JAY-JAY POV
I felt terrible.
My head was burning.
My body felt heavy.
Even opening my eyes was exhausting.
Tita Gema pressed the back of her hand against my forehead and frowned.
"You're still very hot."
"I'll be fine," I mumbled weakly.
"You said that three hours ago," Aries replied, crossing his arms.
Kuya Angelo sighed.
"We have to leave."
I looked up at them.
They had to visit my mother's place for an important matter they couldn't postpone.
"You should go," I said quietly.
Tita Gema hesitated.
"But—"
"I'm not a child."
Aries immediately disagreed.
"You're literally the youngest in this house."
I glared at him weakly.
"I hate you."
"You love me."
Kuya Angelo checked his watch.
"There'll be someone here to take care of you."
I frowned.
"...Someone?"
Tita Gema smiled mysteriously.
"You'll see."
I was too tired to argue.
"Okay..."
The medicine finally made me sleepy.
I barely heard them say goodbye before drifting into a deep sleep.
---
KEIFER POV
I stared at the house.
Beside me, Section E looked unusually serious.
Cin adjusted the bag of medicine.
"So... mission 'Take Care of Jay-Jay' starts now?"
Rory nodded dramatically.
"We shall not fail!"
Felix sighed.
"We're babysitting."
"She's sick," I corrected.
Cin grinned.
"Same thing."
Aries opened the front door.
"She's asleep upstairs."
He looked directly at me.
"Take care of her."
"We will," I answered.
Tita Gema smiled warmly.
"Food is in the kitchen."
Kuya Angelo nodded.
"If she wakes up, make sure she eats."
Then they left.
The house suddenly became quiet.
"...This feels illegal," Cin whispered.
"We've literally been invited," Felix replied.
We walked upstairs.
Jay-Jay's bedroom door was slightly open.
She was sleeping peacefully.
Her face was pale from the fever.
Blankets wrapped around her.
For once...
the strongest girl we knew looked fragile.
Nobody joked.
Nobody shouted.
Even Rory lowered his voice.
"...She really is sick."
Cin placed the medicine on the bedside table.
Felix checked the thermometer.
I sat in the chair beside her bed.
Making sure she was breathing comfortably.
The others looked around the room.
"Wow," Cin whispered.
"There are so many books."
Rory picked one up.
"Is this a romance novel?"
Felix looked over his shoulder.
"...Why does she own twenty of these?"
"Twenty-three," Cin corrected.
Rory gasped.
"JAY-JAY READS ROMANCE?"
"Nobody tell her we found out," Felix said.
Cin discovered another notebook.
"Oh no."
"What?"
"It's her old dramatic poetry."
Rory immediately started laughing silently.
"'The moon understands my suffering'?!"
Cin wheezed.
"We are never letting her live this down."
I looked up.
"Put it back."
"...You're no fun."
"Put. It. Back."
They obeyed.
Eventually, the room settled into a comfortable silence.
Cin sat on the floor reading quietly.
Rory played games on his phone.
Felix finished his homework.
I remained beside Jay-Jay's bed.
Hours passed.
Then—
"...Keifer?"
A weak voice.
I looked down.
Jay-Jay blinked up at me sleepily.
"...Why are you here?"
I answered simply.
"You were sick."
She frowned.
"...And?"
"You needed someone."
Confusion crossed her face.
Then she noticed Section E.
Cin waved excitedly.
"GOOD EVENING!"
"You invaded my house," she whispered.
"We were invited!" Rory defended himself.
Jay-Jay stared at everyone.
Then at me.
"...You've all been here this whole time?"
"Yes."
"...Why?"
Nobody answered immediately.
Then Felix spoke quietly.
"Because you're our friend."
Silence filled the room.
Jay-Jay looked away.
"...That's stupid."
Cin smiled.
"Maybe."
Rory grinned.
"But it's our kind of stupid."
For the first time since waking up...
Jay-Jay smiled.
A small one.
But real.
"...Thanks."
I handed her a glass of water.
"Drink."
"...Bossy."
"You have a fever."
"...Fine."
As she took the glass, I noticed something.
Even sick.
Even exhausted.
She still looked at all of us like she couldn't believe we were there.
Like she wasn't used to people staying.
I glanced around the room.
At Section E.
At Jay-Jay.
At the ridiculous romance novels stacked on her shelf.
And I understood something.
Maybe family wasn't always about blood.
Sometimes...
it was choosing to stay beside someone when they needed you.
Even if all you could do was sit quietly in their room while they slept.
And make sure they never had to face things alone.