Chapter: The Girl in the Photo
(Jay's POV)
The next day felt… strangely normal.
Too normal.
After everything that happened yesterday, after fainting in front of the whole Section E, after crying in Keifer's arms and telling him everything—I thought today would feel heavy.
But it didn't.
It felt quiet.
Suspiciously quiet.
Keifer was sitting beside me during free period, scrolling through his phone while Ci N and Blaster argued about something completely useless.
I wasn't even trying to look at his phone.
I swear.
But then—
I saw it.
A girl.
Her picture flashed on his screen.
Not just any random picture.
It looked personal.
She was smiling softly, wearing a simple white dress. There was something calm about her… familiar.
Too familiar.
My heart skipped.
Because I had seen that face before.
At my house.
Kuya Angelo had the same photo.
Same girl.
Same smile.
In a photo frame in his room.
I froze.
"Keif," I said slowly.
He hummed without looking up. "Hmm?"
"Who's that?"
He stopped scrolling.
Just slightly.
Not enough for anyone else to notice.
But I did.
He locked his phone immediately.
Too fast.
"Just… someone," he replied casually.
Just someone?
I blinked at him.
"Just someone?" I repeated.
He stood up suddenly. "I'll go get water."
And walked away.
Excuse me?
I stared at his back as he left the classroom.
That was not normal.
Not even slightly.
Ci N leaned toward me. "Why do you look like you just saw a ghost?"
"I saw a girl," I muttered.
Blaster gasped dramatically. "A GIRL? On his PHONE? CALL THE POLICE."
I glared at him. "Shut up."
But my mind wasn't joking.
Why does Keifer have her picture?
And why does Kuya Angelo also have the same one?
When Keifer came back, I didn't wait.
I stood up and blocked his way.
"Keifer."
He looked down at me calmly. "What?"
"Don't 'what' me."
His eyebrow twitched slightly.
"The girl in your phone," I said quietly. "Who is she?"
Silence.
He didn't answer.
He just looked at me.
And that scared me more than if he had lied.
"Keifer," I whispered. "I've seen her before."
That made him react.
His jaw tightened.
"Where?" he asked carefully.
"At my house," I replied. "Kuya Angelo has the same photo frame of her."
The air between us changed instantly.
His expression hardened.
Not angry.
Not shocked.
Just… closed.
"Don't overthink it," he said softly.
That hurt.
"I'm not overthinking," I replied. "I'm asking."
He looked away.
"It's nothing you need to worry about."
Nothing I need to worry about?
My chest felt tight.
Yesterday, I told him everything.
Every fear.
Every threat.
And now—
He can't tell me who she is?
"Keif," I said, my voice smaller now. "Is she important?"
He stayed silent.
And silence is always louder than words.
"Is she the reason Kuya Angelo knows you?" I pushed.
Still nothing.
My heart started doing that stupid jealous thing I hate.
"She's not…" I swallowed. "She's not someone you—"
He cut me off gently.
"Jay."
Just my name.
But the way he said it…
It wasn't cold.
It was heavy.
"There are things I can't explain right now," he said quietly. "Not because I don't trust you. But because it's complicated."
Complicated.
I hate that word.
"Is she alive?" I asked before I could stop myself.
That question made his eyes flicker.
And that tiny reaction?
It told me everything.
He stepped closer.
"You'll know soon," he said softly. "I promise."
Soon?
That means there is something.
My stomach twisted.
He touched my hand gently.
"Trust me."
I looked at him.
I do trust him.
But that photo—
That girl—
Why does she connect Keifer and Kuya Angelo?
And why does it feel like I just stepped into something bigger than all of us?
Something none of us are ready for.