Jay's POV
I was standing under the big tree behind the school field. The wind was gentle, the sky bright, and everything felt strangely calm.
Which was weird.
My life was rarely calm.
Across from me stood Keifer.
He looked relaxed for once. Not the usual serious, student president face he always wore at school.
He was actually smiling.
"You look surprised," he said.
I crossed my arms. "I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm not."
His smile widened.
"You are."
I rolled my eyes. "Why are you even here?"
"Maybe because you were thinking about me."
"I was not."
He leaned a little closer.
"Really?"
I felt my face heat up slightly.
Before I could respond—
A voice suddenly cut through the dream.
"Wake up, Jayjay! It's past seven!"
Keifer's figure flickered.
The tree blurred.
Everything started fading.
"No…" I muttered weakly.
"Jayjay!"
My eyes slowly opened.
The bright morning light from the window stabbed straight into my skull.
I squinted.
Standing near my bed was Aries, already dressed in his school uniform.
His tie was perfectly straight. His blazer neat.
He had clearly been awake for a while.
"…Go away," I mumbled, closing my eyes again.
I turned over and pulled the blanket over my head.
Maybe if I ignored him…
The dream would come back.
But then—
The bed suddenly shook.
Hard.
"Jay!"
"Hey!"
I groaned loudly.
"Why are you sleeping so much today?" Aries asked.
I slowly sat up, my hair a complete mess.
The moment I moved—
Pain exploded in my head.
"Ugh…"
I pressed my hand to my temple.
"What's wrong?" Aries asked immediately.
"I have a headache."
He stepped closer and placed his hand on my forehead.
"Let me check."
I immediately pushed his hand away.
"I said I'm fine."
Aries frowned slightly.
"You don't look fine."
"Aries," I said flatly, "please don't start."
He sighed.
"Get ready. We're going to be late."
I slid out of bed and walked toward the bathroom.
Each step made the pounding in my head worse.
Inside the bathroom, I turned on the sink and splashed cold water on my face.
It helped a little.
But not much.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror.
"You look terrible," I muttered.
Dark circles.
Messy hair.
And the headache from hell.
Fantastic.
After getting dressed, I slowly walked downstairs.
The house was quiet.
Too quiet.
I grabbed my bag and walked outside.
Aries was already sitting in the driver's seat of his car.
I opened the passenger door and slid inside.
The seat felt surprisingly comfortable.
I leaned back.
Aries glanced at me immediately.
"Jay… are you sure you're fine?"
"Yes."
"You look pale."
"I said I'm fine."
He stared at me for another second.
"Did you eat?"
I shook my head.
"No."
"Why?"
"No one's home, right?" I said lazily. "I'll eat during break time."
Aries opened his mouth to say something.
I already knew what was coming.
A lecture.
So I quickly cut him off.
"Horoscope."
He blinked.
"…What?"
"Drive already."
He sighed.
"You're impossible."
"But lovable."
"That's debatable."
The engine started.
The car pulled out of the driveway.
I leaned my head against the window and closed my eyes.
The headache was getting worse.
Every small sound felt louder.
Every movement hurt.
"Jay," Aries said after a moment.
"Hmm?"
"If the headache gets worse, tell me."
"It won't."
"You always say that."
"Because it's true."
He glanced at me again.
"You're stubborn."
"Runs in the family."
He snorted quietly.
The car continued down the road toward school.
I kept my eyes closed.
Not because I was sleepy.
Because the pain in my head was killing me.
And right now…
All I wanted…
Was silence.
End of Chapter 34 📖