The room was already loud when it happened—voices overlapping, someone arguing from the couch, someone else halfway standing on a chair. Nothing was calm. Nothing ever was.
Then Percy spoke.
He turned toward Jay, confusion written all over his face—not angry, not teasing.
Genuinely baffled.
"Why do you hate me so much?"
Jay didn't answer immediately.
She tilted her head, eyes narrowing slightly, then said flatly, without drama, without softness—
"Because you're ugly."
The room detonated.
"What—" someone choked. "NO WAY," Felix yelled. "JAY," Cindy gasped. Hunter blinked like his brain rebooted.
Percy stared at her.
Then he laughed—short, offended, incredulous.
"Baby sistah," Percy said, placing a hand on his chest, "I am not ugly. I am a handsome hunk."
That just made it worse.
Jay shrugged. "Delusion is common."
Before Percy could fire back, Lia spoke.
Calm. Deadpan. Perfect timing.
She looked at Angelo, then Aries.
"Angelo. Aries. Sorry," Lia said evenly. "I underestimated you."
The room froze.
Percy frowned. "Wait—what?"
Lia continued, unbothered. "You guys are way more handsome than Percy."
Silence.
Then—
"Ohhhhh," Eren yelled. "ABSOLUTELY FOUL," Rory laughed. "MY MAN JUST GOT RANKED," Felix howled. Percy pointed at Lia. "YOU—"
Angelo sighed. Aries covered his face. Jay grinned like she'd just won a championship.
Hunter leaned toward Kairav. "Is this normal?"
Kairav didn't even look up. "This is Tuesday."
The chaos didn't stop there.
Someone—no one admitted who—turned the music louder.
Bad idea.
Zeke started clapping to the beat. Sean joined. Marcus whistled. Theo knocked over a pillow.
And suddenly—
Someone yelled, "TRUTH AND DARE."
Chaos level: Unlocked.
"No," Lia said immediately.
"Yes," half the room yelled back
.
Hunter blinked. "I literally just survived death."
"Congratulations," Jay said. "Now sit."
They dragged chairs. Sat on the floor.
Claimed corners. Argued over rules.
Ion took charge. "Okay. No illegal dares. No hospital topics. No"
Jay raised a finger. "No crying."
Aries muttered, "Too late."
First spin.
Bottle landed on Jay.
Collective gasp.
"Ooooh," Felix sang.
Jay leaned back. "Truth."
Ion hesitated. "Uh—"
Percy cut in fast. "Why are you like this?"
Jay smiled sweetly. "Next."
Groans. Laughter. The bottle spun again.
Landed on Angelo.
No one breathed.
"Truth or dare?" Cindy asked carefully.
Angelo considered. "Truth."
Jessica swallowed. "Do you actually care about any of us… or is this all obligation?"
Angelo didn't hesitate.
"If I didn't care," he said evenly, "I wouldn't be here."
That was it.
That was all.
And somehow, it was enough.
Spin again.
Landed on Hunter.
"Truth," he said quietly.
Jay tilted her head. "Why Lia?"
The room stilled—not tense, but attentive.
Hunter looked at Lia, soft. "Because she never treated me like I was famous. Just… worth saving."
Lia looked away.
Jay smiled faintly.
Spin.
Percy. Dare.
"Apologize," Jay said instantly.
Percy scoffed. "For what?"
"For acting like you're the main character in everyone else's trauma," Jay replied.
They stared at each other.
Then Percy exhaled sharply. "Fine. I'm sorry… for thinking my pain mattered more."
Jay nodded once. "Accepted."
Someone clapped. Someone else cheered. Someone yelled, "CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!"
By the time the game ended, snacks were gone, voices were hoarse, and exhaustion finally won.
People collapsed wherever they stood.
Hunter fell asleep mid-sentence.
Jessica used Daniel as a pillow. Zeke snored. Sean argued in his sleep.
Jay and Lia ended up on the same couch.
Jay shifted, throwing her leg over Lia's instinctively.
The room went quiet.
No teasing. No comments
.
They just… watched.
Jay's breathing slowed. Lia didn't move.
Minutes passed.
Aries leaned toward Angelo, whispering, "They haven't moved."
Angelo checked subtly.
A faint smile crossed his face.
"…Still alive," Aries muttered.
"Unfortunately," Angelo replied dryly.
Morning light crept in slowly
.
And for once
Chaos slept.