JAY-JAY POV
*Skipping to graduation because I ran out of ideas and I want to finish this story without boring anyone.*
It was our graduation day.
Finally, It felt like we'd been crawling toward this moment for years—through chaos, heartbreak, vending machine wars, and hallway breakdowns.
But it was here.
Real.
Loud.
Unbelievable.
I'd already gotten into college.
Hamalet.
The same place Dad used to teach when he had "free time."
Which was hilarious, considering he also ran a company like it was a second planet.
He was a weird man.
Who balanced board meetings and lectures on postmodern ethics like it was normal.
Who taught college kids about philosophy and then signed million-dollar contracts before lunch.
And still made time for family—like it was just another meeting on his calendar.
But that was Dad.
A walking contradiction.
A hurricane in a suit.
And somehow, still the reason I wanted to go to Hamalet in the first place.
He used to say, "When you grow up and get into college, I'll teach you—not as my daughter, but as my student."
It sounded dramatic back then.
Like something out of a movie.
But he meant it.
Every word.
Maybe there are pieces of him I'll find there.
In the lecture halls.
In the coffee shops.
In the way people still talk about him like he was a myth.
Not to follow him.
Not to chase his shadow.
But maybe— To understand it.
I also told everyone what I want to be.
A lawyer.
They were a bit surprised.
But they were okay with it.
The reason? My mother, Recyee.
She was a lawyer.
And I want to follow in her footsteps.
Not because I have to.
But because I want to.
Because she fought for people.
Because she believed in justice.
Because she made me believe I could, too.
So yeah.
Graduation.
It's here.
"Jay, hurry up or you'll be late!" Percy shouted from the hallway, already half-dressed and fully dramatic.
I rolled my eyes and started getting ready. No pressure.
I glanced at the mirror. Paused. Blink. Double take.
"Okay… wow," I muttered. "I look hot in this graduation dress."
Then froze. "What the hell did I just say?" I groaned. "I'm turning into Percy 2.0. I've got full-blown Percy-virus."
"If you're done admiring yourself," Percy called from downstairs, "you can come down now. I'm still more beautiful than you."
I stuck my tongue out at the mirror.
Not because he could see it.
But because he deserved it.
Downstairs, Luna spotted me first.
She crossed her arms and smirked.
"Well, well, well," she said. "Look who finally decided to show up."
"Oh come on," I said. "It's not like I took four hours to get ready."
She gasped. Dramatically. Oscar-worthy. "Four hours? Jay-Jay, we were ready to send a search party."
"Please," I snorted. "I just had a minor identity crisis in front of the mirror. Totally normal."
"Come on, don't start," Jare said, stepping in like a tired peacekeeper. "You look beautiful, Jay," he added, softer this time. Sincere.
Percy ruined it instantly. "Still, I'm the most beautiful in the family."
"You're just jealous of my beauty," I shot back.
"Percy 2.0," Luna snorted.
I gasped. "Please don't compare me to a monkey."
Percy flipped his hair. "Excuse you. I'm a majestic creature."
"If you guys don't stop," Luna yelled, hands on her hips like a stressed camp counselor, "we might reach there after graduation is already over!"
We scrambled toward the car like it was a race against time and collective brain cells. Somehow, I got magged—wedged between Luna's emergency makeup bag and Jare's elbow. Percy was driving. Which should've been illegal.
I had to threaten him twice. "If you don't turn this car properly," I snapped, "I will jump out and walk. In heels. On gravel."
He laughed. I didn't. That's when he finally turned.
We reached the school. Somehow in one piece. Miracle.
I stepped out first, heels clicking like I had my life together. (Newsflash: I didn't.)
I turned to Percy, Jare, and Luna. "Okay. Wait here," I said, pointing at the ground like I was commanding three overgrown puppies. "Don't wander off. Don't start drama. Don't flirt with the principal."
Percy raised both hands. "I make no promises." Jare nodded, already checking his phone. Luna gave me a look that said I'm going to do the opposite of everything you just said except flirt with the principal.
I sighed. This was fine. Everything was fine. Probably.
I walked toward the Section E building. My building. Our building.
It felt surreal. Like stepping into a memory that hadn't finished writing itself.
The halls were quiet. No Mayo crashing into lockers. No Ci-N arguing with the vending machine. No Blaster blasting music at 8 a.m. Just echoes. And me.
I ran my fingers along the wall. Every dent, every scratch, every weird stain— Proof we lived here. Fought here. Grew up here.
I was just about to push open the classroom door when someone grabbed my wrist and yanked me sideways.
"Keifer—seriously?" I hissed as he pulled me into the music room. "We're about to graduate in an hour."
"I know," he said, closing the door behind us. "But I want to kiss you one last time. Before we walk out of here. Before we go to different colleges. Before everything changes."
My heart did that annoying thing where it forgot how to beat. Of course he'd pick now. Of course he'd make it cinematic.
"Can I?" he asked, voice low.
I nodded. Barely. But it was enough.
He kissed me. And one kiss turned into another. And another. Until ten minutes passed like a heartbeat.
It was quiet. Just us. The music room. And the sound of everything changing.
"I have a surprise for you," he whispered, forehead resting against mine.
"What surprise?" I asked, breathless.
He smiled. That soft, crooked smile that always made me forget how to speak.
"Well," he said, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear, "You'll get it after graduation."
We walked into the classroom. Keifer beside me. Too close. Too obvious.
And of course— Everyone started teasing us.
"Look who it is—our favorite couple!" Blaster grinned.
"Jay, you look like a tomato," Ci-N smirked.
I groaned. "Just shut up."
Which, obviously, made it worse.
Mayo threw confetti he definitely wasn't supposed to have.
Felix muttered something about "emotional contamination."
David smiled like he was watching a rom-com unfold in real time.
And Keifer?
He just winked.
Like he knew exactly what he was doing.
"Section E, it's time. Let's go," Sir Alivin said, standing at the doorway with that rare, proud smile he only pulled out for moments like this.
The room went quiet.
Just for a second.
Like everyone felt it.
This was it.
The end of the hallway.
The last bell.
The moment we'd been crawling toward, laughing through, surviving together.
Keifer gave me that look—the one that said I'm still here.
We stood up.
Together.
Section E.
One last time.