---------------:Jay Jay's POV:---------------
I stared at my phone screen until the light dimmed, but the message didn't change.
💌From, Pres.Yuri :-
Sorry, Jay. I have to leave. Don't look for me. Take care of yourself.
"What do you mean, leave? " I whispered, my thumbs flying across the keypad.
💌To, Pres.Yuri :-
Yuri, wait! Where are you going? You can't just leave like this.
2 minutes passed
💌To, Pres.Yuri :-
Please, answer me.
I hit send. One minute passed. Five. Ten. The message stayed on 'Delivered', but there was no reply. No 'typing' bubbles. Just a cold, empty silence that made my stomach churn. I looked at Drew, but he just shook his head, looking just as lost as I was.
Finally, I couldn't take the suffocating silence of that house anymore. " I'm going home, Drew," I said, grabbing my bag.
"Jay, it's late. Let me walk you--"
" It's okay! I can go by myself 🙂" I interrupted. I needed the cold night air to clear the fog in my head.
The streetlights flickered as I walked down the quiet sidewalk. The neighborhood was eerily still. About two blocks away from Drew's house, I heard it—a faint *crunch* of gravel behind me. I stopped. The sound stopped.
My heart began to thud against my ribs. I picked up my pace. *Crunch, crunch, crunch.* The footsteps behind me picked up, too. They were heavy, deliberate.
I didn't dare look back. My mind raced through every shadow. Was it one of those debt collectors? Was it someone from the underground world looking for leverage against the Watsons? Or was it someone connected to why Yuri suddenly ran away?
I reached into my pocket, my fingers trembling so hard I almost dropped my phone. I didn't call the police. I didn't call Drew.
I dialed the one number I knew by heart, even if I was supposed to be angry at him. Even if he was the last person I wanted to need.
The phone rang once. Twice.
"Keifer…" I whispered into the receiver as soon as the line connected. "Someone is following me. I'm near the old park, and I'm scared. Please --😰"
Suddenly, a large hand reached out from the shadows and gripped my shoulder. I let out a sharp scream, the phone slipping from my ear and clattering onto the pavement. I shut my eyes tight, my hands coming up to shield my face as I braced for the worst.
" Jay, it's me. It's just me. "
That voice. Deep, rough, and slightly breathless.
I opened my eyes and looked up. Standing there in the dim glow of the streetlamp was KEIFER. His hoodie was up, and he looked exhausted, his eyes searching mine with an intensity that made my heart stop for a different reason.
"You?" I gasped, my fear turning into a chaotic mix of relief and fury. "You were the one following me? I almost had a heart attack!😮💨"
Keifer didn't apologize immediately. Instead, he stepped closer, closing the gap between us until I could feel the heat radiating off him, cutting through the cold night air. He reached down, picked up my vibrating phone, and handed it back to me.
"I told you I'd always be watching over you💗" he said softly, his voice serious. "I saw you leave Drew's house alone. You shouldn't be out this late by yourself, Jay-jay. It's not safe."
I looked at him, my anger melting away as the weight of the last hour came crashing back down. My hands started to shake again, and I didn't even try to hide it this time.
"Yuri is gone, Keifer😥" I said, my voice cracking. " He was just there, at Drew's... and then he was just gone. He sent me this message, but he won't answer me. He won't tell me where he is."
I held out the phone, showing him the short, cold text from Yuri.
Keifer took the phone, his eyes narrowing as he read the words. The protective aura around him shifted into something sharper, more alert. He looked back toward the direction of Drew's house and then back at me.
"He didn't say anything else? No hint of where he was going?🤨" Keifer asked.
I shook my head, "Nothing. He just said he had to leave.🙁"
"We'll find him, Jay-jay " he promised, his voice low and steady. " If he's hiding, I'll find him. If someone took him... they're going to regret it. I promise you, I won't stop until he's back. "
I looked into his eyes and, for the first time that night, the suffocating panic in my chest eased just a little. I didn't know why Yuri left or where he went, but standing there with Keifer, I knew I wasn't going to have to face this mystery alone.
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