Keifer's POV
I couldn't sleep.
Every time I closed his eyes, it replayed—not blurry, not softened by time.
Her voice.Her hand.The sound.
I sat up abruptly, running a hand through my hair like that might shake the image loose.
"Damn it."
My jaw still ached. The bruise was darker now, a faint reminder I couldn't look away from. I pressed my tongue to the corner of my mouth again, wincing.
It wasn't the pain that bothered him.
It was the look on her face right after.
Not anger.
Not fear.
Something colder.
Like a door locking.
"She pushed me," I muttered, pacing his room. "She always does."
The words didn't settle. They slid off, useless.
I stopped in front of the mirror.
For the first time, I didn't like what he saw.
"You grabbed her," I said under his breath.
My reflection didn't argue.
My phone buzzed on the bed.
Once.Twice.Relentless.
Section E Group Chat (unmuted):
Cin:
bro… that went too far.
Felix:
not choosing sides but that was bad bad.
Rory:
i swear she was shaking at the end.
Edrix:
don't twist it. he grabbed her first.
Mayo:
this isn't funny anymore guys.
Kit:
did anyone check on her??
I clenched my fists.
They were all watching him now.
Judging.
I typed something. Deleted it. Threw my phone aside.
"I didn't mean to," he said aloud, like that counted for anything.
A knock sounded at his door.
Sharp. Certain.
I froze.
Then another.
"Keifer," a voice called. "Open up."
David.
I opened the door slowly.
David stood there, arms crossed—not angry, not shouting. That somehow felt worse.
"You got a minute?" David asked calmly.
I nodded.
He didn't sit.
The silence stretched until it became unbearable.
"You crossed a line," David said flatly.
I scoffed. "You don't know what she—"
"Stop," David cut in, voice firm. "Don't do that. Don't justify it."
I looked away.
"She knows how to push people," I muttered.
David stepped closer. "And you know how to walk away."
That hit.
Hard.
"You grabbed her," David continued. "In public. In front of everyone."
"I let go," I snapped.
"After she told you to," David shot back. "And don't get it twisted—she didn't owe you calm. You scared her."
My throat tightened.
"I didn't mean to hurt her..It's just that.. my jealousy took over."His voice trembled a bit.
David's expression softened just a fraction. "Intent doesn't erase damage."
Silence again.
David exhaled. "She's still coming tomorrow."
My head snapped up. "She is?"
"Yes," David said. "And if you make it worse—if you so much as corner her again—I won't step in politely next time."
My Jaw clenched "You think I want this?"
"I think you don't know what you want," David replied. "And that makes you dangerous right now."
That word echoed.
Dangerous.
David turned to leave, pausing at the door. "Fix yourself before you try to fix anything else."
The door shut.
I stood there long after.
Across town, Section E was still imploding.
Section E Group Chat:
Felix:
she didn't even cry. that's what scared me.
Cin:
same. she just went cold.
Rory:
keifer looked like he realized too late.
Edrix:
doesn't matter. too late is still late.
Mayo:
are we gonna act like this didn't mess all of us up??
Kit:
tomorrow's gonna be hell.
I stared at the messages this time.
No anger.
Just a sinking feeling in his chest.
Tomorrow wasn't about fixing things.
It was about facing what he broke.
And for the first time since all of this started—
I wasn't sure he could look her in the eye and survive it.
School felt wrong the moment I stepped through the gates.
Not loud-wrong.Not obvious-wrong.
Quiet-wrong.
The kind where conversations dip when you walk past. Where laughter stutters. Where people look at you, then look away like they've seen something they weren't supposed to.
I felt it in my bones.
Section E was already half-seated when I entered. Usually there'd be noise—Felix joking, Cin leaning back in his chair, Rory and Edrix arguing over something stupid.
Today?
Fragments.
Cin glanced up first. His eyes flicked to my jaw—too quick to be accidental—then away.
Felix didn't grin.
That didn't matter because my head was over something else.
I took my seat, back straight, hands clenched on the desk. I could feel it—the space beside me, in front of me, everywhere she wasn't.
Jay wasn't here yet.
Good.
Bad.
I didn't know which.
Behind me, whispers slid like knives.
"Did you see her face yesterday?"
"He actually grabbed her."
"She hit him."
"I heard his lip was bleeding."
"No, I heard he deserved worse."
My jaw tightened.
Yuri didn't say anything when the whispers started.
He just leaned back in my chair, jaw tight, eyes flicking between me and Jay like he was trying to understand something that didn't make sense yet.
Then.
Rory leaned across the aisle, voice low but sharp. "Y'all need to stop acting like this is a debate."
Edrix muttered back, "It is a debate. You don't know what he said to her."
Mayo turned around slowly. "And you don't put your hands on someone because you're mad."
Felix exhaled hard, rubbing his face. "Can we not tear each other apart before first period?"
Mayo shook his head. "We already are."
"Enough," Yuri said quietly, not looking at anyone in particular. "Whatever happened yesterday—this isn't the place."
Felix nodded immediately. "Yeah. Let's not turn this into a courtroom."
No one argued.
That silence was heavier than shouting.
Then bell rang.
Jay walked in late.
Same composure. Same distance.
Cin glanced at me once—not accusing, not angry. Just a look that said don't make this worse.
I didn't move.
Didn't breathe right.
Miss Cindy started talking.
I didn't hear a word.
All I could see was the way Jay sat straighter than usual. How her shoulders stayed stiff. How she laughed once—quiet, short—at something Rakki whispered when she passed the door.
It wasn't the laugh from yesterday.
It was guarded.
Controlled.
I deserved that.
"She's fine," someone behind me whispered.
"She's not fine," another voice replied.
Miss Cindy paused mid-sentence.
"Is there something the class would like to share?"
Silence.
Jay didn't move.
Didn't look back.
Didn't give me anything.
My fingers dug into my palm.
When the bell rang for break, the room exploded.
Not with noise.
With sides.
Rory stood immediately. "You good?" he asked me.
I nodded.
Cin followed Jay. "If you need to leave, we'll walk you."
Felix hesitated—then looked at me. Not angry. Just… disappointed.
"Man," he said quietly. "What were you thinking?"
I had no answer.
Edrix scoffed, arms crossed, voice cutting through the room."So now we're acting like he didn't provoke her?"
Something snapped.
I turned slowly.
The scrape of my chair echoed way louder than it should've. Every conversation around us died instantly. Section E went still, like they knew what was coming and couldn't stop it.
I laughed once. Dry. Bitter.
"Provoke her?" I said, eyes locking onto Edrix. "You serious right now?"
Edrix lifted his chin. "You've been pushing her for days—"
I stepped closer.
"No," I cut in sharply. "Don't rewrite the story just because you want a villain that's convenient."
My voice rose despite myself.
"You didn't see everything. You didn't hear what she said. And you damn sure don't get to judge me like you were standing there the whole time."
Edrix opened his mouth again, anger flaring. "You grabbed her—"
"And you've never lost control?" I snapped. "Never crossed a line? Or do you just like pretending you're better than everyone else?"
A few people shifted uncomfortably.
Felix looked between us, tense. Cin frowned but didn't interrupt.
Rory stepped forward. "Keifer—"
"No," I said, not looking away from Edrix. "Let him talk. He wants to act righteous? Fine."
I scoffed. "Funny how everyone suddenly has morals when it's not their mess."
Edrix clenched his jaw. "That doesn't make it okay."
"I never said it did," I shot back. "But don't act like she's some helpless saint and I'm the only one who's ever messed up."
The words tasted ugly the second they left my mouth.
But I didn't stop.
"You all watched her laugh. Smile. Move on like nothing mattered," I said harshly. "And suddenly I'm the monster for not being okay with that?"
The room stayed silent.
Not agreeing.
Not defending.
Just… watching.
Rory finally spoke, quieter now. "You're angry. That doesn't mean you're right."
I looked away then, jaw tight, chest burning.
"Yeah," I muttered. "And being right never helped anyone anyway.""
My chest felt tight. Like the room had shrunk.
Edrix's jaw clenched. He didn't fire back right away.
"It didn't look good," he said finally, quieter now. "That's all I'm saying."
I let out a sharp breath, rubbing my hand through my hair. "Yeah. No kidding it didn't."
I looked around, at all of them. Section E. The ones whispering, the ones pretending not to listen.
"But you know what else didn't look good?" I continued. "Standing there alone while everyone decided what kind of person I am based on one moment."
Edrix swallowed. His arms loosened a little. "I—I didn't mean it like that."
I shook my head. "That's the problem. None of you ever do."
My voice cracked—not loud, not dramatic, just rough around the edges.
"You see the part where I mess up and you stop watching after that."
Silence.
Felix shifted. Cin's eyes softened, but she still said nothing.
Edrix looked down. "I wasn't trying to make you the bad guy."
I scoffed, quieter now. "Funny. Because that's exactly what happened."
He nodded once, quick. "Fine."
The word barely carried.
"I didn't mean it like that," he repeated, almost to the floor.
Something twisted in my stomach. The anger didn't disappear—but it lost its edge.
I stepped back, running my tongue over my teeth. "Next time," I said, voice low, "don't speak like you know the whole story when you only saw the ending."
Edrix didn't argue.
He just nodded again.
Rory exhaled, like he'd been holding it the whole time. "Okay. Enough. We're not doing this here."
Felix stepped between us instinctively. "Not here."
The room slowly started breathing again. Chairs creaked. Someone laughed nervously.
But I stayed still.
Because even though Edrix backed down…
I knew I'd crossed a line too.
And no amount of shouting was going to undo that.
No one argued.
No one clapped back.
And somehow, that silence felt worse than if they had.
Jay flinched slightly as Cin walked up, a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey," Cin said softly. "Are you… okay?"
Jay nodded, forcing a small smile. "I'm fine, Really."
Behind her, I stayed quiet, leaning against the wall, just… watching. My chest tightened in ways I couldn't name.
David came up beside me, not saying much at first. Just his presence, calm and steady. Then he said, quietly, "You holding up?"
I let out a short, humorless laugh. "I will be. Eventually."
He nodded. "Good. Don't… overthink it."
I wanted to argue, to say it wasn't that simple—but I didn't.
Jay shifted, fidgeting slightly, then turned toward the door.
"I… I'll be right back," she said softly, more to herself than anyone. And then, almost without warning, she walked out.
Cin glanced at me, concerned. "Go easy on yourself, okay?"
David gave me a brief look, almost a warning, then a small nod. "I've got your back. Don't make things harder than they already are."
I exhaled, watching her disappear down the hall.
The classroom hummed with normal chatter, but it felt distant.
For the first time in a while, I realized: whatever I thought I controlled… I really didn't.
When i reach home the Section E Groupchat starts again.
Cin:
if this turns into sides, we all lose.
Rory:
already has.
Felix:
she's not the villain here.
Edrix:
neither is he.
Mayo:
stop making excuses for lines crossed.
I didn't type.
Didn't defend myself.
For once, I didn't trust my words.
Not for me.
Never for me anymore.
My chest tightened.
I finally understood it then.
Not the jealousy.
Not the anger.
The fear.
I hadn't just lost control yesterday.
I'd lost my place in her world.
And no amount of watching from the sidelines was going to fix that.
Tomorrow wouldn't be easier.
Section E would keep splitting.Whispers would keep spreading.And Jay would keep moving forward—
Whether I was ready or not.