I didn't say anything after that.
Didn't need to.
Freya already stood up.
Too fast.
Too ready.
"BOYS!"
That got attention.
Immediate.
Percy looked up first.
"What?"
Aries didn't even turn.
"…no."
Keifer glanced once.
Then back to what he was doing.
Cin?
Already excited.
"What happened?"
Freya crossed her arms.
"We need to talk."
"Why does that sound dangerous?" Calix muttered.
"Because it is," Ella replied calmly.
Now everyone was looking.
I stayed seated.
Letting it build.
"Okay," Percy leaned forward,
"say it."
Freya didn't.
She looked at me instead.
Of course.
I sighed.
"…you guys think you're important, right?"
Silence.
Then—
"Obviously," Percy said.
"Very," Cin added.
"Depends," Aries said.
"Always," Blaster shouted from behind.
Drew nodded like he knew something.
He didn't.
I nodded slowly.
"Good."
That one word was enough.
Freya smiled.
Dangerous.
"So let's prove it."
"Prove what?" Keifer asked calmly.
"That you're actually important."
A pause.
Then—
"You need proof?" Percy laughed.
"Yes."
"Wow."
"That's insulting," Cin added dramatically.
"Then prove us wrong," Ella said.
Now that hit.
Aries finally looked properly.
"…how?"
I leaned forward slightly.
"Debate."
Cin clapped immediately.
"I LOVE THIS."
"Relax," Felix said.
"No, let him not relax," Blaster added.
"This is already chaotic," Drew laughed.
Freya pointed.
"Teams."
"No mixing," Ella added.
"Clear sides," Rakhi said calmly.
Mica nodded softly.
Grace didn't speak.
Just sat closer.
I stood up now.
"Boys."
I pointed.
Keifer.
Aries.
Percy.
Cin.
Calix.
Denzel.
"Girls."
Freya.
Mica.
Grace.
Honey.
Ella.
Rakhi.
"And you?" Percy asked, looking at me.
I raised a brow.
"Try and guess."
"Traitor," he said.
"Smart," Freya corrected.
Laughter.
"What about us?" Drew asked.
"You're nothing," Felix said.
"We're judges," Cin corrected quickly.
"Who made you judge?" Blaster asked.
"I made me judge."
"Denied."
"Accepted," Drew added.
"WE ARE JUDGES."
"No, you're audience," Ella said.
"Same thing," Blaster shrugged.
"Not same thing," Felix argued.
"Stop fighting your own team," Freya muttered.
"They don't even have a team," I added.
That hit.
"WOW."
"Rude," Drew said.
"Accurate," Ella added.
More laughter.
"Fine," Percy raised his hands,
"what's the win?"
I didn't answer immediately.
Let them wait.
Then—
"Losers cook."
Silence.
"WHAT?"
"NO."
"Absolutely not."
Cin looked betrayed.
"I don't cook!"
"You will," Freya said sweetly.
"Lunch and dinner," I added calmly.
"BOTH?" Blaster shouted.
"YES BOTH," Freya shouted back.
"That's slavery!"
"That's consequence," Ella corrected.
Percy looked at Keifer.
"…we're not losing."
Keifer didn't react much.
Just leaned back slightly.
"We won't."
Simple.
That was enough.
I smiled.
"Oh, you will."
Aries sighed.
"This is a bad idea."
"This is a great idea," Cin corrected.
Rakhi looked at him.
"Focus."
"…yes."
Immediate.
Freya clapped once.
"Alright."
"Debate starts now."
"Topic?" Calix asked.
I looked at them.
Then said it—
casually.
"…whose role is more important in a relationship."
Silence.
Then—
"US," Percy said instantly.
"WRONG," Freya shot back.
And just like that—
the fire started.
(Keifer's POV)
It started the moment she leaned forward.
Not loud.
But enough.
"…continue," Jay said.
Everything paused.
Just for a second.
Then Percy pointed at her.
"You're on their side?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Just tilted her head slightly.
Watching him.
"…I'm on the side that wins," she said.
Cin gasped.
"OH THIS IS WAR."
"It already was," Freya muttered.
Jay sat up properly now.
Not relaxed anymore.
Focused.
"Go on," she said to Percy.
"Convince me."
That was it.
Now it was serious.
Percy stepped forward like he actually had a point.
"We are important because we handle things."
"What things?" Jay asked immediately.
"…things."
She raised a brow.
"That's not an answer."
"It is."
"It's not."
"It is."
"It's weak," she said flatly.
Felix made a sound.
"Ouch."
Freya smiled beside her.
"Continue," Jay said again.
No emotion.
Just control.
Blaster jumped in.
"We protect you."
Jay looked at him.
"From what?"
"…problems."
"What problems?"
"…life."
Silence.
Then laughter.
"That's your best argument?" Freya asked.
"It's a big argument!"
"It's a vague argument," Ella corrected.
Jay leaned back slightly.
"Next."
She didn't even argue.
Just dismissed it.
That hit harder.
Aries sighed.
"You're making this sound like we do nothing."
Jay looked at him now.
"You're making it sound like you do everything."
A pause.
"That's not what we said."
"That's exactly what you said."
"No."
"Yes."
"…this is going in circles," Drew muttered.
"No one asked you," Freya replied.
Cin raised his hand.
"I want to speak."
"No," Aries said.
"Yes," Jay said.
Everyone turned.
Cin lit up.
"THANK YOU."
He stood up dramatically.
"We are important because without us—"
Jay cut him off.
"—you'd be calmer."
Silence.
Then chaos.
"HEY!"
"That's personal!"
"That's true!"
"I OBJECT!"
"You don't know how to object!"
"I JUST DID!"
Laughter everywhere.
Jay didn't laugh much.
Just a small smile.
Then she leaned forward again.
"Let's simplify it," she said.
That tone again.
Everyone quieted.
"You say you're important because you do things."
"Yes," Percy said quickly.
"List them."
Silence.
"…we help," Calix said.
"How?"
"…we're there."
Jay blinked once.
"That's your argument?"
"It matters," Denzel said quietly.
She looked at him.
A little softer this time.
"…it does," she admitted.
A pause.
Boys straightened slightly.
Then—
"But it's not enough," she added.
Freya nodded immediately.
"You forget things."
"You don't listen."
"You need reminders."
"You mess things up and then fix them like you did something big."
"HEY—"
"That's true," Honey added.
"Stop agreeing!" Percy snapped.
"I will not."
Jay crossed her arms slightly.
"You don't just 'protect'."
"You depend too."
Silence.
That landed.
Aries looked at her properly now.
"…so do you."
Jay held his gaze.
"…yes."
That wasn't expected.
Even Freya glanced at her.
Jay didn't look away.
"But we don't pretend we don't."
That was it.
The room went quiet.
Not fully.
But enough.
Then—
"Okay, that was good," Felix said slowly.
"VERY good," Drew added.
Cin clapped loudly.
"I LOVE THIS GAME."
Percy ran a hand through his hair.
"…we're not losing."
Freya smirked.
"You already are."
Jay leaned back again.
Calm.
Like she had all the time in the world.
"Continue," she said.
And just like that—
the fight wasn't over.
It had just begun.
(Keifer's POV)
It didn't end clean.
It never does.
Voices were still overlapping.
Points repeated.
Arguments going in circles.
"No, we're right."
"No, you're not."
"Yes, we are."
"This is getting boring," Drew said.
"This is getting serious," Cin corrected.
Jay finally stood up.
That was enough.
"Stop."
It wasn't loud.
But it worked.
Silence fell—
not fully—
but enough.
She looked at both sides.
"…you didn't convince me."
Percy frowned.
"That's biased."
"That's honest," she replied.
Freya crossed her arms.
"So?"
Jay shrugged slightly.
"So you lose."
Immediate chaos.
"WHAT?"
"No way!"
"That's unfair!"
"That's correct," Ella added calmly.
"WE DID NOT LOSE," Percy argued.
"You did," Honey said.
"Prove it."
"You already proved it," Freya smirked.
More noise.
More protests.
Jay didn't react.
Just waited.
Then—
"Punishment," she said simply.
Silence again.
"You cook."
"NO."
"YES."
"Lunch and dinner," she added.
"BOTH?" Blaster shouted.
"Yes, both," Ella confirmed.
"This is a scam," Percy muttered.
"This is justice," Freya corrected.
Cin clapped loudly.
"I SUPPORT THIS."
"You're single," Aries said.
"Exactly."
"Unbiased," Drew added.
"Annoying," Felix corrected.
Jay turned slightly.
"One more thing."
That didn't sound good.
"Three hours."
"What?"
"No talking."
"To you?" Percy asked.
"To us," she confirmed.
Freya smiled.
"Or until dinner."
"Which you make," Honey added.
"And it should taste good," Ella finished.
"That's impossible," Blaster said.
"That's your problem," Freya replied.
"Fine," Percy sighed.
"We'll do it."
Aries rubbed his forehead.
"This is a bad idea."
"It's already happening," Calix said.
Denzel just nodded quietly.
I didn't say anything.
Didn't need to.
I glanced at her.
She was already looking at me.
Of course.
I mouthed—
I didn't speak anything.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Then she mouthed back—
you still lost.
A pause.
I almost smiled.
Didn't.
But it was close.
Across the room—
Eman was already with them.
Planning.
Thinking.
Helping.
They might actually survive this.
Maybe.
The girls were already moving away.
Ignoring them completely.
Like the three hours had already started.
And just like that—
the house split again.
Silence on one side.
Chaos on the other.
And somewhere in between—
a glance that said more than words.