After 21 days of examination.
Author POV
The heavy wooden door of Section E clicked shut, locking out the chaotic energy of the final day of the 21-day exam marathon.
Inside her room, Jay Jay didn't even bother turning on the lights. The afternoon sun filtered through the blinds, casting long, muted shadows across the floorboards. She dropped her backpack onto the chair. It hit the ground with a heavy thud, loaded down with thick textbooks and weeks of accumulated stress.
She didn't feel anger. She didn't feel malice.
She was just entirely, deeply tired.
For the past three weeks, she had poured every ounce of her remaining energy into surviving the academic onslaught. Her decision to avoid Keifer wasn't a calculated move to punish him, nor was it fueled by a lingering grudge. It was pure survival. Her mind and body had reached their absolute limits, and she simply had nothing left to give.
Jay Jay crawled onto her bed, collapsing face-first into the soft embrace of her pillows. The cool fabric felt like a sanctuary. Within seconds, the overwhelming exhaustion pulled her under, sending her into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Meanwhile, the main bulletin board in the campus courtyard was surrounded by anxious students. The official final rankings had just been posted, drawing a massive crowd from every section.
At the very top of the list, a familiar name sat with a flawless score. CI.N had secured the number one rank, a 100 percent perfect topper whose academic dominance remained completely unchallenged. Directly beneath, sharing the elite tier, were Keifer and Yuri. Both had secured top honors, their brilliance undeniable despite the intense emotional turmoil that had plagued the weeks leading up to the finals.
Further down the list, nestled comfortably in the middle of the rankings, was Jay Jay. She was an average student, a fact that never bothered her. She didn't need the spotlight or the pressure of a perfect score; she had fought her own quiet battles just to make it through to the other side.
Back in the Section E lounge, the atmosphere was a mix of wild relief and lingering post-exam anxiety. The boys had completely taken over the common area, their loud voices bouncing off the walls.
"Twenty-one days of pure hell, and it's finally over!" Rory shouted, throwing his arms behind his head and sinking into the worn leather sofa.
Adrix looked up from his phone, shaking his head. "Speak for yourself. Section E exams feel like a psychological experiment. I think my brain permanently melted somewhere around day fourteen."
"At least you didn't accidentally skip an entire page of multiple-choice questions like I almost did," Felix muttered, leaning against the kitchen counter with a sports drink.
Calix laughed, tossing a crumpled piece of paper at Felix's head. "That's just classic Felix. You need to learn how to pace yourself, man."
Over in the corner, Blaster and Drew were huddled around a tablet, arguing over a particularly difficult bonus question from the advanced calculus exam.
"I'm telling you, the formula required a triple integral!" Blaster insisted, gesturing wildly.
"No way, Blaster," Drew countered smoothly, tapping the screen. "If you used a triple integral, you ended up with a negative volume. It was a trick question."
Eren walked past them, rolling his eyes at their debate. "Can we please stop talking about academics? The exams are done. Let's just enjoy the fact that we don't have to look at a textbook for at least a week."
"Agreed," Eman said, collapsing onto the opposite end of the sofa near Rory. "If anyone mentions a graph or a theorem in the next twenty-four hours, I'm leaving the room."
Kit and Mayo were sitting near the window, quietly reviewing their own notes but looking equally relieved.
"We survived, Mayo," Kit said with a faint smile, closing his binder for the final time.
"Barely," Mayo replied, rubbing his tired eyes. "But a win is a win."
On the other side of the lounge, the Section E girls were huddled together, enjoying a much calmer sense of relief.
Ella was carefully braiding Freya's hair, her movements practiced and soothing. "I'm just glad we don't have to wake up at five in the morning for study sessions anymore," Ella murmured.
Freya closed her eyes, leaning back. "Don't remind me. I think I drank more coffee in the last three weeks than I have in my entire life."
Honey was sitting cross-legged on the carpet, passing a box of pastries over to Graze. "Here, eat something sweet. You earned this."
Freya took a pastry with a grateful nod. "Thanks, Honey. Honestly, I didn't think I'd make it through the history essay section. My wrist is still cramping."
Raki and Mica were sitting nearby, looking toward the hallway that led to the dorm rooms.
"Have any of you seen Jay Jay since the final bell rang?" Raki asked, her tone shifting to one of quiet concern.
Mica shook her head, adjusting her glasses. "She went straight to her room. She looked completely drained, Raki. I think she just needs space and sleep."
Outside the building, hidden in the shadow of the courtyard corridors, Keifer stood perfectly still. The fog in his mind was entirely gone, replaced by the sharp, agonizing clarity of his restored memories. Every cruel word he had spoken, every cold glance he had given her over the past few months, weighed heavily on his chest.
He wanted to run to her. He wanted to knock on her door, drop to his knees, and beg for forgiveness until his voice failed him. He wanted to call her his marshmallow, to hold her tight and protect her from the world he had broken.
But he knew he couldn't.
He knew she wasn't hiding from him out of spite. She was simply exhausted. The 21 days of exams, combined with the emotional weight of his past actions, had left her completely empty. Pushing his way into her space right now would only add to her burden.
Keifer looked up at the window of her room, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. He would wait. He would give her the time she needed to rest, to breathe, and to heal. And when she was ready, he would begin the long, difficult journey of earning back the right to stand by her side.