"But I already remember."
As soon as those words slipped past my lips,
I saw every single expression in the room shift dramatically.
Everyone froze right where they stood, caught completely off guard.
Keifer was looking at me with an expression I couldn't even begin to explain—
it was like something deep inside him just snapped, like he was once again preparing to blame himself entirely for not being right beside me when everything fell apart.
Everyone around us looked utterly shocked, except for one single person in the room: that doctor from Romana Asylum.
But looking at him standing there so unbothered, I figured I didn't even need to be surprised by his reaction anymore.
Suddenly, I felt a gentle, careful hold on my shoulder.
It was Aries.
He slowly made me turn toward him, moving with such extreme caution, almost like I was something painfully fragile that might shatter at the slightest touch.
"Since when do you remember?"
He asked, and the quiet, heavy concern in his question completely undid me.
The dam broke, and I started sobbing all over again.
"Jayyy..." They all called out my name in unison, their voices laced with instant panic and worry.
Keifer immediately wrapped his arms tightly around me once more, pulling me back against his protective warmth.
"Shh... it's ok, don't force yourself, we are here! I'm here."
I frantically clutched the fabric of his T-shirt in my fists, pressing my face deeper into his chest to muffle my cries.
"Ok, baby sista, calm down, percy said.
What did you remember?
Tell me," Angelo said, his voice cutting straight through the heavy air.
"ANGELOO!"
All four of them shouted in sync, instantly stepping forward to physically shield me from him.
"Fuck you, Angelo!
Can't you see her situation?!"
Keifer yelled, his voice echoing with pure rage.
"Keifer! Mind your language!"
Hearing them argue made me sob even harder.
They're fighting again...
But right before Keifer could fire back, a loud, cheerful voice pierced through the tension:
"Jay-Jay! We're here!"
We all whipped our heads toward the entrance.
Standing right there was the rest of Section E, grinning from ear to ear, completely unaware of what had just gone down.
Only... the smiles wiped right off their faces the exact second they saw me, the tears staining my cheeks, and the absolute chaos filling the room!
**
Now I was sitting on the sofa with the doctor sitting right in front of me,
Keifer positioned closely on my right side with my hand securely locked inside his warm grip,
and Aries on my other side, keeping his steady hand near my shoulder as if to anchor me and assure me he was right there.
All the other boys were standing around us in a tight circle, looking completely shocked, their faces carved with deep concern and intense worry for me.
I could even see the threat of actual tears in CN's eyes.
He tried to offer me a small, comforting smile as I looked toward him,
but I could clearly see the pool of heavy tears gathering at the corners of his eyes, ready to spill over the absolute second I started speaking.
Kuya was standing just a short distance near me, and to be completely honest, despite all our friction, he really looked genuinely worried.
"Jay, you can tell us now,"
the doctor said calmly, looking gently toward me.
I just gave a small, shaky nod, quickly wiping away a stray tear that had traveled halfway down my cheek.
I kept my gaze fixed downward because I knew that if I looked at any of their faces, I might end up breaking down completely.
I could feel the heavy weight of everyone's eyes locked entirely on me, waiting.
I swallowed hard, taking a shaky breath, and rubbed my face with my palms to steady myself.
"I... I remember this happening when... when Keifer, Yuri, Aries, and Percy fought outside in...in the mall, and... and I ended up having that panic attack."
I don't know why, but just saying the words triggered it all over again, and I started sobbing right there, unable to force my tears to stop.
I saw Keifer and Aries instantly moving to pull me closer, but the doctor held up a hand to stop them, letting me breathe through it.
I forced myself to calm down, scrubbing at my wet cheeks with my sleeves once more.
"I was... I was admitted inside that hospital, and all of you were out there fighting..."
I caught sight of their heads bending down in heavy shame through the corner of my eye, while the rest of Section E stood frozen in utter shock at the revelation.
"You all eventually went out, but I remember everything.
I remember I was just sitting there sobbing when the nurse gently asked me if she should call any of you inside, but... but I denied it. I said no, because... honestly, I really didn't know how to face you all after everything."
A loud, broken sob escaped my throat, tearing through the silence.
Keifer instantly tightened his hold on my hand, squeezing it for support, but he respected my pace and didn't interrupt me.
Flashback~
I was sitting all alone on the stiff hospital bed, my knees pulled up tightly to my chest as I wrapped my arms around my legs, trying to make myself feel smaller.
Keifer had just come inside to check on me a few moments ago, but out of sheer cowardice, I had pretended to be fast asleep.
And now, sitting here in the quiet room, I was regretting it with every fiber of my being.
Oh god! That was so...
A heavy, suffocating sob escaped my throat, tearing through the silence. I tried desperately to muffle it, but I just couldn't calm myself down.
Suddenly, the door clicked open and a nurse stepped inside.
I panicked, quickly scrubbing at my wet cheeks with the back of my hand to wipe away my tears.
"Oh, you're awake?"
she asked softly, offering a sympathetic smile.
"Let me go call your brothers and boyfriend outside."
The sheer thought of facing them right then made me feel like bursting into tears all over again. I bit down hard on my inner cheek, tasting the sharp metallic tang of blood as I fought the wave of panic.
"Excuse me,"
I called out, my voice cracking horribly.
She paused, turning back to look at me. "Yes?"
"Please... please don't call them right now."
She stared at me for a second, looking at me like I was some kind of fragile alien who didn't make any sense.
But then, as her eyes took in the heavy, haunted look on my face, it seemed like she finally understood the depth of my terror. She gave a quiet, understanding nod and slipped back out the door, leaving me in peace.
I don't really know what crossed her mind, or why she decided to respect my wish so easily.
But I didn't have the mental energy to think about it anymore.
I immediately pushed the stray thoughts aside and started frantically searching the sheets for my phone.
Luck was actually on my side for once—at least for now—because I spotted it resting right there on the bedstand near my pillow.
I picked it up with my violently trembling hands, wiped my blurry vision with my sleeve, and began frantically scrolling through my contacts list.
I knew exactly whom I needed right at this very second.
Who else could possibly understand the mess inside my head the most after Keifer?
My fingers were shaking so badly I almost dropped the screen, but I managed to dial her number. She picked up almost instantly, as if she had been waiting for it.
"Hello... Elara..."
Few minutes later...
She was sitting right there in front of me on the edge of the bed, her presence a strange anchor in the storm, softly telling me how those four big idiots were still busy tearing their hair out and fighting outside.
She reached across the gap, her fingers wrapping gently around my cold hand.
"What happened, Jay?"
she asked, her voice laced with deep, genuine concern.
I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat threatening to choke me all over again as I looked into her eyes.
"I... I remember it all."
_______________________
Hey buddies! I hope you all are doing Nice.
And next chapter is gonna be about Jay's past so...it could take some time.
Love u ❤️
Bye take care 😘