Jay-Jay's POV
The silence was so heavy I felt like I was being squashed.
What did you just do, Jay? Ugh! Can't you keep your mouth shut for even five minutes? Why am I so talkative?
But wait... why shouldn't I have asked? I am his girlfriend, right? I should know these things! But look at his face... oh no.
I watched Keifer carefully. His expression was like a messy painting—a mix of guilt, sadness, and a flicker of old anger all swirling together. He didn't look like the "King" anymore; he looked like someone who had just been forced to look at a scar he thought was healed.
Now, the guilt was hitting me like a ton of bricks. I felt like I had accidentally stepped on a puppy's tail.
Jay-Jay: "It's okay if you don't want to tell me. I'm sorry... maybe... I should not have asked this. I was just being a noisy mosquito again."
I looked down at my tray, suddenly finding a piece of broccoli very interesting.
I wanted to take the words back and shove them back into my throat.
The last thing I wanted to do was make him feel bad, especially after he had just laughed at my "toaster" joke.
Keifer let out a long, slow breath. He reached across the table, his hand hesitated for a second, and then he covered mine with his palm. His skin was warm, but his grip was a little tight, as if he was trying to ground himself.
Keifer: "No, Jay. You have every right to know this."
His voice dropped into that low, smooth tone that always makes my stomach flip. He leaned forward, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips.
Keifer: "After all, you are the future Mrs. Watson. And let's not forget... the mother of the Caretaker and the Watcher."
He actually winked at me. A full, slow, heart-stopping wink.
Jay-Jay: "Keifer! Are you crazy? I thought I hurt you, but here you are flirting! You're unbelievable!"
I smacked his chest—thump!—but my face was burning. He caught my hand, and his face suddenly turned serious. He took a deep breath, looking back into a past that clearly still haunted him.
Keifer: "Yuri and Freya were together first.
I was shocked, not by knowing this thing but by the way he actually started telling me.
He continued...
Something happened, they broke up, and Freya was devastated. I went to her.
I didn't even know if I truly felt something for her, but I comforted her. I wanted to make her feel good, so I started buying her expensive things and gifts.
Then, on her birthday, I gave her the earring. I wore one, and I gave her the other. I thought she loved me... I thought I could share my mom's love with her."
He looked down at his coke, his voice getting tighter.
Keifer: "I never expected anything in return. But then I noticed she still gave all her attention to Yuri. She still had feelings for him. I told her how I felt, but she blamed me—said I was restricting her freedom. Then..., I found out she kissed Aries."
My jaw dropped. Aries! Yeah I know what happened as he has told me how they end up in that situation but I was not knowing, he also knew that thing, I thought only rakki knows.
Keifer: "My jealousy was killing me. I went to her and broke up, but I was so hurt. I asked for the earring back, but she refused. I was so pissed off, Jay... I punched the wall right next to her head and grabbed her jaw tightly. But then I looked at her, and I remembered my father abusing my mom. I couldn't do it. I just left her there."
He let out a shaky breath.
Keifer: "After that, Yuri and I became rivals. Yuri started dating Ella, and when Yuri's mom asked me to keep Ella away from him, I saw my chance for revenge.
I made Ella my girlfriend just to hurt him. Later, Ella transferred to Section A. That's when I heard the news—that Yuri had used Freya and she was pregnant."
I couldn't even breathe. The drama was like a dark web.
Keifer: "Yuri went missing, so I stepped up. I started taking care of her, paying her bills, and giving her money to keep her quiet and healthy. One day, I found Yuri at Kingsground,
drinking and fighting.
We fought in the ring that day... I poured all my anger into him. We slowly started becoming normal again, but I kept paying Freya. Then, I found out the biggest lie of all: she was never pregnant. She had lied about everything."
Jay-Jay: "Then... why did you keep paying her?"
Keifer: "I still continued paying her just to keep her mouth shut... and to hopefully get that earring back one day."
Jay-Jay: "So why did you finally stop?"
Keifer looked at me then. The intensity in his eyes made my heart do a double thud.
The "King" was gone, and only the boy who loved me was left.
Keifer: "Because you came."
Jay-Jay: "Means... what?"
Keifer: "You came into our class, and suddenly, we were all focused on you. I realized Yuri was falling for you, despite our plans. And after some time, I realized my feelings for you, too. I started finding my comfort and that real love with you. So I stopped paying her. I was angry at Yuri for falling for you, but mostly... I didn't need to buy a fake piece of mind anymore. I had you."
I looked at him, and my heart felt like it was breaking and being put back together at the same time. There was a single tear trapped in the corner of his eye, but his lips were curved into a small, sad smile.
He really is the strongest person I know. To carry all that weight—the lies, the guilt, the family history—and still stand tall as the King of Snakes.
Keifer: "I'm sorry, Jay."
Jay-Jay: "Hey... why are you saying sorry? You didn't do anything wrong now."
Keifer: "I am really sorry, Jay... for hurting you back then. For everything. I am really, really sorry."
His voice was so raw it made my own eyes sting. I didn't care who was watching. I leaned across the table and threw my arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug.
Jay-Jay: "It's okay, baby. Really. But please, don't be a cry-baby. If you start leaking, I'll have to use my math exam papers to mop up the floor, and trust me, those papers have suffered enough today!"
Keifer let out a wet chuckle against my shoulder, his chest vibrating as he laughed at my ridiculous joke.
Keifer: "Only you would bring up those cursed papers right now."
We were having a "moment"—a real, beautiful, romantic moment—until a sudden, thunderous roar echoed through the cafeteria.
"WHOOOOOO! YEAH! THAT'S OUR COUPLE!"
I jumped back, nearly knocking over my chair. We turned around and saw a massive group of students standing by the entrance, waving their arms like lunatics. It was Section E.
They hadn't just been there; they had been watching the whole time.
The entire class came charging toward us like a stampede of buffalo. Before I could even blink, we were surrounded.
Ci-N, Felix, David, and even the quieter ones were piling into a giant group hug, squishing Keifer and me in the middle.
Felix: "Jay-Jay! We're so sorry! We should have protected you better from all that drama!"
Ci-N: "Yeah! We're really sorry for every time we teased you too hard. You're the best thing that happened to this class!"
David: "You really are our Mutya, Jay. Our precious gem."
They were all shouting at once, their faces full of genuine love and regret. I was being squeezed so hard I could barely breathe, but I was smiling so wide my cheeks hurt. Keifer was trapped too, looking annoyed but with a clear glint of happiness in his eyes as he looked at our crazy, chaotic family.
Jay-Jay: "Guys! Stop! You're turning me into a human pancake! If I die from hugging, who's going to fail the next Math test for you?!"
The cafeteria exploded into laughter, and for the first time in a long time, the shadows of the past felt like they had finally disappeared.
A/n :
Hey guys, I tried my best to uncover the truth. If you can , please tell me in comments how's it.
Bye 👋