JAY-JAY'S POV
I tried to act normal as I walked back into Section E.
Tried being the keyword.
The moment Levi and I separated near the hallway, I already felt the shift—like something heavy had been placed back on my shoulders. The kind of weight I couldn't explain to anyone even if I wanted to.
Levi didn't say anything else after that.
He never does when it comes to them.
The Head wants to see you.
Just those words kept repeating in my mind.
I slid back into my seat, careful not to meet anyone's eyes too long. The room was louder than before, but somehow it felt more suffocating.
Ci-N immediately asked me.
"Where did you go?" He whispered, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Bathroom," I answered quickly.
A lie.
Easy.
Too easy.
I could feel Levi's presence beside me even without looking. That was the annoying part about him—he never even had to try to be noticeable.
And yet, I was fully aware of him.
Like always.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Keifer.
He wasn't smiling.
He was watching.
Not just Levi—me.
That look in his eyes made my chest tighten a little.
He's suspicious.
Of course he is.
Keifer wasn't stupid. He notices things people try to hide. That's what makes him… Keifer.
I looked down at my desk, pretending to focus on nothing in particular.
But my thoughts were already elsewhere.
The Head calling for me wasn't normal.
It never was.
And Levi being here because of it?
That made it worse.
I shifted slightly in my seat, gripping my pen tighter.
Levi leaned just a little closer, voice low enough that only I could hear.
"You're overthinking."
I didn't look at him. "You don't know that."
A pause.
Then, "Yes, I do."
That made me exhale through my nose.
Of course he would say that.
Before I could respond, Ci-N's voice cut through again, softer this time but still curious.
"Okay… I'm just saying… you two were gone at the same time."
I froze for half a second.
Keifer's head turned slightly at that.
Great.
I forced myself to stay calm.
"Coincidence," I said, shrugging lightly. "We just bumped into each other."
Levi didn't react.
Which somehow made it worse.
Keifer leaned back in his chair, eyes still on me.
Not convinced.
Not even close.
And I hated that I couldn't fully explain anything.
Because if I did…
Everything would change.
Not just in Section E.
But everywhere.
AUTHOR'S POV
Jayjay and Levi had already returned to the classroom.
Nothing about them looked unusual on the surface.
Jayjay sat in her seat like nothing happened. Levi sat beside her like he had always been there. Both of them acted normal—too normal, as if nothing important had taken place during lunch break.
But Section E didn't feel the same anymore.
The class was still loud, still chaotic, still full of teasing voices and scattered conversations…
Yet something was different.
Something subtle.
Unexplainable.
Rory noticed it first, though he didn't understand why.
"Why does it feel like the room is heavier than earlier?" he muttered, scratching his head.
Drew frowned. "Huh? What are you talking about?"
"I don't know," Rory said quickly. "Forget it."
But he didn't forget it.
Neither did Ci-N.
He kept glancing at Jayjay and Levi, his usual curiosity still there—but now mixed with something else. Like his thoughts were trying to connect dots that didn't make sense.
"I feel like I missed something," Ci-N whispered to David.
David shrugged. "You're imagining things."
"Maybe," Ci-N said, but she didn't sound sure.
Felix tapped his pen lightly on his desk. "You guys are weird today."
But even he kept looking at Levi a little longer than usual.
Kit and Mayo were quieter than normal too, their usual energy slightly dulled as if something in the atmosphere had pressed it down without warning.
And Keifer…
Keifer wasn't talking at all.
His eyes were fixed forward, but his attention wasn't on the board.
It was on Levi.
On Jayjay.
On the space between them that felt… different.
Because even though nothing obvious had changed—
something definitely had.
Jayjay was acting normal.
Levi was acting normal.
But Keifer knew people didn't move like that after nothing.
Something happened during lunch.
Something none of them saw.
And for the first time that day, Keifer felt it clearly in his chest—
a quiet, uncomfortable certainty he couldn't explain.
Something was being hidden in plain sight.
And he didn't like it.