Jay's POV
Walking into Class 3-E the next morning felt strangely normal.
Too normal.
Which honestly should've been suspicious.
I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and pushed the classroom door open.
Silence.
Complete silence.
…Never mind.
Definitely suspicious.
Every single person in the class was staring at me.
Felix slowly turned in his chair.
Then dramatically placed a hand on his chest.
"…She's alive."
I sighed already. "Good morning to you too."
Ci-N pointed at me immediately. "No because seriously."
"You almost became road decoration yesterday."
Rory nodded. "At one point your motorcycle was literally flying."
Endrix adjusted his glasses. "I still don't understand how physics allowed that."
Calix looked tired. "Please don't encourage her."
David calmly drank juice from the back. "You scared everyone."
The class became quieter after that.
I blinked slightly.
Then looked away.
"…Sorry."
The entire room froze.
Felix stood up suddenly. "SHE APOLOGIZED."
"I can also fight," I warned.
"She's back," Felix whispered emotionally.
A small laugh escaped Rory.
Then the classroom door opened again.
And somehow…
the atmosphere changed immediately.
Keifer walked in wearing his usual calm expression.
But the second his eyes landed on me…
I noticed it again.
That look.
Like he was checking if I was actually okay.
It was subtle.
Most people probably wouldn't notice.
But I did.
And for some annoying reason…
it made my chest feel weird.
Felix noticed too, unfortunately.
His eyes widened dramatically.
Then he looked between both of us.
Slowly.
Repeatedly.
Like a detective discovering forbidden information.
Oh no.
Ci-N noticed Felix noticing.
Which made him notice too.
Even worse.
Yuri looked exhausted already. "Don't start."
"I haven't even said anything," Felix defended.
"That's what scares me."
Keifer sat down quietly beside the window.
For once…
even he seemed calmer than usual.
No teasing.
No sarcastic comments.
Just quiet.
And somehow that bothered me more.
I dropped into my chair and tried ignoring everyone.
Keyword: tried.
Because I could literally FEEL Felix trying not to explode.
Three minutes later—
He exploded.
"So," Felix said casually.
Too casually.
"How long have you been secretly cool?"
I looked up from my notebook. "I was always cool."
Ci-N gasped dramatically. "SHE ADMITTED IT."
Rory leaned forward. "What does MJ even stand for?"
I froze for half a second.
Too late.
They noticed immediately.
Endrix pointed. "SUSPICIOUS PAUSE."
I sighed. "…Mariano Jayjay."
The entire class blinked.
Then Felix slapped his desk dramatically. "THAT IS THE COOLEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD."
"It's literally just my name."
"No," Ci-N whispered emotionally, "it's cinema."
Yuri looked at me. "So your family calls you Mariano?"
"Only when they're being dramatic."
"Which is always," David added calmly.
"Exactly."
A few people laughed softly.
Then—
I accidentally looked toward Keifer again.
Big mistake.
Because he was already looking at me.
Not intensely.
Not weirdly.
Just…
quietly.
Like he was thinking about something.
The bridge.
The race.
Last night.
My brain immediately remembered:
holding his hand
him yelling my name
the way he looked genuinely scared
I quickly looked away.
Unfortunately Felix saw that too.
That idiot saw EVERYTHING.
His eyes widened so much I thought they'd fall out.
Then he slowly leaned toward Ci-N.
"Something happened."
Ci-N gasped. "SOMETHING happened."
Yuri smacked both of them instantly.
The teacher finally entered before the class became unbearable.
"Good morning, 3-E."
"Morning," the class answered lazily.
The teacher sighed while placing papers down. "We'll begin preparations for the school festival this week."
Immediately the classroom became louder.
Felix jumped up dramatically. "FESTIVAL ARC."
"What?" Rory asked.
"Nothing."
Ci-N already looked excited. "We should do something dangerous."
"No," half the class answered immediately.
The teacher continued speaking.
"Since Keifer is the school president…"
Several students groaned.
"…and Jay somehow keeps this class under control…"
I blinked. "I do not."
"You threatened Felix with a chair yesterday," Calix reminded me.
"He survived."
Felix pointed proudly. "I'm brave."
"You're annoying," Yuri corrected.
The teacher ignored all of us.
"So the two of you will lead Class 3-E's festival preparations."
I immediately stood up. "I reject."
"Rejected."
"This is abuse."
"This is responsibility."
Felix looked emotional already. "Our mom and dad."
I grabbed my notebook.
Felix sat down immediately. "…Violence isn't necessary."
"Yes it is."
The class burst into laughter.
And somehow…
for the first time since the race…
everything felt normal again.