KEIFER POV
My phone started ringing again.
What the fuck?
Who keeps calling this early?
I grabbed it off the table and answered without checking.
"What the hell do you want?" I snapped, already annoyed.
"Asshole, is my sister with you?" Aries asked.
My whole body went still.
"No," I said, getting up fast "Is she not with you?"
"Fuck," he muttered under his breath.
A cold feeling hit my stomach.
"Aries, where is she?" I asked again, sharper this time.
"I don't know," he said, voice tight. "She was crying last night and she was being weird today."
My chest tightened.
"She left early saying she had to go somewhere today and I thought she was with you."
I froze.
She was crying last night.
That sentence hit me harder than anything else.
I grabbed my keys.
"I'm going to find her," I said, already heading for the door.
"I will also come," Aries replied.
I nodded.
I drove straight to their house and he jumped in the car, slamming the door shut like the world was ending.
"Why did she cry last night?" I asked, gripping the steering wheel tighter than I meant to.
"She said it was a nightmare, but I don't think it is," Aries said. Then he turned to me, eyes sharp. "You fucking asshole—did you do anything to her?"
I snapped my head toward him. "What the hell would I do?"
"Did you touch her like you did in the music room?" he pressed, voice rising.
I glared at him. "You horoscope, I wouldn't touch her without her consent."
He scoffed, but he didn't argue.
And yeah—
the music room was fun,
dangerous in the best way.
But I never touched her without her saying yes.
I looked back at the road, jaw tight.
"Aries," I said, voice low, "I'm worried about her too."
He didn't say anything for a moment.
Then quietly, almost too quietly:
"She was crying last night, Keifer."
My chest tightened.
We drove straight to Edrix's apartment. I barely parked before I was out of the car, pounding on his door.
"Drix, open the door," I said, knocking harder.
A few seconds later, the door cracked open. Edrix stood there half‑asleep, hair a mess, shirt inside out.
"What up, Keifer?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.
"I need you to track Jay," I said immediately.
He blinked, then smirked. "Wow, you're her boyfriend and you're still asking me to track her?"
"Do as I say," I snapped, my voice sharper than I intended.
Edrix's teasing dropped instantly. His face turned serious.
"Aight," he said, stepping back inside. "I'll call Rory."
He grabbed his phone and dialed.
Behind me, Aries crossed his arms, glaring at me like he was ready to fight.
"Asshole," he said, "is this how you tracked my sister this entire time?"
I turned to him slowly.
"Aries," I said, jaw tight, "I didn't track her. I didn't even know Edrix made that stupid app."
He scoffed. "Yeah, right."
I stepped closer, eyes locked on his.
"If I knew she was crying last night," I said quietly, "I wouldn't have slept."
Aries froze for a second—just a second—because he knew I meant it.
Edrix hung up the phone. "Rory's checking the last ping. Give him a minute."
A minute felt like a lifetime.
"I'm telling Section E to search for her," Edrix said, already typing. His fingers flew across the screen as he dropped a message in the group chat.
Edrix:Jay is missing.
The replies came instantly.
Mayo:What—where is she?
David:Idiot, she's missing.
More messages started flooding in.
Eman:WHAT DO YOU MEAN MISSING?
Felix:Define missing. Did she run? Was she kidnapped? Did she evaporate?
Ci-n:BRO WHAT IF SHE GOT ABDUCTED BY ALIENS—
Calix:Ci-n shut up.
Drew:Where was she last seen?
Rory:I'm checking the last ping now. Give me a sec.
Yuri: I searched almost every bakery. I didn't see her.
Eren: Lol you checked the bakery.
David: Eren, focus. Jay is missing.
Felix: WAIT WHAT IF SHE'S AT A BAKERY WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT—
David: Jay being in a secret bakery is less likely than—
Ci‑N: ALIENS.
Calix: I swear to God, Ci‑N—
Rory: Got the location. Sending now.
The chat went silent for half a second.
Then:
Eman: BRO WHY IS SHE THERE?!
Ci-n: Where is she tell us—. NOW.
Edrix: We're on it.
"What the fuck?" Edrix said, staring at his phone like it personally offended him.
"What is it?" I asked, stepping closer.
"Keifer… it says Jay is in a cemetery," Edrix said.
My stomach dropped.
"What the hell?" Aries said. "Why would she go there?"
"I don't know," I said, already grabbing my keys. "But if she's there alone, then it's bad. Let's go."
Aries nodded instantly, all the color draining from his face.
Edrix stood up too.
"I'll also come," he said, already slipping on his shoes.
I didn't argue. We all rushed out together.
As we got into the car, Edrix spoke again, typing fast on his phone.
"I already told Section E where she is. They'll meet us there."
I nodded, jaw tight, heart pounding so hard it hurt.
I pressed harder on the gas.
"Hold on," I said, voice low. "We're getting to her now."
When we reached the cemetery, the car hadn't even stopped fully before Aries jumped out.
I followed right after him.
Section E was already there—
all of them standing in a loose circle, quiet, eyes fixed on something ahead.
On her.
"What the hell is happening here?" I asked, walking toward them.
David lifted a hand immediately. "Shhh."
I glared at him, but he pointed ahead.
"Look. Jay is there. She's safe."
I followed his finger.
And there she was.
Kneeling in front of three graves, placing flowers one by one with hands that were shaking.
Her shoulders were trembling.
Her head was bowed.
She looked so small.
Calix exhaled softly. "It looks like… it's their parents' death anniversary."
My chest tightened painfully.
David spoke again, voice gentle. "Let's give her some alone time."
Everyone nodded quietly.
"But that doesn't mean we have to go away," Aries said, jaw clenched. "We can just… keep an eye on her."
We all nodded again.
But I couldn't look away.
Not even for a second.
We all nodded again.
But then Jay's voice carried through the wind.
And everything inside me froze.
"I miss you guys so much…" Her voice sound so broken
I couldn't see her like this
"I wanted you to grow with me, Jas… I wanted you to be here when I turned eighteen…"
Aries's face crumpled.
Everyone looked down trying not to cry
And me?
I felt something inside me break.
Hearing her say that—
hearing her voice crack it hit me harder than anything ever has.
"I'm trying to live for all of us… but some days… it's so hard without you."
That was it.
That was the moment I couldn't stand still anymore.
I stepped forward.
I didn't care who was watching.
All I saw was her—
shaking, crying, breaking in front of three graves she loved more than anything.
I closed the distance in seconds and wrapped my arms around her.
She froze.
Just for a heartbeat.
Then she turned, saw me—
and everything inside her collapsed.
"Keifer," she choked out, grabbing onto me like she was drowning.
She clung to me harder, fists gripping my shirt, face buried in my chest as she sobbed like the world had finally become too heavy.
My arms tightened around her instantly.
"Jay…" I whispered, pulling her closer, one hand on the back of her head, the other around her waist. "I'm here. I'm right here."
Her whole body shook against me.
I didn't let go.
Not even for a second.
Behind us, Section E stayed silent—
no jokes, no teasing, no comments—
just sixteen boys watching the girl they cared about fall apart
I lowered my head, my voice barely above a breath.
"You don't have to do this alone anymore."
She sobbed harder, clutching me like I was the only thing keeping her standing.
Then we heard it—
the sound of cars pulling over behind us.
Doors opening.
Footsteps.
Soft voices.
I didn't turn at first.
I was still holding Jay, her face buried in my chest, her fingers gripping my shirt like she was afraid I'd disappear.
But then I heard a voice I'd never heard sound so broken.
"Baby sistah…"
Percy.
I finally looked over my shoulder.
Percy, Jare, and Jace were all standing there—
all dressed in black,
all with red eyes,
all looking like today hurt them just as much as it hurt her.
And Percy—
the annoying one, Crying.
His face crumpled the moment he saw Jay in my arms.
"Baby sistah…" he said again, voice cracking as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
Damn it.
This guy was supposed to be the clown.
Seeing him like this—
quiet, broken, hurting—
It hit me harder than I expected.
My throat tightened.
I held Jay a little closer without thinking.
Jare walked past me, his eyes red but steady, a bouquet in his hands.
He didn't say anything at first—
just knelt beside Jay and placed the flowers gently on the grave.
He touched the stone with trembling fingers.
"Miss you guys…" he whispered.
His voice cracked on the last word.
Percy came next, wiping his face aggressively like he didn't want anyone to see he'd been crying—
but his eyes were swollen, his nose red, his hands shaking.
He placed his flowers down too.
"Miss you, Ma… Pa… Jas," he murmured, voice barely holding together.
Then Jace—
the youngest, the quietest—
stepped forward.
He didn't say anything at first.
He just stared at the graves, lips pressed tight, tears falling silently.
Then he whispered:
"I hope you're proud of us."
That one hit me hard.
They stayed quiet after that— all four of them.
Just Jay's soft, broken sobs against my chest…
and Jare's quiet sniffles as he kept his hand on the grave…
and Jace wiping his face with the sleeve of his black shirt…
and Percy—loud, dramatic Percy—crying silently for once in his life.
The wind moved around us, gentle and cold, like it was trying to hold all of them at once.
Jay's fingers curled tighter into my shirt, like she was afraid if she let go, she'd fall apart completely.
I rested my chin lightly on her head, my arms wrapped around her, steady and firm.
Jare stayed kneeling, shoulders shaking every few breaths.
Jace leaned forward, forehead touching the stone for a moment like he was praying.
Percy stood behind them, one hand covering his mouth, tears falling even though he kept trying to wipe them away fast.
This is how I felt when my mom died.
That same heaviness.
That same silence.
That same feeling like the world kept moving but you were stuck in the moment you lost everything.
Jay's sobs were quieter now, but they still shook through her whole body.
Her brothers stayed kneeling, eyes red, shoulders slumped.
Even Section E didn't move.
After what felt like two hours, Aries finally stepped forward.
"Let's go home… you guys have been here for two hours," he said softly, voice gentler than I'd ever heard from him.
Jay didn't answer.
She didn't even look up.
"Let me stay here for some more time… please," she whispered, still crying, her voice so small it hurt to hear.
I turned her face toward me gently, wiping her tears with my thumb.
Her cheeks were cold.
Her eyes were swollen.
I brushed another tear away.
"What would Uncle and Auntie and your sister say," I murmured softly, "seeing their princess cry like this?"
Her breath hitched.
I kept wiping her tears, slow and careful, like she might break if I moved too fast.
"They wouldn't want to see you hurting like this," I said, my voice low, steady. "They'd want you smiling. Laughing. Living. They'd want you to be happy, Jay."
She closed her eyes, more tears slipping out.
I cupped her cheek gently.
"They loved you," I whispered. "They still do. And they wouldn't want their princess crying alone."
"They might say I wasn't taking good care of my wifey," I murmured, brushing away another tear.
A tiny chuckle slipped out of her, weak but real.
"Asshole," she whispered.
Hearing her laugh—even a little—felt like the sun finally cracked through the clouds.
Jare stepped closer, voice gentle but firm.
"Jay, let's go."
"But Jare—" she started, her voice breaking again.
Percy knelt beside her, wiping his own tears with the back of his hand.
"Please na," he said softly. "We cried enough. Besides… Keifer is right. They wouldn't want to see us cry."
Jace nodded, eyes still red.
"Yeah, Ate."
Jay looked at all of them—
her brothers, all hurting, all trying to be strong for her—
and her grip on my shirt tightened again.
She didn't say anything.
She didn't have to.
I slid my hand down to hers, lacing our fingers together gently.
"We'll come back," I whispered. "As many times as you want."
Her eyes softened, tears still clinging to her lashes like they didn't want to leave her yet.
"Fine," she whispered.
She turned back toward the graves—
her parents' names carved into stone,
Jas's tulips swaying in the wind—
and she looked at them one more time.
One last, lingering look.
Her fingers tightened around mine.
Jay took a shaky breath.
Then she whispered so softly I almost didn't hear it:
"See you soon, Ma… Pa… Jas."
The wind brushed her hair gently, almost like an answer.
She squeezed my hand.
And together—
slowly, quietly—
we started walking away from the graves.
But she didn't let go of my hand.
Not once.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Question for you guys 🤔✨
What exactly is Andres Muhlach's full name? 😏😏
And who here can write his full name without Googling it? 👀🔥
