Chapter 14: One Month Later
Jay-Jay's POV
One month.
Thirty days.
And everything felt different.
Section E was the same.
The same classroom.
The same noisy boys.
The same chalk sound scratching the board.
But something was missing.
Someone.
Keifer.
Sir Alvin kept writing formulas.
The class was quiet.
David sat beside me.
C_in in front.
Everyone pretending everything was normal.
But it wasn't.
Not for me.
Not anymore.
They said Keifer left.
Left the Philippines.
Went to London.
Just like that.
No goodbye.
No explanation.
Nothing.
Sometimes I wondered why.
Sometimes I wondered if that night was even real.
The kidnapping.
The chaos.
Everything felt like a blur.
"Jay-Jay."
David's voice pulled me back.
"You're staring at the board again."
I blinked.
"Oh… sorry."
C_in turned around slightly.
"You've been doing that a lot lately."
I forced a small smile.
"I'm fine."
But I wasn't.
Lunch break came.
The boys rushed out like always.
Noise.
Laughing.
Arguments.
Normal.
I walked slowly toward the courtyard.
The same bench.
The same sunlight.
But it felt emptier.
Like someone should be there.
Watching.
Standing quietly somewhere.
But he wasn't.
Sometimes I felt something strange.
Like someone had been near me.
Like someone had watched me while I slept.
Like someone had whispered something I couldn't remember.
But every time I tried to think about it—
Nothing.
Just silence.
One month.
And Keifer was gone.
In another country.
Another world.
While I was still here.
Still studying.
Still pretending everything was normal.
But deep inside…