(Just updated Chapter 20 to be longer! Check it out :)
Jay Jay's POV:
The second the final bell rings, Section E erupts like a prison break. Ci-n's screaming about how Rakki said yes to go somewhere after school, Felix is shouting about "AFTER-SCHOOL CONTENT!", and Calix is already on his phone calling Mica like he's auditioning for Romeo and Juliet.
Me? I'm out of there. Fast.
Bag slung over my shoulder, freedom. Air. Space away from Keifer's suspicious eyes.
Halfway down the block, I feel something.
I slow down. Glance behind me.
Nothing. Just students spilling out, traffic honking, life being loud.
Through the crowd, I spot it. Red hair. Spiky. Familiar in the most infuriating way.
My heart slams. YURI?!
The Rooster himself!
I shove through students, ignoring the "HEY!" and "watch it!" as I dart across the sidewalk. "Yuri! YURI!"
He doesn't turn.
Of course he doesn't turn. Typical.
I push harder, nearly tripping over someone's backpack. The red hair is weaving through the crowd, faster now, like he knows I'm chasing.
"HEY! Stop running like a—" someone yells behind me, but I don't care.
I just need to see his face. Just once. Just confirm it's him.
But when I finally break through the last clump of students—
He's gone.
No red hair. No Yuri. Just strangers, cars honking, and my own breath rasping like I ran a marathon.
I swear I just saw him! I may be blind but NOT THAT BLIND!
I freeze on the sidewalk, scanning, heart hammering. Was it really him? Or am I officially going crazy from stress?
I swallow hard and start walking again, slower this time.
Step. Step.
That's when it hits me.
The air feels heavier. My neck prickles. My pulse picks up.
Someone's behind me.
I glance over my shoulder casually—too casually. Nothing obvious. Just people walking, cars passing. But the feeling won't go away.
Step. Step.
I speed up.
Step. Step.
The sound behind me speeds up too.
OH. MY. GOD.
I'm being followed.
I clutch my bag tighter, heart racing, mind screaming. Don't run. Don't panic. Just—walk faster.
Step. Step. Step.
The footsteps follow.
The footsteps keep matching mine. Too close. Too steady.
Don't run. Don't panic. Don't look back—
…screw that. I whip my head around.
For a second, all I catch is a shadow slipping out of view behind a parked car.
My lungs freeze.
Nope. Nope nope nope. I am NOT dying on a Tuesday after math class.
I bolt.
Shoes pounding against the pavement, bag smacking my side, I weave through the streets like my life depends on it—which, okay, maybe it does.
Left turn. Right turn. Down the shortcut alley by the bakery. My chest burns, but adrenaline keeps me flying.
I chance a glance back—
OH MY GOD.
There is someone there. Hood up, head low, keeping pace.
They're FOLLOWING ME.
I push harder, ignoring the stitch stabbing my side, practically yeeting myself out of the alley and back onto the main road. Horns blare. Someone yells. I don't care. My legs are in full survival mode.
Home. I just need to get home.
My street isn't far. Just a few more blocks—
"Jay!"
I skid so hard I almost trip over my own feet.
Standing right in front of me—
Keifer.
Arms crossed, expression sharp, eyes instantly scanning my face like he can see the panic in my soul.
"What the hell are you running from?"
My chest is heaving, throat dry like I swallowed sandpaper. "I—I wasn't running—"
Keifer steps forward, grip firm on my wrist before I can dart past. "Jay. You look like you saw a ghost."
OH MY GOD. I did see a ghost. A hoodie ghost with footsteps that matched mine like a horror soundtrack!
"I'm fine!" I squeak, tugging my arm, but his hold doesn't budge. "I was just… cardio! Yeah! Health goals! PE homework!"
His eyes narrow. Deadly calm. "Jay."
That tone. The one that makes me want to spill every secret I've ever had.
I cave. "Someone was following me."
The words tumble out before I can stop them.
Keifer's expression changes instantly—sharp, alert, like a switch flipped. "Where?"
I point back toward the street, but… of course. OF COURSE.
Empty. Just cars and a random cat grooming itself on the sidewalk.
Now he is gonna think I made that up!
I shake my head, trembling. "I—I don't know. I swear—someone was—"
Then he looks back at me.
"Stay behind me."
I gulp. My eyes dart everywhere—the car's gone, the street looks normal, the crowd noise is fading as students scatter to their homes. But my skin still prickles. Someone was there. I know it.
Keifer finally exhales, short and sharp. "You're not walking home alone."
"I always walk home alone," I argue weakly.
"Not today."
And before I can blink, he's tugging me down another street. Not toward my house.
"Wait, where are we—HEY!" I stumble after him. "This is not the way home!"
He doesn't slow down, doesn't even look back. "It's the way to mine."
…EXCUSE ME?
My jaw drops. "WHAT—no, nope, absolutely not, do you think I'm just gonna waltz into your house—"
"Do you want to get followed again?"
My soul: … checkmate.
"Kuya is gonna kill both of us!"
"I'll talk to him" Wow!! I mean good luck with that! He just made it sound like talking to Kuya is the easiest task in the world!
Sure enough, as we step into the living room, his 2 brothers look at me like if I've done a crime.
"Why is she here?" Keigen asks.
EXCUSE ME?!
"Because—" Keifer cuts in before I can yell my innocence, voice sharp but calm. "She was being followed."
The room stills.
Keiren—sitting on the floor with a laptop balanced on his knees—finally looks up. His eyes flicker over me, then to Keifer. Unlike Keigen's sharp suspicion, Keiren's gaze is quieter, calculating. "Followed?"
"Yes," Keifer says simply, dropping onto the couch like this is his house (oh wait—it is). He gestures at me. "She was panicking. I wasn't letting her walk home alone."
My soul: EXCUSE ME AGAIN!?"HELLO?? I am literally here and can explain for myself!" I wave my arms dramatically. "Thank you for the kidnapping—"
"Rescue," Keifer corrects smoothly.
"KIDNAPPING!"
Keigen looks at me like if im robbing his house, he isn't like the Keigen I first met... the kind one.
"So let me get this straight. You dragged her here because you think someone was following her?"
I huff. "Not think. I know! Hoodie. Heavy footsteps. Creepy horror movie vibe. It was real."
"Did you see his face?"
"…no."
"Any details? Height? Build? Car?"
"…hoodie."
Keigen groans. "That's not a detail, that's a dress code."
Well I mean sorry for being blind!? What am I going to do!? Measure someone's height just as I'm about to die!?
Keifer shoots Keigen a look that could kill. "She's not making it up."
I glance at him. The way he said it—sharp, steady, protective—makes my chest do something weird. Stupid heart. Stop that.
Keiren leans back, fingers steepled. "Then we watch."
"Watch what?" I demand.
"You," Keigen says flatly.
"WHAT—NO!" I almost choke on air. "I don't need babysitters! I'm not five!"
"You're also not safe," Keifer says firmly.
OH MY GOD. What is this, Jay Jay Protection Squad™?
I slump back, groaning. "Kuya Angelo is going to bury me alive when he finds out I'm here."
Keifer, without missing a beat: "I'll deal with him."
HE JUST SAYS IT SO CASUALLY. LIKE TALKING TO MY CEO-BOSSY-KUYA IS EASIER THAN ORDERING FRIES.
Kill me.