The rest of the day moved in a way that felt wrong.
Too normal.
Teachers walked in with lesson plans. Chalk scraped against boards. Attendance was taken. Students laughed in the corridors as if nothing had shifted beneath their feet.
But something had.
Section E felt it.
Jay sat leaned back in her chair, one leg hooked around the metal bar beneath the desk, fingers tapping lightly against the wood. The rhythm wasn't nervous—it was controlled. Measured. Like she was counting something only she could hear.
Lia sat beside her, posture straight, eyes forward, unreadable as ever. Her face gave nothing away. If someone didn't know her, they'd think she was bored. If someone did know her, they'd know that this stillness meant restraint.
Inside Section E, no one spoke louder than necessary.
Aries hadn't taken his eyes off Jay for more than a second since the fight earlier. Angelo pretended to focus on the board, but every few minutes his gaze flicked toward Lia, then back again. Kit chewed the end of his pen without realizing it. Mayo wasn't even there—detention paperwork had kept him busy elsewhere.
They were all thinking the same thing.
Jay should have lost control.
She hadn't.
And that scared them more than if she had.
The door creaked open.
Every head turned.
Ella stepped inside first, confidence radiating off her like she owned the space. Freya followed, quieter but observant, and Mira lingered just behind them, eyes darting around Section E as if measuring the atmosphere.
They didn't belong here.
Ella's gaze swept the room once, then locked onto Lia and Jay.
"Hey," she said, lowering her voice just enough to sound casual. "Lia. Jay. Come with us. We've got gossip."
Jay frowned slightly, irritation flashing across her face. "Now?"
Ella's smile widened. "Now-now."
Lia didn't wait for Jay to decide. She stood immediately, pushing her chair back with a soft scrape.
"Let's go."
Jay hesitated for half a second, then stood too.
As they walked toward the door, the room tightened. No one said anything. No one tried to stop them. But every pair of eyes followed them until the door closed behind them.
The silence left behind was thick.
Aries leaned back slowly and let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"…It's not just Jay," he said quietly.
Angelo turned. "What?"
Aries didn't look at him right away. His eyes were still on the door. "You all saw it. Today. She stayed in control."
Kit swallowed. "Yeah. Because Lia was there."
Aries nodded. "Exactly."
The room seemed to shrink.
"Lia has the same kind of trauma," Aries continued, voice low. "Different trigger. Same response."
Zeke frowned. "Explain."
Aries dragged a hand through his hair. "Jay loses control when she hits her trigger. Lia doesn't. She absorbs everything. Until—" He paused. "Until Jay gets hurt."
Angelo's jaw tightened.
"I saw it once," Aries said. "A long time ago. Jay wasn't even bleeding badly. Just enough. Lia snapped. She didn't scream. She didn't cry. She just… destroyed the guy who did it. After that, she shut down. Wouldn't speak. Wouldn't eat."
Mayo would've joked. Denzel would've scoffed.
No one did.
"So," Kit whispered, "Jay needs Lia to stay grounded… and Lia needs Jay to stay safe."
Angelo leaned back slowly, eyes dark. "That's not an accident."
No one argued.
They all knew better.
Down the hallway near Section A, the noise level shifted. Laughter bounced off the lockers. Students clustered in groups. It was brighter here. Louder. Lighter.
The four girls stopped near the stairwell, where voices didn't echo much.
Ella leaned against the railing like she was about to deliver a performance. "Okay," she said, eyes gleaming. "Section D is panicking."
Jay raised a brow. "That's new?"
Freya cut in gently. "Kiara's name came up again with the administration."
Jay stiffened. Lia didn't.
"She's been trying to rewrite the narrative," Mira added. "Claiming yesterday's chaos started with Section E."
Jay scoffed. "Of course she did."
Ella tilted her head, studying Lia. "You look calm for someone being targeted."
Lia met her gaze evenly. "She wants attention."
Ella nodded slowly. "Yeah. And she's about to get it."
Jay turned toward Lia. "You already did something."
It wasn't a question.
Lia didn't smile. "I corrected a pattern."
Jay searched her face. "You're dangerous when you're quiet."
Lia shrugged. "Only to people who deserve it."
And then she turned and walked away.
Jay followed without another word.
It didn't explode.
That was the unsettling part.
No shouting in the hallway. No dramatic office summons in front of students. No tears, no screaming matches.
It happened quietly.
By the end of the week, Kiara was called into the administration office for the third time in ten days. This time, Lia didn't follow. She didn't need to.
Statements were re-examined. CCTV footage resurfaced. Written reports from teachers aligned too cleanly to ignore. Patterns that had been dismissed as "teen drama" suddenly looked like manipulation.
By Friday afternoon, the truth spread through whispers and phones lighting up under desks.
Kiara had been expelled.
She didn't come back to school to collect her things.
She left the city that night.
No confrontation. No dramatic farewell. No final look back.
Just gone.
Jay stared at her phone long after the message stopped loading.
"…That's it?" she asked softly.
Lia nodded once. "That's it."
Jay exhaled. "I thought I'd feel relief."
"And?" Lia asked.
Jay swallowed. "I just feel… tired."
Lia didn't respond. She understood that feeling too well.
That evening, the house was quiet in a way that felt fragile.
Gemma sat on the couch, hands folded in her lap, worry lining her face. She looked up when Lia and Angelo stood in front of her.
"You did a DNA test," Gemma said slowly. Not accusing. Just… hurt.
Lia didn't deny it. "I needed the truth."
Angelo crossed his arms. "Why didn't you tell her?"
Gemma's composure broke.
Her shoulders slumped. Her hands trembled.
"I was scared," she whispered. "I thought if I said it out loud, I'd lose you. Both of you."
Her voice cracked. "I thought keeping it hidden was protecting you."
Lia stared at her. Really stared.
Years of resentment pressed against her ribs.
Then she stepped forward.
She hugged Gemma.
"I'm not angry anymore," Lia said quietly. "I just wanted honesty."
Gemma sobbed into her shoulder, apologies tumbling out between breaths. Angelo turned away, eyes burning, giving them the privacy they needed.
Later that night, the house filled with quiet movement.
Soft music played. Lights were tested. Decorations were stacked carefully in corners.
Jay sat on the stairs, watching it all unfold.
"…What's happening?" she asked.
Lia glanced over. "Your birthday's in two days."
Jay blinked. "You remembered?"
Lia smirked faintly. "I never forget."
They didn't celebrate.
They prepared.
And for the first time in days, Jay felt something loosen in her chest.
Not healed.
Not fixed.
But steady.
Whatever waited ahead—
They weren't facing it alone.