JAY-JAY POV
The hotel was already chaos.
Section E spread everywhere the second we entered.
Cin and Drew were running through the lobby.
Felix was stealing snacks.
Rory was recording everything.
Blaster was arguing with David again.
And Keifer…
Keifer kept looking at Adrian.
Quietly.
Carefully.
Like he was trying to figure him out.
I ignored it.
Mostly.
After getting our room cards, everyone started going upstairs.
But before I could leave—
Robin stopped me.
"Wait."
I turned slightly.
"What?"
Robin smirked.
"We finally found you again after years and now you're disappearing already?"
Cyrus nodded once.
"We barely talked."
Then Adrian spoke quietly beside me.
"Stay for a while."
And just like that—
I stayed.
The four of us sat together in the hotel lounge near the giant windows while city lights reflected outside.
For a second…
it felt unreal.
Because years ago—
before HVIS.
Before Section E.
Before all of this—
these three were my world.
Robin leaned back comfortably.
"Wow," he muttered. "The city's most wanted disaster group reunited."
I rolled my eyes immediately.
"You're still dramatic."
"And still correct."
Cyrus smirked slightly.
"He's definitely correct."
I sighed dramatically.
Annoying.
All of them.
Robin suddenly looked at me.
"You still glare at people before threatening them?"
"That's called communication."
"That's called criminal behavior," Cyrus corrected calmly.
Adrian finally spoke quietly beside me.
"She was the scariest one."
I looked offended immediately.
"Excuse me?"
Robin started laughing.
"Jay-Jay, you literally led us."
"That sounds fake."
Cyrus looked completely unconvinced.
"No it doesn't."
Silence.
Then all three of them laughed softly together.
And somehow hearing that again after years made my chest ache a little.
Because nobody understood the old me like they did.
Robin suddenly grinned.
"Remember when that gang from the east side tried to mess with us?"
I crossed my arms instantly.
"They touched Adrian first."
"And you broke their leader's arm," Cyrus added.
"He deserved worse."
Robin laughed harder.
"She was INSANE back then."
"Back then?" I repeated slowly.
Robin immediately raised his hands.
"…I choose life."
Smart choice.
Adrian shook his head slightly beside me.
"You scared half the city."
"That's exaggerated."
"No," Cyrus replied calmly. "It's really not."
Silence.
Because unfortunately—
he was right.
Back then…
we weren't just feared in school.
People in the city knew us too.
Not because we wanted attention.
But because nobody touched our group without consequences.
Robin leaned back again.
"The rumors about us were crazy."
Cyrus smirked slightly.
"They called us teenage gangsters."
I muttered,
"That nickname was embarrassing."
"It was accurate," Adrian said quietly.
That made me look at him.
And unlike the others—
he wasn't joking.
Not even a little.
Robin pointed at me dramatically.
"She was the leader."
I groaned instantly.
"Can we stop exposing me tonight?"
"No," Cyrus replied immediately.
Adrian looked at me softly for a second before saying:
"You protected us more than yourself."
Silence.
That one hit differently.
Because they knew.
All of them knew.
No matter how violent things got back then…
I would've destroyed anyone who tried to hurt them.
And they would've done the same for me.
Robin suddenly smiled slightly.
"We were actually scary together."
"We still are," Cyrus corrected.
That made Adrian glance toward the elevators where Section E went earlier.
Then finally—
he asked quietly:
"So."
"What exactly is Section E?"
Robin leaned forward instantly.
"Oh this should be good."
Cyrus crossed his arms slightly.
"Yeah. Explain your new group."
I sighed dramatically.
"They're loud."
"That tells us nothing."
"They fight too much."
"That sounds familiar."
"They're annoying."
"That sounds VERY familiar."
I glared at Robin.
"Do you enjoy being irritating?"
"Yes."
Cyrus laughed quietly again.
Then Adrian asked the real question.
Soft voice.
Careful eyes.
"Do you trust them?"
Silence.
Real silence.
Because that question mattered.
Section E was chaos.
Violence.
Headaches.
Trouble.
But also—
they stayed.
They protected me.
And somehow…
my eyes drifted toward the elevators again.
Toward where Keifer disappeared earlier.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
I looked away quickly.
"…Yeah," I admitted quietly.
"I do."
Robin noticed immediately.
"Ohhhhh."
I pointed at him instantly.
"Don't start."
"Too late."
Cyrus looked thoughtful now.
But Adrian…
Adrian followed my earlier glance silently.
And somehow—
I knew he understood exactly who I looked at.
Which was a problem.
A very dangerous problem.
END OF CHAPTER 41