Chapter 116– "Graduation Day"
The Morning Chaos
Two years.
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Two entire years.
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Assignments.
Exams.
Presentations.
Breakdowns.
All-nighters.
Coffee.
Tears.
Laughter.
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And somehow—
they had reached the end.
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Today was graduation day.
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The final chapter of their university life.
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And naturally—
the mansion was in complete chaos.
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5:30 AM
A loud scream echoed through the mansion.
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"WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE!"
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Everyone immediately knew.
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JJ.
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Of course.
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The Reality
Nobody was late.
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The ceremony started at 10 AM.
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It was 5:30.
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But JJ had woken up and chosen violence.
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The Girls' Room
The room looked like a war zone.
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Graduation gowns.
Hair accessories.
Makeup.
Shoes.
Bags.
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Every surface had disappeared beneath the mess.
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Freya was having a crisis.
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A genuine crisis.
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"My hair doesn't look right."
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Everyone looked.
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It looked perfect.
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Freya disagreed.
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Strongly.
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Care was trying to help.
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Big mistake.
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Because she accidentally made Freya panic even more.
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"Oh."
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"What do you mean OH?"
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"I didn't mean anything."
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"YOU SAID OH."
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Care immediately fled.
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Aera walked out wearing her gown.
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Half asleep.
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Still carrying coffee.
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Still somehow arguing with Rhys over text.
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At 6 AM.
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Nobody understood how.
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Not even them.
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The Boys' Side
Things were somehow worse.
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Much worse.
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Keifer was dressed.
Ready.
Prepared.
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For once.
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A miracle.
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Then JJ entered.
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And immediately forgot how to breathe.
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Because Keifer looked unfairly good.
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Which annoyed her.
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A lot.
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Keifer noticed.
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And smiled.
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"Oh?"
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"No."
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"You stared."
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"No."
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"You absolutely stared."
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JJ threw a cushion at him.
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Immediately.
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Percy was trying to fix his tie.
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Failing.
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Spectacularly.
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David eventually took pity on him.
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"Give it here."
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Yuri somehow lost one shoe.
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Nobody knew how.
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Not even Yuri.
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The shoe was eventually discovered.
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Inside the refrigerator.
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Silence.
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Nobody asked questions.
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Because nobody wanted answers.
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Felix overslept.
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Again.
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For the final time in university history.
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A fitting end.
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8:00 AM
The mansion finally started looking civilized.
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Everyone emerged wearing graduation gowns.
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And for a moment—
the chaos paused.
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Because they looked...
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Different.
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Older.
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Not kids anymore.
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Not first-years.
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Not confused freshmen.
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Graduates.
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The realization hit quietly.
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The Unexpected Parents
Downstairs—
another surprise awaited.
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Care.
Cole.
Rhys.
Aera.
Lyra.
Alex.
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All sitting in the living room.
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Waiting.
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Like parents.
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Actual parents.
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Immediate Reactions
JJ pointed.
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"No."
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Rhys pointed back.
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"Yes."
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"We are adults."
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Aera laughed.
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"No you're not."
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Alex looked proud.
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Far too proud.
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Like he personally raised them.
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Which was ridiculous.
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Mostly.
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Then everyone's eyes landed on Cole.
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Who was holding a camera.
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A camera.
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The mighty Cole Watson.
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The terrifying CEO.
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Holding a camera.
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Care immediately burst out laughing.
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And then everyone else joined.
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The Defense
Cole looked offended.
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"What?"
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"You brought a camera."
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"So?"
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"You're acting like a father."
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Silence.
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Then Aera added:
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"A proud father."
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The room exploded.
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The Arrival
Then the front door opened.
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Everyone turned.
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And froze.
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Because standing there—
with suitcases—
were three very familiar people.
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Angelo
Angelo Fernandez.
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Looking exactly as intimidating as always.
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Beside him—
Keiren.
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Now taller.
Much taller.
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No longer the little kid everyone remembered.
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And beside him—
Keigan.
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Ready to start university soon.
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Shock
The entire mansion exploded.
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"ANGELO?"
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"KEIREN?"
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"KEIGAN?"
--
JJ launched herself at them.
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Immediately.
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Almost knocking Angelo over.
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Almost.
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Angelo
He sighed.
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"Still chaotic."
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"Still scary."
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JJ replied instantly.
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Angelo flicked her forehead.
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Tradition.
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The Moment
For a second—
everyone stood together.
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Laughing.
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Talking.
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Taking pictures.
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Making memories.
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And somewhere deep inside—
they all understood.
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This wasn't just graduation.
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This was the end of an era.
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The final page of one chapter.
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And the beginning of another.
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Departure
Soon—
cars lined up outside the mansion.
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Graduation gowns.
Flowers.
Cameras.
Friends.
Family.
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Everything was ready.
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Everyone climbed into cars.
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Excitement.
Nervousness.
Happiness.
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A little sadness too.
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Because no matter how much they complained about university—
they loved it.
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And today—
they would say goodbye.
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As the convoy pulled away from the mansion—
nobody spoke for a moment.
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They simply watched the roads of Bengaluru pass by.
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And silently remembered.
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First day.
First class.
First friendships.
First fights.
First loves.
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Everything.
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Because today—
they weren't just going to graduate.
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They were going to leave behind a version of themselves forever.
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And none of them were quite ready for that.
🖤🎓✨🚗🌅
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IIM Bengaluru
The auditorium was full.
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Thousands of students.
Families.
Professors.
Guests.
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And today—
every single seat was occupied.
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Because this wasn't just graduation.
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This was history.
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The Stage
The giant IIM Bengaluru logo glowed behind the stage.
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Rows of graduates sat proudly in their black gowns.
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The air felt different.
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Heavier.
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Emotional.
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Final.
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Because everyone knew.
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After today—
nothing would ever be exactly the same again.
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The Audience
In the front rows sat:
Care.
Cole.
Rhys.
Lyra.
Aera.
Alex.
Angelo.
Keigan.
Keiren.
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Watching.
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Proud.
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Like parents.
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Actual parents.
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JJ still refused to accept that.
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The Announcement
The Dean stepped forward.
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"Ladies and gentlemen."
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Applause echoed.
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"Today we celebrate excellence."
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More applause.
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"And today we invite our graduating toppers to address the graduating class."
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The giant screen lit up.
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MARK KEIFER WATSON
JASPER JEAN MARIANO
PERCY MARIANO
YURI HAMAMINTCHIS
ARIES FERNANDEZ
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Thunderous applause filled the hall.
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JJ stared at the screen.
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Then at Keifer.
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Then at the stage.
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Then at Keifer again.
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"I don't want to go."
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"You literally wrote the speech."
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"I know."
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"Go."
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The Walk
The five stood.
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And began walking toward the stage.
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Together.
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Just like they had always done.
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Side by side.
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The audience cheered.
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But for them—
the noise faded.
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Because memories were louder.
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Manila
High school.
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Section E.
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The class everyone knew.
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The class nobody could control.
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The class that somehow became a family.
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JJ.
Keifer.
Percy.
Yuri.
Aries.
Freya.
Ella.
Mica.
David.
Felix.
Rakhi.
Honey.
Calix.
Edrix.
Rory.
Eman.
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Together.
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Always together.
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Or at least—
that was the plan.
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The Year That Broke Them
Then came the year everything shattered.
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JJ disappeared.
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Gone.
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No goodbye.
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No explanation.
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Nothing.
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One whole year.
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One entire year of grief.
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One entire year of searching.
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One entire year believing they had lost her forever.
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The auditorium remained silent.
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Because many students knew parts of the story.
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But not all of it.
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Percy stepped forward first.
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His voice steady.
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"We thought graduation would be easy."
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Soft laughter.
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"No."
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More laughter.
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"It turns out surviving university is harder than surviving high school."
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The audience laughed.
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Then Percy smiled softly.
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"But surviving life..."
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His voice lowered.
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"...that was harder."
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The laughter faded.
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Yuri took the microphone.
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"We lost people."
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Silence.
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"We found people again."
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His gaze moved briefly toward JJ.
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And everyone understood.
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Aries stepped forward.
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"Two years ago, we arrived here."
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He looked around the hall.
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"Nervous."
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"Lost."
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"Confused."
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A pause.
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"And still loud."
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The audience laughed.
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Then Keifer took the microphone.
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The hall became quiet.
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Very quiet.
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Because even now—
people listened when Keifer spoke.
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His Voice
"When we came here..."
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He stopped.
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Searching the audience.
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Until his eyes found JJ.
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As they always did.
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"We weren't complete."
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Silence.
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"We left Manila together."
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"But someone important wasn't with us."
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The audience grew still.
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The Truth
"We spent a year grieving someone who was still alive."
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Not a single sound.
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"We spent a year hoping."
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"We spent a year refusing to let go."
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Even Angelo lowered his head.
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Keiren's eyes softened.
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Keigan looked emotional.
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Because they all remembered.
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Every second.
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Every painful second.
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The Reunion
Then Keifer smiled.
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Small.
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Warm.
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"The funny thing is..."
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His voice shook slightly.
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"We found her in a university campus."
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Laughter broke through tears.
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The spotlight shifted toward JJ.
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Who immediately looked horrified.
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Because attention.
---
She hated attention.
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Despite somehow always attracting it.
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Keifer Continued
"She didn't remember us."
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The hall grew silent again.
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"She didn't remember her name."
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"She didn't remember her family."
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"She didn't remember any of us."
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The pain in those words remained.
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Even after all this time.
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The People Who Saved Her
Keifer looked toward the front row.
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Toward Care.
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Toward Lyra.
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Toward Rhys.
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Toward Alex.
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Toward Cole.
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And for the first time—
the entire hall noticed them.
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The people who had unknowingly protected JJ before anyone found her.
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Then JJ stepped forward.
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The hall immediately erupted into applause.
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Loud.
---
Long.
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Heartfelt.
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Because everybody loved JJ.
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Even professors.
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Especially professors.
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Though most would never admit it.
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JJ's Speech
She looked at the crowd.
---
Then at her friends.
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Then smiled.
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A real smile.
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The kind only family could create.
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Her Words
"We were called Section E."
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The giant screen behind them changed.
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A photo appeared.
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Their high school photo.
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Years ago.
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All together.
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The audience gasped.
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"We weren't the smartest."
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The boys immediately protested.
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The audience laughed.
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"We definitely weren't the quietest."
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The entire auditorium laughed.
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Her Voice Softened
"But we stayed."
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A pause.
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"We stayed when things got difficult."
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"We stayed when life got unfair."
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"We stayed when it would've been easier to leave."
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The hall became silent.
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"People think family is blood."
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She shook her head.
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"No."
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"Family is choice."
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Her eyes found every single member of Section E.
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One by one.
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"And I would choose them."
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A pause.
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"In every lifetime."
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Silence.
---
Then:
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"I would choose them again."
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Nobody spoke.
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Nobody could.
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Even Care looked emotional.
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Even Cole.
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Even Angelo.
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The five stood together.
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Side by side.
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Just like they had started.
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And the audience rose.
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A standing ovation.
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Loud.
---
Powerful.
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Endless.
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For the students.
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For the survivors.
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For the dreamers.
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For the family that refused to break.
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For Section E.
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And as the applause echoed through IIM Bengaluru—
they all understood.
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This wasn't the end.
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Just the end of one chapter.
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And somewhere beyond those auditorium doors—
an entirely new story was waiting.
--
The applause continued.
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Loud.
---
Endless.
---
Proud.
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The entire auditorium stood for Section E.
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Even professors.
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Even the dean.
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Even the strict faculty members who had spent years threatening to fail them.
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Today—
they were proud too.
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The Surprise
The Dean smiled.
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"Before we conclude..."
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The audience settled down.
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"We would like to invite our special chief guests."
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The giant screen lit up again.
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Three names appeared.
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Dr. Care Patel
Dr. Rhys Kapoor
Mr. Cole Watson
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The hall erupted.
---
Because everyone knew them.
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Not just because of Section E.
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But because of who they had become.
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Doctors.
Leaders.
Mentors.
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And one terrifyingly mysterious CEO.
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JJ
JJ immediately started clapping like a seal.
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Very aggressively.
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Care looked horrified.
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"Aera."
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"Yes?"
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"Control her."
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"No."
---
Rhys reached the podium first.
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Unlike the students—
he actually looked composed.
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Professional.
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Like a proper doctor.
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Which immediately annoyed Aera.
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Rhys' Speech
"When I was their age..."
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He pointed toward Section E.
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"I believed adulthood would be easier."
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The audience laughed.
---
"It wasn't."
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More laughter.
---
"Nobody tells you that success comes with responsibilities."
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"Nobody tells you that growing up means carrying things nobody else sees."
---
His gaze briefly softened.
---
"But if you have the right people beside you..."
---
He looked toward Care.
Then Lyra.
Then Aera.
---
"...the weight becomes lighter."
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Applause followed.
---
Then came Care.
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The auditorium instantly became louder.
---
Because everyone loved her.
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Students.
Professors.
Patients.
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Everyone.
---
Unfortunately for her.
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The Walk
She approached the podium.
---
Already embarrassed.
---
Already regretting agreeing to this.
---
JJ was recording.
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Which made everything worse.
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Her Speech
Care looked at the graduates.
---
Then smiled.
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"First of all..."
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A pause.
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"Congratulations."
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Applause.
---
"You survived."
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The hall exploded laughing.
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The Truth
"People always ask me what success looks like."
---
She thought for a moment.
---
Then pointed toward Section E.
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"It looks like this."
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The audience fell silent.
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Her Voice Softened
"Not perfect grades."
---
"Not trophies."
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"Not titles."
---
She looked toward the students.
---
"Success is having people who stay."
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A pause.
---
"People who stand beside you during your worst days."
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Her eyes found JJ.
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Then Cole.
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Then all of them.
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"And trust me..."
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A smile appeared.
---
"Those are the people worth fighting for."
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The applause lasted longer this time.
---
Much longer.
---
Cole Watson
Then came the moment.
---
The mysterious one.
---
The CEO.
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The Watson.
---
Cole Watson.
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The auditorium instantly quieted.
---
Because nobody ever really knew what Cole was thinking.
---
Not even his own employees.
---
Sometimes not even himself.
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The Podium
Cole stood before the microphone.
---
Hands in pockets.
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Calm.
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Confident.
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Dangerously calm.
---
His Speech
"When I graduated..."
---
The audience listened.
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"I thought the world owed me something."
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Silence.
---
"It didn't."
---
The students laughed.
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His Words
"The world doesn't care how talented you are."
---
"It doesn't care how intelligent you are."
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"It doesn't care about your plans."
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The hall became silent.
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The Lesson
"But the world does respect one thing."
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A pause.
---
"People who refuse to quit."
---
Every graduate listened.
---
Every single one.
---
Then
For a moment—
his eyes drifted toward Section E.
---
Toward Care.
---
Toward everyone.
---
And then he said:
---
"Your future isn't decided by how many times life knocks you down."
---
Silence.
---
"It's decided by how many times you get back up."
---
The auditorium erupted.
---
Because everyone knew.
---
Those words weren't theory.
---
They were his life.
---
The Applause
The three stepped away.
---
The audience rose again.
---
Standing ovation.
---
The loudest one yet.
---
Graduation
Then came the ceremony.
---
Names called.
---
Degrees awarded.
---
Caps adjusted.
---
Smiles everywhere.
---
Jasper Jean Mariano
Cheers.
---
Mark Keifer Watson
Louder cheers.
---
Percy Mariano
Cheers.
---
Yuri Hanamitchi
Cheers.
---
Aries Fernandez
Cheers.
---
Freya.
Ella.
Mica.
Rakhi.
Honey.
David.
Felix.
Calix.
Edrix.
Rory.
Eman.
---
Every name.
---
Every memory.
---
Every achievement.
---
Afterwards
The ceremony ended.
---
And chaos began.
---
Because photographs existed.
---
The Parents
Immediately—
Angelo.
Keigan.
Keiren.
Care.
Rhys.
Lyra.
Aera.
Alex.
Cole.
---
All started pulling graduates into photos.
---
Nobody escaped.
---
Nobody.
---
JJ had already taken approximately 300 photos.
---
And wanted 300 more.
---
Keifer
Poor Keifer.
---
He had become a human prop.
---
Every photo included him somehow.
---
The Watson Brothers
Then came one photo.
---
A special one.
---
Keifer.
---
Cole.
---
Keiren
---
Keigan
---
Side by side.
---
Brothers.
---
For years they hadn't known.
---
For years fate had kept them apart.
---
Today—
they stood together.
---
And the camera captured it forever.
---
The Girls
Care.
Lyra.
JJ.
Aera.
Freya.
Ella.
Honey.
Mica.
Rakhi.
---
All together.
---
Laughing.
---
Shouting.
---
Trying to stand still.
---
Failing.
---
Section E
Then finally—
the last photograph.
---
The important one.
---
Everyone gathered.
---
Every member.
---
Every survivor.
---
Every idiot.
---
Every friend.
---
Section E.
---
Together.
---
Like always.
---
The photographer raised the camera.
---
"Ready?"
---
Nobody was.
---
Because JJ suddenly screamed:
---
"I LOVE YOU ALL."
---
Everyone started laughing.
---
And at that exact moment—
the photograph was taken.
---
Not perfect.
---
Not posed.
---
Not elegant.
---
But real.
---
A picture filled with laughter.
---
Filled with history.
---
Filled with love.
---
And years later—
when they looked back at it—
they wouldn't remember grades.
---
They wouldn't remember assignments.
---
They wouldn't remember exams.
---
They would remember this.
---
The people beside them.
---
Their family.
---
Their home.
---
Their Section E.
---
And somewhere behind the crowd—
a camera clicked one final time.
---
Capturing a moment none of them would ever get back.
---
But one they would never forget.
🖤🎓📸✨🌅
-----------------🩷🧿
Dear cuties,
How are u all ?
I hope u all are fine, and if not, feel free to drop anything in ur brain that u can't say to anyone else, drop it in the comment section...
I will always hear ur views and anything u want to share...
Sooo...
Get ready for the biggest reveal and the biggest arc of the book.
And probably the last...well that's not decided yet...
This arc would be saddest as many of u have a favourite character and it will die soon....due to Betrayal
But by who ? And who will die ?
So to know that stay tuned...
And wait and continue reading the book...
Well plase try to read the collab of mine and shreya ... To know what happens when betrayed by eachother, fate, and many other problems, JAYFER finds its way back to each other in every lifetime...
✨JAYFER - In Every Lifetime It's YOU✨
Don't Feel Sad after this arc... Because characters are imagination only...so remember this....pls i request, don't give hate to me for this arc...pls...
Pls don't hate me for my decisions...
Well, know that ur author is insane and stupid so...
Happy Reading...!!!
Regards,
Yours Lovingly,
Author ~CARE...💖🥰