Jay laughed so loudly that half the canteen turned to look at her.
"I told you not to submit the assignment at 3 a.m.!" she said between laughs, holding her stomach. "Your brain stops working after midnight."
Her best friend Riya rolled her eyes. "Easy for you to say. You don't even like studying."
Jay grinned. "True. But I still study. That's called responsibility."
Riya shook her head, smiling.
This was Jay-always joking, always talking, always full of energy. She was the kind of girl who made boring days fun without even trying.
Beside them, Aman and Kabir were arguing about football.
"Jay, tell him he's wrong," Aman said.
Jay didn't even hesitate. "You're wrong," she said to Kabir.
Kabir frowned. "You didn't even hear-"
"Still wrong," Jay replied confidently.
Everyone laughed.
Jay loved this. Friends. Noise. Laughter. Being surrounded by people. Silence made her uncomfortable, so she filled every quiet space with words, jokes, or random singing.
She was always helping someone.
"Jay, can you explain this topic later?"
"Jay, can you talk to her for me?"
"Jay, what should I do?"
And Jay always said yes.
Soon, it was time for class.
They walked into the lecture hall together. Jay chose a seat near the back, dropping her bag loudly on the desk.
"I hate morning classes," she said dramatically.
"But you never miss them," Riya pointed out.
Jay shrugged. "Because skipping doesn't solve problems. I do."
She opened her notebook. Her notes were colorful-blue, pink, green-with small drawings on the sides. Suns. Music notes. Random stars. Studying wasn't her favorite thing, but she still tried.
The classroom suddenly became quieter.
Jay looked up.
A boy had just walked in.
Tall. Well-dressed. Calm. He didn't rush or look around. He walked like he didn't care who was watching-even though many people were.
Some girls whispered.
"That's Keifer."
"He's so handsome."
"His family is really rich."
Jay leaned toward Riya and whispered, "Why does he look like he hasn't laughed in years?"
Riya's eyes widened. "Jay! That's Keifer. Every girl's dream."
Jay frowned slightly. "Dreams should smile sometimes."
Keifer sat two rows ahead, alone. He didn't look at anyone. Didn't react to the whispers. Like none of it mattered to him.
The professor started teaching.
Jay tried to listen, but her leg kept shaking. She tapped her pen and hummed softly until Riya nudged her.
"Stop it," Riya whispered. "You'll get us in trouble."
Jay zipped her lips and smiled innocently.
Class ended after what felt like forever.
Jay stood up quickly and turned-straight into someone.
"Oops!" she said, grabbing the person's arm to steady herself.
"I'm so sorry!"
She looked up.
It was Keifer.
He looked surprised, like people didn't usually bump into him.
"It's okay," he said calmly.
Jay smiled easily. "You sure?
Because I crash into people a lot. It's kind of my thing."
He nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure."
"Cool," she said. "Then I won't feel guilty."
She walked away, already laughing with Aman about something silly.
Keifer watched her for a moment.
She was loud. Fearless. Smiling like life had never hurt her.
Annoying, he thought.
And yet... different.
Outside the classroom, Jay stretched her arms and took a deep breath.
"Another class done," she said happily.
Her phone buzzed with messages. Someone needed advice. Someone needed comfort. Someone needed her.
She replied to all of them with a smile.
What no one saw was how her smile faded for just one second when she looked away-before she forced it back again.
Because Jay didn't like people worrying about her.
And she had learned a long time ago
that smiling was easier than explaining pain.