Jay pushed the dorm door open as quietly as she could.
She didn't even get one step inside.
All four of her friends were wide awake, sitting up in their beds with the most dramatic, terrified, ready-to-scream faces she had ever seen.
Mila jumped up first. "JAY?! WHERE WERE YOU?!"
Bella gasped so loudly she almost choked. "WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!"
Daniel pointed at the empty bed. "You vanished. VANISHED. Do you know how many horror movies start like that?!"
Adrian squinted at her. "You smell like… safety. And warmth. And—WAIT A MINUTE."
Jay froze.
Oh no.
Adrian's eyes widened. "YOU WERE WITH KEIFER."
The room exploded.
Mila: "WHAT?!" Bella: "OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD—JAYFER IS REAL." Daniel: "I'm too tired for this." Adrian: "TELL US EVERYTHING."
Jay held up her hands. "STOP. Let me explain!"
They all leaned forward like hungry wolves.
Jay took a deep breath. "Okay. I woke up thirsty. I went to get water. The hallway was creepy. Something whispered behind me. I panicked. I ran. I knocked on the nearest door."
Bella gasped. "AND IT WAS KEIFER."
Jay groaned. "Yes."
Adrian clapped like a seal. "THIS IS BETTER THAN TV."
Jay continued, cheeks burning. "He let me in. I was scared. He helped me calm down. That's it."
Mila narrowed her eyes. "That's not it. You're blushing."
"I AM NOT—"
Daniel pointed at her face. "You are literally the color of a tomato."
Bella leaned in. "Did he hold you?"
Jay's silence was the answer.
The room exploded again.
Adrian fell off his bed. "HE HELD YOU?!"
Mila covered her mouth. "Jay… that's… actually really sweet."
Daniel sighed. "I can't believe the president of the school is your personal night guard."
Jay hid her face in her hands. "Can we PLEASE stop talking about this?"
Bella shook her head. "No. Never. This is my new personality."
Adrian grinned. "Jayfer is canon."
Jay threw a pillow at him.
But even with all the teasing, all the chaos, all the screaming— she felt warm.
Safe.
And when she finally crawled into her bed, her friends still whispering excitedly around her, she couldn't help but smile just a little.
Because last night… she wasn't alone.
And she had a feeling Keifer wasn't going to let her be alone ever again.