Jay's POV
I stared at the table in disbelief.
Felix had just shouted "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" in the middle of the cafeteria, and now half of Section E was cheering like they were watching some championship match.
"Absolutely not," I said immediately.
Claix leaned forward with excitement.
"Come on Jay! Just one spar!"
Edrix sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"You guys are acting like children."
Kit laughed.
"Because this is interesting!"
Drew pointed at Keifer.
"Bro, you didn't even know she could fight until yesterday."
Yuri nodded seriously.
"And she defeated Keizer."
Blaster folded his arms.
"That's impressive."
Felix dramatically placed his hand on the table.
"Ladies and gentlemen… we must determine something very important."
I narrowed my eyes.
"What?"
"Who is stronger."
Keifer leaned back in his chair beside me, clearly enjoying this.
I elbowed him lightly.
"Say something."
He smirked.
"What?"
"Stop them."
"Why?"
I glared at him.
"You're enjoying this way too much."
He shrugged casually.
"I'm curious too."
My jaw dropped.
"You want to fight me?"
Felix gasped dramatically.
"She said yes!"
"I did NOT say yes!" I snapped.
The entire table burst into laughter.
Edrix shook his head.
"This class has officially lost its sanity."
Keifer's POV
Watching Jay try to control Section E was honestly hilarious.
She looked both annoyed and embarrassed.
Felix leaned closer to her again.
"Jay."
"What now?"
"Just a friendly spar."
"No."
Claix added,
"Come on. It'll be fun."
Kit grinned.
"And educational."
"Educational?" Jay repeated.
"Yes," Kit said proudly. "We'll learn new techniques."
Rory nodded seriously.
"That actually makes sense."
Cin looked amused.
"You guys are impossible."
Meanwhile I leaned closer to Jay and whispered,
"You should do it."
She turned toward me slowly.
"You're on their side?"
"I'm on the side of entertainment."
She gave me a death stare.
I raised my hands.
"Relax, I'm joking."
Felix suddenly slammed his hands on the table.
"I have an idea!"
Everyone groaned.
"That's never good," Edrix muttered.
Felix pointed dramatically at me and Jay.
"After school."
Claix grinned.
"Training ground behind the gym."
Drew pumped his fist.
"YES!"
Jay buried her face in her hands.
"This is a nightmare."
Jay's POV
The entire day became unbearable.
Every five minutes someone mentioned the fight.
"Jay vs Keifer."
"Who will win?"
"Place your bets."
At one point I even heard Blaster telling someone,
"My money is on Jay."
I turned toward him.
"You're betting on this?"
He shrugged calmly.
"It seems logical."
Keifer nearly laughed beside me.
"Traitor," he said.
Blaster replied calmly,
"She defeated Keizer."
Keifer nodded thoughtfully.
"Fair point."
I looked between both of them in disbelief.
"You guys are unbelievable."
After School
By the time school ended, half of Section E had already run toward the training ground behind the gym.
Felix was practically bouncing with excitement.
"This is going to be amazing!"
Edrix crossed his arms.
"You all need hobbies."
Claix cracked his knuckles.
"Alright."
He looked at us.
"Rules."
Jay sighed.
"Why are there rules?"
"Because this is official."
Kit raised his hand.
"No serious injuries."
"Obviously," Rory said.
Denzel added,
"No weapons."
Yuri nodded.
"Just sparring."
Blaster looked between us.
"Winner gets bragging rights."
Felix clapped happily.
"Perfect!"
Keifer's POV
Jay stood across from me in the training area.
Her arms were crossed.
She looked both annoyed and amused.
"You realize this is ridiculous," she said.
"Completely."
"And you're still doing it."
"Of course."
Felix suddenly shouted,
"READY!"
Everyone gathered around.
Claix whispered loudly to Drew,
"I think Jay will win."
Drew replied,
"I don't know. Keifer is strong too."
Edrix sighed deeply.
"I regret being friends with all of you."
I looked at Jay.
"You ready?"
She raised an eyebrow.
"You're asking me?"
I smirked.
"Fair point."
Felix lifted his hand dramatically.
"BEGIN!"
Jay's POV
For a moment neither of us moved.
The entire group watched in silence.
Then Keifer spoke quietly.
"You don't actually want to hurt me, right?"
I smiled.
"Relax. I'll go easy on you."
He laughed.
"Confident."
"You married me."
"True."
He moved first.
Fast.
I blocked his attack easily.
The crowd reacted immediately.
"OHHHH!"
Felix shouted.
"That was fast!"
Claix leaned forward.
"This is awesome."
Keifer attacked again, testing my reflexes.
I stepped aside and pushed him back slightly.
He smirked.
"You weren't kidding."
"Nope."
We circled each other slowly.
Then he suddenly moved again.
This time faster.
But I countered his movement and locked his arm briefly before letting go.
The crowd exploded.
"DID YOU SEE THAT?" Felix screamed.
Kit whistled.
"That was smooth."
Keifer laughed.
"Okay."
He rubbed his arm.
"Now I'm trying."
Keifer's POV
Jay was incredible.
Even though this was just sparring, her movements were precise and controlled.
She really had trained for years.
I attacked again, this time more seriously.
She blocked.
Countered.
Moved smoothly.
The fight continued for several minutes.
Neither of us trying to actually win.
Just testing each other.
Finally we both stepped back.
Breathing slightly heavier.
Felix looked confused.
"Wait."
"Why did you stop?" Claix asked.
Jay shrugged.
"Because we're done."
Keifer nodded.
"No winner."
The group immediately protested.
"WHAT?!" Felix shouted.
"That's boring!" Drew complained.
Edrix sighed.
"I think it's reasonable."
Blaster nodded.
"They're evenly matched."
Jay smiled slightly.
"Happy now?"
Felix crossed his arms dramatically.
"No."
Everyone laughed.
Jay's POV
As the sun started setting, everyone slowly began leaving.
Felix walked beside us.
"You two are terrifying together."
Claix nodded.
"Seriously."
Kit grinned.
"Power couple confirmed."
I rolled my eyes.
"Please stop calling us that."
Too late.
Felix already shouted it again.
"POWER COUPLE!"
The others joined in.
Keifer laughed beside me.
"You started something."
I sighed.
"This school is never going to be normal again."
He smiled slightly.
"Good."
I looked at him.
"Why good?"
He answered quietly.
"Because now everyone knows something important."
"What?"
"That you're not just someone who needs protection."
I stayed silent.
Then he added,
"You're someone who protects others too."
For the first time since everything happened…
I felt completely understood.
And somehow that made everything easier.
Because whatever challenges came next…
Keifer and I would face them together.