Ang Mutya ng Section E – Book 3: The Unwritten Destinies
Chapter 6: New Faces, Old Wounds
(Jay's POV)
College felt… different.
Not just because the campus was bigger.
Not just because the people were strangers.
But because I was different.
I walked through the crowded pathway of the university, holding my notebook close to my chest. Students were everywhere—laughing, talking, running to classes.
Everyone looked like they belonged here.
Except me.
It had been weeks since I left everything behind.
Section E.
My friends.
And…
Keifer.
I shook the thought away quickly.
No.
I promised myself I wouldn't think about him anymore.
He made his choice.
And I made mine.
"Hey!"
A cheerful voice suddenly snapped me out of my thoughts.
I turned around.
A girl with long wavy hair was waving at me enthusiastically as she ran toward me.
"Wait! You're in my Economics class, right?"
I blinked in surprise.
"Oh… um… yes?"
She grinned brightly.
"I knew it! I'm Stella!"
She stuck her hand out confidently.
I hesitated for a second before shaking it.
"Jay."
"Nice to meet you!"
Stella looked like the kind of person who could make friends with anyone in five minutes.
She tilted her head curiously.
"You're new here, right?"
"Yeah."
"Transfer student?"
I nodded.
She smiled warmly.
"Well, congratulations. You officially have your first friend here."
I couldn't help but smile a little.
"Thank you."
"HEY STELLA!"
A loud male voice shouted from behind us.
We both turned around.
A tall guy was jogging toward us while carrying two cups of iced coffee.
His hair was slightly messy, and he looked like the type who joked around a lot.
When he reached us, he handed one drink to Stella.
"You forgot your coffee again."
Stella gasped dramatically.
"My hero!"
She took the drink and pointed at me.
"Oh right, this is Jay! She's new."
The guy looked at me and smiled casually.
"I'm Christian."
"Jay."
He nodded.
"Nice to meet you."
Then he squinted slightly.
"You look familiar."
My heart skipped.
"Do I?"
"Hmm…"
He stared at me for a few seconds before shrugging.
"Maybe not. My brain is just broken in the morning."
Stella laughed.
"That's because you sleep at 3 a.m. playing games!"
"EXCUSE ME, those are professional gaming hours."
I watched them argue and felt something strange.
Warmth.
It had been a long time since I felt something this normal.
No drama.
No secrets.
Just people… talking.
Stella suddenly grabbed my arm.
"Come sit with us at lunch!"
"Oh, I don't want to intrude—"
"You're not intruding," Christian interrupted casually.
"We always need a third person to stop Stella from talking too much."
"HEY!"
He laughed.
And for the first time since I came here…
I laughed too.
Maybe…
Maybe starting over wasn't impossible.
But later that afternoon, when I sat alone under a tree waiting for my next class…
My phone buzzed.
A message.
From an unknown number.
My heart tightened slightly.
I opened it.
The message was short.
"Stay away from Keifer."
My fingers froze.
Then another message appeared.
"You already made the right decision."
My chest felt heavy.
I didn't need to guess who sent it.
Yuri.
Even though he was miles away…
It felt like his shadow was still following me.
I locked my phone slowly.
And looked up at the sky.
Trying to ignore the one question that still haunted my heart.
If Keifer really didn't care…
Then why does it still hurt this much?