Three weeks had passed since school resumed.
Three weeks of normalcy—or as normal as things got with Section E.
Jay had settled back into student life surprisingly well. Between classes, she still ran J&S remotely (thank you, modern technology), but she'd learned to delegate. Serina handled the day-to-day. Jasfer handled the chaos. Jay handled the big decisions and showed up for important meetings.
And through it all, Keifer was beside her.
Every lunch. Every break. Every moment in between.
Today was no different.
Section E was scattered across their common area in various states of relaxation. Ci-n was attempting to build a card tower. Rakki was "supervising" (judging). Mica and Calix were sharing earbuds, listening to something that made them smile. Freya was doing her nails. Edrix was "not watching" (definitely watching). Rory was on his laptop, as always. Drew was counting money. David was asleep. Eren was trying to figure out why the vending machine ate his money. Josh sat silently nearby, radiating calm.
Baster was humming something that sounded like a campfire song.
Jay was curled against Keifer on one of the couches, half-asleep, full from lunch.
Keifer: "Tired?"
Jay: "Mm."
Keifer: "You didn't sleep well?"
Jay: "You were snoring."
Keifer: "I don't snore."
Jay: "You definitely snore."
Keifer: "Liar."
Jay: "Ask Percy. He documented it."
Keifer: "Percy documents everything."
Jay: "Exactly."
Keifer kissed her hair. "Tss. Cute."
Jay: "Stop."
Keifer: "No."
The door opened.
Sir Alvin walked in, clipboard in hand, smiling that smile that meant he had news.
"Good afternoon, Section E."
Ci-n's card tower collapsed. "SIR ALVIN! IS SOMETHING HAPPENING? YOU HAVE THE FACE!"
Sir Alvin: "The face?"
Ci-n: "THE 'I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT' FACE!"
Rakki: "He's not wrong."
Sir Alvin laughed. "You know your teacher well." He held up the clipboard. "I have news. Good news. Exciting news."
Mica: "What kind of news?"
Calix: "Please don't say exams."
Freya: "Please don't say more homework."
Edrix: "Please don't say the Wi-Fi is down."
Rory: "That would be catastrophic."
Sir Alvin: "None of those." He paused for dramatic effect. "We're going on a camp."
Silence.
Then—
Ci-n: "CAMP?! LIKE OUTDOOR CAMP?! WITH TREES AND DIRT AND—"
Rakki: "Ci-n, breathe."
Ci-n: "I CAN'T! THIS IS TOO EXCITING!"
Mica: "Wait, really? Like, overnight camp?"
Sir Alvin: "Three days. Two nights. At Camp Malaya—the one in the mountains. Hiking, team-building, bonfires, the works."
Freya: "Bonfires?"
Edrix: "You hate bugs."
Freya: "I hate bugs. I love fires."
Edrix: "Fair."
Rory: "Is there Wi-Fi?"
Sir Alvin: "No."
Rory: "I'm out."
Edrix: "You're not out."
Rory: "I'm considering being out."
Edrix: "You'll last six hours max before you beg to come back."
Rory: "That's—" He paused. "Probably accurate."
Drew: "New bet! How many people get poison ivy?"
David, somehow awake: "Ci-n. 500."
Drew: "Easy money."
Eren: "Wait, camp? Like, with tents? And bugs? And no Wi-Fi?"
Sir Alvin: "Yes."
Eren: "Why would anyone want that?"
Josh silently handed him a pamphlet about "embracing nature."
Eren: "Thanks? I guess?"
Baster started humming a campfire melody.
Jay had perked up at the announcement.
She sat up straighter, eyes bright. "Camp?"
Keifer: "You like camp?"
Jay: "I love camp. The food. The activities. The—" She paused. "The s'mores."
Keifer: "Of course."
Jay: "S'mores are serious business."
Keifer: "I know."
Jay: "Do you like camp?"
Keifer: "I like anywhere you are."
Jay: "Smooth."
Keifer: "I try."
Ci-n: "SISTER JAY AND BROTHER KEIFER ARE GOING TO CAMP! TOGETHER! IN THE WOODS! WITH S'MORES!"
Rakki: "Ci-n, we're all going."
Ci-n: "YES BUT THEY'RE GOING ROMANTICALLY!"
Mica: "He has a point."
Calix: "Camp dates are elite."
Freya: "Is that a thing?"
Edrix: "Apparently."
Freya: "Huh."
Sir Alvin continued. "There are a few details. We'll be leaving Friday morning, returning Sunday afternoon. You'll need sleeping bags, appropriate clothing, toiletries—the usual."
Mica: "Are we sharing tents?"
Sir Alvin: "Yes. Four people per tent. You can choose your groups."
Ci-n immediately grabbed Rakki. "YOU'RE WITH ME!"
Rakki: "Do I have a choice?"
Ci-n: "NO!"
Rakki: "Didn't think so."
Mica grabbed Calix. "Obviously us."
Calix: "Obviously."
Freya looked around. Her eyes landed on Edrix—then quickly away.
Freya: "I guess I'll just—"
Edrix: "You could be with us."
Freya: "Us?"
Edrix: "Me and Rory. We need two more."
Rory: "We do?"
Edrix: "We do."
Rory: "Since when?"
Edrix: "Since now."
Rory looked at Freya. Then at Edrix. Then smiled slightly. "Right. Since now."
Freya: "I—fine. Whatever. I don't care."
But she was almost smiling.
Drew grabbed David. "You're with me. You can sleep the whole time."
David: "Deal."
Eren looked around. "Who am I with?"
Josh raised a hand.
Eren: "You? Just us?"
Josh nodded.
Eren: "…Okay. You're quiet. I can work with that."
Baster grabbed his phone. "I'm documenting everything. For the camp anthem."
That left Jay and Keifer.
Jay: "We need two more."
Keifer: "We do."
They looked around.
Ci-n: "NOT US! WE'RE FULL!"
Rakki: "We're full."
Mica: "Full here."
Calix: "Sorry."
Freya: "We're four."
Edrix: "Yeah."
Rory: "Full."
Drew: "Full."
David: (already asleep)
Eren: "We're two."
Josh nodded.
Jay looked at Keifer. "We're the leftovers."
Keifer: "The leftovers."
Jay: "That's embarrassing."
Keifer: "Or exclusive."
Jay: "Exclusive leftovers?"
Keifer: "Elite leftovers."
Jay laughed. "You're ridiculous."
Keifer: "Your ridiculous."
Jay: "Unfortunately."
Sir Alvin, watching: "I'm sure we can find two more for your tent."
Jay: "Who?"
Sir Alvin: "Well, there's always—"
The door opened.
Aries walked in, Ella beside him.
Aries: "We heard there's a camp?"
Ella: "We want in."
Jay blinked. "You're not in Section E."
Aries: "Section A is boring. They do everything by the rules."
Ella: "We want chaos."
Jay: "You want to be in our tent?"
Aries: "With you and Keifer? Sure."
Ella: "Sounds fun."
Keifer: "You're aware we're 'elite leftovers'?"
Aries: "What?"
Jay: "Long story."
Ella: "We're in."
Jay looked at Keifer. He shrugged.
Jay: "Fine. Welcome to the leftovers tent."
Aries: "I'm already regretting this."
Ella: "No, you're not."
Aries: "No, I'm not."
The rest of the period was chaos.
Camp planning. Tent assignments. Packing lists. Ci-n trying to convince everyone they needed matching outfits.
Ci-n: "MATCHING BANDANAS! FOR TEAM SPIRIT!"
Rakki: "No."
Ci-n: "MATCHING HATS?"
Rakki: "No."
Ci-n: "MATCHING—"
Rakki: "CI-N. NO."
Ci-n: "YOU'RE CRUSHING MY DREAMS."
Rakki: "Your dreams are dangerous."
Mica was making a snack list. Calix was "helping" (eating the snacks). Freya was researching the best camping outfits. Edrix was "not helping" (definitely helping). Rory was already planning how to survive without Wi-Fi. Drew was taking bets on everything. David was still asleep. Eren was confused about why they needed sleeping bags. Josh was quietly making a list of useful items.
Baster was humming a camp song he was composing on the spot.
Jay leaned against Keifer, watching the chaos.
Jay: "This is going to be insane."
Keifer: "This is Section E. It's always insane."
Jay: "True."
Keifer: "But we'll be together. In a tent. For three days."
Jay: "With Aries and Ella."
Keifer: "They're tolerable."
Jay: "Barely."
Keifer: "Tss."
Jay: "Stop."
Keifer: "Never."
She kissed his cheek.
He smiled.
Sir Alvin clapped his hands. "Alright, settle down! One more thing!"
The room quieted.
Sir Alvin: "This camp isn't just for fun. There will be team-building activities. Challenges. Competitions."
Ci-n: "COMPETITIONS? I LOVE COMPETITIONS!"
Rakki: "You love losing?"
Ci-n: "I LOVE PARTICIPATING!"
Sir Alvin: "And at the end—" He paused dramatically. "There's a prize."
Mica: "What kind of prize?"
Sir Alvin: "The winning team gets a week off from final exams."
The room went DEAD silent.
Then—
ABSOLUTE CHAOS.
Ci-n: "A WEEK OFF?! FROM EXAMS?!"
Rakki: "WE HAVE TO WIN."
Mica: "NO MORE STUDYING?"
Calix: "I'M IN."
Freya: "I didn't care before but now I CARE."
Edrix: "Rory, we're hacking the competition."
Rory: "Already planning."
Drew: "New bet! Who wins?"
David: "Us. 1000."
Drew: "You're ON."
Eren: "Wait, no exams? SIGN ME UP."
Josh nodded firmly.
Baster started humming a victory anthem.
Jay sat up straight. "We're winning this."
Keifer: "Obviously."
Jay: "No exams, Keifer. Think about it. No studying. No stress. Just—"
Keifer: "S'mores?"
Jay: "S'mores AND no exams."
Keifer: "We're definitely winning."
Aries: "We're in your tent. Does that mean we share the prize?"
Ella: "We better."
Aries: "I'm not losing to Ci-n."
Ella: "No one wants to lose to Ci-n."
Ci-n: "I HEARD THAT!"
Ella: "You were meant to."
The bell rang.
Section E spilled out of the room, still buzzing with excitement.
Jay and Keifer walked hand in hand.
Jay: "Three days. Camp. No exams on the line."
Keifer: "And us. Together."
Jay: "And s'mores."
Keifer: "And s'mores."
Jay: "Jayfer forever?"
Keifer: "Jayfer forever."
Behind them, Section E was already planning.
Ci-n: "WE NEED A STRATEGY! A PLAN! A—"
Rakki: "Ci-n, we have three days."
Ci-n: "THREE DAYS IS NOT ENOUGH!"
Mica: "It's plenty."
Calix: "We've got this."
Freya: "I'm not losing to anyone."
Edrix: "Especially not to people with bugs in their tents."
Freya: "That's oddly specific."
Edrix: "I have visions."
Rory: "No, you don't."
Edrix: "I have dreams."
Rory: "That's worse."
Drew: "I'm taking bets on everything."
David: "Including who gets lost first?"
Drew: "Especially that."
Eren: "Wait, we could get lost?"
Josh handed him a compass.
Eren: "Thanks?"
Josh nodded.
Baster hummed.
And in the middle of it all—
Jay and Keifer.
Ready for camp.
Ready for chaos.
Ready for everything.
Together.