The living room was already chaotic — snacks scattered, Cin and Percy bickering over pizza, Mica and Rakki giggling over something ridiculous, and Freya pretending not to roll her eyes at Drew.
The doorbell rang, and everyone froze for a second.
"Guess that's Ion's cousin," Percy muttered, stepping forward.
I peeked through the window and saw him — tall, blonde, emerald eyes, that teasing grin. Adam Miller. I blinked. My heart skipped. He didn't know I lived here… he thought he was coming to Ion's house.
"Jay… oh no," Keifer whispered, clutching his arm, sulking already.
Adam walked in, scanning the room. His eyes landed on me — and that grin grew.
"Is this… Ion's house?" he asked carefully.
I crossed my arms, trying not to smile. "Depends. Are you looking for her?"
He paused, confused. "Uh… yes? I'm here for Ion."
Before he could notice me, Percy stepped in, mock-serious. "Step aside, newbie. You have to survive Section E first."
Rakki blocked him from the side, Mica leaned casually against the couch, and Freya sat like a silent guard. Drew and Denzel hovered, obviously judging.
Adam raised his hands, laughing. "Whoa… okay, this isn't what I expected. There's… a lot going on."
Keifer, sulking in the corner, muttered, "And now he's going to notice her… I can feel it…"
I stayed quiet, watching his expression — curious, teasing, totally unaware.
Tiger leaned back against the wall, smirking. "Section E welcome committee. Good luck surviving."
Adam's eyes scanned the room again, landing briefly on me, and I caught that familiar spark — playful, teasing, a little chaotic.
"Jay…?" I said, testing.
He blinked. "Wait… you live here?"
I grinned. "Surprise."
Percy, whispering to the group: "Ohhh… competition just arrived."
Keifer shot me a glare, sulking deeper. "Do not encourage him," he muttered.
Adam laughed. "Well, this is… unexpected. Ion didn't tell me…"
I smirked, stepping closer. "Some things are more fun as surprises."
Rakki, Mica, Ella, and Freya were already whispering to each other, whispering and giggling over Adam's height, grin, and emerald eyes.
Adam, noticing all the girls staring, chuckled nervously. "Uh… hello, everyone. Didn't mean to… intrude?"
Jay leaned closer to him, whispering with a smirk, "Welcome to my chaos."
Keifer muttered, sulking, "I do not like this."
The room erupted into friendly chaos as Adam tried to navigate through Section E, Percy, Rakki, Mica, and Freya being protective, and Jay secretly enjoying the unexpected fun of having her childhood friend in the same room — without him knowing she's here.
Adam whispered, just to me, "You really didn't tell me you'd be… here?"
I smirked, teasing, "Where's the fun in that?"
Keifer muttered under his breath, glaring at Adam, "You have no idea what you're stepping into…"
And just like that, the chaos had officially leveled up.
Adam finally made his way toward the living room, still slightly overwhelmed by Section E's "welcome committee." Percy, with a mock-official stance, stepped right in front of him.
"Before you sit anywhere," Percy declared, "you must survive the protective sibling zone. Step one: Introduce yourself properly."
Adam chuckled nervously. "Uh… Adam Miller. Ion's cousin. I just… thought I'd stop by."
Denzel leaned over, whispering loudly, "Step two: survive Mica, Rakki, Freya, and Ella's judgmental stares."
Rakki whispered to Mica, "Okay, he's cute, but he's in my space. Cin, protect me."
Cin grinned, "Don't worry, my lady. Your tower is safe."
I rolled my eyes and nudged Adam. "Ignore them. They always act like this."
Adam laughed, his emerald eyes scanning the room. "They are… something."
Keifer, sulking in the corner, muttered, "Something I do not approve of…" He crossed his arms and shot me a glare every time Adam laughed.
I smirked, leaning closer. "Ignore him. He's just… sulking because he's jealous."
Keifer muttered, "I am not jealous."
"Uh-huh," I said, raising an eyebrow.
Tiger, lounging on the sofa, called out sarcastically, "Oh great, another one to distract Jay. Section E's already chaotic; let's see how you handle it, Miller."
Adam grinned, undeterred. "Challenge accepted. Where do I start?"
Percy pointed dramatically. "Start with surviving Cin's constant sass, Drew's random philosophy, Denzel's dad vibes, and Rory's… chaos."
Drew raised an eyebrow. "I am not chaos. I am organized chaos."
Rory snorted, knocking over a stack of notebooks. "Organized chaos? Lame. Chaos is messy!"
Meanwhile, Keifer muttered under his breath, sulking more visibly. "And now he's charming her. Great."
I nudged him. "Careful, Mr. Watson, you'll trip over your own jealousy."
Keifer's jaw clenched. "I am fine. Totally fine."
Adam finally made it to the couch, but Mica, Rakki, and Freya subtly blocked him from sitting comfortably. "Uh… okay…" Adam muttered, trying not to laugh.
I whispered, teasing, "See? They like to make visitors uncomfortable."
Adam laughed softly. "Noted. Section E… noted."
Percy elbowed me. "So… what's your deal with Jay anyway? You guys… look familiar?"
Adam glanced at me, a soft smile forming. "We go way back… childhood friends. Lots of trouble, lots of promises, a few pranks… you know, the usual."
I grinned. "Oh, he's harmless. Mostly."
Keifer, frowning, whispered to me, "Tell him to stay mostly harmless away from me."
I rolled my eyes. "Sure, sulky Watson."
As Adam laughed, he leaned closer to me and whispered, "So… she's the Jay I've heard about. The one Keifer's… um…" He trailed off, noticing the sulk in Keifer's corner.
I smirked. "Don't worry about him. He's just dramatic."
Tiger snorted. "Dramatic? That's putting it lightly. He's borderline theatrical."
Adam laughed, shaking his head. "This… is quite the gang."
Suddenly, Edrix and Rory piped up from the side. "You're not as good as Michael!"
Adam blinked. "Michael?"
"Or Samuel," Cin added smugly.
Adam and I exchanged a glance. I whispered, "Not yet… they haven't arrived yet."
Adam nodded, a little sad, but smiling. "Ah… I see. That's okay. I was going to call you too, but… here I am. Finally."
Keifer's ears twitched visibly. "Don't whisper."
I chuckled softly. "See? Already sulking."
Meanwhile, the girls — Rakki, Mica, Freya, Ella — were practically drooling over Adam's grin and emerald eyes, whispering to each other nonstop. Percy and Aries shot jealous glares, protective brothers all the way. Even Angelo, standing behind slightly, clenched his jaw.
Adam, noticing their reactions, whispered to me, teasing, "Mrs. Watson? Is that a real name?"
I laughed, shaking my head. "Careful, you might make him explode."
Keifer, clutching his arm, muttered, "I do not like this."
Adam's laughter filled the room, blending with Section E's chaos. Percy, whispering to the group, said dramatically, "My competition has arrived."
Angelo's jaw tightened. "I was the one who separated her… why did I even—"
I stepped closer to Angelo, whispering softly, "Relax, Kuya. He doesn't know everything yet."
Adam smiled at me, eyes glinting. "So… what's the story with this house? Section E? And you, Jay?"
I smirked, teasing. "Well, Miller… welcome to chaos central. Hope you survive."
Keifer's sulk deepened. "I do not approve of him."
Adam winked at me. "Oh… I like a challenge."
And that was the start of chaos — laughter, jealousy, teasing, and a few memories of childhood promises lingering in the air.