Jay-Jay's POV
The moment we stepped through the gates of the amusement park, the "Section E" toughness didn't just fade—it exploded.
The bright neon lights, the smell of buttered popcorn, and the loud music turned everyone into big, chaotic kids.
Usually, Elara has this "don't touch me" aura.
She's like a cold queen who isn't scared of anything and definitely doesn't need anyone to win her prizes. But today? Today she was in full-on Roast Mode and kid mode too.
"Look at you all," Elara said, looking at the giant entrance gate.
"You guys look like a bunch of escaped zoo animals. Felix, stop licking the cotton candy machine, it's not yours yet."
"I'm just checking the quality, Elara!" Felix shouted back, his face already sticky.
The group split into smaller, chaotic clusters.
I looked over and saw Ci-N hovering around Rakki. He was in full "flirt mode," which was basically him being more annoying than usual.
"Rakki, look!" Ci-N pointed at a giant teddy bear. "That bear is almost as cute as you. If I win it, will you give me your number? I mean, I already have it, but will you answer my calls this time?"
Rakki rolled his eyes, but I saw a tiny smile on his face. "If you win that bear, Ci-N, I'll consider not blocking you for twenty-four hours."
"CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!" Ci-N screamed, running toward the booth like his life depended on it.
Further down the path, Aries was walking with Ella.
It was actually sweet to see him so relaxed.
Yeah ! I know I don't like ella but still things are not that bad as before.
Aries wasn't acting like the "Big Brother" or the "Leader" for once. He was just a guy trying to figure out if Ella wanted popcorn or a hotdog.
"Ella, if you want the giant churro, just say so," Aries said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll buy the whole stand if it stops you from looking at it so sadly."
Ella giggled, her cheeks turning pink. "Just one is fine, Aries. I don't want to get sick before the roller coaster."
Nearby, Percy was with Honey.
Percy, being Percy, was doing most of the talking—mostly about himself.
"Honey, watch me," Percy said, striking a pose. "The way the neon lights hit my jawline? It's cinematic. You're lucky to be seen with me tonight. I'm basically the main attraction of this park."
Honey just laughed, shaking her head. "Percy, just hold my bag and be quiet. You're ruining the 'masterpiece' with your talking."
The most awkward, adorable pair was Edrix and Freya. Edrix was still somewhat shy, standing a few inches away from her, looking like he wanted to say something but kept losing his voice.
"U-um, Freya?" Edrix stuttered, looking at the giant Ferris wheel. "Do you... do you like heights? Or should we stay on the ground? I'm okay with both. Or neither. Whatever you want."
Freya smiled softly
reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "Heights are fine, Edrix. As long as you don't faint on me."
yeah after being with edrix, she has changed, maybe like before.
She is not now that annoying girl.
"I won't! I mean... I'll try!" Edrix promised, his face turning as red as a tomato.
I was watching everyone, laughing so hard my stomach hurt, until I felt a hand on my shoulder.
It was Keifer.
He looked at the chaos of Section E—Ci-N failing the ring toss, Percy taking selfies with Honey's bag, and Elara currently roasting Mayo for being scared of a merry-go-round.
"They're idiots," Keifer muttered, but his eyes were bright with amusement.
"Total idiots."
"But they're our idiots," I replied, leaning against him.
"True." He looked down at me, his "King" aura softening.
"Ready to go get sick on the Viking ship, Queen?"
"Only if you promise not to scream louder than me!"
After the snacks and the flirting, we found ourselves standing in front of the "Extreme Trampoline Zone."
It was a massive room filled with wall-to-wall trampolines, foam pits, and neon strobe lights.
Usually, this group is all about "cool vibes" and "don't touch me," but the moment we put on those sticky grip socks, all dignity went out the window.
Yuri and Akari were the first ones to hit the mats. Akari was laughing, her hair flying everywhere, while Yuri—the usually calm and composed strategist—was trying to do a backflip.
"Yuri, watch out!" Akari squealed as he bounced a bit too high.
"I've got this, Akari! My physics calculations say—Whoa!" He landed flat on his back, bouncing like a piece of rubber.
Instead of getting annoyed, he just stayed there laughing, pulling Akari down onto the trampoline with him.
It was the most "human" I had seen Yuri in weeks.
Then, the chaos really started. Ci-N was jumping around Rakki like a hyperactive kangaroo.
"Look at me, Rakki! I'm flying! I'm a bird! I'm a plane!"
"You're a nuisance, Ci-N!" Rakki shouted, but she was jumping too, her face glowing with genuine fun.
Nearby, Percy and Honey were trying to take a "jumping selfie," which was failing miserably.
"Honey! Hold the camera higher! My hair needs to look wind-swept, not like a bird's nest!" Percy yelled mid-air.
"Percy, we are literally bouncing! Just enjoy the air!" Honey laughed, accidentally bumping into him and sending them both flying into the foam pit.
Even Edrix and Freya were getting into it.
Edrix was still shy, but the adrenaline was helping.
He reached out to hold Freya's hand so they could jump in sync.
"See? Not fainting!" Edrix cheered, though his legs looked like noodles. Freya just laughed, looking more relaxed than I'd ever seen her.
But the real shocker? Elara. The girl with the cold aura and the sharp tongue was currently jumping like a lunatic.
She wasn't just bouncing; she was using the walls to do parkour flips, her eyes bright with a wild, childish energy.
She looked over at Mayo, who was struggling to stand up.
"What's the matter, Mayo? Did your legs forget how gravity works?" she roasted, before doing a perfect tuck-jump over him.
But then, the atmosphere shifted.
From the corner of the room, Josh—the silent shadow of Section E—suddenly exploded into motion.
Josh usually doesn't say more than three words a day, but on a trampoline? He was a god.
He didn't just jump; he did a double-corkscrew flip that looked like something out of an action movie. He landed with zero sound, his eyes meeting Elara's.
Elara didn't back down.
She gave him a sharp, challenging nod.
Without a single word, the two of them began a synchronized parkour routine that left the rest of us standing still, mouths agape.
They ran up the vertical padded walls together, flipped backward in perfect unison, and transitioned into a series of front-tucks that looked choreographed.
Mayo: "Since when is Josh a ninja?! And why is he and Elara acting like they're in the Olympics?!"
Felix: "Look at them! They're in total sync! It's like they have a psychic connection for gravity!"
They finished with a simultaneous wall-run and a synchronized dive toward the center mats.
Elara landed, panting and grinning, and high-fived Josh.
"Not bad, Silent Boy," Elara teased.
Josh just nodded, his chest heaving, his face glowing with a rare, bright smile.
"You... almost kept up," he joked back, making everyone gasp. He talked! And he made a roast!
"Did Josh just roast Elara?" Percy whispered, terrified. "Is the world ending?"
I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe. I felt a sudden pair of hands grab my waist.
Keifer lifted me up as he bounced, making us both go higher than I ever could on my own.
"You're going to hit the ceiling, Jay!" Keifer teased, his voice full of life.
"Not if you catch me, Watson!" I yelled back.
As we bounced together, breathless and messy-haired, I looked over at the sidelines.
Elara had stopped jumping for a moment to catch her breath. She was leaning against the padded wall, watching us.
Our eyes met. Usually, her gaze is full of secrets or sharp wit, but this time, it was different.
She looked at me, then at Keifer, and then back at me. A genuine, polite smile spread across her face—not a smirk, not a tease, but a real, soft smile that said she was happy for us. It was a look of pure sisterly approval.
Then, in a split second, she blinked and the "Child Mode" was back.
"Hey, Lovebirds!" Elara shouted, pointing at the foam pit. "Last one in the pit is a rotten egg!"
She didn't wait.
She took a running start and executed a perfect front flip into the sea of blue and green foam.
"Oh, it's on!" I screamed, pulling Keifer with me as we dove headfirst into the chaos.