Jay-Jay's POV
After the adrenaline of the rollercoasters and the chaotic "Foam Pit War," we were all officially running on empty.
My stomach was growling so loud it was competing with the park's background music.
We were a mess—sweaty, covered in lint from the foam, and completely starving.
We were all checking our pockets and debating whether we had enough left for a feast when Drew suddenly stepped into the center of the group.
He threw his hands up in the air, a huge, genuine grin on his face.
"Today, food is on me! I'll pay for everyone!"
The silence that followed was deafening.
Every single person in Section E froze. Our eyes widened until they practically popped out.
"Really, Drew?" Felix asked, his voice cracking.
"You? The guy who asks to borrow twenty pesos for a fishball almost every day?"
"Is this a prank?" Mayo added, looking around for a hidden camera.
"Are we going to eat and then realize we have to wash the dishes to pay the bill?"
Everyone started shouting questions at once, but Drew just laughed—a clear, relieved sound.
"I'm serious! My family's company is recovering.
I don't need to borrow money anymore. I'm back on my feet!"
While most of us were in a state of total shock, I noticed a few people didn't look surprised at all.
Keifer, Percy, Yuri, Aries, Rory, and Edrix were just standing back, wearing small, knowing smirks.
Drew looked at the "Big Four" and then back at us. "Keifer invested in our company. And... my contract with the loan sharks is finally over. I'm free."
The shock turned into an explosion of cheers.
We knew how much Drew had been struggling, hiding his debt and his family's pain behind jokes and borrowed coins.
Seeing him stand tall was better than any ride in the park.
Drew walked over to me. His expression softened, and before I could say a word, he pulled me into a tight, brotherly hug.
"Thank you, Mutya," he whispered, his voice trembling. "Thank you for listening to me when I was at my lowest. For understanding me when I felt like a burden."
I felt a warm tear roll down my cheek, and I saw one escape his eye, too.
It wasn't just about the money; it was about the fact that he didn't have to carry the weight alone anymore.
One by one, the rest of the group piled in.
It started with Ci-N and Felix, then the girls, and finally even the "cool" guys.
We formed a massive, messy, emotional circle hug in the middle of the amusement park walkway. It was a beautiful, heart-touching moment of pure family love.
But, of course, Section E can't stay emotional for more than sixty seconds.
From somewhere near the bottom of the pile, a muffled, sharp voice cut through our tears.
"If you all don't get off me in the next three seconds, I am going to start biting ankles."
We all jumped back. Elara was at the center of the huddle, looking like she'd just been run over by a truck.
Her hair was a bird's nest, and her face was squeezed red from the weight of twenty people crushing her.
Everyone burst into laughter, the emotional tension breaking instantly. Drew wiped his eyes, laughing the loudest.
"Alright, alright!" Drew shouted, waving us toward the biggest restaurant in the park. "The 'Ugly Animals' and the 'Ninjas' eat for free tonight! Let's go!"
The restaurant was huge, but Section E managed to make it feel like a crowded elevator.
We had pushed four long tables together, and the seating arrangement was a total battlefield.
Usually, people pick a chair and sit, but not this group. Tonight, everyone was obsessed with "Pairing Up," and the single guys were having a mid-life crisis.
Josh, who usually disappears into the shadows, decided he wasn't going to be left out.
He physically wedged himself directly between Kit and Mayo.
"Josh, move! You're literally sitting on my napkin!" Mayo groaned, trying to shove him.
Josh didn't move an inch.
He just stared blankly at the menu. "I am a wall. Walls do not move."
Meanwhile, Blaster was on a mission.
He tried to stick himself between Percy and Honey, looking like a third wheel made of lead.
"Blaster, get out!" Percy hissed, guarding his "aesthetic" space.
"You're ruining the symmetry of our seating! Go find a corner!"
"I'm just protecting Honey from your ego, Percy!" Blaster shot back.
They bickered like toddlers over a toy until Honey finally shoved Blaster toward Calix and Mica.
He sat there pouting, sandwiched between a couple who were actually being sweet to each other.
Then there was Eren. Despite having a contact list full of "girlfriends," he was currently roaming the table like a lost puppy.
He tried to slide in next to Aries and Ella, seriously ? but Aries didn't even look up from his water glass.
"Try it, Eren, and you'll be eating through a straw," Aries said coldly.
Eren squeaked and scurried away, finally popping up between Ci-N and Grandpa David.
"Hey, Grandpa! Got room for a handsome grandson?" Grandpa David just patted his head.
"Sit down, child. You're making my dizzy just watching you."
Finally, the only one left standing was Elara.
She stood at the head of the table, her arms crossed, looking at the only remaining gap—the one between me and Keifer.
She raised a perfectly groomed, grinning eyebrow at Keifer, her eyes dancing with mischief.
"So," she drawled. "Do I step between the King and his Queen, ? It looks sturdy enough."
"Don't even think about it!" Keifer shouted, his face turning red instantly. "Go sit with the 'Single Squad' near the trash can, Elara!"
I knew these two. They were both more stubborn than a pair of mules, seriously they took my character and if I didn't intervene, we'd be kicked out of the restaurant before the appetizers arrived. I quickly patted the empty chair on my left side.
"Elara, sit here," I said, laughing.
"Keifer is on my right, you're on my left. I'll be the human shield."
Elara smirked, walked over with a regal stride, and as she sat down, she leaned over and stuck her tongue out at Keifer.
Keifer rolled his eyes.
I turned to him and made the most exaggerated puppy face I could muster—big eyes, pouting lip, the whole works.
" Keifer... it's family night! Can't we all just be friends?" Keifer stared at me, his anger melting faster than ice on a grill.
He let out a long, defeated sigh. "Fine. But if she touches my fries, I'm calling a lawyer."
Is he really keifer , why is he acting like me?. Ahhh!
"I don't want your greasy fries, Llama," Elara retorted, already scanning the menu for the most expensive steak.
"I'm ordering the sandwich. Drew's paying, right?"
From the other end of the table, Drew raised a glass of soda.
"Order whatever you want! Tonight, we eat like kings and queens!
"See?" I nudged Keifer. "Relax. Just enjoy the chaos."
Keifer grumbled, but he reached under the table and squeezed my hand.
"Only because you asked nicely, Mutya. But she's still an ugly animal."
"I heard that!" Elara chirped.
A/n :
I know these chapters could be boring but just wait for few days more with consistency, something big is comming.
**Spoilers for upcoming chapters
Who really is Elara.
Keizer watson back with new mystry