ROOM 7
Chapter Five: The Best Friends
---
Jay Mariano believed in categories.
People fit neatly into boxes: family, enemy, acquaintance, roommate, friend. The boxes kept things simple. The boxes kept things safe. The boxes prevented the kind of chaos that happened when feelings leaked across boundaries.
Keifer Watson was supposed to stay in the "enemy" box.
But somewhere between the rooftop and the bent highlighter and the way he said her name at midnight, the label had started to blur.
And tonight, Jay was about to learn that she wasn't the only one with category problems.
---
Part One: The Book
It was Thursday evening. Room 7 was in its usual state of organized chaos.
Mica and Calix were cooking dinner on the hot plate — something that smelled like garlic and home. Care and Cole were arguing about something academic and therefore insufferable. Freya was editing photos on her laptop. Erdix was filming a vlog. David was doing a crossword puzzle. Alex had his headphones on, reading. Yuri was playing video games loudly. Lyra was painting her nails.
Jay was at the common table, reviewing her notes for tomorrow's economics exam. She had three highlighters left — the bent one was now a casualty of war, displayed on her desk like a trophy of stupidity.
She was focused. She was concentrated. She was absolutely not thinking about Keifer Watson.
Then a book landed on the table in front of her.
She looked up.
Keifer stood there, hands in his pockets, looking unfairly pleased with himself.
"What's this?" she asked.
"A book."
"I can see that. What book?"
He turned it around so she could read the title. The Art of Strategic Thinking. "I saw it at the bookstore. Thought of you."
Jay blinked. "You bought me a book?"
"I borrowed it from the library. Buying is too committed. We're not there yet."
"We're not anywhere."
"Exactly. So borrowing is appropriate."
Jay stared at the book. Then at him. Then back at the book.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because you're terrible at taking breaks. And this book has chapters. Short chapters. You could read one chapter between study sessions and still be productive."
"You researched a book for me?"
"I googled 'books for people who hate fun.' This was the top result."
Jay should have thrown the book back at him. She should have told him to mind his own business. She should have reminded him that they were enemies, not friends, and certainly not whatever this was.
Instead, she opened the cover.
Inside, in messy handwriting, someone had written: For Jay — because even strategists need to breathe. — K
Her heart did something stupid.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
Keifer's eyes went wide. "Did you just—"
"Don't make it weird."
"You said thank you. You've never said thank you to me."
"I've said thank you."
"You've said 'thanks for nothing' and 'thank you for leaving' and 'thank God you're finally gone.' You've never said just... thank you."
Jay closed the book. "It's a book. It's not a big deal."
"It's a big deal to me."
"KEIFER."
"JAY."
From across the room, Lyra watched the entire exchange with the intensity of a nature documentary narrator witnessing a rare mating ritual.
Her eyes were wide. Her mouth was open. Her hand was frozen mid-brushstroke.
"Oh my God," she whispered.
---
Part Two: The Dance
No one noticed Lyra at first.
She set down her nail polish. She stood up from her bed. She walked to the middle of the room, still staring at Jay and Keifer like they'd just solved world hunger.
Then she started dancing.
Not a subtle dance. Not a chill dance. A full-on, arms-flailing, hip-shaking, I-told-you-so victory dance.
"OH MY GOD!" Lyra shouted, spinning in a circle. "OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!"
Everyone turned to look.
"Lyra?" Jay said slowly. "What are you doing?"
"DANCING!"
"Why?"
"BECAUSE HE BOUGHT YOU A BOOK!"
"He borrowed it from the library!"
"HE WROTE YOU A NOTE!"
"It said 'breathe'! That's not romantic!"
"IT'S THE MOST ROMANTIC THING I'VE EVER SEEN!"
Lyra jumped onto her bed and started bouncing. Her hair flew everywhere. Her arms flailed. She looked like a human glitter bomb exploding in slow motion.
"HE THOUGHT OF HER! HE WENT TO THE LIBRARY! HE RESEARCHED! HE WROTE A NOTE! THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE!"
"You need higher standards," Jay said.
"I NEED YOU TWO TO ADMIT YOU'RE IN LOVE!"
"WE'RE NOT IN LOVE!"
"THEN WHY ARE YOU BLUSHING?"
"I'M NOT BLUSHING!"
"YOUR FACE IS THE COLOR OF A FIRE TRUCK!"
"THAT'S MY NATURAL COMPLEXION!"
"YOUR NATURAL COMPLEXION IS OLIVE!"
"IT'S THE HEAT!"
"IT'S NOVEMBER!"
"GLOBAL—"
"IF YOU SAY GLOBAL WARMING ONE MORE TIME—"
Lyra bounced higher. Her feet left the mattress. Her arms windmilled. She was laughing, screaming, celebrating like she'd won the lottery.
"THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER! JAY MARIANO IS FINALLY ADMITTING SHE HAS FEELINGS!"
"I AM NOT ADMITTING ANYTHING!"
"YOUR FACE IS ADMITTING EVERYTHING!"
"LYRA, GET DOWN FROM THERE—"
"I'M TOO HAPPY TO GET DOWN!"
She bounced again.
Her foot slipped.
---
Part Three: The Catch
Time moved in slow motion.
Lyra's arms flailed. Her eyes went wide. A small, surprised sound escaped her mouth — somewhere between a gasp and a giggle.
She was falling.
And Jay was too far away to catch her.
But Alex wasn't.
Alex had been sitting on his bed, headphones on, reading. He hadn't been paying attention to the chaos. He never paid attention to the chaos. He was the quiet one, the observer, the one who stayed out of everyone's business.
But when Lyra started dancing, he'd looked up.
When Lyra started bouncing, he'd set down his book.
When Lyra slipped, he was already moving.
He crossed the room in three strides. His arms went around her waist. He pulled her against his chest. He spun her once — once — to absorb the momentum.
And then they were still.
Lyra's back was against Alex's chest. His arms were around her waist. Her hands had grabbed his forearms instinctively. Their faces were inches apart.
The room went silent.
Lyra's eyes were wide. Alex's eyes were wider.
"Hi," she whispered.
"Hi," he said.
"You caught me."
"You were falling."
"You always catch me."
Alex's jaw tightened. "Lyra—"
"I know."
"I didn't mean to—"
"I know."
"It just happened—"
"I know."
They stared at each other.
The room held its breath.
Then Yuri said, "OH MY GOD, DID THEY FINALLY HAPPEN?"
---
Part Four: The Denial
Lyra pushed away from Alex so fast she nearly fell again.
"WE DID NOT HAPPEN!" she shrieked.
"YOU WERE IN HIS ARMS!"
"HE CAUGHT ME!"
"WITH ROMANTIC INTENT!"
"THERE WAS NO ROMANTIC INTENT!"
"YOUR FACES WERE TWO INCHES APART!"
"I HAVE BAD EYESIGHT!"
"YOU WEAR CONTACTS!"
"THEY WERE DRY!"
Alex stepped back, running a hand through his hair. His face was unreadable. "We're just best friends."
"BEST FRIENDS DON'T CATCH EACH OTHER LIKE THAT!" Yuri shouted.
"Best friends catch each other all the time!"
"THEY DON'T HOLD ON FOR FIVE SECONDS!"
"I WAS MAKING SURE SHE WAS STEADY!"
"SHE WAS STEADY AFTER TWO SECONDS!"
"I HAVE SLOW REACTION TIME!"
"YOU PLAY PROFESSIONAL VIDEO GAMES!"
"THAT'S DIFFERENT!"
Lyra crossed her arms over her chest. Her face was bright red. "Alex and I have been best friends since we were kids. We've known each other for fifteen years. There is NOTHING romantic between us. NOTHING. He caught me because that's what best friends do. End of story."
"Your face is red," Mica said calmly.
"I'M HOT!"
"It's November."
"I HAVE A FEVER!"
"You didn't have a fever five minutes ago."
"FEVERS COME ON SUDDENLY!"
Alex nodded, his jaw tight. "Lyra's right. We're just best friends. Nothing more. Everyone needs to drop it."
"Your ears are red," Calix observed.
"I HAVE A FEVER TOO!"
"It's contagious!"
"EXACTLY!"
Freya lowered her camera. "I have photographic evidence of the seven-second hold."
"THERE WAS NO SEVEN-SECOND HOLD!"
"I counted."
"You counted wrong!"
"I never count wrong."
Lyra grabbed her pillow and hugged it like a shield. "Listen to me. ALL OF YOU. Alex is my BEST FRIEND. He has been my BEST FRIEND since we were FIVE YEARS OLD. He held my hand when I got my first vaccine. He helped me sneak out of my house when I was grounded. He knows my embarrassing childhood nicknames. He is my BEST FRIEND and that's ALL he is."
No one looked convinced.
"BEST FRIENDS!" Lyra repeated.
"Best friends don't look at each other like that," Yuri said.
"MY BEST FRIEND WOULD!"
"Would what?"
"LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!"
"Like he's in love with you?"
"NO! LIKE— LIKE—" Lyra sputtered. "LIKE A BEST FRIEND!"
Alex had retreated to his bed. He was sitting on the edge, staring at the floor, his headphones now hanging around his neck.
"We're just best friends," he said quietly. "That's all we've ever been. That's all we'll ever be."
His voice was strange. Too flat. Too careful.
Jay noticed.
Keifer noticed.
They looked at each other.
"He's lying," Keifer mouthed.
"I know," Jay mouthed back.
---
Part Five: The Teasing Intensifies
Dinner was chaos.
Mica and Calix had made enough food for an army, but no one was eating. They were too busy watching Lyra and Alex pretend that nothing had happened.
Lyra sat as far away from Alex as physically possible. Alex sat with his back to her. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
"So," Yuri said, spearing a piece of chicken with his fork. "Lyra. Alex. Best friends, huh?"
"Yes."
"Fifteen years?"
"Fifteen years."
"Never once thought about kissing?"
"YURI!"
"I'm just asking!"
"WELL STOP ASKING!"
Alex didn't look up from his plate. "We're best friends. That's all."
"That's all," Lyra echoed.
"Best friends forever," Alex added.
"BFFs," Lyra said.
"Since kindergarten."
"Since diapers."
"Literally."
"LITERALLY."
Care leaned over to Cole. "This is painful to watch."
"Excruciating," Cole agreed.
"Should we help?"
"And say what? 'Stop lying to yourselves'?"
"Fair point."
They went back to eating.
Freya was taking photos every thirty seconds. "The denial is strong with these two."
"Documenting for science?" Erdix asked.
"Documenting for posterity. Future generations need to know how stupid best friends can be."
David, who had been quietly eating his dinner, looked up. "I think it's nice."
Everyone stared at him.
"What?" he said. "They care about each other. That's nice. Even if they won't admit it."
"David always knows," Mica said.
"David always knows," Calix agreed.
David shrugged. "I just pay attention."
Keifer leaned over to Jay. "Why is David the wisest person in this room?"
"Because he never picks a side."
"Maybe that's the secret."
"Maybe."
They looked at each other. Held eye contact for a moment too long.
Yuri threw a napkin at them. "Stop being cute! We're focusing on Lyra and Alex!"
"We weren't being cute!"
"Your faces were doing that thing!"
"WHAT THING?"
"The thing where you look at each other like everyone else is invisible!"
"THAT'S NOT A THING!"
"IT'S A THING! FREYA HAS PHOTOS!"
"I DO!" Freya held up her camera.
"DELETE THOSE!"
"NEVER!"
---
Part Six: The Confrontation
After dinner, Lyra cornered Jay by the window.
"I'm not in love with him," Lyra said.
"I didn't say you were."
"Everyone thinks I am."
"Everyone thinks you might be."
"Well, I'm not." Lyra crossed her arms. "Alex is my best friend. My BEST friend. The most important person in my life. And I'm not going to ruin that because a bunch of people in this room have romance on the brain."
"Lyra—"
"I'm serious, Jay. I can't lose him. He's the only person who's been there for me my whole life. If I try to make it something more and it doesn't work... I don't just lose a boyfriend. I lose my best friend. I lose fifteen years of history. I lose the only person who knows everything about me."
Jay was quiet for a moment.
Then she said, "What if it does work?"
Lyra's face crumbled. "Don't."
"What if he feels the same way?"
"He doesn't."
"How do you know?"
"Because he would have said something. In fifteen years. He would have said something."
"Maybe he's scared too."
Lyra shook her head. "No. He's not scared of anything. He's Alex. He's steady. He's solid. He's—"
"In love with you."
"He's NOT."
"Lyra."
"JAY. Stop." Lyra's voice cracked. "Please. I can't think about this right now. I can't think about him like that. I just... I need him to be my best friend. That's all I can handle."
Jay pulled her into a hug.
Lyra cried into her shoulder.
Across the room, Alex watched.
His hands were in fists at his sides.
Keifer walked over to him. "You okay, man?"
"She's crying."
"She's scared."
"I know." Alex's voice was raw. "I know she's scared. I'm scared too."
"Then why don't you tell her?"
"Because if I tell her and she doesn't feel the same way... I don't just lose her. I lose everything."
Keifer looked at Alex. Really looked. For the first time, he saw past the quiet exterior, past the steady calm, past the "best friend" label.
"You love her," Keifer said.
Alex didn't answer.
But he didn't say no.
---
Part Seven: The Group Chat That Night
Yuri: okay so
Yuri: lyra and alex
Yuri: BEST FRIENDS
Freya: I have seventeen photos of them staring at each other
Freya: SEVENTEEN
Yuri: im crying
Yuri: theyre so stupid
Mica: To be fair, they've known each other since they were five
Mica: That's a long time to be just friends
Calix: "just friends"
Calix: those air quotes are doing a lot of work
Care: The tension is unbearable
Care: I almost feel bad for them
Cole: Almost
Cole: But also they're being idiots
David: They'll figure it out
David: They just need time
Erdix: time or a push
Erdix: i can make a viral video
Erdix: "best friends caught in 4k"
Lyra: I AM IN THIS GROUP CHAT
Lyra: I CAN SEE EVERYTHING YOU'RE SAYING
Yuri: GOOD
Yuri: THEN YOU KNOW WE'RE RIGHT
Lyra: YOU'RE NOT RIGHT
Lyra: WE'RE BEST FRIENDS
Lyra: THAT'S IT
Lyra: THAT'S ALL
Freya: your caps lock is screaming
Freya: caps lock screams denial
Lyra: I HATE EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM
Alex: Same
Lyra: ALEX
Alex: Lyra
Lyra: WE'RE BEST FRIENDS
Alex: I know
Lyra: AND THAT'S ALL
Alex: I know
Lyra: OKAY
Alex: OKAY
Yuri: I hate them
Yuri: I hate them so much
Yuri: THEYRE PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER
Jay: Leave them alone
Yuri: YOU'RE ONE TO TALK
Yuri: YOU AND KEIFER
Jay: We're different
Yuri: HOW
Jay: We're enemies
Yuri: YOU LITERALLY KEPT HIS BENT HIGHLIGHTER
Jay: AS A REMINDER OF MY VICTORY
Keifer: She kept my highlighter?
Jay: KEIFER GET OFF THIS GROUP CHAT
Keifer: I've been here the whole time
Jay: I HATE EVERYONE
Keifer: No you don't
Jay: I HATE YOU MOST
Keifer: No you don't
Jay: ...
Keifer: ...
Yuri: AGAIN
Yuri: PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER
Lyra: I'm going to sleep
Alex: Me too
Lyra: Goodnight Alex
Alex: Goodnight Lyra
Yuri: THEY SAID GOODNIGHT TO EACH OTHER
Yuri: IN THE GROUP CHAT
Yuri: INSTEAD OF JUST TURNING OFF THEIR PHONES
Freya: Adding this to the folder
Freya: "Best Friends Who Text Goodnight In Public"
Lyra: I HATE YOU ALL
Alex: Same
---
Part Eight: The Night
Long after everyone had gone to sleep, Jay lay in her bed and stared at the ceiling.
She could hear Keifer breathing from across the room. Two beds away. But in the silence, it felt like he was right next to her.
"Hey, Mariano."
His voice was soft. Quiet.
"What."
"Can't sleep?"
"No."
"Me neither."
Silence.
"Do you think Lyra and Alex will be okay?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"How do you know?"
"Because they're not us." Keifer paused. "They've been best friends for fifteen years. They've survived everything together. They'll survive this too."
"And if they never admit it?"
"Then they'll be best friends who are secretly in love. That's its own kind of tragedy."
Jay rolled onto her side. "That's sad."
"It's also beautiful." Keifer's voice was gentle. "Loving someone for fifteen years without saying it? That takes a different kind of courage."
"Or a different kind of fear."
"Same thing."
Jay was quiet for a long moment.
"Keifer?"
"Yeah?"
"Are we going to be like them?"
"I don't know." A pause. "Do you want to be?"
Jay didn't answer.
But she didn't say no.
---
Part Nine: The Morning After
Jay woke up to shouting.
"WE'RE BEST FRIENDS!" Lyra was standing on her bed, pointing at Alex. "BEST. FRIENDS."
"We know," Mica said calmly.
"You keep saying it like we'll believe you," Yuri added.
"BECAUSE IT'S TRUE!"
Alex was sitting on his bed, tying his shoes. His face was calm. Too calm. "Lyra, get down."
"NO! I'M ESTABLISHING BOUNDARIES!"
"By standing on your bed and screaming?"
"YES!"
"Your boundaries are loud."
"MY BOUNDARIES ARE APPROPRIATE!"
Keifer walked over to Jay's bed with two cups of coffee. He handed her one. Black. No sugar.
"They're still going?" Jay asked.
"They've been at it for twenty minutes."
"Twenty minutes?"
"Lyra woke up and chose violence."
Jay took a sip of her coffee. It was perfect. It was always perfect.
"Thank you," she said.
"You're welcome."
They stood side by side, watching Lyra and Alex argue about whether they were just best friends or something more.
"Best friends," Lyra insisted.
"Best friends," Alex agreed.
"NOTHING MORE."
"NOTHING MORE."
Yuri threw his hands up. "I give up! They're hopeless!"
"We're not hopeless!" Lyra shouted. "We're just BEST FRIENDS!"
Alex stood up. He walked over to Lyra's bed. He looked up at her — she was still standing on the mattress, so she was taller than him for once.
"We're best friends," he said quietly.
"Best friends," she repeated.
"That's all we've ever been."
"That's all we'll ever be."
He held out his hand.
She took it.
He helped her down from the bed.
Neither of them let go.
Yuri screamed into his pillow.
Freya took seventeen photos.
David smiled and went back to his crossword puzzle.
And Jay looked at Keifer.
Keifer looked at Jay.
"We're not going to be like them," Jay said.
"No?"
"No. We're going to be worse."
Keifer laughed — bright and loud and wonderful.
"I know," he said.
---
End of Chapter Five