Jayjay POV
The noise kept rising.
Freya was still yelling.
Aries' jaw was tight.
Ella looked like she wanted to erase me from existence.
Then the crowd shifted.
Someone whispered, "He's here."
Footsteps echoed—slow, deliberate.
I turned.
Mark Keifer Watson walked in first.
Beside him were two unfamiliar faces.
One had red hair, sharp eyes, leaning back like this was entertainment.
The other—
The guy I'd bumped into before.
He noticed me instantly.
Behind them, the rest of Section E boys followed, filling the corridor like a wall.
Keifer's eyes swept the scene.
He didn't greet anyone.
Didn't ask nicely.
"What's the problem?" he said.
Freya pointed at me again. "HER. She attacked us."
I laughed. Loud.
"Attacked?" I repeated. "Girl, I moisturized you."
Keifer closed his eyes briefly.
"Jayjay," he said calmly. "Stop."
I looked at him. "Why? She's still dry in some places."
Freya shrieked. "SEE?!"
Aries snapped, "This isn't a joke."
I turned to him sharply. "Then stop talking like you own me."
Keifer's voice dropped. "Both of you—"
I cut in. "And you," I said to Freya, stepping closer, "next time you call someone ugly, make sure your face can survive water."
Section D boys muttered.
Ella scoffed. "You think you're tough because Section E is behind you?"
Keifer stepped forward.
Slow.
Dangerously calm.
"No," he said. "She's tough because she doesn't care who's watching."
Silence.
He turned to Aries.
"I don't like you," Keifer said bluntly. "I don't like your tone. And I definitely don't like Section D standing in my corridor."
Aries clenched his fists. "This is between siblings."
Keifer smirked. "Then take it somewhere else."
Freya tried again. "She humiliated us!"
Keifer finally looked at her.
Just once.
Cold.
"You humiliated yourself," he said. "You ran your mouth, you got wet, and now you're crying."
Red-hair chuckled.
The boy I bumped into earlier murmured, "Facts."
Keifer raised his hand.
Everyone shut up.
"This ends now," he said. "Jayjay goes back to class. You"—he looked at Freya—"go fix your face. Section D, move."
I opened my mouth.
Keifer shot me a look.
One look.
I closed it.
Reluctantly, I grabbed my bag.
As I passed him, I muttered, "I was winning."
He replied without looking at me, "You were loud."
Fair.
The crowd slowly broke apart.
Chaos dissolved.
Keifer stayed standing there—watching—until everyone left.
Only then did he turn around.