Jay's pOV
I sat on a mossy log slightly away from the main camp, the quiet rustle of the leaves doing very little to calm the static in my head. My fingers absentmindedly traced the faint, sensitive skin of my neck.
The memory of the Cyrus family kneeling in the dirt was already fading, replaced by a strange, hollow weight. It was always like this. The storm would pass, the absolute authority of my family's name would crush whoever stood in our way, and then I'd be left sitting in the aftermath, wondering why the victories always felt so cold.
"Look at her, Felix. She's doing the brooding anime protagonist pose again."
"A classic, Cin. Eleven out of ten for the blank stare, but the posture needs more angst."
Before I could even blink, two heavy weights dropped onto the log on either side of me. Cin threw his arm around my shoulder with entirely too much familiarity, while Felix leaned in from the left, a giant, mischievous grin plastered across his face.
"What do you two want?" I asked, keeping my voice flat, though the tight knot in my chest loosened just a fraction.
"We want you to stop acting like a retired mafia boss reflecting on her sins," Cin joked, poking my cheek. "The camp didn't get canceled, which means we have free reign over the lake area. Sir Alvin is currently inside his tent consuming his weight in stress-relief tea."
"And more importantly," Felix added, grabbing my wrist gently but firmly, "the boys are losing their minds trying to skim stones. Blaster nearly took out Edrix's left eye. We need supervision, Boss."
Without waiting for my permission, the two of them hauled me to my feet. I didn't actively fight them, letting myself be dragged down the dirt path toward the shimmering edge of the lake.
As we broke through the treeline, the chaotic noise of Section E hit us instantly.
"I'm telling you, it's all in the wrist angle!" Rory yelled, aggressively throwing a flat pebble that instantly sank like a brick.
"Your wrist angle is trash, Rory," Eren scoffed, leaning casually against a large rock. "Watch a master." Eren flicked his hand, and his stone skipped beautifully three times across the calm water.
"Show-off," Edrix muttered, adjusting his glasses. "Though I suppose anything looks impressive compared to Rory's attempt."
"Hey! I am trying my best here!" Rory protested, while David and Drew laughed hysterically from the shoreline, their legs already kicked out into the shallow water.
Calix walked up to us, holding a massive, ridiculous-looking piece of driftwood like a staff. "Look who the boys brought back. The queen herself has graced us with her presence."
"Don't get used to it," I murmured, though a tiny smile threatened to crack my expression.
Jane was standing a few feet away, her hands on her hips, watching the boys' stupidity with pure amusement. As I walked closer to the edge, looking down at the clear, cool mountain water, I felt Jane step up right behind me.
"Hey, Jay," she whispered.
"Yeah?"
"You think too much."
Before I could process the words, a pair of hands planted firmly on my back and pushed.
I gasped as my balance gave way, and a second later, a massive
SPLASH
Echoed through the clearing. The cold lake water engulfed me, shocking my system. I broke through the surface, wiping the dripping hair from my face, my eyes narrowing into a dangerous glare as I locked onto Jane, who was laughing so hard she was clutching her stomach.
"Jane , you are dead," I warned.
But before I could even step forward to drag her in, a wall of water hit me directly in the side of the face.
"Incoming!" Blaster yelled, kicking up a massive wave from where he stood.
"Oh, it is on!" Cin shouted, diving straight into the shallow water next to me, deliberately splashing both me and Felix.
Within seconds, it was absolute chaos.
Drew and David started throwing handfuls of water at Rory, while Calix used his driftwood staff to paddle massive waves toward Eren and Edrix.
I stood there for a split second, water dripping from my eyelashes, watching Section E completely lose their minds in a giant, uncoordinated water fight. And then, something broke inside me. The heavy, suffocating pressure from earlier completely vanished.
A sound escaped my throat—a genuine, loud, clear laugh. It wasn't my usual sharp, mocking smirk. It was a real, breathless laugh that I hadn't heard from myself in God knows how many years.
"Oh, you're all gonna pay for that ," I laughed, cupping my hands and sending a ferocious, targeted spray of water directly into Jane's face, knocking her off balance until she tumbled into the lake with me.
The entire group erupted into cheers. We spent the next hour acting like absolute idiots, splashing, ducking, and playing in the water under the afternoon sun, completely forgetting about the rules, the principal, and the world outside the woods.
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Keifer's POV
I stood back on the dry grass, the collar of my shirt slightly damp from a stray splash, but I didn't care. I couldn't move. I couldn't even breathe properly.
My eyes were locked entirely on Jay.
She was laughing. Really, truly laughing. Her head was thrown back, her wet hair clinging to her neck and shoulders, and her eyes were bright, sparkling with a pure, unadulterated joy that I had never seen on her face before.
The sharp, guarded, terrifying Miss Jean had completely vanished, replaced by a girl who looked utterly breathtaking. The sound of her laughter felt like a physical strike to my chest, making my heart hammer erratically against my ribs.
For a long, suspended moment, the entire world simply faded into background noise. The shouting of the boys, the rustle of the trees, the stress of the camp—it all disappeared. There was only her.
God, she's beautiful, I thought, a sudden, terrifying warmth blooming deep within my chest.
Then, a cold jolt of reality hit me.
No. Stop. This can't happen.
I forced my jaw to clench, pulling my gaze away for a fraction of a second to look at my own hands. This was a game. This was all part of the plan.
I was supposed to draw her in, to make her trust me, to entangle Section E and Aries Fernandes for my revenge .
Falling for her was not on the itinerary. It was a liability. A weakness.
It's just an act, I tried to tell myself, forcing the words into my mind like a mantra. You're just playing your part. It's a calculated strategy.
But as I looked back at her, watching her splash Cin while wiping a drop of water from her nose, a sickening realization settled in my stomach.
The plan was failing. Not because she was slipping away, but because the cold, calculated lines I had drawn for myself were completely melting under the heat of her smile. Deep down, I knew the truth.
The plan was already gone. And I was completely defenseless.
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Jane's POV
The water fight had finally wound down, leaving us all shivering but thoroughly amused as we dried off near the logs.
I was standing near the edge of the path, talking quietly with Jay about heading back to the tents to change into dry clothes, when Keifer walked up to us. His eyes did that familiar, intense sweep over Jay before he looked at me.
"Have either of you seen Yuri?" Keifer asked, his voice tighter than usual. "Sir Alvin is looking for him for the headcount, and he isn't with the rest of the boys."
Jay shook her head, wringing out the hem of her wet shirt. "No. He was by the posts earlier."
"I haven't seen him since we ran down to the lake," I added, a strange, uneasy feeling suddenly prickling at the back of my neck.
"Let's find him before Alvin starts throwing a tantrum," Keifer said, turning toward the denser part of the woods near the old camp structures.
The three of us started walking, splitting our focus through the trees. We searched past the main storage sheds and down the narrow trail leading toward the abandoned counselor cabins.
As we rounded a sharp, overgrown corner near a dilapidated wooden pavilion, Keifer suddenly halted, throwing an arm out to stop both me and Jay.
Through the gaps in the weathered wooden slats, two figures were standing. It was Yuri. And standing right in front of him, her fingers clutching the lapel of his jacket, was Ella.
I froze, my breath catching tightly in my throat.
"Yuri, please, just listen to me," Ella's voice carried over the quiet air, desperate and strained. "I never loved Keifer. You have to believe me."
My heart did a violent, painful twist in my chest. I felt the air leave my lungs as if I'd been kicked.
"What are you talking about, Ella?" Yuri asked, his voice low, unreadable.
"The breakup... three years ago, it wasn't because I stopped caring about you," she cried, a tear slipping down her cheek. "Your mother... she came to me. She threatened my family. She told me she would ruin us if I didn't stay away from you. I was terrified, Yuri! I didn't know what to do. Being with Keifer... it was just a distraction. I used him to make your mother think I had moved on, to keep the heat off my family. But it was always you. I've loved you back then."
The world seemed to tilt on its axis. A toxic mix of heartbreak, blinding anger, and profound sadness crashed over me all at once.
My hands balled into tight fists, my fingernails biting into my palms so hard it broke the skin. He loved her once, the voice in my head whispered, cruel and mocking.
What if he still does? What if he accepts her love right now?
Suddenly, a blur of dark clothing moved past me. It wasn't Keifer.
It was Aries.
My brother materialized out of the shadows of the trail like a ghost, his face a mask of absolute, unhinged fury. Before anyone could shout a warning, Aries stormed into the pavilion. His arm swung back, and with a terrifying, heavy force, his fist connected directly with Yuri's jaw.
Yuri stumbled backward, crashing violently against the wooden railing.
"Aries, stop!" I screamed, finding my voice as I lunged forward.
Keifer stepped in an instant later, his eyes dark as he threw his weight forward, wrapping his arms around Aries' torso to pin his arms to his sides.
"Aries! Back off!" Keifer growled, straining against my brother's raw strength.
I threw myself directly in front of Yuri, shielding him with my own body, my eyes wide and furious as I glared at my brother. "Aries, don't you dare touch him!"
Jay walked into the clearing, her steps slow, measured, but her voice carried a freezing, absolute authority. "Aries. Calm down. Right now."
Aries ceased his struggling against Keifer, his chest heaving as he stared at Yuri over my shoulder. The silence in the pavilion was deafening. Aries exhaled a long, shaky breath, slowly lowering his fists.
He didn't say a single word. He didn't look at me, and he completely ignored Ella, who was trembling and calling out his name in terror. He simply turned on his heel and walked away, disappearing back into the deep shadows of the woods.
Ella looked around at the absolute disaster she had caused, realizing nobody was going to offer her sympathy. With a choked sob, she turned and sprinted back toward the main camp.
The second she left, the suffocating pressure in my chest broke. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't look at Yuri. Without a word, I turned and bolted in the opposite direction, tears blinding my vision as I ran blindly into the trees.
"Jane! Wait!" Yuri's voice called out behind me, followed by the heavy thud of his footsteps pursuing me.
I ran until my lungs burned, tearing through branches until I stumbled into a small, clearing containing an old, abandoned hunter's hut.
I collapsed onto the rickety wooden bench on the porch, my hands covering my face as the tears finally overflowed, hot and unstoppable.
A moment later, the sound of hurried footsteps slowed down. Yuri stepped onto the porch, his jaw already bruising, his breathing ragged. He slowly walked over and sat down on the bench right beside me.
"Jane..."
"Why, Yuri?" I choked out, pulling my hands away from my face, my eyes red and angry as I looked at him. "I can't... I couldn't control my anger when she said those things. When she said she loved you. My heart literally felt like it was breaking. I just kept thinking... what if you accept her again? What if you still want her?"
Yuri's expression softened into something incredibly raw and pained. He reached out, his warm hands gently taking mine, forcing me to look directly into his eyes.
"Jane, listen to me," Yuri said, his voice steady, carrying a desperate sincerity. "I don't love her. It is true, I used to love her a long time ago. But now? Now I have you. And trust me, after meeting you, I realized my love for her was just an attraction. It was a childish crush. But after meeting you... I realized what real love actually is. I'm never gonna leave you, Jane. Ever."
I sniffled, wiping a tear with the back of my hand, my fierce defensive walls trying to rebuild themselves even through the crying. "You better not, Yuri. Because if you do... Jay and my brothers will personally put you in a coffin. And I will be the one sealing it."
A breathless, beautiful chuckle escaped Yuri's lips. He shook his head, a bright smile breaking through his serious expression. "I dare not."
He pulled me forward, and I let myself fall into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me tightly, holding me against him as the last of my tears faded.
We stayed there in that quiet moment, the warmth of his body erasing the cold dread in my heart. Slowly, Yuri pulled back just enough to look down at me. His eyes drifted to my lips, and then, slowly, gently, his lips found mine in a soft, promising kiss that sealed every word he had just spoken.
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Jay's POV
I stood near the entrance of the dilapidated pavilion long after the chaos had cleared. The words Ella had spoken kept echoing in my mind, cutting through my usual detachment. She used Keifer as a distraction.
I closed my eyes, a bitter, familiar taste rising in my throat. I understood. I understood exactly what Keifer was going to feel right now. He was just like me. A puppet in other people's games, used, discarded, and never truly loved back by the people he chose. It was a pathetic, exhausting club to belong to.
After Jane and Yuri had run off, I walked back toward the old camp cabins. I found Keifer sitting alone on the worn concrete staircase of an abandoned lodge, his elbows resting on his knees, staring blankly at the dirt.
I walked over quietly and sat down on the step right beside him, leaving a few inches of space between us.
"Say what you want," I said softly, looking out at the trees. "I'm listening."
Keifer turned his head slowly, his dark eyes searching mine, looking for a mockery or pity that wasn't there. When he realized I was completely serious, his guarded posture slumped.
"It's just funny, isn't it?" he started, a hollow, humorless laugh escaping his throat. "I just feel... sad. Disappointed. Like I'm completely incapable of being loved back. First, there was Freya. I loved her with everything I had, Jay. I gave her everything. And she used me for my money, and then she spread those horrific rumors about me hitting her just to destroy my reputation. And now Ella... the girl I thought was a refuge, she just used me as a shield. A distraction."
As he spoke, a single, solitary tear escaped his eye, tracking down his cheek. He caught it quickly, wiping it away with a harsh flick of his thumb, his jaw tightening as he tried to force the vulnerability back down.
I didn't think. I just reached out, my fingers cool as I cupped his face, gently forcing him to turn and look directly at me.
"Look at me, Keifer," I said, my voice steady, stripped of all its usual sharp armor. "You don't have to hide your tears from me. I understand you. More than you think. But trust me... you deserve someone better than people who use you."
Keifer stared at me, his breath hitching.
Then, completely catching me off guard, he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around my waist, burying his face into the crook of my shoulder. He held onto me tightly, his shoulders trembling slightly, as if he was just utterly, completely tired of fighting the world alone.
I froze for a second, my hands hovering, before I slowly let them rest on his back, offering him the only quiet comfort I knew how to give.
After a long while, Keifer slowly pulled back. He kept his face close to mine, his dark eyes intensely locking onto my lips before rising to meet my gaze.
"I also think that, Jay," he murmured, a dangerous, familiar spark returning to his eyes. "Only you deserve to be my wifey."
The sudden shift made a massive blush heat up my cheeks. I tried to pull my hand back, glaring at him.
"Gago," I muttered in a flustered Filipino curse, trying to hide how fast my heart was suddenly beating.
Keifer smirked, the heavy sadness completely melting into pure, unadulterated mischief. "Profanity, Jay-Jay?"
Before I could utter another word of protest, Keifer leaned in and captured my lips.
It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was a hot, consuming, breathless collision.
He nipped firmly at my lower lip, forcing a small gasp from my throat, and the moment my mouth opened, he slid his tongue inside, devouring my lips with a fierce, possessive intensity that made my entire brain go completely blank. My hands gripped his jacket, pulling him closer as the world spun out of control.
He only broke the kiss when both of our lungs were completely begging for air.
I sat there, my chest heaving, my lips tingling and swollen as I tried to breathe normally.
I glared at him, though my voice lacked any real bite. "You are completely shameless, Keifer Watson."
Keifer just leaned back against the staircase, his signature, breathtaking smirk firmly back in place as he ran a thumb over his own lip.
"Only for you, Jay-Jay."
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A/n
Hey guys! I am so incredibly sorry for not posting the past days. Life got a bit crazy on my end, but I hope this update makes up for the wait!
Thank you so much for your patience and for sticking with me. I appreciate every single one of you! ❤️
Don't forget to comment and let me know your thoughts about this chapter...
See you soon 💕
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