Chapter 48: The Snack War
(Jay Jay's POV)
The drive to the mini mart was quiet.
Not the awkward kind of quiet.
Just… calm.
Streetlights passed over the car in slow flashes of yellow and white.
The city was still awake, but softer now. Quieter.
Most people were home.
But not us.
Keifer drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting lazily near the gear shift.
Every few seconds his eyes flicked toward me.
Checking.
Observing.
Monitoring.
I noticed.
Of course I noticed.
Jay:
"You're doing it again."
Keifer glanced over.
Keifer:
"Doing what?"
Jay:
"Checking if I'm alive."
He didn't even deny it.
Keifer:
"Just making sure you don't faint in the passenger seat."
Jay:
"I'm not going to faint."
Keifer:
"That's exactly what someone about to faint would say."
I rolled my eyes.
Jay:
"You are unbelievable."
He smirked.
The mini mart appeared at the corner of the street a few minutes later.
Bright lights.
Glass windows.
A small parking lot.
Nothing fancy.
But right now?
It looked like paradise.
Snacks.
Chocolate.
Chips.
Candy.
All the things I had been denied for days.
Keifer parked the car and turned off the engine.
Jay:
"Remember."
I pointed at him.
Jay:
"No controlling my snacks."
He raised both hands.
Keifer:
"I'm innocent."
I narrowed my eyes.
Jay:
"You're never innocent."
We walked inside.
The bell above the door chimed softly.
And the smell of junk food hit instantly.
My eyes widened.
Rows and rows of snacks.
Chocolate bars.
Potato chips.
Cookies.
Candy.
Ice cream.
Soda.
This was going to be fun.
Keifer grabbed a basket casually.
Keifer:
"Take what you want."
Perfect.
Exactly what I wanted to hear.
Because my revenge plan had begun.
I started small.
One bag of chips.
Then another.
Then chocolate bars.
Cookies.
Candy.
More chips.
More chocolate.
More cookies.
Keifer followed behind me quietly.
Watching.
Suspicious.
Jay:
"What?"
Keifer:
"You're smiling like a villain."
Jay:
"I have no idea what you mean."
I added two more chocolate bars to the basket.
Keifer raised an eyebrow.
Keifer:
"That's a lot of sugar."
Jay:
"You said take what I want."
He shrugged.
Keifer:
"I did."
Good.
Because I was not done.
I grabbed gummy candies.
Three bags.
Then soda.
Then brownies.
Then more chocolate.
The basket was getting heavy.
Which was perfect.
Because my plan was simple.
Buy so many snacks that Keifer would regret forcing himself to come with me.
Eventually I walked toward the checkout counter.
Basket full.
Victory achieved.
I placed it on the counter proudly.
The cashier blinked.
Cashier:
"That's… a lot."
Jay:
"I'm hungry."
Behind me Keifer stepped forward.
And looked at the basket.
He blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Keifer:
"That's it?"
I turned slowly.
Jay:
"…What?"
He pointed toward another aisle.
Keifer:
"You forgot the chocolate cookies."
I stared at him.
Jay:
"You're encouraging this."
Keifer nodded.
Keifer:
"Absolutely."
My revenge plan paused.
Jay:
"You're supposed to stop me."
Keifer shrugged casually.
Keifer:
"You're recovering from a gunshot."
Jay:
"…Yes?"
Keifer:
"You deserve snacks."
I stared at him.
Completely confused.
Jay:
"I was trying to annoy you."
Keifer grabbed another basket.
Keifer:
"Then you're failing."
And before I could react—
He walked down the aisle and started adding more snacks.
More chips.
More cookies.
More chocolate.
Ice cream.
More candy.
I followed him, stunned.
Jay:
"What are you doing?"
Keifer:
"Buying snacks."
Jay:
"This was my revenge plan!"
Keifer dropped another bag of chips in the basket.
Keifer:
"Great plan."
Jay:
"You're ruining it."
Keifer:
"No."
He grinned slightly.
Keifer:
"I'm upgrading it."
My revenge plan had officially failed.
Spectacularly.
Soon we were standing at the counter with two full baskets.
The cashier looked overwhelmed.
Cashier:
"…Are you preparing for a party?"
Keifer answered calmly.
Keifer:
"She got shot."
The cashier blinked.
Then nodded.
Cashier:
"That makes sense."
I whispered to Keifer.
Jay:
"You're abusing sympathy."
Keifer whispered back.
Keifer:
"I'm supporting recovery."
Twenty minutes later we walked back to the car carrying multiple bags of snacks.
I dropped into the passenger seat dramatically.
Jay:
"My revenge failed."
Keifer placed the bags in the backseat.
Keifer:
"It failed successfully."
Jay:
"That's not how revenge works."
He got into the driver's seat and started the engine.
Keifer:
"You tried to annoy me."
Jay:
"Yes."
Keifer:
"And now we have snacks for a week."
Jay:
"…That is true."
He glanced at me again.
Soft smile.
Keifer:
"You're adorable when you plan evil things."
I crossed my arms.
Jay:
"I'm not adorable."
Keifer started driving.
Keifer:
"You bought fourteen chocolate bars."
Jay:
"That's strategic planning."
He laughed quietly.
The car rolling through the quiet streets again.
And for the first time in a long time…
The war between us wasn't about enemies.
Or guns.
Or survival.
It was about snacks.
And honestly?
That was a much better fight.