Ch 16
What really happened
JAY JAY P.O.V.
SECTION E
Chaos. Loud. Messy. Normal.
But not for everyone.
RORY AND EDRIX'S P.O.V.
Edrix sat slightly turned away from the group.
Phone in hand. Brightness low.
Rory leaned in.
RORY (quiet): "You got something?"
Edrix didn't answer immediately.
Instead—
He showed the screen.
A photo.
A boy.
Sharp features.
Cold eyes.
The kind that didn't forget.
Didn't forgive.
Rory's expression changed instantly.
RORY: "So.…That's him."
Edrix nodded.
EDRIX: "Name matches."
EDRIX:
"Cyrus."
Rory leaned back slightly. Processing.
Then—
His eyes shifted.
Toward Jay.
She was sitting with Ci-N. Laughing.
A little quieter than usual—
But still trying.
RORY (low): "…Don't show her."
Edrix frowned.
EDRIX: "She deserves to know."
Rory shook his head.
RORY: "She deserves peace."
A pause.
RORY: "At least for today."
Edrix hesitated. Then locked his phone.
Decision made.
The final bell rang.
Chairs scraped.
Voices rose.
Students flooded out. Section E moved together.
Not loud. Not chaotic.
Just… together.
OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL
Evening light.
The road buzzing.
Jay stepped out. Her eyes instinctively searched.
No Aries.
CI-N: "Your brother's not here?"
JAY: "…He's late."
A small pause.
Then—
Rory froze.
RORY (low): "…Edrix."
Edrix followed his gaze.
And went still.
Across the road—
Someone stood.
Watching. The same face. The same eyes.
EDRIX (quiet): "…Cyrus."
Ci-N blinked.
CI-N: "Who—"
RORY (firm): "That's him."
RORY: "He's the reason she got expelled."
Everything shifted.
JAY JAY P.O.V.
I felt it.
Before I even saw him.
That familiar—
Cold.
Heavy presence..
I turned.
And there he was.
CYRUS.
He smiled. Like nothing had changed.
He stepped forward.
Slow.
Confident.
CYRUS: "…Jay."
My name felt wrong in his voice.
CYRUS (smirking): "Miss me?"
Silence.
JAY (cold): "I expected you to stay gone."
A flicker.
Then—
He chuckled.
CYRUS: "You really thought it would end like that?"
He stepped closer.
Closer.
CYRUS (low): "You walked away from me."
My jaw tightened.
JAY: "You forced me to."
He tilted his head.
CYRUS: "No."
A pause.
CYRUS: "I pushed you."
Silence.
CYRUS: "And you broke."
That word—
Hit deep.
JAY (sharper): "Say what you came to say and leave."
He smiled wider.
CYRUS: "What, no welcome?"
His eyes darkened slightly.
CYRUS: "Or are you scared they'll see who you really are?"
My fingers curled.
Before I could step forward—
Keifer moved.
Stepping in front of me.
Blocking Cyrus completely.
KEIFER (cold): "Back off."
Cyrus looked at him.
Interested now.
CYRUS: "…And you are?"
KEIFER: "Someone telling you to leave."
A pause.
Then—
Cyrus laughed.
SECTION E STEPPED IN
One by one—
They moved forward.
Not loud.
But firm.
CI-N: "Yeah. You heard him."
CALIX: "Walk away."
EMAN: "Now."
JOSH: "Don't test it."
Even Drew.
Even Felix.
Everyone.
Cyrus looked around.
Then smirked.
CYRUS: "They don't know, do they?"
Silence.
CYRUS (voice sharper): "They think you're innocent."
KEIFER (firm): "You're done talking."
Cyrus ignored him.
His eyes scanned the group.
CYRUS: "That day…"
CYRUS: "I didn't hit her first."
Murmurs.
CYRUS: "I just pushed her a little."
A smirk.
CYRUS: "Said things."
His gaze returned to me.
CYRUS: "And then she changed."
Silence.
CYRUS: "Her eyes…"
A pause.
CYRUS: "....Not normal."
CYRUS: "She didn't stop."
His voice dropped.
CYRUS: "No matter what I said."
A quiet laugh.
CYRUS: "She beat me so bad they had to pull her off."
He looked at all of them.
CYRUS: "That's who you're protecting."
Silence.
Heavy.
But—
No one moved away.
Instead—
Keifer stood stronger.
KEIFER: "Finished?"
Cyrus smirked.
CYRUS: "For now."
He looked at me.
CYRUS (low): "You haven't changed."
Then—
He walked away.
No one spoke at first.
Then—
CI-N (quiet): "Let's go."
We started walking.
Together.
Ci-N beside me. Everyone else behind.
Listening.
CI-N (soft): "I don't believe him."
I looked at him.
CI-N: "You don't look like someone who'd just lose control like that."
A pause.
CI-N: "So what really happened?"
Silence.
Then—
I spoke.
JAY: "He didn't just 'say things.'"
My voice dropped.
JAY: "He kept going."
JAY: "About my family."
A pause.
JAY: "About my past."
My hands clenched.
JAY: "He grabbed me first."
Silence behind.
JAY: "And when I told him to stop…"
A breath.
JAY: "He didn't."
My voice shook slightly.
JAY: "So yeah."
A pause.
JAY: "I lost control."
Silence.
JAY (quiet):
"But I didn't start it."
A car pulled up.
Fast.
Aries stepped out.
Eyes sharp.
ARIES: "Jay."
He looked at everyone.
ARIES: "What happened?"
I froze.
Before I could speak—
Keifer Stepped forward.
KEIFER: "Someone from her past showed up."
Aries' expression hardened.
KEIFER: "He tried something."
A pause.
KEIFER: "We handled it."
Silence.
Aries looked at me.
I nodded.
He turned to Section E.
ARIES: "…Thank you."
Simple.
Real.
Then—
He softened slightly.
ARIES: "Let's go."
HOME
The door opened.
GEMMA: "What happened?"
ARIES: "He showed up."
Silence.
ANGELO: "…Cyrus?"
ARIES: "Yeah."
Gemma looked at me.
GEMMA: "Are you okay?"
I nodded.
ARIES: "She wasn't alone."
A pause.
ARIES: "Her classmates helped."
They exchanged looks.
Relieved.
But worried.
Then—
Aries' phone rang.
Unknown number.
He stared at it. Then answered.
ARIES: "…Hello?"
Silence.
His expression changed.
Dark.
Slowly—
He looked at me.
ARIES (low):
"…Stay inside."
My heart dropped.
JAY: "What happened?"
A pause.
ARIES: "…He knows where we live."