Jay-Jay's POV
I had barely sat down when Yuri's voice floated over.
"Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty," he said with that fake‑prince smile. "How was… Kiefer's house?"
"A bed, four walls, and too much Candyboy energy," I shot back, flipping my notebook open.
Kiefer, the "King of Ulupong," grunted from the front row. "You're lucky I didn't change the sheets. Nightmares might be contagious."
"Ha. Ha." I glared at the back of his head.
From the side of the room, Ci‑N smirked. "So, Jay, you officially live in his house now?"
"Only in your imagination," I said flatly.
"Eman overheard you on the phone arguing with him at 3 AM," Eman chimed in, eyes wide like he'd uncovered state secrets. "He was like, 'I picked you up, you're welcome.'"
"I hate all of you," I muttered.
"Drew said you cried in the car," Drew added, grinning.
"I DID NOT!"
"He meant 'because you were laughing so hard,'" Drew clarified, "but this is way more fun."
Several guys chuckled — Felix, Rory, Josh, Mayo, Blaster, Edrix, Eren, David, Calix, and Denzel all throwing in little jabs.
"You're the first girl in Section E history to survive Kiefer overnight," Blaster said dramatically.
"Yuri found out you stayed in his hoodie," Mayo whispered to me like it was a scandal.
"Yuri's life mission is to ruin mine," I said.
Yuri placed a hand on his chest, offended. "I'm just documenting. This is folklore."
Then Aries texted me.
"You okay?" he asked
"Sure," I replied . "Just peachy in Hell's most annoying parade."
"Pass the phone to kiefer". Alright . "Watch her, Kiefer. You know why."
Kiefer stiffened for half a second, like that word hit a nerve, but he just crossed his arms. "I'm not babysitting, I'm just… keeping Angelo off my back."
"Right," Yuri said dryly. "Section E President, loyal protector, tsundere with a lollipop problem. Classic."
Several boys laughed; Kiefer flipped him off without looking.
I sank back in my chair, feeling the warmth in my cheeks.
They were teasing, sure — but underneath it all, they were watching me, like I was suddenly part of their world instead of just passing through.
Even Ci‑N, Eman, Drew, Felix, Rory, Josh, Mayo, Blaster, Edrix, Eren, David, Calix, and Denzel all kept glancing my way, half‑joking, half‑curious.
"Whatever," I muttered. "Just don't make it weirder than it already is."
Kiefer finally turned his head, catching my eye.
"Too late for that, Jay," he said softly, "you're already 'legend' material."
And for some reason, that made me smile.