Chapter: The Moment My World Fell
Keifer's POV
I knew something was wrong the moment I saw the blood.
At first, my brain refused to process it.
Jay was sitting against the wall with David beside her, and everyone else from Section E was beating the life out of some guy on the ground.
But I didn't care about that.
I only saw her.
Her hair was messy.
Her shirt was stained.
And there was blood slowly sliding down from her forehead.
For a moment my body completely froze.
My heart slammed violently inside my chest.
"Jay—"
My voice sounded strange to my own ears.
She looked up at me slowly, like she was waking from a dream.
Her eyes were unfocused.
Confused.
And then I saw it.
The moment she noticed the blood.
Her gaze dropped to her hands.
To the red stains.
Her pupils shrank instantly.
Her breathing stopped.
And suddenly her entire body began trembling.
My stomach dropped.
No.
No no no.
I knew that look.
I had seen it once before.
Her blood trauma.
The thing she feared more than anything.
"Jay look at me," I said quickly, kneeling in front of her.
But she wasn't hearing me.
Her hands started shaking violently.
Her lips parted slightly.
Her eyes looked like she was seeing something else entirely.
Something from the past.
"Jay."
I gently grabbed her shoulders.
Her skin felt cold.
"Hey… look at me."
Her eyes slowly lifted.
For one second our gazes met.
And then—
Her body went completely limp.
"Jay!"
She collapsed forward.
I caught her immediately before her head hit the ground.
My heart stopped.
"JAY!"
David stepped back in panic.
"She just fainted!"
Behind us, the chaos stopped instantly.
Blaster looked over.
"Jay?!"
Rory released Cyrus' collar.
Ci-N jumped off his back.
"JAY?!"
Within seconds the entire Section E rushed toward us.
I held her tightly in my arms.
Her head rested against my chest.
Her eyes were closed.
Too still.
Too quiet.
"Jay wake up," I whispered desperately.
Nothing.
My chest tightened painfully.
"Jay…"
Ci-N dropped to his knees beside me.
"Why isn't she waking up?!"
David wiped his hands on his uniform nervously.
"She saw the blood…"
Blaster cursed loudly.
"Damn it!"
Kit ran a hand through his hair.
"Call the school nurse!"
"Forget the nurse," Rory said. "She needs a hospital."
I nodded immediately.
"Yes."
My hands tightened around her.
Her body felt too light in my arms.
Too fragile.
Like she could disappear any second.
Fear clawed up my throat.
Ci-N stood up abruptly.
"I'll get the car!"
Drew and Josh ran toward the gate with him.
Meanwhile David pointed toward the guy on the ground.
"What about that bastard?"
Everyone looked back.
Cyrus was barely conscious.
Blaster cracked his knuckles.
"We'll deal with him later."
Right now none of us cared about him.
Jay suddenly shifted slightly in my arms.
My heart jumped.
"Jay?"
But she didn't wake up.
Her breathing was weak but steady.
Still unconscious.
Still pale.
And the blood on her forehead made my stomach twist.
I carefully brushed her hair away from the wound.
"Damn it," I muttered.
I should've been there earlier.
I should've stopped it.
I should've protected her.
Anger burned in my chest.
But right now fear was stronger.
Ci-N came running back.
"The car's ready!"
"Good," Rory said.
I stood up carefully, still holding Jay.
Her head rested against my shoulder.
Her arms hung loosely.
Seeing her like this made something break inside me.
She was the loudest person in the world.
Always fighting.
Always roasting people.
Always screaming at me.
But now…
She was silent.
And it terrified me.
We ran toward the gate.
David opened the back door of the car.
"Careful."
I got inside and sat down while still holding her.
Ci-N jumped into the driver seat.
Rory and Blaster squeezed in too.
"GO!" Kit shouted.
The car sped off immediately.
My hands were still holding Jay tightly.
Her head was resting against my chest.
Her hair smelled faintly like shampoo and smoke from last night's campfire.
But the smell of blood was stronger.
I hated it.
I hated how pale she looked.
I hated how still she was.
I gently touched her cheek.
"Jay… wake up."
Nothing.
Ci-N glanced at the mirror.
"She'll wake up right?"
No one answered.
The silence inside the car felt heavy.
Blaster clenched his fists.
"If she doesn't wake up I'm going back and killing that guy."
"Focus on driving," Rory snapped.
Ci-N pressed the accelerator harder.
The car raced through the road.
Meanwhile my mind kept replaying what I saw.
Her trembling hands.
Her terrified eyes.
The moment she saw the blood.
I pulled her closer unconsciously.
"You're okay," I whispered softly even though she couldn't hear me.
"You're safe."
My voice cracked slightly.
"Nothing will happen to you."
Ci-N finally broke the silence.
"Keif…"
"Yeah."
"You look like you're about to cry."
I didn't answer.
Because he wasn't wrong.
My throat felt tight.
My chest hurt.
Seeing Jay like this…
It scared me more than anything.
She was supposed to be strong.
Untouchable.
The girl who could beat someone twice her size without blinking.
But right now she looked so fragile.
Like glass.
The hospital building finally appeared ahead.
Ci-N slammed the brakes.
"We're here!"
I jumped out immediately with Jay in my arms.
"HELP!" Rory shouted.
A nurse rushed toward us.
"What happened?!"
"She fainted!" David explained quickly.
"And she's bleeding!" Ci-N added.
They quickly brought a stretcher.
"Lay her down."
My hands hesitated for a second.
Letting go of her felt wrong.
But I gently placed her on the stretcher.
The nurses rushed her inside.
"Wait here!"
The hospital doors closed behind them.
And suddenly everything went quiet.
Section E stood there in the hallway.
Breathing heavily.
Still covered in dust from the fight.
Ci-N paced back and forth nervously.
"Why is she taking so long?"
Blaster punched the wall lightly.
"Relax."
But even he looked worried.
David sat down on a chair.
"She'll be fine."
Rory leaned against the wall silently.
But I couldn't sit.
I couldn't stand still either.
My eyes stayed glued to the emergency room door.
Every second felt like an hour.
Finally—
The door opened.
A doctor stepped out.
"Who brought the girl?"
All of us stepped forward.
"I did," I said immediately.
The doctor looked at us.
"She fainted due to shock after seeing blood. The wound on her forehead isn't very deep, but she lost consciousness because of trauma."
My chest loosened slightly.
"So she'll wake up?"
"Yes."
Relief spread across the hallway instantly.
Ci-N collapsed into a chair.
"Thank God."
Blaster sighed loudly.
But the doctor continued.
"She just needs rest. Someone can see her now."
Before anyone else could move—
I was already walking toward the room.
When I entered…
Jay was lying on the hospital bed.
A small bandage was on her forehead.
Her face looked peaceful.
Too peaceful.
I slowly sat beside her.
For a moment I just watched her breathing.
Then I gently took her hand.
"You scared the hell out of me," I whispered.
Her fingers twitched slightly in my hand.
And my heart jumped again.
"Jay…?"
Her eyelashes fluttered slowly.
And finally…
Her eyes opened.