ROOM 7
Chapter Forty-Eight: The Last Exam
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The final week of the semester arrived like a storm.
Not the dramatic kind—no thunder, no lightning, no crashing waves. The quiet kind. The kind that settled into bones and made everything feel heavier. Books were stacked on every desk. Coffee cups multiplied like rabbits. Yuri stopped talking. Care stopped arguing. Cole stopped breathing every time Care walked past. Ci N's notebooks were filled with equations instead of observations.
Even the air in Room 7 felt different. Charged. Waiting.
Three days until exams. Two days. One day.
Jay sat at the common table, surrounded by highlighters and sticky notes and the ghost of Keifer's coffee cup. She hadn't slept properly in a week. Her eyes were scratchy. Her head was pounding. Her notes blurred together.
Keifer sat across from her. His textbook was open. His pen was still. He was watching her.
"You're not studying," she said without looking up.
"Neither are you."
She underlined a sentence she'd already read three times. "I'm studying."
"You're staring at the same page for twenty minutes."
She looked up. His face was tired. His eyes were dark. His hair was messy. He looked like he hadn't slept either.
"Last exam tomorrow," she said.
"Last exam tomorrow."
She set her pen down. "Then we're done."
He leaned back. "Then we're done."
The words hung in the air. Done with exams. Done with the semester. Done with—she didn't know what. Not done with each other. That wasn't possible anymore. Not done with the room. That would always be there. But done with something. Something that had started the day she walked through the door. Something that had changed everything.
"Jay."
She looked at him.
"After tomorrow—"
The door opened.
Percy stood in the doorway. His face was pale. His hands were empty. His eyes were wide. He wasn't grinning. He wasn't holding milkshakes. He wasn't joking.
"Jay."
She stood up. "Percy? What's wrong?"
He walked toward her. His steps were slow. His voice was low. "It's Aries."
Her heart stopped. "What about Aries?"
"He's in the hospital. There was an accident. He's—" Percy stopped. Swallowed. "He's asking for you."
The room went silent.
Keifer was beside her. His hand was on her back. His voice was steady. "Go. I'll handle everything here."
She looked at him. At his face. At his eyes. At the way he was looking at her like she was the only thing in the world worth seeing.
"I'll come back," she said.
He kissed her forehead. "I know."
She walked to the door. Percy followed. The door closed behind them.
The room was quiet.
Yuri looked at Keifer. "Is she going to be okay?"
Keifer looked at the door. At the space where Jay had been. At the empty chair across from him.
"Yeah," he said. "She's going to be okay."
He didn't sound sure.
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Part One: The Hospital
The hospital was bright. Too bright. White walls. White floors. The smell of antiseptic and coffee and something else. Something heavy.
Jay ran through the corridors. Percy behind her. Aries's room was at the end of the hall. She could hear machines beeping. Voices murmuring. Feet shuffling.
She pushed the door open.
Aries was in the bed. His leg was bandaged. His arm was in a sling. His face was bruised. His eyes were closed.
She walked to the bed. Her hands were shaking. Her voice was thin.
"Aries."
His eyes opened. He looked at her. His face was tired. His eyes were soft.
"Hey, little sister."
She grabbed his hand. "You're an idiot."
He smiled. "I know."
"You scared me."
He squeezed her hand. "I'm okay."
She stared at him. Her eyes were wet. Her lips were trembling. "You better be."
He pulled her into a hug. His good arm wrapped around her. His voice was low.
"I'm okay, Jay. I'm okay."
She held on. Didn't let go.
Percy stood in the doorway. His hands were in his pockets. His face was pale. His eyes were red.
"I told you not to drive," Percy said.
Aries looked at him. "I didn't drive. The other guy drove. Into me."
Percy walked to the bed. "You're still an idiot."
Aries smiled. "I know."
Percy sat on the edge of the bed. His hand went to Aries's shoulder. "Don't do that again."
Aries looked at him. At Percy's red eyes. At Jay's wet cheeks. At the room full of machines and tubes and fear.
"I won't," he said.
The three of them sat together. The machines beeped. The hours passed. The sun set.
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Part Two: The Call
Keifer's phone rang at midnight.
He was sitting on his bed. The room was dark. Everyone was asleep. He was waiting. He'd been waiting for hours.
He answered. "Jay."
"Keifer." Her voice was tired. Stretched thin. "He's okay. He's going to be okay."
He let out a breath. "Good."
"I'm staying here tonight. Percy's here too. We're going to take shifts."
"Okay."
"I'll be back tomorrow. For the exam."
"Jay."
She stopped. He could hear her breathing. Shallow. Unsteady.
"You don't have to take the exam."
"I have to take the exam."
"The university will make exceptions. For family emergencies. For—"
"Keifer."
He stopped.
She was quiet for a moment. Then: "I need to take the exam. I need to finish. I need—" She stopped again.
He waited.
"I need things to be normal," she said. "Just for a few hours. I need to sit in a room and answer questions and pretend everything is okay."
He closed his eyes. "Okay."
"I'll be there tomorrow."
"I'll save you a seat."
She laughed. It was small. Broken. But it was a laugh. "You always save me a seat."
"I always will."
She was quiet. Then: "I love you."
He opened his eyes. The ceiling was dark. The room was quiet. His heart was full.
"I love you too."
The line went silent. She'd hung up. He held the phone. Stared at the ceiling. Didn't sleep.
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Part Three: The Exam
The exam hall was crowded the next morning.
Students filled the rows. Desks were lined up. Papers were stacked. The clock on the wall ticked toward nine.
Keifer sat in the back row. The seat beside him was empty. He'd saved it. He'd been saving it for months.
The door opened. Students filed in. The empty seat stayed empty.
The clock ticked. 8:45. 8:50. 8:55.
The door opened again.
Jay walked in. Her eyes were red. Her hair was messy. She was wearing his shirt. The gray one. The one she hadn't given back. The one he hadn't asked for.
She walked to the back row. Sat beside him. Her hand found his under the desk.
"You came," he said.
She looked at him. "I said I would."
He squeezed her hand. She squeezed back.
The exam started. Papers were distributed. Pens moved. The clock ticked. Jay wrote. Keifer wrote. Their hands found each other between questions.
When the exam ended, she leaned her head on his shoulder. Her eyes were closed. Her breathing was steady.
"I'm tired," she said.
He kissed her hair. "Let's go home."
She nodded. He helped her stand. They walked out of the hall together. Hand in hand.
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Part Four: The Return
The hospital room was quieter that night.
Aries was asleep. His leg was bandaged. His arm was in a sling. His face was healing. The machines beeped softly.
Jay sat beside him. Her head was on the edge of the bed. Her hand was in his. She was sleeping.
Percy sat on the other side. His head was back. His eyes were closed. He was snoring softly.
Keifer stood in the doorway. He watched them. The three Mariano siblings. Together. Surviving.
He walked to Jay. Put a blanket over her shoulders. She stirred. Opened her eyes.
"Keifer."
"You need to sleep."
She looked at Aries. At his bandaged leg. At his bruised face. At the machines beeping.
"I can't leave him."
"I'm not asking you to leave." He pulled a chair beside her. Sat down. "I'm staying."
She stared at him. "You have an exam tomorrow."
"I have one exam. I'll take it. Then I'll come back."
She touched his face. "You don't have to do this."
He covered her hand with his. "I want to."
She looked at his face. At his eyes. At the way he was looking at her like she was the only thing in the world worth seeing.
"I love you," she said.
He kissed her forehead. "I love you too."
She leaned her head on his shoulder. Her eyes closed. Her breathing slowed. She was asleep.
He held her. Watched the machines beep. Watched Aries breathe. Watched the sun rise.
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Part Five: The End
The last exam ended at noon on Friday.
Students poured out of the hall. Laughing. Cheering. Throwing papers in the air. The semester was over. The year was over. They were free.
Jay stood at the edge of the crowd. Keifer beside her. His hand was in hers. His face was tired. His eyes were bright.
"We're done," she said.
He smiled. "We're done."
She looked at the building. At the doors. At the students running past. At the papers floating in the air.
"I'm going to miss this," she said.
He pulled her closer. "We're not leaving."
She looked at him. "We're not?"
"The room is still there. The beds are still there. The people are still there." He kissed her forehead. "I'm still here."
She grabbed his shirt. Pulled him down. Kissed him.
The crowd cheered. No one was watching. Everyone was watching. It didn't matter.
She pulled back. Her face was red. His ears were red. Her hands were on his chest. His hands were on her waist.
"Let's go home," she said.
He took her hand. "Let's go home."
They walked across the courtyard. Past the fountain. Past the benches. Past the tree where they'd first held hands. The door to the dorm was open. The hallway was empty. The room was waiting.
Sixteen beds. Sixteen desks. Sixteen people who had become something more than roommates.
They walked in. Yuri was on his bed. Mica and Calix in the kitchen. Care and Cole at the table. Freya and Erdix on the couch. Ash and David by the window. Felix at his desk. Ci N on his bed. Lyra on the couch. Alex beside her.
They all looked up when Jay and Keifer walked in.
Yuri was the first to speak. "You're back."
Jay looked at the room. At the people. At the beds. At the shark on her pillow. At the fox on Ci N's bed. At the snacks on David's nightstand. At the photos on Freya's wall. At the schedules on Care's desk. At the books on Cole's shelf. At the blankets on Lyra's couch. At Alex beside her.
"We're back," she said.
The room was quiet. Then Yuri threw a pillow at her. She caught it.
"You have a catching problem," he said.
She threw it back. He caught it.
"You have a throwing problem."
"I have a Yuri problem."
He tucked the pillow under his arm. "The worst kind."
The room laughed. Jay laughed. Keifer laughed.
Ci N wrote in his notebook. "Page 336. Semester ended. Room 7 still standing. Probability of more chaos: 100 percent."
Rakki looked at him. "You calculated that?"
He closed his notebook. "I calculate what matters."
She kissed his cheek. He held her hand.
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Part Six: The Night
The room was quiet that night.
Lyra was on the couch. Alex beside her. Her head was on his shoulder. His arm was around her. Her eyes were closed. She was sleeping. He was watching her breathe.
Jay was on Keifer's bed. Her head was on his chest. His arm was around her. The shark was on her pillow across the room. She didn't need it tonight.
"The semester is over," she said.
He kissed her forehead. "The semester is over."
"Aries is going to be okay."
He pulled her closer. "Aries is going to be okay."
She looked up at him. "You stayed with me. At the hospital. All night."
He smiled. "I stayed."
"You had an exam the next day."
He kissed her forehead. "I passed."
She hit his chest. "You're impossible."
He caught her hand. Kissed her knuckles. "You like it."
She kissed him. He kissed her back.
From across the room, Ci N's voice: "Page 337. Goodnight recorded. Probability of more goodnights: 100 percent."
"Ci N," Jay said.
"I'm sleeping."
"You're talking."
"I'm sleeping and talking. My brain works at one hundred sixty percent. I can do both."
"Ci N."
"Goodnight, Mother. Goodnight, Father."
She smiled into Keifer's chest. "Goodnight, Ci N."
The room was quiet. Sixteen people breathing. Sixteen people who had become something more than roommates. Something that didn't need a name.
Jay closed her eyes. Keifer was beside her. Lyra was sleeping. Alex was watching. Tomorrow would bring more chaos, more laughter, more interruptions. But tonight, everyone was exactly where they needed to be.
She slept.
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End of Chapter Forty-Eight