Keifer POV
Something was wrong.
Terribly wrong.
I knew it the moment Jay looked at Matilda.
Not angry.
Not annoyed.
Not irritated.
Something worse.
The kind of anger that sits quietly for days.
The kind that grows.
And grows.
And grows.
Until it finally explodes.
The entire area behind the school had gone silent.
Even the wind felt quieter.
Students stood in small groups watching.
Nobody laughing anymore.
Nobody whispering.
Just watching.
Waiting.
Jay stood a few feet away from Matilda.
A stick hanging loosely from her hand.
Not raised.
Not threatening.
Just there.
Matilda looked terrified.
For once, she wasn't smiling.
For once, she wasn't pretending.
Keifer stepped forward.
Slowly.
Carefully.
"Jay."
No answer.
"Talk to me."
Still nothing.
Jay's eyes never left Matilda.
Then another voice appeared.
"Jay."
Aries.
The crowd immediately shifted.
Some students stepped back.
Others stared.
Aries walked toward them calmly.
Though Keifer noticed something.
His jaw was tight.
His shoulders stiff.
His eyes worried.
Aries wasn't calm.
He was pretending to be.
He stopped beside Keifer.
"Give me the stick."
Jay laughed once.
A cold laugh.
"No."
"Jay."
"No."
The answer came instantly.
For a moment nobody moved.
Then Matilda spoke.
Big mistake.
"Look at yourself."
Jay's expression darkened.
"What?"
"Everyone's staring."
Matilda swallowed.
But continued.
"You're proving my point."
The crowd became even quieter.
Keifer suddenly had a very bad feeling.
Matilda pointed at Jay.
"You're always like this."
"Matilda."
Mila warned.
"No."
Matilda snapped.
For the first time...
she looked angry too.
"Everyone thinks she's amazing."
Silence.
"Everyone protects her."
Jay's grip tightened around the stick.
"Stop."
Aries said quietly.
Neither girl listened.
Matilda took a shaky breath.
"But nobody sees what she's really like."
I glanced toward Jay.
Wrong move.
Wrong words.
Wrong timing.
Jay looked seconds away from breaking.
And Matilda kept going.
"You're a bully."
Silence.
"You scare people."
Silence.
"And everyone just excuses it because you're Jay."
Jay suddenly took a step forward.
Matilda stepped back.
Aries immediately moved between them.
"Enough."
"Move."
Jay said.
"No."
"Move."
"No."
"Aries."
"No."
"Aries."
"No."
The siblings stared at each other.
Then Jay's voice cracked.
Just slightly.
"I know you locked me there ."
The crowd froze.
Everyone looked at Matilda.
Matilda looked away.
Ci-n's eyes widened.
"Wait..."
Matteo frowned.
"You locked her inside?"
Matilda didn't answer.
That was answer enough.
Felix looked genuinely shocked.
"What the hell, Matilda?", Matteo said angry.
The crowd began murmuring.
Now people weren't looking at Jay.
They were looking at Matilda.
For the first time all afternoon...
she looked small.
And scared.
But Jay wasn't calming down.
If anything...
she looked worse.
I suddenly noticed something.
Her hands were shaking.
Not with anger.
With pain.
Her breathing was uneven.
Her face pale.
Something wasn't right.
"Jay."
Nothing.
"Jay, look at me."
"please..."
Slowly...
she did.
And the moment she looked at him...
the anger disappeared.
Only exhaustion remained.
Pure exhaustion.
Like she had been carrying the weight of the world for weeks.
Then her knees buckled.
"Jay!"
I caught her before she hit the ground.
The crowd gasped.
Aries immediately knelt beside us.
"Jay."
No response.
I looked down.
Her wrist.
The bruise.
Far worse than I realized.
And suddenly...
I wasn't angry anymore.
Just worried.
Terrified, actually.
Around them the crowd continued staring.
Phones raised.
Whispers spreading.
I snapped up.
"Put the phones away."
Nobody moved.
"Now."
This time they listened.
Yuri and the boys immediately got to work.
Ci-n.
Felix.
Calix.
David.
Rory.
Making sure nobody recorded anything.
Making sure nobody posted anything.
Making sure Jay's worst moment didn't become the school's entertainment.
Aries sat back heavily.
Running a hand through his hair.
For the first time...
he looked less like a strict older brother.
And more like someone scared for his little sister.
"Mom and Dad are going to lose their minds."
Nobody laughed.
Because nobody disagreed.
I looked down at Jay again.
And quietly, so only she could hear if she woke up...
I said,
"Everything's going to be alright."
For the first time that afternoon...
I hoped I was right.
End Chapter ⚠️📖💔✨