Chapter 56: Don't Let It Drip
Jay's POV
I almost didn't go to school that morning.
I was awake long before my alarm rang, staring at the ceiling like it had answers I couldn't find anywhere else. The room was quiet, too quiet, and for some reason that made everything inside me louder. Thoughts didn't come one by one—they came all at once, overlapping, dragging me back to things I didn't want to revisit.
The dinner.
The silence.
Jeana sitting there like a presence I refused to acknowledge but couldn't ignore.
And then last night—
The noise. The laughter. The way everything felt easier in that other place. Not better. Not fixed. Just easier to exist without thinking too much.
I let out a slow breath and sat up, pressing my palms against my eyes for a second.
"Stop overthinking," I muttered to myself. "It's just school."
The words sounded empty.
Because I knew it wasn't just school.
Not anymore.
Still—I got up.
Because avoiding it would only make it worse.
It always does.
The drive there felt longer than usual, even though I wasn't going slow. My hands rested steadily on the steering wheel, my eyes fixed on the road, but my mind kept drifting. I didn't turn on music. Didn't check my phone. Didn't distract myself.
I just drove.
And thought.
And tried not to feel anything too deeply.
When I reached the school gates, the usual noise hit me—students talking, laughing, moving around like everything in the world was normal.
For them, it probably was.
For me, it felt like stepping back into something unfinished.
People noticed me the moment I walked in. They always do. But today, the attention felt sharper somehow.
"Is that Jay?"
"She came back again?"
"She looks even better now…"
"Bro, I swear—"
"Shut up."
I ignored all of it.
Like always.
I walked through the corridor with steady steps, not too fast, not too slow. My reflection passed by in the glass windows, and for a second, I caught my own eyes.
Calm.
Cold.
Controlled.
Good enough.
I reached the classroom and paused for just a second before opening the door.
Inside, Section E was exactly how I remembered.
Loud.
Messy.
Alive.
Blaster was already arguing with Rory about something ridiculous. Edrix was correcting someone mid-sentence. Kit and Mayo were whispering in a corner while Josh listened quietly. David had his head down like he was asleep or close to it. Yuri sat near the window, silent as always, observing everything.
And Keifer—
I didn't look at him.
I refused to.
I walked straight to my seat, placed my bag down, and sat. My movements were controlled, deliberate. I opened my book like that alone could create distance.
Routine.
Control.
That's all I needed.
"JJ."
Ci-N.
I didn't look up.
"Yes?"
"You came again."
"No shit."
A pause.
"…You okay?"
I flipped a page slowly, eyes still on the book.
"I look okay."
"That's not what I asked."
"Then stop asking questions you already know the answer to."
Blaster let out a quiet whistle. "Damn. Someone woke up violent."
"Shut up," I said flatly.
He raised his hands in surrender. "Relax."
"I am relaxed."
"Sure you are," Rory muttered under his breath.
Edrix shook his head slightly. "Same Jay."
"…Not really," someone said quietly.
I heard it.
I just didn't react.
Because reacting meant admitting something had changed.
And I wasn't ready to do that.
Classes started, but I barely processed anything. Words were spoken, notes were written, time moved forward—but my attention wasn't there.
It was everywhere else.
On the way people looked at me.
On the way they hesitated before speaking.
On the silence that felt different from before.
And him.
I didn't look, but I could feel it.
Keifer's gaze.
Constant.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
It sat at the edge of my awareness like something waiting.
Break time came too quickly.
Chairs scraped against the floor, voices rose again, movement filled the room. I closed my book and leaned back slightly, exhaling slowly.
"Just get through it," I muttered under my breath.
Simple.
Right?
Then it happened.
A sharp sound cut through everything.
Glass.
Breaking.
It wasn't even that loud.
But to me—
it was.
My head turned instantly.
A bottle had fallen.
Shattered across the floor.
Pieces scattered everywhere.
And then I saw it.
Blaster's hand.
A thin cut across his palm.
Small.
Barely anything.
Just a line.
Just a little blood.
Nothing serious.
Nothing anyone else would care about.
But my body reacted before my mind could.
My breath caught.
My fingers tightened against the edge of the desk.
The room started to blur slightly at the edges.
That red—
That exact shade—
The way it slowly formed—
It wasn't small anymore.
Not in my head.
Not in my chest.
"Ah, shit," Blaster muttered casually, looking at his hand.
Someone laughed lightly. "Bro, it's just a scratch."
Just a scratch.
My stomach twisted.
Sound started fading.
Not completely.
Just enough.
Like everything was being pulled away from me slowly.
"Hey, chill, it's nothing—" Rory said.
"Don't."
My voice came out sharper than I intended.
The room froze.
I didn't look at them.
I couldn't.
I was still staring at it.
At the blood.
"Don't let it drip."
Silence followed.
"What?" Blaster frowned.
"Don't let it drip," I repeated, quieter now. Controlled. Too controlled.
Ci-N stepped closer. "JJ—"
"Clean it."
My hands were shaking now.
I could feel it even if no one else could.
"Just clean it."
"Hey, relax—"
"I SAID CLEAN IT!"
This time, my voice broke through the entire room.
Everything stopped.
Blaster immediately grabbed tissues. "Okay, okay—I got it."
But it didn't help.
Because my mind wasn't here anymore.
It was somewhere else.
Glass.
Shattering.
Hands shaking.
Voices yelling.
Too loud.
Too close.
Blood—
Too much—
I couldn't breathe.
"Jay."
His voice.
Close.
Steady.
Different from the rest.
I didn't look at him.
"Look at me."
"No."
My voice came out weak this time.
Damn it.
"Jay."
"Don't—"
"Look at me."
Stronger now.
Firm.
Not loud.
But impossible to ignore.
My eyes moved before I could stop them.
And suddenly—
everything narrowed.
Just him.
Keifer.
His eyes locked on mine, steady, focused.
Not panicked.
Not confused.
Grounded.
"Breathe," he said quietly.
I didn't realize I wasn't.
I inhaled.
Sharp.
Uneven.
"Again."
I did.
Slower.
My chest loosened slightly.
The noise started coming back.
The room.
The people.
Reality.
Blaster wrapping his hand.
Ci-N watching me like he didn't know what to do.
Everyone—
staring.
"…Damn," Rory muttered.
"Shit," Edrix said quietly.
I pulled my hand away from the desk, not realizing how hard I had been gripping it.
"I—"
I stopped.
No.
No explanations.
I stood up abruptly, the chair scraping loudly against the floor.
"I'm going out."
No one stopped me.
No one spoke.
I walked out before they could.
The corridor felt colder.
Quieter.
Safer.
I leaned against the wall, closing my eyes tightly.
"Punyeta…" I whispered, pressing a hand against my chest.
My breathing was still uneven.
But I was here.
Not there.
Not back then.
Here.
Now.
Safe.
But one thought refused to leave.
They saw it.
All of them.
And that—
was going to change everything.
...