Jay's Pov
One week since I dropped the jacket.
One week since I stopped eating properly.
One week since I became a ghost.
Sarah came every day. Left food. Took away untouched plates.
Bella sat with me in silence. Didn't try to talk. Just existed nearby.
Dave left snacks. Ben left photos. Ci-n left notes that I didn't read.
Mia came every day too. Cried every time. Apologized every time.
I didn't care.
Nothing mattered.
The only thing I looked at was the purple dinosaur.
Keifer's dinosaur.
The one he won for me.
It sat on my bed. Ugly. Stupid. Perfect.
I hated it.
I loved it.
I hated myself for loving it.
My phone buzzed.
MAMA REYCEE: Baby, we're outside. Can you come down?
I stared at the message.
Outside?
I dragged myself off the bed. Looked in the mirror.
Dark circles. Hollow cheeks. Dead eyes.
I looked like a corpse.
Good. That's how I feel.
I walked downstairs.
Papa and Mama Reycee were in the living room. With Jare.
When they saw me, Mama Reycee's face crumpled.
"Oh, baby." She ran to me. Grabbed my face. "Oh, my baby."
"I'm fine, Mama."
"You're NOT fine. You look like—" She couldn't finish.
"Like a dead fish?" I offered.
Jare choked. "Jay—"
"Dead fish is accurate. Floating. Empty. Dead."
Papa stepped forward. His eyes were wet. "Jay-Jay, we're taking you home."
I blinked. "What?"
"Back to London. Just for a while. Until... until things get better."
"There's nothing to get better."
"THERE IS." Mama Reycee was crying now. "My baby is not going to waste away here. We're leaving tomorrow."
I should have argued. Should have fought.
But I didn't have the energy.
"Okay," I said.
Mama Reycee looked surprised. "Okay?"
"Yeah. Okay."
She hugged me. Tight.
I didn't hug back.
Couldn't.
Keifer's Pov
I hadn't slept in a week.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her face.
The cold eyes. The dropped jacket. The sob in the classroom.
The note.
"I still love you. And I hate myself for it."
I read it a hundred times a day.
It was crumpled now. Soft from touching. But I kept it in my pocket. Always.
Yuri walked in without knocking. "Keifer."
"What?"
"Jay's parents are here."
I sat up. "What?"
"They're at the residence. Word is—" He hesitated. "Word is they're taking her back to London."
The world stopped.
"What?"
"Tomorrow. They're leaving tomorrow."
"No."
"Keifer—"
"NO." I stood up. "She can't leave. She can't—"
"She looks really bad, man. Like, really bad. Her mom apparently cried when she saw her." Yuri's voice was soft. "She's not okay. And it's because of us."
Because of ME.
This was my fault.
I did this to her.
And now she was leaving.
I ran.
Didn't think. Didn't plan. Just ran.
To the residence. To HER.
I had to see her. Had to explain. Had to—
Aries appeared in front of me.
"Stop."
"Move."
"No." He grabbed my shoulders. "You go there now, you ruin everything. You've lasted this long. Don't break now."
"I CAN'T LET HER LEAVE."
"She's not leaving forever. Just for a while. To heal."
"She needs to HEAL because of ME!"
"Yes. And she will. In London. Away from here. Away from us." His voice was pained. "It's what's best for her."
"BEST FOR HER?! How is ANY of this best for her?!"
"Because if she stays, she'll keep hurting. Every time she sees you. Every time she sees us. She needs space."
I wanted to argue. Wanted to fight.
But he was right.
And I hated it.
I went back to my room.
Sat on my bed.
Stared at the jacket she'd returned.
It still smelled like her.
I buried my face in it and cried.
The Next Morning
NAIA Airport
Departure Gate
I stood behind a pillar. Hidden.
Watching.
She walked with her parents. Jare beside her.
She looked... empty.
Like someone had scooped out her insides and left the shell.
Her eyes were on the floor. Her shoulders were slumped. She moved like she was carrying the weight of the world.
I did that.
I made her look like that.
Mama Reycee was crying. Papa had his arm around her.
Jare kept looking back. Like he was searching for someone.
For me?
I ducked further behind the pillar.
Couldn't let him see me.
Couldn't let HER see me.
They reached the gate.
She stopped.
Turned around.
For one terrifying moment, her eyes swept the crowd.
Looking for something.
Looking for someone.
Looking for ME?
I held my breath.
Then her eyes moved on. Empty. Hopeless.
She walked through the gate.
And disappeared.
I slid down the pillar. Sat on the cold airport floor.
Yuri appeared beside me. "You okay?"
"No."
"She'll come back."
"Will she?"
"She has to." He paused. "She still has the dinosaur."
I looked at him. "How do you know?"
"Jare texted. Said she wouldn't let them pack it. Held it the whole way to the airport."
Something warm flickered in my chest.
She still has the dinosaur.
She still has something of me.
Maybe... maybe there's hope.
That Night
London
Jay's Room
I don't know how I got here.
One minute I was at the airport. The next, I was in my old room.
Same bed. Same posters. Same everything.
But different.
Because I was different.
The purple dinosaur sat on my bed.
I stared at it.
Stupid dinosaur.
Stupid Keifer.
Stupid love.