Jay's POV
Eman's restaurant was louder than usual.
Not normal loud.
Section E loud.
Yuri was arguing with Blaster about sauce ratios.
Felix and Calix were competing to see who could stack fries higher.
Percy was explaining something dramatic with hand gestures.
Endrix was half listening, half designing something on his tablet.
Rory kept stealing Mayo's drink.
Kit was recording everything "for memories."
Even David and Drew were involved in whatever nonsense was happening.
And me?
I was glued to my phone.
Scrolling.
Scrolling.
Scrolling.
Keifer leaned closer from beside me.
"What are you doing?"
"Looking for a place."
Ci-N suddenly appeared from nowhere.
"For what?"
I didn't look up. "Still looking."
Then casually added,
"Hex's birthday is in a week."
"WHAT?!" Ci-N shouted.
I nearly dropped my phone.
I looked up slowly. "Why did you shout?"
He blinked. "It just… came out."
The entire table went silent.
Every head turned toward me.
Keifer raised a brow. "So what are you doing exactly?"
"I'm looking for a place to host a surprise birthday."
And that was the moment chaos officially began.
Felix slammed his hands on the table. "We're planning this."
Calix pointed dramatically. "It has to be cool."
Yuri leaned in. "Theme?"
I sighed. "That's what I'm trying to figure out."
Suggestions started flying immediately.
"Princess theme," Rory said with a straight face.
"For Hex?" I stared at him.
"Pink balloons," Blaster added helpfully.
"Unicorn cake," Mayo whispered.
"Absolutely not," I said flatly.
"Spa day," Drew suggested.
"Stop."
Then Percy suddenly stood up like he was announcing the Olympics.
🔥⚡ "LEVEL 13: TECH TAKEOVER" ⚡🔥
The restaurant actually went quiet for a second.
He continued dramatically,
"A high-energy birthday that feels like a gaming tournament plus hacker lab plus outdoor challenge arena!"
Endrix's eyes lit up immediately.
🎮 "Indoor setup," he jumped in. "We turn the living room into a mini gaming command center."
He started listing on his fingers.
"LED strip lights. Blue, purple, green. Big screen for gaming tournament. Leaderboard on the wall. 'ACCESS GRANTED' banner at the entrance. Code-style glitch decorations."
Rory nodded aggressively. "Yes. Yes. This is good."
Ci-N leaned forward. "Activities."
Yuri clapped. "Gaming tournament. FIFA. Fortnite. Racing."
David added, "Fast typing challenge."
Calix grinned. "Mini coding puzzle or QR scavenger hunt."
Eman, from behind the counter, shouted, "Loud hype music between rounds!"
Felix suddenly stood up and pointed outside dramatically.
🏃 "Outdoor setup!"
"The Challenge Arena!"
He was too excited.
"Nerf battle. Or water balloon match."
Ci-N added, "Obstacle course. Timed."
Blaster shouted, "Drone racing if possible!"
Felix continued, "Basketball shootout competition."
Percy slammed his hand on the table again.
"Winner gets a trophy!"
🏆 "Top Hacker 2026."
"Or Ultimate Operator!" Rory added.
Drew leaned back casually.
"Dress code. Any color. Neon. Techwear style. Sunglasses. LED accessories."
Kit chimed in from behind his phone.
"Custom wristbands like entry passes. Glow bracelets at night. Fog machine for dramatic entrance."
He stood dramatically.
"When he walks in: lights off. Countdown. Music drop. Lights flash."
Everyone shouted together:
"LEVEL 13 ACTIVATED!"
The entire restaurant staff stared at us.
I blinked.
Then slowly looked at Keifer.
Then back at them.
"…Not bad."
They froze.
"But," I added sweetly, "tell me who will pay for all of this?"
Ci-N pointed at me immediately. "You."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Oh really?"
Felix coughed. "I mean… you suggested it."
"You guys made an entire production plan with zero financial strategy."
Percy looked offended. "Creativity first."
"Budget second?" I replied.
Keifer leaned closer casually. "I can help with the money."
I didn't look at him. "Don't worry. I have money."
"Still."
I finally looked at him.
"Still what?"
"Still," he repeated softly.
The table collectively made dramatic "oooo" sounds.
I ignored them.
Percy suddenly asked, "Wait. Who's distracting Hex that day?"
Keifer didn't hesitate. "I'll make Keiren, Keagan, James, and Mila distract him for the whole day."
Yuri nodded. "Solid plan."
Ci-N leaned in. "What if he gets suspicious?"
"He will," I said calmly.
"Then we act normal," Rory replied.
"None of you know how to act normal," I said.
"Rude," Felix said.
"Accurate," David corrected.
I looked around the table.
They were way too excited.
"You guys realize," I said slowly, "the birthday is a week away."
Silence.
Then chaos again.
"A week is plenty!"
"We can do it!"
"Operation Level 13!"
"Hex won't see it coming!"
"Someone design invitations!"
Endrix was already sketching layouts.
Kit was making a planning group chat.
Percy was naming it "Top Secret Mission."
Felix suggested "Don't Tell Hex."
Yuri suggested "Mask Boy Surprise."
I buried my face in my hands.
Keifer leaned closer and whispered near my ear,
"You love this."
"I do not."
"You do."
I peeked through my fingers.
Okay.
Maybe a little.
Watching them plan something for Hex this passionately felt… warm.
"He deserves something big," I said quietly.
The table softened slightly.
Rory nodded. "Yeah."
Ci-N added, "He acts tough but he'll love it."
Keifer looked at me.
"You're doing all this for him?"
"He's family," I said simply.
Keifer smiled faintly.
"Then we make it perfect."
Percy stood again dramatically.
"Operation Level 13 officially begins now."
Everyone cheered.
Eman shouted from the counter, "You're cleaning up after yourselves!"
No one listened.
I leaned back in my chair and finally put my phone down.
I didn't need to search for venues anymore.
Because Keifer was right.
My house was empty.
Spacious.
Perfect.
I looked at the chaos in front of me.
At their excitement.
At Keifer's soft smile beside me.
And I thought,
Hex has no idea what's coming.
And for once…
That made me very happy.
End of Chapter. 🎮🔥✨