Chapter 8 — Between Us Four
The noise of Section E had a way of seeping into you.
Jay sat at the table, watching Kit and david argue over whose basketball team would crush the other. The banter was ridiculous, the food was average, but for some reason she didn't want to be anywhere else.
Alys slid into the seat beside her, handing her a cold drink without asking. "You looked like you needed it."
"Thanks," Jay said, accepting it.
"Careful," Keifer's voice came from across the table, "she's trying to bribe you to sit with her instead of me."
Jay arched a brow. "I don't remember ever sitting with you."
"Exactly," he said with a slow grin, "we should fix that."
Her pulse jumped before she could stop it, and she hated that he could see it in her face. He leaned back, satisfied, while she sipped her drink like nothing happened. Butterflies. Again.
On the other end, Drake had his arm over Alys' chair in that effortless "fake boyfriend" move.
"You should look happier," he murmured.
"This is my happy face," she deadpanned.
"Looks the same as your annoyed face."
"Exactly."
Jay caught the faint smile Alys tried to hide. She didn't point it out.
After School — Jay
The Fernandez house was alive with movement when Jay got home. Angelo was in the living room, scrolling through his phone, barely glancing at her. Aries was in the kitchen, pulling out snacks.
Tita Gema stepped out from the laundry room with a warm, "You're home. How was school?"
Jay's shoulders eased a little. "It was fine."
"That's good. There's food on the stove; eat before it gets cold."
She nodded, setting her bag down. Tita Gema was the only one who asked about her day. With Angelo and Aries, the conversations stayed on the surface — not cold, exactly, but distant enough to remind her she wasn't fully their person.
Later, in her small room, she lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. Keifer's smirk kept replaying in her head, stubborn as ever. She told herself to ignore it. She didn't know if she was succeeding.
After School — Alys
Alys' house smelled faintly of her stepdad's cooking. He waved at her from the kitchen, "Hey, kiddo. There's soup if you want."
Her mom appeared a moment later, arms crossed. "Why are you late?"
"I wasn't late, I just—"
"You know I don't like you hanging around after class. Homework first."
Alys bit back the retort. "Yes, Mom."
She went upstairs, tossing her bag on the floor. Her dad was miles away, her half-brother Dane even farther — across the sea with their lola in the UK. She was loved here, yes, but her mom's rules had a way of feeling like walls closing in.
When she checked her phone, there was a photo from earlier: Drake leaning in, his arm around her chair. She almost deleted it. Almost.
The Next Morning
Jay and Alys met outside the school gates, their steps falling into rhythm without a word. They didn't need to ask how each other's night had gone — they could read it in each other's eyes.
School was their space. Section E was their noise, their laughter, their shield from whatever waited at home.
And maybe, just maybe, the boys they swore they'd never take seriously were starting to matter more than they should.