Keifer's POV
Class felt wrong without Jay.
Too quiet.
Too normal.
Which honestly sounded ridiculous considering Class 3-E was never normal to begin with. 😐
But still.
Something felt missing.
Felix wasn't screaming dramatically every five minutes.
Ci-N kept checking his phone constantly.
Mila looked worried.
Matteo looked irritated.
Even Yuri seemed quieter than usual.
And somehow…
Jay's empty seat kept bothering me more than it should.
Four days.
No messages.
No calls.
Nothing.
Every time I remembered Aries' expression yesterday…
that uneasy feeling in my chest got worse.
Because for the first time:
even he looked scared.
By the end of school I couldn't focus anymore.
So when I saw Aries leaving campus alone—
I followed him.
Not because I wanted drama.
Not because I was curious.
Because something felt wrong.
Really wrong.
At first Aries acted like he didn't notice me behind him.
Which honestly annoyed me.
Because I knew he noticed.
That guy noticed everything.
Eventually he stopped near the parking area without turning around.
Then sighed tiredly.
"You're bad at this."
I stopped walking immediately.
"…You noticed?"
Aries finally turned toward me.
One eyebrow raised.
"Keifer, you've been following me for fifteen minutes."
Okay fair enough. 😐
I crossed my arms slightly.
"Then answer my questions."
Aries looked exhausted already.
"I told you yesterday she's fine."
"Then where is she?"
Silence.
Wrong move.
Because now I knew: he definitely knew.
I stepped closer slightly.
"Aries."
His expression hardened immediately.
"Stop digging into things you don't understand."
That irritated me instantly.
Because maybe he was right.
Maybe I didn't understand everything.
But Jay disappearing like this?
That wasn't normal.
And nobody was explaining anything.
"Then help me understand."
Aries looked away briefly before speaking again.
"Jay has always handled problems alone."
"Yeah well clearly that's not working."
His eyes snapped back toward me immediately.
Tension rose instantly between us.
"You think I don't know that?"
For the first time…
Aries actually sounded frustrated.
Not calm.
Not controlled.
Frustrated.
Then he continued quietly:
"You don't know what kind of life Jay lived before coming here."
"I know enough."
"No." His voice sharpened slightly.
"You know the school version of her."
That line hit harder than I expected.
Because part of me knew he was right.
There were pieces of Jay nobody showed people.
Pieces hidden behind:
jokes
sarcasm
violence occasionally 😐
pretending everything was fine
Aries ran a hand through his hair tiredly.
"She has enemies, Keifer."
The way he said enemies didn't sound normal.
Not school drama enemies.
Not teenage problems.
Real enemies.
And suddenly…
everything connected again:
the attackers
the envelope
the warnings
Isabela
illegal racing
My chest tightened slightly.
"…What happened to her?"
Aries stayed silent.
Too silent.
Then finally:
"I can't tell you everything."
That answer irritated me immediately.
"Why not?"
"Because the less you know, the safer you are."
I laughed once.
Cold.
Annoyed.
"You think I care about that right now?"
Aries stared at me carefully.
Then suddenly narrowed his eyes slightly.
Like he finally realized something.
"…You really care about her."
Not a question.
A realization.
And honestly?
I was tired.
Too tired to deny it anymore.
Too worried to pretend.
So before my brain could stop me—
I snapped.
"Because I fuck love her, okay?!"
Silence.
Real silence.
Even the wind suddenly felt louder.
Aries blinked once.
Clearly not expecting that answer.
Meanwhile my chest felt tight from how hard my heart was beating now.
Too late to take it back.
So I stepped closer angrily.
"Now tell me where the fuck she is."
Aries stared at me for a long second.
Then slowly exhaled.
Not angry anymore.
Just tired.
Really tired.
And somehow…
that worried me more.
Because instead of arguing again—
he quietly said:
"…She's in Makati."
The second he answered…
my stomach dropped slightly.
Because now:
this was real.
Everything about this suddenly became real. 🌧️
End of Chapter