Chapter: Bench Drama & Nose Trouble
(Jay's POV)
Festival Day One was officially chaotic.
Section E was loud, sweaty, dramatic, and completely unserious.
And then Aries walked in.
From Section A.
Looking clean. Calm. Annoyingly composed.
He stood near the door, crossed his arms, and looked around our building like he was inspecting a zoo.
"Well," he said loudly, "how do you tolerate all these Section E idiots every day, Jay?"
Gasps.
Fake offended noises.
Blaster clutched his chest.
Ci n looked personally attacked.
Mayo threw a crumpled paper at Aries.
I crossed my arms slowly. "Excuse me?"
Aries smirked. "You're the only normal one here."
The class erupted.
"BETRAYAL."
"LEADER DISRESPECT."
"SECTION A SNAKE."
I tilted my head. "You're from Section A. Of course you think we're idiots."
He shrugged casually. "Statistically speaking—"
"Statistically speaking," I cut in, "you read Instagram horoscope captions before making life decisions."
The class exploded.
Keifer burst out laughing. "OH SHE STARTED."
Aries narrowed his eyes. "At least Section A doesn't fight over who stole whose lunch."
"That was one time," Yuri defended.
"And at least Section E doesn't need meetings to decide who stands in line first," I shot back.
"Ooooooh."
Aries walked closer. "Still doesn't answer my question. How do you survive here?"
I stepped toward him.
"Easy," I said sweetly. "I have high tolerance for dramatic boys."
The class screamed.
Aries raised a brow. "Including Keifer?"
The air shifted.
Keifer leaned against a desk, smirking. "Say it properly, Horoscope."
Aries looked at him lazily. "How do you tolerate him?"
I didn't hesitate.
"He's entertaining."
The class clapped.
Keifer placed a hand over his heart dramatically. "I'm honored."
Aries smirked. "Entertaining? That's what we call flirting now?"
My face heated.
"Shut up."
Aries wasn't done.
"Oh, I've seen it. The staring. The falling. The dramatic catching."
The class began chanting: "CATCHING. CATCHING. CATCHING."
I pointed at Aries. "At least I don't send 2AM quotes to Ate Ella."
Silence.
Then chaos.
"ATE ELLA?"
"HOROSCOPE EXPOSED AGAIN."
Aries ran a hand through his hair. "You are impossible."
Keifer stepped forward, enjoying this way too much. "She's not wrong."
Aries turned to him. "And you? Flirting in broad daylight?"
The class whistled.
Keifer grinned. "Who said I'm flirting?"
Aries looked directly at me.
"Everyone."
The tension thickened.
My heart started beating faster and I hated it.
"Okay!" I shouted suddenly. "Enough teasing. I need to announce something."
I climbed onto a bench dramatically.
"Careful," Keifer warned.
"I am careful," I snapped.
Aries crossed his arms. "This will end badly."
"Silence, Section A," I said grandly.
The class laughed.
I raised my hand. "As the only queen of Section E—"
"You appointed yourself," Ci n muttered.
"—we need to rotate festival booth duties properly."
I took one step back on the bench.
It wobbled.
I ignored it.
"Blaster, you handle the game booth. Yuri and Mayo, ticket sales—"
The bench shifted again.
My ankle twisted slightly.
And before I could regain balance—
I slipped.
A collective gasp filled the room.
But I didn't hit the floor.
An arm wrapped around my waist.
Strong.
Warm.
Steady.
Keifer.
He caught me mid-fall.
One hand firm around my waist.
The other steadying my back.
For a second, everything froze.
Our faces were inches apart.
His eyes locked on mine.
And then—
He leaned forward and lightly kissed my nose.
Soft.
Quick.
Playful.
"For being naughty," he murmured.
The world exploded.
"WHAT."
"HE DID NOT."
"REPLAY."
"SECTION E HISTORY."
My brain short-circuited.
Aries blinked once.
Twice.
Then he burst out laughing.
"Oh my god," he said, clapping slowly. "Public display during festival week. Impressive."
I pushed Keifer away immediately.
"ARE YOU INSANE?"
He looked completely unbothered. "You were falling."
"That does not require nose-kissing!"
The class was losing their minds.
Ci n fell to the floor dramatically.
Blaster pretended to faint.
Denzel yelled, "MAKE IT OFFICIAL."
My face was burning.
Aries stepped closer, amused beyond measure.
"So," he said calmly, "Mr. Watson and Mrs. Watson back at it again?"
"We are not Watsons!" I yelled.
Keifer grinned lazily. "Sounds nice though."
I glared at him. "Stop smiling!"
Aries smirked. "Jay, how do you tolerate him?"
"I don't!" I snapped.
The class chanted again.
"NOSE KISS. NOSE KISS."
Keifer leaned toward me slightly. "You're cute when you're flustered."
"I will push you off this bench," I threatened.
Aries laughed again. "You roast everyone but lose balance near him."
"HOROSCOPE, SHUT UP."
He raised both hands in surrender. "Relax. I approve."
"You approve what?"
He tilted his head toward Keifer. "Him catching you. At least someone reacts fast."
Something about that sentence felt layered.
Keifer's jaw tightened slightly.
Aries noticed.
The tension flickered.
But then Aries smirked again.
"Anyway," he said casually, stepping back toward the door, "Section A doesn't need this level of drama."
"You're just jealous," Keifer shot back.
Aries stopped at the doorway.
He glanced at me once.
Then at Keifer.
"Just don't let her fall when it actually matters," he said lightly.
And then he left.
Section E went silent for a brief second.
Then—
"WHAT WAS THAT."
"WHY WAS THAT HOT."
"FESTIVAL DAY ONE LEGENDARY."
I jumped off the bench safely this time.
I pointed at Keifer. "Never do that again."
He leaned closer, lowering his voice.
"Catch you?"
"No."
He smirked.
"Kiss you?"
My heart skipped.
"We're not official," I whispered.
He didn't look away.
"I know."
And somehow that made it worse.
Behind us, Section E was still screaming.
Festival Day One.
And apparently?
I can't even stand on a bench without creating chaos.