Jay's POV
The terrace was bathed in the amber glow of the setting sun as the sprawling group moved from the dining table to the lounge. Cushions were tossed onto the floor, forming a wide circle. Tita Serina, Keiren, and Keigan took their spots on the plush velvet sofa, watching the scene like spectators at a high-stakes arena.
The soda bottle sat in the center of the glass table, reflecting the flickering overhead lights.
The bottle slowed, its neck stuttering before pointing directly at me. A collective "Ooooh" went up from the group.
"Truth or Dare, Calix?" Cin grinned, his eyes glinting with mischief.
"Dare," he said, puffing out my chest. "I'm no coward."
"Perfect," Cin said, standing up. "I want a full-blown interpretive dance. And at the climax, you have to look Mica dead in the eyes and profess your undying love."
Mica choked on her water. "Wait, what?"
He didn't have a choice. He stood up, limbs flailing in a rhythmic disaster that looked more like a seizing crab than a dance.
He spun, dropped to one knee, and grabbed Mica's hand. "I love you, Mica! More than life itself!"
The room exploded in laughter. Mica was bright red, hitting me with a pillow. "Sit down, you idiot!"
The bottle spun again, landing on Felix . He seem that he didn't feel like moving, so he opted for the easy route. "Truth."
Jane leaned forward, her sharp eyes cutting through the humor of the previous turn. "Who do you love most in this world, Felix?"
The teasing stopped. I looked at the ceiling for a second, a small smile tugging at my lips. "My Kuya," I said simply. "Always has been, always will be."No jokes, no bravado. Just a rare moment of Section E sincerity.
A ripple of "Awws" went around the circle. It was a rare moment of sincerity in a room full of chaos.
Next was Blaster.
"Dare," he barked, hoping for something cool.
"Show us your most recently played playlist," Denzel challenged.
His heart dropped. He reluctantly handed over my phone. The screen displayed a mix of heavy metal and... extremely cheesy 90s boy band hits.
"'I Want It That Way'?" Drew read out, cackling. "Really, Blaster? You're a closet Backstreet Boys fan?"
"It's catchy!" He defended, grabbing my phone back while my face burned.
The bottle pointed at Aries next. He didn't hesitate. "Truth."
The circle went quiet. They had been waiting for this. It was Cin who asked the question everyone wanted the answer to. "Why do you hate Jay so much?"
He felt everyone gaze on him—cool, steady, and unboding. He leaned back, crossing my arms. "Because of a past incident," He said shortly.
"What event?" Cin pressed immediately.
He smirked. "That's a second question, Cin. Wait your turn."
The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife, but the game moved on.
The bottle landed on Freya next.
"Dare," she said, trying to break the heavy mood.
"Call your ex," Rakki commanded. "And you have to have a normal conversation for at least two minutes."
The room went "Yikes." She sighed, pulled out my phone, and hit dial. The conversation was the most awkward two minutes of her life , I guess—full of "Uh, yeah, I'm good" and "How's the dog?"—while the boys muffled their laughter behind their hands. When I hung up, I felt like I'd run a marathon.
The bottle spun and landed on Rakki.
"Truth," she said, bracing myself.
I leaned forward, a playful spark in my eyes. "What do you really think of Cin?"
The room went silent. Cin actually stopped fidgeting. She looked at Cin—messy hair, mischievous grin—and I could see her cheeks heat up.
"He's... more than a friend," she whispered, "but less than a boyfriend."
"OOOOOOH!" The room erupted, shaking Cin's shoulders while he turned a shade of pink I didn't know he possessed.
-----------------------
Keifer's POV
The bottle landed on me. I looked at Jay, who was sitting directly across from me. I leaned back, a slow smirk spreading across my face. "Dare."
Denzel didn't miss a beat. "I dare you to say something spicy to the person sitting directly in front of you."
The "Oohs" this time were lower, more suggestive. I stood up, crawling across the gap until I was inches from Jay. She didn't flinch, but I saw her pulse jumping in her neck.
I leaned into her ear, my voice dropping to a husky whisper that only she could hear—and maybe the people very close to us.
"Your lips are so tempting," I murmured. "I just want to taste them."
I pulled back. Jay's face was an absolute wildfire of a blush. She looked like she wanted to punch me and kiss me at the same time. The room went wild, teasing us relentlessly until the bottle spun again.
---------------------
Jane's POV
The bottle landed on me. The Section E boys straightened up. "Jane," Cin said, his voice unusually soft. "Can we all ask you something? A lightning round?"
I looked at Jay. She nodded. "Alright. Go ahead."
"How much older are you than Jean?"
"Ten minutes," I replied.
"Your talents?"
"Dancing and singing."
"Best friend?"
"Ava."
"Do you like Aries?"
A silence fell. I looked at Aries, then back at the group. "Yes," I said firmly. Aries looked away, but I saw his jaw tighten.
"Whom do you like out of all of us?"
"None of you," I said bluntly. A chorus of fake "Oof" sounds filled the room.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Yuri asked.
"Nope."
"What is Jay to you?" Freya asked finally.
My voice softened, losing its icy edge. "Everything."
------------------------
Jay's POV
The bottle spun one last time. It slowed... slowed... and pointed directly at me.
The laughter died. The room became deathly quiet. Even Serina leaned forward from the couch.
"Can we?" Cin asked, his voice uncharacteristically serious.
"Alright," I said, leaning back. "Ask away."
"Why do some call you Jean and some call you Jay?"
"I'm Jay when I trust someone," I said, my voice steady. "And I'm Jean when I'm unfamiliar with them."
Yuri tilted his head. "What should we call you then?"
I looked around the circle. These idiots who had teased me, held me while I shook during a movie, and fed me popcorn. "Well... you can call me Jay."
Keigan spoke up from the sofa. "Does that mean you trust them now?"
I looked at the "Kings" of Section E. "Nope," I said, a small smirk playing on my lips. "It's just that you're not 'unfamiliar' anymore."
They nodded, accepting the small victory.
"How many people are in your family?" Mykle asked.
"Three," I said. "Jane, Kuya, and Tita—for the ones here."
"Do you have other family?" Kiko followed up.
"Yeah," I said softly. "By bond, not by blood. They're out there."
Then Josh asked the question that made the air turn cold. "What about your mom and dad?"
I laughed, but there was no humor in it. It was a sharp, brittle sound. "Dad was busy with his life and business when I needed him. And Mom... it's better not to talk about her."
The room dipped into an uncomfortable silence. They understood. Some doors were locked for a reason.
To break the tension, Keifer asked, "So, who was the 'baby' you were talking to on the phone earlier?"
The boys started hooting. "Look! Someone's jealous!" "Keifer's catching feelings!"
I rolled my eyes. "My baby? That's Ava. My first boyfriend."
The laughter was deafening. Keifer looked like he'd swallowed a lemon.
"Wait," Eren gasped, wiping his eyes. "You actually had a boyfriend before? I thought you were a full-time warrior."
"What?" I snapped, though I was fighting a smile. "Do I look too ugly to have a boyfriend?"
"Tell us about them," Rory urged.
I took a deep breath. "First was Robin. He turned out to be gay. We're still friends."
"Second was Cyrus," I continued, my voice losing its spark. "He's in a coma."
"How?" Mica whispered, horrified.
Jane spoke up, her voice cold as steel. "I beat him up. He deserved every bit of it."
The boys looked at Jane with newfound terror. I cleared my throat, my eyes stinging.
"Then... there was Sam. My best friend. The one who really understood me. The one who cared for me when everything else was falling apart."
I stopped. My throat felt like it was closing.
"What happened to him?" Grace asked softly.
I looked up. The room was blurred. My eyes were swimming in tears I refused to let fall in front of them. The "warrior" mask was shattered.
"I don't know," I whispered, my voice breaking. "I... I'll be back."
I stood up abruptly, the chair screeching against the floor, and bolted for the glass doors. I needed air. I needed the dark. I needed to find the pieces of myself that Sam had taken with him when he disappeared.
Behind me, the silence of the lounge was absolute.
------------------------------
Jane's POV
I watched the hem of Jay's shirt disappear into the darkness of the garden. My heart felt like it was being squeezed by a cold hand. I knew that look in her eyes—it wasn't just sadness; it was the haunting ghost of a girl who had lost her North Star.
The hem of Jay's shirt disappear into the darkness of the garden. My heart felt like it was being squeezed by a cold hand. I knew that look in her eyes—it wasn't just sadness; it was the haunting ghost of a girl who had lost her North Star.
The boys were all looking at me, their faces a mix of guilt and confusion. Even Aries looked unsettled, his usual bravado flickering like a dying candle.
"Jane?" Yuri's voice broke the silence. "Who is Sam? I mean... really?"
I let out a long, jagged breath and leaned back against the sofa, looking up at the ceiling.
"Sam was everything to her," I began, my voice sounding hollow in the quiet room. "They grew up together. They were together for five years—from the time they were kids until that night. He was the boy who would climb through her window just to bring her a chocolate bar because he knew she'd had a bad day. He wasn't just a boyfriend; he was her anchor. ."
I took a shaky breath. Even Aries was leaning in now, his jaw tight.
"What happened to him?" Keifer asked. His voice was low, strained. He was staring at the door Jay had just run through, his body coiled tight like a spring.What happened to him?" Keifer asked. His voice was low, strained. He was staring at the door Jay had just run through, his body coiled tight like a spring.
"Then, one day... it all ended," I whispered. "There was an explosion at Sam's house. A fire that gutted everything. No one knew why, and no one knew how. Jay was there. Injured."
Mica let out a small, horrified gasp.
"She was hospitalized for a month," I continued, the memories flashing before my eyes like a nightmare. "Smoke inhalation, burns, but mostly... shock. When she finally woke up, she was different. She stopped talking about him. She didn't cry. She didn't even mention his name. It waslike she had erased him from her mind to keep herself from dying of a broken heart."
I looked at the group, my eyes landing on Keifer.
"That was the day Jay disappeared," I said. "That's when the 'Jean' persona really took over.That was the day she became 'Jean'—the soldier, the weapon, the girl who doesn't let anyone get close enough to hurt her. She's not angry at you guys. She's terrified. Because if she lets you in, and the world takes you away like it took Sam... she won't survive it a second time."
Keifer didn't wait for me to finish. He bolted for the garden.
I watched him go, a small, sad hope sparking in my chest. For the first time in years, someone was running toward the fire instead of away from it.I watched him go, a small, sad hope sparking in my chest.
"Go," I told him. "But be careful. When she's like this, she doesn't know the difference between a friend and a threat."
-------------------------
A/n
Guys so what are your thoughts for this chapter???
Let me know.
Target for next chapter ; 30+ comment 🎯