Chapter 8 — Little Shifts
By the time lunch break rolled around, Jay was already sitting at the usual Section E table like she'd been there all semester. It was still strange, feeling welcomed by the same people who once made her nervous. Now, though, their noise felt like background music — chaotic, but warm.
Alys was perched beside her, chopsticks in hand, arguing with Ci-n about the "proper" way to eat siomai.
"You don't drown it in soy sauce," Alys insisted.
Ci-n grinned, dunking another piece until it practically swam. "It's called flavor."
"It's called heart disease," Jay muttered, earning a round of laughter.
Across the table, Keifer was leaning back in his chair, eyes fixed on her. That smirk — the one that always spelled trouble — was already in place.
"You're starting to sound like you belong here, Jay," he said, voice low but teasing.
She raised an eyebrow. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"Mm. Depends. Do compliments usually make your cheeks turn red?"
Jay froze, refusing to look at him. Butterflies. Again. Why did her stomach keep doing that? She focused on sipping her iced tea instead, pretending she hadn't heard the satisfied chuckle he let out.
Meanwhile, Alys and Drake were locked in another one of their "fake couple" performances. He'd slid his arm casually over the back of her chair, making it look easy — like it didn't mean anything.
"You're smiling too much," Drake murmured. "People will think you actually like me."
Alys rolled her eyes. "Please. I'm just thinking about how much better my day will be when you leave."
"And yet," he replied smoothly, "you're still here."
Jay caught the quick glance Drake gave Alys when she wasn't looking — and the way Alys' lips twitched like she was holding back a smile. For something that was supposed to be fake, it was starting to look dangerous.
By the end of the day, the four of them were walking out of school together, the air buzzing with easy conversation. Jay didn't know when the shift had happened, but she could feel it — the invisible line between her and Section E had blurred.
And maybe… just maybe… the problem wasn't Keifer's flirting.
Maybe the problem was that she didn't actually want him to stop.