🌙 Chapter: Same City, Different Distance
Keifer's POV
Life goes back to normal.
At least, that's what everyone at Higher Value International School thinks.
The bell rings in the morning. Students walk through the hallways. Lockers slam. Voices fill the corridors. Everything looks the same as it always has.
But for me, nothing feels the same anymore.
I sit in my usual seat inside Section E. Same desk. Same classroom. Same chaotic group of idiots around me.
Blaster is already arguing with Rory about some music editing software.
"Your audio mix is trash," Rory says, leaning back in his chair.
Blaster scoffs. "You wouldn't know good music if it slapped you."
Kit and Mayo are whispering about something while Josh silently listens beside them.
Drew is laughing loudly while complaining that someone stole the fifty pesos he owed them.
David is half-asleep over his notebook like usual.
Ci-N is spinning a pen between his fingers while watching everyone like he's analyzing a crime scene.
And Yuri…
Yuri sits quietly near the window.
Silent.
Observing everything.
Section E is loud again. Chaotic again. Like always.
Except for one thing.
Her seat.
Jay's chair.
Empty.
My eyes keep drifting to it without me meaning to. The chair beside my desk has been empty for weeks now, and every day it reminds me of exactly how much damage we managed to cause.
I lean back in my chair and exhale slowly.
Then—
The classroom door opens.
And suddenly the entire room goes quiet.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just enough for everyone to stop moving.
She walks in.
Jay.
No.
Jay Jay.
For a moment, my brain completely forgets how to function.
She looks the same.
But also… different.
Her hair falls over her shoulders like usual. Her posture is straight, confident, controlled. The same quiet authority follows her when she walks into a room.
But there's something new in her expression.
Her eyes.
Colder.
Distant.
Like she built a wall around herself while she was gone.
Students in the hallway start whispering immediately.
"Is that Jay Jay?"
"She looks even prettier now."
"Wasn't she gone for weeks?"
"I swear she looks different."
A few boys nearby stare like they've never seen a girl before.
Someone even mutters, "Damn… I want her to be my girlfriend."
My jaw tightens instantly.
Jay doesn't react to any of it.
She walks into the classroom calmly, not even glancing around, and moves straight toward her seat.
Her seat.
The one beside me.
For a moment, my chest tightens in a way I can't explain.
She places her bag down.
Sits.
Opens a book.
And starts reading.
Like nothing happened.
Like we're all just classmates again.
Like I'm just another person in the room.
Section E stares at her like a group of confused children.
Ci-N is the first one who finally cracks.
"JJ?" he says carefully.
She flips a page in her book.
"Yes?"
Her tone is calm.
Normal.
Too normal.
Ci-N blinks. "You just… came back?"
"Yes."
"That's it?"
She finally looks up at him.
"What else should I do?" she asks flatly.
Blaster scratches his head awkwardly. "Maybe… say hi?"
Jay closes her book slowly.
"Hi."
Then she opens the book again.
David lets out a quiet snort of laughter beside us.
Even Drew looks confused.
Ci-N leans closer to her desk.
"You disappeared for weeks," he says. "You can't just walk in like nothing happened."
Jay glances at him.
"I had things to handle."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
Ci-N slowly leans back in his chair.
"…She's scarier when she's calm," he mutters.
A few students chuckle quietly.
I haven't said a word yet.
I'm just watching her.
Studying every small detail.
The way she flips pages. The way she avoids looking directly at me. The way she keeps her expression completely controlled.
She's here.
Right beside me.
But she feels further away than she ever has.
Break time arrives.
Section E slowly gathers around her desk like a group of nervous idiots.
Blaster leans against the desk.
"So," he says, trying to sound casual. "London was fun?"
Jay looks at him.
"I wasn't in London."
Blaster pauses.
"…Right."
Drew scratches his head. "So where were you?"
"Busy."
"Doing what?"
"Things."
Ci-N bursts out laughing. "She's giving us NPC dialogue."
Even Jay's lips twitch slightly at that.
And for a split second—
She looks like the same Jay we all know.
Then the moment disappears.
I finally speak.
"Jay."
Her eyes slowly shift toward me.
For the first time since she walked in.
And my chest tightens.
There it is again.
That flicker.
Pain.
Buried deep in her eyes.
Gone just as quickly.
"What?" she asks calmly.
"We need to talk."
Her expression doesn't change.
"No."
My eyebrows pull together.
"This isn't optional."
Her lips curve slightly.
"It actually is."
Then she stands up.
Grabs her bag.
And walks toward the door.
Just like that.
Like nothing here matters.
Like I don't matter.
The door closes behind her.
Section E stands there in complete silence.
Drew finally sighs.
"…Well."
Blaster rubs his face. "That could've gone better."
Ci-N folds his arms.
"She didn't punch anyone," he says thoughtfully. "That's progress."
David finally lifts his head from the desk.
"You deserve worse," he mutters sleepily.
No one argues with him.
Later that afternoon, classes finally end.
Students leave the school in loud groups, filling the parking area with noise and chatter.
I walk outside just in time to see a black luxury car pull up near the gates.
Jay steps into the driver's seat.
Of course she's driving herself.
Of course she doesn't wait for anyone.
The engine roars as she accelerates out of the parking area faster than necessary.
Typical.
I watch the car disappear down the road.
Same city.
Same school.
Same people.
But everything between us has changed.
And the worst part?
She's not running away anymore.
She's just…
Living her life without us.
Without me.
And somehow that feels worse than when she left.
Because now I know one thing for certain.
Winning her back—
is going to be a war.
And this time…
I don't know if I'm going to win.
.....