POV: Jayjay
Hex was lying on my lap.
His head felt lighter than it should, and that scared me more than when he fainted.
A man walked in—older, calm, with a small medical bag. He checked Hex's pulse, his breathing, his eyes. Everyone stayed quiet.
After a few minutes, he straightened up.
"There's nothing serious," he said. "Stress, lack of proper meals, emotional shock. I'll prescribe light medicine. He just needs rest and food."
I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding.
Luna escorted the man to the gate.
I turned to Aunty Katherine. "Aunty… has Hex been eating well lately?"
She hesitated.
"Not really," she admitted. "He barely eats breakfast. Dinner too—just a little."
My heart sank.
I looked down at Hex's face. Pale. Too quiet.
Then I noticed the girl standing nearby. She had been silent the whole time, watching everything with worried eyes.
I gently called her over.
"Hi. What's your name?"
She bowed her head a little. "I'm Mila. I'm… Charles's desk mate."
I glanced at Keifer and whispered so only he could hear, "That's his crush."
Keifer smirked softly. "Not like me."
Mila looked at me nervously. "Will he be okay?"
I smiled at her reassuringly. "Don't worry. He'll be fine. He's stronger than he looks."
She smiled back, relieved.
I asked Aunty Katherine to prepare something for them to eat.
"Have you eaten breakfast?" I asked Mila.
She shook her head. "No."
"Then you'll eat here," I said firmly.
As Katherine went to the kitchen, Mila spoke again.
"Jayjay… why doesn't Hex eat during break time in school?"
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Even when he has money," she said, "he barely eats. He only buys drinks and biscuits."
My chest tightened.
"That's impossible," I said softly. "I send him enough money every morning."
She shook her head. "He doesn't use it."
She continued, voice hesitant.
"When people talk about family, he changes the topic. And… people in school say he's poor. They say he walks to school. That no one loves him."
My fingers curled into my palm.
Then I asked, carefully, "Do you know Marco?"
Her eyes widened. "Marco Reyes. His mother is Trisha Reyes."
My heart stopped.
"Trisha…?" I whispered.
Mila nodded. "Marco keeps telling Charles to stay away from me. He poured smoothies on him. Stepped on his bag."
I clenched my jaw.
I asked softly, "So… Marco likes you?"
She nodded. "Yes."
The Section E boys immediately reacted.
"OHHH—"
"Confirmed!"
"So you like him too?"
Mila shook her head quickly. "No. He's not my type."
That made everyone pause.
Keifer leaned forward. "Then who is your type?"
Mila didn't answer right away.
She slowly lifted her eyes… and looked straight at Hex then at me.
The room went dead silent.
My heart skipped.
The boys gasped all at once.
"WAIT—"
"HEX?!"
"BRO—"
I looked down at Hex's face.
Still asleep.
Or so they thought.
That tiny swallow again.
That stiff breath.
I leaned closer to Keifer and whispered, "He's awake."
Keifer smirked. "Oh, this will be fun."
I cleared my throat loudly.
"Well… since Hex is sleeping, I guess it's okay to talk about his sweet moments."
Keifer grinned. "sure i will like to know."
I started counting on my fingers.
"Number one: speaking like a robot, doing a silly dance"
The boys laughed.
"Number two," I continued sweetly, "the time he waved back at someone who wasn't waving at him."
Luna added, " Do a dramatic catwalk with crazy socks or mismatched clothes"
I smiled wider.
"And the MOST embarrassing one—"
I leaned closer to his face.
"Actually… the worst one is when he—"
Suddenly—
Hex shot up like a zombie.
Before I could finish, he covered my mouth with his hand.
"MMPH—!"
Everyone froze.
Then—
Chaos.
The boys burst into laughter.
"HE WAS AWAKE!"
"BRO REALLY PRETENDED!"
"HEX GOT CAUGHT!"
I pulled his hand away, eyes wide.
"YOU WERE FAKING?!"
He looked embarrassed, ears red, eyes everywhere but mine.
"I— I was resting."
"Resting?" Keifer laughed. "You literally attacked her mid-sentence."
Mila covered her mouth, giggling softly.
I crossed my arms. "You were two seconds away from being exposed."
Hex muttered, "You were saying unnecessary things."
I leaned closer, lowering my voice.
"Oh, I wasn't done."
He groaned. "Please don't."
I smiled.
Mission accomplished.