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🌙 Chapter 55: Two Different Worlds
Jay's POV
By the time evening settled in—
I thought I would feel better.
Lighter.
Less… heavy.
But I didn't.
I just felt quieter.
Like everything inside me had lowered its volume, but nothing had actually stopped.
Tita Gemma made sure I ate. Properly. Not just picking at food and pretending I was fine.
Aries didn't stop talking for more than five minutes, jumping from one topic to another like silence offended him personally.
Angelo stayed the same—calm, observant, watching everything without interrupting, like he was collecting pieces no one else noticed.
And Jeana—
she didn't leave.
She didn't try to talk again.
Didn't push.
Didn't argue.
But she stayed.
And that was enough.
I could feel her presence in every room I walked into.
Like a shadow that didn't move.
Like a question waiting for an answer I refused to give.
I left before dinner.
Didn't say much.
Didn't look at her.
Didn't let myself.
Because I knew—
if I stayed longer, something would crack.
And I didn't trust myself enough to know what it would be.
The drive after that was slower.
No speeding.
No rushing.
Just the quiet hum of the engine and the city passing by in soft blurs of light.
I didn't turn on music.
Didn't check my phone.
Didn't do anything except think.
And that was the problem.
Because thinking always led back to the same place.
School.
Section E.
Ci-N.
Keifer.
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.
"Bwisit…" I muttered under my breath.
Without realizing it—
I turned toward the second place.( Justice Veil mansion )
Not home.
Not family.
The other place.
By the time I parked outside, the sky had darkened completely. Streetlights flickered on, casting long shadows across the ground.
I sat in the car for a moment.
Just staring.
I didn't announce myself.
Didn't text.
Didn't call.
I just got out and walked toward the door.
It wasn't locked.
It never is.
The moment I stepped inside—
noise hit me.
Laughter.
Voices overlapping.
Someone arguing loudly.
Something falling.
"—I'm telling you that was NOT my fault!"
"It was literally your fault!"
"Sebastian, shut up!"
"Make me."
Normal.
Loud.
Unfiltered.
Alive.
I stood near the entrance for a second, just watching.
Same people.
Same chaos.
Same energy.
And yet—
I felt slightly outside of it.
Like I didn't fully belong in either world anymore.
"JAY."
Mia's voice cut through everything instantly.
Bright.
Sharp.
Too quick.
She ran toward me before I could react, wrapping her arms around me tightly.
"Where have you been?" she asked, her voice softer now, almost worried.
"…Breathing."
She pulled back slightly, frowning. "That's not an answer."
"It is today."
She studied my face for a second longer, like she was trying to read something I wasn't saying.
Then she sighed.
"…You look tired."
"I'm fine."
"You always say that."
"Because it's always true."
"Liar."
Sebastian's voice came from the side.
I glanced at him.
He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching me carefully.
Not joking this time.
Observing.
"You look different," he added.
"Say something new."
He smirked slightly. "Still defensive. Good."
I rolled my eyes and walked further inside.
Each step felt slower than usual.
Like I was measuring the distance between me and everyone else.
Like I wasn't fully stepping into the room.
Just… hovering near it.
"You're late."
Aries' voice came from behind me.
I didn't even need to turn.
I could already picture his expression.
Annoying.
Smug.
I turned anyway.
"You weren't expecting me."
"I always expect you," he said.
"That's a problem."
"It's a talent."
I scoffed.
Before I could move—
flick
"OW—BWISIT KA?!" I snapped instantly, grabbing my forehead and glaring at him.
"Grounding you," he said casually.
"I don't need grounding."
"You walked in like a ghost."
"I walked in like a normal person."
"No," Sebastian cut in, "you walked in like someone thinking too much."
I looked at him.
Then away.
Because—
he wasn't wrong.
I hate that.
Angelo walked in a few seconds later, slower than the rest.
His eyes moved from me—
to Aries—
to the room—
to everyone else.
Taking everything in.
He stopped in front of me.
Paused.
Then—
flick
I blinked.
"…You too?"
"Yes."
"That's unnecessary."
"No."
"That's disrespectful."
"Also no."
I stared at him for a second.
"…You're both insane."
Aries laughed loudly. "You deserved both."
"I didn't deserve either."
"You definitely did."
I shook my head, annoyed.
But something inside me—
settled.
Just a little.
Like they pulled me back without asking.
Without forcing.
Just by being… them.
"Sit," Mia said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me toward the couch.
"I can walk."
"Clearly not properly."
"Rude."
"True."
I sat anyway.
The noise around me returned almost instantly.
Blaster arguing with Rory about editing.
Edrix correcting someone mid-sentence.
Kit whispering something to Mayo.
Josh quietly listening.
Normal.
So normal it almost felt unreal.
"Where were you earlier?" Mia asked again, softer this time.
"With family."
That was it.
No one asked more.
No one pushed.
No one crossed that line.
Because this—
this was a different world.
And somehow—
both existed at the same time.
Aries dropped beside me again.
"You're quieter today."
"I'm always quiet."
"No, you're not."
"I am."
"You're not."
"Stop."
"Make me."
I turned and looked at him.
"…Gago."
He grinned immediately.
"There she is."
I rolled my eyes.
But this time—
I didn't feel like leaving.
I leaned back slightly into the couch, letting the noise fill the space around me.
Letting it exist without trying to control it.
Without trying to understand it.
Without trying to fix anything.
For once—
I didn't feel like I had to.
And maybe—
just for tonight—
that was enough.
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