Jay's POV
I didn't even realize how fast Kairo was driving until the city blurred past the windows. The laughter between us was easy, effortless. We teased each other, tapped each other playfully, and even had that dumb handshake we'd always do, the one that ended with him pretending to mess it up and me pretending to get annoyed.
"You're ridiculous," I said, smacking his arm lightly.
"You love it," he grinned.
"I don't!" I protested, but the corners of my lips betrayed me.
He leaned closer, voice low, teasing, "And yet… look at that smile."
I rolled my eyes but felt my cheeks heat up.
Then he held up his hand like a magician. "Close your eyes."
I froze, suspicious. "What? No."
"Close them. Trust me."
I huffed, but curiosity won. Slowly, I shut my eyes.
"Okay… now… open," he whispered.
I blinked.
And my two best friends—Liana and Mira—were there. And Zane. Laughing. Smiling like idiots.
I almost screamed.
"No… no… I'm going to cry!" I warned, feeling tears sting the corner of my eyes.
They didn't care. Mira nudged me. "Too late!"
Liana giggled, and Zane just laughed so loud I thought we'd give everyone in the café a heart attack.
Kairo's arms went around me from behind, holding me steady. "Hey… it's okay. Breathe."
I tried, hiccuping into the hug. "Why didn't you guys come earlier?!"
Then, like a reflex, I started smacking them. They dodged and laughed. Zane ducked behind his hand, Liana ducked sideways, Mira spun in a circle, all of them laughing so hard I couldn't even stay mad.
Then everything stopped.
I noticed shadows by the plants. Glances sharp, calculating, bodies stiff.
I squinted. "Who…?"
Kairo looked where I was pointing. "See someone?"
"Yes," I whispered. "Section E."
Zane narrowed his eyes. "Oh… oh, I see them. And that one…" he gestured to someone with arms crossed, jaw tight, eyes like he wanted to punch someone. "…that one is about to break someone's jaw."
I swallowed. "That's Keifer."
The air went heavy. I could feel my friends tensing.
"Wait—explain everything," Liana demanded. "Tell us what's going on with him."
I took a deep breath and spilled everything. The plan, the manipulation, the lies, the control… everything he had done.
Mira and Liana's faces darkened with fury. Zane's jaw tightened.
"I swear, I will destroy him," Zane growled.
"Wait—stop!" I shouted, holding up my hands. "Please! Don't actually—"
But Kairo had already seen the stares. He stepped forward, voice low and dangerous. "Hey. Calm down. Step back. Let's handle this."
Liana crossed her arms. "Oh, no. He deserves to know we're not scared."
Mira added, "We don't back down. Not from anyone."
Zane's face was red, fists clenched. "I swear, if he so much as moves a finger—"
"I said enough!" I finally yelled, my hands trembling. "I appreciate you being mad, I really do… but this is exactly what he wants! Stop it!"
Kairo looked at me, frowning, then at the Section E group, who were still glaring from a distance. He finally nodded, understanding. "Fine."
But he didn't let them just glare. He stepped toward them, sharp, calculated. "You've got a problem?"
And then it became chaos.
Zane cracked his knuckles. "Oh, they're asking for it."
I groaned. "Guys… no. Please, don't start—"
But of course, they already had.
"Look at them," Zane muttered. "Standing there like they own the place. How original."
"Felix," Mira started, "what is that smug little face? You planning to roast someone next or just practice your evil looks?"
Liana laughed. "Cin, those eyebrows could shred paper. You're intimidating, sure… but hilarious too."
"Rory, Edrix," Zane added, "what's with the permanent scowl? Did your parents fight over your birth certificate?"
Even Mayo and Kit weren't safe. "Kit… that shirt. Wow. Mayo… are you sad, or is that just your face?"
I buried my face in my hands. "Stop! You guys—"
But it only escalated. Kairo, standing behind me, narrowed his eyes at Section E. "Keep staring. Think you're scary? Please. Let me handle this."
Rory's jaw tightened. Edrix muttered under his breath, glaring.
Kairo stepped forward, voice calm, cold, teasing. "You all just standing there like wax statues? Cute. Very intimidating. Very threatening. Not."
Section E, of course, wasn't done. Felix leaned forward, voice dripping sarcasm, "Oh wow, look at you. Big rich hero coming to save the day. That's… impressive. Really."
Cin added sharply, "Yeah, showing off in front of us. Cute. Very grown-up. So scary."
Rory growled, "Who are you to talk? You think you're clever with your little jokes?"
Edrix jabbed a finger. "You think you can just laugh at us? Hah. No."
Even Mayo chipped in, muttering, "Yeah, don't forget—our glare game is legendary."
The bickering escalated quickly. My friends fired back instantly:
"Look at all of you!" Zane shouted. "You're like background extras in a bad high school drama."
Liana jabbed her finger at Felix. "Felix, that hair? Nice try. Still tragic."
Mira pointed at Cin. "Sharp eyebrows don't equal brains, sweetheart."
Zane, not stopping, added, "Rory, Edrix… you look like you just stepped out of a villain cosplay. You're scary? Please. Try again."
I groaned, trying to stop them. "Enough! Seriously, you're pushing it!"
Kairo smirked at me. "Fine. Let them roast. But let's make sure they know who's boss."
He walked forward again, directly confronting Section E. "You all staring like you own this place? Cute. Pathetic, really. Try harder. You're failing spectacularly."
Mira, Liana, and Zane joined in once more. "Yeah, exactly! Look at them! Standing there, thinking they're intimidating. Laughable."
The tension exploded—Section E glaring, my friends shouting jokes and sarcastic roasts, me trying to calm everyone down, Kairo stepping in to control the chaos.
Kairo's eyes flared. "Keep it up, and you'll see how fun I can be."
Liana, Mira, and Zane jumped in, voices loud, roasting Section E with all the fury Jay had described to them.
I tried to calm everyone down, holding up my hands. "Please! Enough! Stop bickering!"
But they were relentless, and I couldn't help smiling a little through the tension.
The stares from Section E didn't stop. Rory and Edrix were still glaring, muttering under their breaths, but they didn't move. They were clearly weighing whether to jump in or not.
Finally, I grabbed Kairo's arm. "Let's go," I said, tugging him gently.
Liana put her hand in mine. "Yeah, she's right. Too much bickering for one afternoon. Let's leave them to stew."
We left, my heart still hammering from excitement, fear, and relief.
Inside the café, laughter replaced tension. We ordered, joked, ate, and for the first time in a long time, I felt completely… seen.
I could still feel Keifer's stare at us, though. From a distance, cold and sharp.
And that made me smirk.