrong."
And somehow, that promise feels heavier than anything he's ever said.