JAY'S POV :
I hadn't seen Percy in months. The thought of finally meeting him after school made my chest tight with a mix of hope and nerves. Percy and I had both agreed to meet at the mall — safe, public, crowded. It felt like a small rebellion against everything that made my house unsafe.
"Jay, come with us, later…" Kit called, nudging me. "We'll eat ice cream."
Ice cream. The word sparkled in my head. I wanted it so badly my mouth watered. But even that small treat felt out of reach.
"I can't," I said. "I'm tired. I'll go home."
"Then we'll bring the ice cream to your home," Calix offered.
"NO!" The word burst out of me before I could stop it.
Heat surged to my face as everyone turned toward me.
"I—I mean, it's okay. I don't have an appetite anyway. No need to bring anything," I added too quickly, forcing a nervous smile.
"Jay, what happened?" Ci asked, eyebrows drawn together.
"Is anyone bothering you? Just tell us. We'll take care of him," Calix said, the protective edge in his voice making my throat clench.
"Tss. You guys are overreacting. No one is bothering me. I'm just tired," I lied.
They exchanged looks, unconvinced. Great. Now I'd made them suspicious. I needed to meet Percy fast and get out. I couldn't stay long. Damn it!
The bell rang. My heart took off.
I shoved my books into my bag and slipped out of the classroom before anyone could ask another question. The cab ride felt like a countdown. My fingers drummed on my knee the whole way.
We chose the mall for a reason — too many people, too much noise, too many angles for anyone who'd been watching me to pin me down. And, my house is too dangerous. Section e might have kept any cameras around my house.
I kept my head low as I walked in, scanning faces, checking exits. The mall smelled like popcorn and perfume.
"Miss!" A boy's voice pulled me out of my loop. He was small, maybe a year below me, sneakers bright as a warning sign.
"A man told me to give you this"
He handed me a scrap of paper and walked away without looking back. My fingers closed around it. My pulse thudded as I read:
Jay, Section E followed you. We can't meet.
Everything in me went cold. Tears prickled at the edges of my eyes, sudden and sharp. I blinked them back and scanned the corridor. There — a dozen teenagers pressed against a pillar near the fountain, faces half-hidden. Section E. Keifer's jawline was unmistakable even from a distance.
When they saw me looking, they ducked farther behind the stone wall like prey slipping into shadow. The paper crumpled in my hand. I walked toward them, wiping at my cheeks so no one would see I'd been crying. Anger flared under the fear. I couldn't meet percy today because of them. I've been wanting to meet him from a long time. Now, I couldn't be able to meet him. Because of them!
I stopped in front of Keifer. My voice came out sharper than I'd planned.
"Why are you here? How do you know I'm here?" I demanded.
Keifer's calm made my skin crawl.
"I have my ways. First you tell us, what happened? Why are your eyes wet? Why are you here? You said you'd go home — then why are you here now? Do you have any problem?"
"You! You are my problem. Why did you come here? Why did you follow me?" I snapped, more heat than sense now.
"Jay, calm down. What happened?" Yuri stepped forward, concern softening his features.
"He didn't show up because you're here!" I blurted, forcing my voice into a steady, blaming tone.
"Who?" Yuri asked.
I couldn't tell him that it's Percy. Unless…
A smirk — small, inside — spread across my face in my mind as a plan I'd barely formed in my head slotted into place. I couldn't tell them about Percy and the secret number we'd used to contact each other. But I could make them believe something else.
"Percy," I said, and let the name hang.
The group went quiet. I watched them work it out: the possibilities, the old gossip, the way their eyes sharpened. I was playing with matches, but their curiosity lit the whole room.
"W-who is Percy?" Felix's voice trembled around the edges of the question.
"That…that stepbrother of yours."
Keifer's face went taut.
"Jay…he's already dead—"
I cut him off before he could finish.
"No! No! He's alive! He's the one I'm talking to! He's the one who always shows up for me! His eyes are blue!" I rattled off, breathless.
The words landed like pebbles. Faces shifted, expressions splitting into disbelief and something like hope. Keifer barked an order without hesitation.
"Edrix! Rory! Ask for a copy of the mall's CCTV footage. The rest, sweep every exit!" He turned his head to the group and they moved like a single animal obeying a scent.
Felix remained by my side, worry carved into his features. Yuri and Keifer stayed close too, inspecting me as if I might unravel. Yuri reached out, trying to help me up.
"Wait, Jay… Come with us," he said gently.
(The remaining scene is same. Jay's idea is that to tell all of them that Percy told her to meet Jay when they met at Halloween party. They only contacted thro Jay secret phone so she didn't say he messaged her. She tells everyone the same story that happened in the drama. And in this story Percy is not angry at yuri. And I also made a mistake in previous chapter. I actually kept a scene before drinking where they say, "Cheers to the diamond of section e". but I do where that scene flew away. I'm so sorry. Hope you understand. And yes, Jay's title is diamond)