Kiara stood frozen in the doorway, still clutching her purse like it was a weapon against humiliation.
The whole squad had gone upstairs with Jay and Lia.
She whispered to herself,
"…Did they just ignore me?"
From upstairs, the answer was:
"Yes."
Lia's voice echoed faintly from the hallway.
Kiara puffed out her perfect hair, forcing a smile.
"Okay, okay… maybe they didn't see me…"
(They very much saw her.)
She stepped inside the house and called out:
"Jaaaay? Liiiaaa? I'm here!"
Nothing.
Just silence.
And Ion dropping a spoon in the kitchen.
Kiara marched toward the stairs like she owned the place.
"Guys, helloooo—"
Jay's voice shot down the stairwell like an arrow.
"Nope."
Kiara blinked. "J-Jay?"
Lia's voice followed:
"Don't talk to us."
Kiara stomped one step up.
"What is wrong with you both?!"
Upstairs, Jay and Lia exchanged a glance… and smirked.
Lia: "She wants answers."
Jay: "Let's do the opposite."
Lia shouted down the stairs:
"Kairov, could you bring me water?"
She made sure Kiara heard the name clearly.
Kiara froze.
Oh no.
That tone.
Kairov appeared instantly like a loyal dog.
"Yes, sweetheart. What kind?"
"Cold."
"Yes ma'am."
He kissed Lia's forehead on the way.
Kiefer came out next and wrapped his arms around Jay.
"You okay, baby?"
Jay flipped her hair.
"So much better now."
Kiara's eye twitched.
She tried again.
"Lia, can we talk for a moment?"
Lia turned toward Kairov dramatically.
" Jaan, Tumne Kuch suna kya?"
( babe, did you hear something?)
Kairav kissed her cheek.
"Nope. Just wind."
Jay added:
"Must be the AC."
Kiefer:
"Or disappointment."
Angelo walked by eating chips.
"Or karma."
Aries joined with popcorn.
"I love this show."
Kiara stomped her foot.
"WHY are you ignoring me?!"
Jay and Lia both looked at her—
—and then turned away at the same time.
Not a word.
Kiara looked like someone unplugged her soul
She marched upstairs.
"You two need to stop acting like kids!"
Lia yawned.
Jay checked her nails.
Kiara tried again.
"Did I do something?! Huh?! Tell me what I did!"
Jay didn't even look at her.
"You wouldn't understand."
Lia added,
"You never do."
Jay:
"And even if we told you—"
Lia:
"—you'd just defend yourself."
Jay:
"—or make excuses."
Lia:
"—or pretend it isn't your fault."
Jay:
"And honestly?"
Lia:
"We're tired."
Kiara's mouth flapped open like a goldfish.
"But— but— I didn't— What are you talking about?!
Percy stepped in like a judge.
"Ma'am, please take a seat. The prosecution is speaking."
Josh handed Kiara a fake tissue.
"For the tears you're about to shed."
Eren added,
"Don't worry, this will only hurt your pride."
Kiara glared at all of them.
"None of you even know what happened!"
"But we do."
Jay and Lia said in unison.
Kiara's voice cracked.
"What did I do that was SO BAD?!"
Silence.
Jay and Lia simply walked past her.
Ignoring everything.
They didn't scream.
They didn't cry.
They didn't even argue.
Just pure, brutal silence.
Nothing hurts an attention-seeker more.
Kiara finally snapped.
"STOP IGNORING ME!! JUST TALK TO ME!"
Jay stopped walking.
So did Lia.
But they never turned around.
Jay's voice was cold.
"You told our stories when they weren't yours to tell."
Lia finished,
"And we don't owe you anything anymore."
Kiara turned pale.
"Wait— you're still upset about THAT?! That was YEARS ago!"
Jay:
"And we're STILL dealing with it."
Lia:
"Some things don't go away just because YOU forgot."
Kairov wrapped an arm around Lia.
Kiefer hugged Jay from behind.
Kiara stared at them, her whole world cracking.
She tried one last time.
"I didn't mean to hurt you…"
Lia said quietly,
"But you did."
Jay added,
"And you never tried to fix it."
Kiara stood there, speechless, finally understanding something she never saw before:
The pain she caused.
Before anything could continue—
Ion ran down the stairs screaming:
"THE TOASTER CAUGHT ON FIRE!"
Everyone jumped.
Lorenzo:
"I WAS MAKING GARLIC BREAD!"
Rory:
"YOU WERE MAKING SMOKE!"
Aries grabbed a towel.
Percy grabbed a water bottle.
Kiefer grabbed Jay.
Kairav grabbed Lia.
Everyone sprinted to the kitchen.
Jay yelled,
"WHY DOES THIS HOUSE CATCH FIRE EVERY WEEK?!"
Lia shouted,
"ION PUT THE FIRE OUT, NOT YOUR FEELINGS!"
Ion cried,
"I DON'T KNOW HOW, EVERYTHING IS ON FIRE—INCLUDING MY SOUL!"
Aries fanned the smoke with a chopping board.
Angelo yelled for someone to save the garlic bread.
Rory accidentally slapped himself with a towel.
Kiefer pulled Jay back from the flames.
Kairav carried Lia like a sack of potatoes because she kept coughing.
Jay kept yelling at Lorenzo:
"STOP COOKING LIKE YOU WANT US DEAD!"
Lia wheezed,
"THIS IS WHY I HATE AFTERNOONS!"
Kiara stood in the hallway, watching the group run around like a circus on fire.
She whispered to herself,
"…Why did I come here?"
Ion yelled from inside the smoke cloud:
"WE ASK OURSELVES THAT EVERY DAY, KIARA!"
Finally, the fire alarm screamed louder than everyone.
And that was how the day ended:
Chaos.
Smoke.
Screaming.
Garlic bread funerals.
And Kiara silently regretting all her life choices.