The door shut with a soft click, and Kiara's footsteps faded down the walkway.
Silence wrapped the living room for a moment.
Then—
Kit broke it dramatically.
"Okay, but… can we all agree that felt like a boss battle?"
Mayo flopped onto a beanbag.
"I aged 30 years in that interaction."
Eren groaned.
"My soul left my body and came back."
Josh pointed at the door.
"I swear she carried an aura of pure negativity."
David nodded.
"No fr, the vibe dropped by like 80%."
Cin hugged a pillow.
"Jay's glare almost killed ME. And it wasn't even directed at me!"
Percy whispered,
"Lia's silence was scarier."
Felix wrote in his notebook.
"Note: Kiara's presence = environmental hazard."
Calix added,
"Honestly? She shouldn't be allowed within a 5km radius of this place."
Freya stood proudly on the couch.
"I propose a Kiara-ban law."
"SECONDED!"
Rakki shouted.
Mica raised her hand.
"I think I blacked out during the tension."
Ion, leaning on Angelo, sighed.
"That was rough… but she deserved that silence."
Lorenzo stretched, cracking his knuckles.
"If she talks to Jay or Lia again, say the word. I'll handle it."
Lexi gave the door a dirty look.
"Imagine thinking you can fix years of damage with one fake apology. Trash."
Daniel adjusted his glasses.
"That was the most uncomfortable 5 minutes of my academic life."
Rafael nodded.
"Respectfully, she should stay gone."
Cindy crossed her arms.
"She didn't even look sorry. She looked… guilty."
Alvin stared blankly.
"I thought drama only happened in teleserye…"
Mira sighed.
"I'm just glad Jay and Lia didn't explode… that could've gone worse."
The chaos downstairs faded into soft murmurs as the girls isolated themselves.
Kiefer sat on the bed with Jay in his arms.
Her face was buried in his chest, shoulders trembling.
He stroked her hair gently.
"Hey… breathe," he whispered.
"I've got you."
Jay sniffed. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" Kiefer tilted her chin up.
"For crying," she whispered.
"For letting her get in my head."
He pressed his forehead to hers.
"Jay, you're allowed to break down. You're human."
His thumb wiped a tear away.
"Anyone would've cracked if their past walked straight into their living room."
Jay swallowed hard.
"It just… brought everything back."
Kiefer hugged her tighter.
"She doesn't get to control your story anymore. You do."
He kissed her temple.
"And I'll be right here — every time it hurts."
Jay's breathing steadied.
For the first time today… she felt safe.
Lia sat curled on the floor beside her bed, knees pulled to her chest.
Kairav sat in front of her, gently pulling her hands away so he could see her face.
"Look at me for a second," he murmured.
Lia's eyes were red.
"I didn't want her here…" her voice cracked.
"I didn't want to see her."
Kairav cupped her face with both hands.
"You shouldn't have to see someone who hurt you," he said softly.
"And you don't owe her forgiveness."
A tear rolled down Lia's cheek.
"She made me feel so… small."
She looked at him helplessly.
"Like I was some embarrassing secret."
Kairav pulled her into his lap, arms wrapping around her shoulders.
"You're not small. You're not embarrassing. You're the strongest girl I know."
He pressed a kiss to her head.
"And anyone who ever made you think otherwise doesn't deserve a place in your life."
Lia's fingers tightened around his shirt.
"Thank you…" she whispered.
He stroked her back slowly.
"You're safe. I'm here. Section E's here. You're not alone anymore."
Lia finally leaned fully into him, breathing slowing, heart calming.
Aries clapped his hands loudly.
"OKAY, NEW MEETING! SECTION E ASSEMBLE!"
Everyone groaned but gathered anyway.
Rory sat on the arm of the couch like a disappointed dad.
"Y'all caused more emotional damage in 10 minutes than my childhood did."
Freya raised her hand.
"I say we officially BAN Kiara from all Section E functions."
Everyone immediately shouted:
"YES!"
"AGREED!"
"BLOCK HER!"
"DELETE HER!"
"BANISH HER!"
Felix scribbled in his notebook:
Kiara-ban: Approved unanimously.
Cindy added,
"And nobody brings her up again. For Jay and Lia's sake."
Calix nodded.
"Period."
Mira exhaled.
"Should we… like… check on them?"
"No need," Kiefer suddenly appeared downstairs, looking calmer but serious.
"Jay's resting."
Right behind him, Kairav came down the stairs.
"Lia too. They're okay… just tired."
The whole room softened.
Rakhi crossed her arms.
"Good. They deserve peace."
Kit looked around.
"Then we stay quiet tonight?"
Everyone nodded.
Then Alvin sneezed louder than a thunderclap.
Angelo glared.
"BRO."
As soon as the girls came down together, leaning on each other—
The ENTIRE Section E fell silent.
Then the cheering started.
"OUR GIRLS!"
"THE LEGENDS!!"
"THE REAL MUTYAS!!"
"THE MIGHTY SILENT ASSASSINS!"
"THE ICONS OF PAIN!"
"THE TWIN DRAGONS!"
Jay covered her face.
Lia hid behind Kairav.
Rory stood and placed a hand on his chest.
"We love you both. And we're all here for you."
Freya snapped dramatically.
"IF ANYONE HURTS YOU AGAIN, WE RIOT."
Angelo raised his hand.
"I already got a bat."
Ion pulled the bat away.
"No, babe. No violence today."
Jay laughed.
Lia laughed.
And Section E?
They exploded into warm chaos again.
Because that's what they were—
A disaster family.
But a family.