April 11 – Thursday / St. Ivy High – Classroom 1-A, Hallways, and Rooftop
Buzz
By 8:20 AM, the classroom wasn't just noisy—it was alive.
Not in the "Tyler broke a chair again" kind of way. Not even the pre-exam panic kind.
This was different.
Every conversation, every whispered word, every half-laugh—it all kept circling one name.
Two names, really.
"Did you see them yesterday?"
"They were, like, perfectly in sync."
"Come on, if they're not dating, they should be."
"Jay and Emma, huh…?"
Jay heard it the moment he walked into class.
He felt it in the way heads turned—not dramatically, not rudely—but just enough that he noticed. Like whispers turned to weight the second he stepped in.
Emma was already in her seat, scribbling something in her planner with controlled calm. But Jay could tell—her pen was moving faster than it needed to.
Tyler walked in behind him and practically shouted, "Good morning, future power couple!"
Jay sighed.
Emma's pen paused mid-stroke.
The Tease Squad
Tyler slung his bag onto the desk. "Bro, yesterday? That was cinema. You two were like co-CEOs of charisma."
"We gave a presentation," Jay muttered.
"And I presented it to my heart," Tyler replied. "No, really. It was touching. The pauses? The eye contact? Are you even acting anymore?"
Emma finally looked up. "You're being ridiculous."
Sofia leaned back in her seat nearby. "Actually, he's just saying what half the school is thinking."
Emma's face didn't flinch. But her neck went a shade pinker.
Sofia grinned. "One well-phrased monologue and a dramatic mic drop? People are invested now. Some girl from Class 1-B asked me if you two were childhood sweethearts."
Jay blinked. "What?"
"She said it felt like the climax of a romance drama. Something about 'tragic distance' and 'emotional reclamation.' I stopped listening after that."
"Good," Jay said.
"Also," Sofia added, "she asked if you were single."
Emma stiffened.
Sofia smirked, then glanced down at her nails.
"And?"
"And I said you'd have to survive Emma's fan club first."
Emma finally spoke. "There is no fan club."
Jay looked at her. "Not yet."
Emma narrowed her eyes.
Tyler leaned in, stage-whispering to Miles, "If this isn't foreplay, I don't know what is."
Miles didn't even look up from his book. "It's academic tension. Very niche genre."
Jay sighed again. "Can we please talk about anything else?"
But the damage was done.
The Watching
Amaya hadn't said a word.
She sat three rows back, headphones in but not playing anything, fingers pressed lightly against the edges of her notebook. She watched Jay when no one else was watching him. Watched Emma when no one dared.
She hadn't smiled once today.
Not a real one.
The kind she used to wear when Jay walked in, even if he was late, even if his tie was crooked.
Now?
Now she just watched.
And folded up pieces of herself in silence.
The Aftershock
During lunch, the Class 1-A hallway felt more like a marketplace. Groups hovered around lockers. A few third-years even passed by pretending to stretch just to sneak glances.
Jay leaned against his locker and pretended not to notice.
Emma walked by carrying her tray and got hit with a: "You and Jay looked cute yesterday!"
She turned.
It was a girl from Class 1-C. Bright smile. Ponytail. No ill intent.
Emma blinked. "What?"
"You and Jay! The project! Everyone's talking about it."
"Why?"
"You had, like… chemistry. You totally looked like a couple. Are you?"
Emma's eyes widened. "No. We're not—"
"You should be!" the girl grinned and bounced away.
Jay stepped into view just as she turned back.
Emma stared at him.
Jay blinked. "I didn't do it."
Emma exhaled. "I know."
Sofia passed behind them, brushing her hair back. "You know the more you deny it, the more convincing it sounds, right?"
Jay raised an eyebrow. "Would you rather we confirm it?"
Sofia stopped walking.
Just for a second.
Then smirked. "No fun if the movie ends early."
She walked off without another word.
Emma didn't say anything.
Jay looked down at his hands.
A Quiet Attempt
After school, Jay found Amaya on the rooftop.
She didn't flinch when he opened the door.
Didn't greet him, either.
She was staring at the far end of the sky, legs dangling from the bench, hands gripping the notebook she wasn't writing in.
Jay walked over slowly.
"Can I sit?"
Amaya shrugged.
He sat.
Neither of them spoke for a while.
Then Jay said, "You were quiet today."
She didn't answer.
So he tried again.
"You, okay?"
Still nothing.
He looked at her, really looked. The wind brushed against her bangs. Her lips were slightly parted, but she hadn't breathed out a word since he sat down.
Finally, she asked, so softly it barely counted as a voice—
"…Do you like her?"
Jay froze.
Amaya didn't turn to him. She just kept staring at the sky.
Jay hesitated. "Why does it matter?"
Amaya exhaled.
"It doesn't."
But it did.
And he knew it.
So did she.
Jay lowered his gaze. "She helped me a lot while I was gone. I didn't ask her to… but she did."
Amaya nodded slowly.
"I know."
He glanced over. "You, okay?"
This time, Amaya smiled.
But it wasn't real.
"I'm used to being second."
Jay's chest twisted. "You're not."
"You don't have to say that."
"I'm not just saying it."
She finally looked at him.
Eyes soft. Bittersweet. No anger. Just years of quiet patience finally starting to ache.
Then she stood.
"I should go."
"Amaya—"
She shook her head.
"It's okay, Jay. I promise. I just… need to breathe somewhere else today."
And she left.
Jay didn't follow.
Because sometimes staying was worse than walking away.
The Question
That evening, as Jay was leaving campus, Emma caught up to him.
"You, okay?" she asked.
He nodded. "Yeah."
"You seemed quiet after lunch."
Jay shrugged. "There was a lot of… noise."
Emma chuckled. "You mean the marriage predictions?"
"That. And the fan art someone was drawing of us during math."
She blinked. "Wait, what?"
Jay held up a sketch from Luna's desk. It was them on stage—him in a suit, her in a crown. Stars around them. A small heart in the corner.
Emma stared.
"…I have questions," she said.
Jay laughed. "Don't we all."
They walked a few more steps.
Then Emma asked, "Do you care what they think?"
Jay paused.
Looked at her.
"…Sometimes."
She nodded.
"Me too," she whispered.
And that was the end of it.