Jay-jay's POV
Sir Alvin didn't teach us today. Instead, he just chatted with us. Honestly, I kind of missed this—his patience with us idiots, the way he sometimes joined in our nonsense. It felt… normal again.
"The plans for your retreat have already started," Sir announced.
Retreat?
"We're included in that?" Calix asked, frowning.
"Yes. You're fourth years now. Every student must attend before graduating," Sir explained.
I knew about the retreat for graduating students, but isn't it a bit early to be talking about it?
"When will it be held?" someone asked.
"There's no set date yet, but it'll be earlier than usual. There's still uncertainty because of the post-final exam."
Post-final exam?
I couldn't turn to Yuri, so I nudged Keifer instead. "What's the post-final exam?"
"It's the fifth exam," he replied casually. "It determines whether a student will graduate or not."
I sighed heavily. Great. I'm doomed.Another exam? What if I don't pass? That means I won't graduate?!
Panic slowly crept in. We haven't even reached the third periodical, and now this? Guess it's time to start burning the midnight oil—or prepare to be skinned alive by my brother.
We spent almost the entire morning just talking. None of the teachers seemed to be in the mood to teach, and honestly, I didn't mind.
By lunchtime, I decided to go to the bathroom before eating."Uhh… guys, I'll be right back," I said, walking off before anyone could respond.
As I walked, my thoughts drifted back to that problem. The engagement. How the hell was I supposed to stop it?
I felt someone following me, so I quickened my pace. Please, not Freya.
Inside the restroom, I locked myself in a cubicle and sighed.Should I talk to Keifer about this? Maybe we could come up with a plan.I wish this engagement never happened… or that I'd never agreed to it in the first place.
But it's already done. No use overthinking.
After composing myself, I opened the cubicle door—only to freeze.
Of course. Just my luck. The person I wanted to talk to was right in front of me.
"W-what are you doing here?!" I snapped, glaring at him. "This is the ladies' restroom!"
Keifer smirked mischievously, one hand resting on the cubicle wall."I don't care. No one can stop me."
Before I could react, he pushed me back inside the cubicle.
Son of a—
I bit his lip and kicked that part of him. He stumbled back, wincing in pain. Serves him right.
(Back in the classroom.)
"Dude! What happened to you?" Edrix asked as soon as Keifer entered. "You get into a fight or something?"
Keifer's gaze flicked to me. I quickly looked away. Guilty! Well, it was his fault anyway! He had the nerve to push me back into a cubicle—and nearly steal a kiss!
"No... I just ran into a demon," he said, walking to his seat.
Excuse me? I'm the demon now?
I pretended I didn't know what he was talking about, but I could feel him smirking.
"You'll pay for this," he whispered as he passed by.
I glared at him. Jerk. Talking to him is impossible. He's worse than ever!
At the lunch table, everyone was talking about food."Just this?" Drew asked Eman.
"Meatloaf's all we have. You guys still haven't given money for groceries!" Eman replied.
"Don't worry, Kristine brought snacks!" Ci-n announced.
Everyone immediately turned to Kristine, who sighed and handed out food one by one. She gave everything—until nothing was left for herself.
"Don't you have anything to eat, Kris?" Ci-n asked.
"I'm not hungry... you guys can have these too," she said, passing her lunch to him.
Ci-n looked worried but took it anyway.
I ate quietly in my spot, though honestly, I felt like throwing my food—right into the face of the person sitting across from me.
Keifer.
He just sat there, watching me eat.
"Get lost," I said irritably.
"What if I don't want to?" he challenged.
I stood up, ready to walk away, when he suddenly sang,"Boooxxxeeerrr~"
I froze.Okay, sitting back down.
He was blackmailing me—and loving it.
"What do you want?" I hissed.
"Nothing... is it wrong to watch you eat?"
"Yes. Now go away."
Instead of leaving, he laughed.This guy's seriously testing my patience.
If I lose my temper, I'll break something on him. Or everything.
"Is there a problem here?" Yuri's voice cut in.
I hadn't noticed he was there. For some reason, my pulse quickened.
"N-no... we were just messing around," I said quickly.
"Sure?" he asked again.
I nodded. He looked at Keifer for a moment, then back at me."Jay... can I talk to you for a second?"
I blinked, confused, but nodded anyway. He gestured for me to follow him outside.
We walked up to the second floor."Yuri... why are we here?" I asked.
He turned to me. "Can we talk it out?"
"Talk what—" Then it hit me. The engagement.
"Y-Yuri, I already told you—"
"I know," he said softly. "But can we just... adjust?"
I sighed. "I'm sorry."
"But... just for a month, please. Let's hang out like before. Just... act like my fiancée."His eyes shimmered with tears. I couldn't handle it.
"I'll try," I whispered.
His eyes widened. Then he smiled. "Thank you, Jay."
Before I could explain that I didn't want to give him false hope, he pulled me into a hug. I froze, then gently patted his back.
"I'll make you like me," he murmured.
"You can't force someone to like you," I said quietly.
"I won't force. I'll just try."
I sighed again and nodded, though I knew he couldn't. He deserved better—that's the only reason I accepted this whole thing.
Maybe I should just hide my feelings.
When we returned to class, Yuri stopped me. "You go first."
I nodded and stepped inside. The room was still chaotic. Kristine wasn't there. Where'd she go?
I was about to ask Ci-n when someone caught my wrist.
Keifer.
"What now?" I muttered, sitting down. He released my wrist.
"What did Yuri talk about?" he asked.
"The engagement," I said in a low voice. "Now please, stop this."
He leaned closer. "Why?"
"What do you mean why? Keifer, come on!" I glanced around, making sure no one was listening. "I'm engaged to Yuri."
He chuckled. "So you're asking me to stop?"
I nodded firmly."Stop what?"
"This! Whatever you're doing! Stop bothering me... stay away... stop flirting with me!"
He looked briefly at Yuri, who had just entered, then back at me.
"What's wrong with flirting with the person I love?"
L-love.
That word again. Why does it always shake me?
"Keifer," I said, "because it's wrong."
"Wrong? So it's wrong to show affection?"
I smacked my forehead. "We're deceiving Yuri!"
"Deceiving? We're not even in a relationship. So how are we deceiving him?"
His words stung.Right... we're not in a relationship.So why am I even demanding anything from him?
"There's nothing wrong with what we're doing," he added softly.
Please stop.
"You're not cheating on Yuri... because we're not in a relationship."
It felt like a slap. If we're not, then why is he doing this? I wanted to cry, though I didn't even know why.
My body froze. I couldn't move. Couldn't speak. My heart ached in a way I didn't understand.
Then he spoke again—words that shook me to the core.
"Did you hear what I said?" he asked, smiling faintly.
I couldn't respond. I just stared.He leaned in closer. "I'll repeat it... We're not in a relationship, but you—" he pointed at me— "are mine."
My heart stopped.
"Y-y-you're crazy," I stammered, standing abruptly. My cheeks burned. My heart pounded like a drum.
I rushed out of the room and stopped at the stairwell, clutching my chest.
This is wrong!
I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration, pacing in circles. I kept letting out deep sighs.
Damn it!
Keifer is such an asshole. I don't even understand myself anymore. I'm so confused!
I must've been mumbling to myself when suddenly,"AAAAAGGGGHHHH!" someone screamed.
I jumped.What the—?
I looked around. No one. It didn't come from our room either.Was that... a ghost?
Then I saw him—upstairs.Someone was punching the wall repeatedly.
"E-Edrix?" I called softly.
He froze but didn't look back. His shoulders trembled. Was he... crying?
"Is something wrong?" I asked.
No answer. He just leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.
I was about to leave when he suddenly whispered, "S-sorry... I just couldn't hold it in."
I stayed. I couldn't just walk away.
"What happened?" I asked gently.
He wiped his tears, forcing a small smile. "I'm just mad at myself. I'm such a coward."
I sighed. I understood that feeling too well.I'm mad at myself too—because of that damn idiot.
"Why? Do you want to talk about it?"
He nodded slightly. "Falling in love is hard. And yet, I can't even tell them... or show them how I feel."
It really is hard.But it's even harder when you don't know who you should be showing those feelings to.
"So annoying," he muttered.
So annoying indeed. Especially that king of snakes—wait, no, focus!
"W-who's the girl?" I asked.
He turned his phone on, typing something before showing it to me.
A picture. A girl. She looked... simple. Her smile was soft, warm—beautiful.
"She's gorgeous, right?" he asked.
I nodded. "Yeah... beautiful."
"Freya's really beautiful," he said quietly.
"Yeah, she is—" I froze. "HUH?! Freya?!"
I grabbed his phone, zooming in and out. It was Freya. She looked so different without makeup—like an angel.
Was this even real?
"F-Freya's the girl—"
"Yeah. It's been a long time," he said before I could finish.
Oh. My. God.Freya? Of all people?!