Jay-Jay's POV
Math class in Section E was never quiet — it was a mix of muttering, scratching pencils,
and occasional cries for mercy. The teacher was firing off call‑out questions, and
everyone was doing their best to avoid eye contact.
I, of course, was failing miserably at that.
"Jay‑Jay," the teacher called suddenly, snapping her fingers. "Answer the next
problem on the board. Go ahead."
I blinked at the pile of messy symbols at the front. My brain screamed nope.
Keifer leaned sideways behind his notebook and whispered, "It's thirty‑six."
I frowned. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, positive."
"Jay?" the teacher said again, tapping her pen.
I straightened up. "Thirty‑six?"
The teacher blinked. "Excuse me?"
Then she slowly turned toward Keifer. "Funny how you said that at the exact same
time, Mr. Keifer."
The room went silent except for Felix whispering, "Busted."
I tried to play it off. "Coincidence?"
"Or telepathy?" Keifer added, fighting back a laugh.
The teacher folded her arms. "You two think you're comedians now?"
"No, ma'am," we chorused, both clearly trying not to smile.
"Good, because comedians don't pass math," she said dryly. "Both of you — stay after
class and solve five extra problems together."
When she turned back to the board, Felix and Edrix were already snickering in front of
us. I elbowed Keifer lightly. "Nice going, genius."
He smirked. "Hey, you're the one who took my answer."
"Because you told me to!"
"Exactly — teamwork."
I rolled my eyes, laughing even as I scribbled fake notes on my paper. Across the
room, the teacher sighed like she regretted every career choice that led her to
Section E.
Later that day
By the time we got out, everyone had heard. Outside the classroom, Rakki and Freya
were waiting with Percy, who bounced like he'd just heard the best gossip ever.
"You two got punished for telepathic cheating?" Percy blurted out.
I groaned. "You make it sound worse than it is!"
Rakki smirked. "So it's true, then."
Keifer just laughed under his breath. "Should've gone with you didn't know the
answer instead."
Freya crossed her arms. "That might've looked less suspicious, honestly."
Aries appeared from behind a vending machine, shaking his head. "You two attract
trouble like magnets."
I threw up my hands dramatically. "Hey, at least we work well under pressure."
Everyone laughed, the tension fading into easy chatter. For the first time in months, it
felt like everything — even the chaos — was exactly where it belonged.