ROOM 7
Chapter Twenty-Seven: The New Boy
---
The week after the kiss was strange.
Not bad. Not awkward. Just strange. Jay and Keifer hadn't talked about what happened. They'd fallen back into their rhythm—coffee in the mornings, arguments about nothing, the way he looked at her when he thought she wasn't watching. But something had shifted. A wire pulled taut. A door left open.
Everyone noticed. No one said anything.
Ci N kept writing in his notebook. Yuri kept watching. Lyra kept sleeping—finally sleeping, whole nights, without screaming. Alex kept beside her. The room was settling. The weight was lifting.
Then Monday came.
---
Part One: The Entrance
The classroom was half-full when Jay walked in. She took her usual seat. Window side. Third row. The spot where the light was best for reading and the view of the door was clear. Keifer sat beside her. He'd been sitting beside her since the first week. She'd never asked him to. He'd never asked if he could. He just sat.
She was used to him there.
Professor Aguilar walked in. Behind her, someone else. A boy. Tall. Dark hair. Sharp jaw. The kind of face that made people turn. He stood at the front of the room, hands in his pockets, looking at the seats like he was already bored.
"This is Michel," Professor Aguilar said. "He's transferring in from La Salle. Make him feel welcome."
Michel scanned the room. His eyes moved past Yuri. Past Mica. Past Care. Past Cole. Past the empty seats. Past the crowded ones. They landed on Jay.
He walked straight to her. Sat down in the seat beside her. The seat Keifer had been sitting in since the first week.
Keifer's hand stopped mid-reach for his pen.
Jay looked at Michel. He smiled. "Hi."
She didn't smile back. "That seat's taken."
He looked at the seat. Looked at her. "There's no bag."
"He's coming."
Michel leaned back. "I'll wait."
Keifer appeared beside the desk. "That's my seat."
Michel looked up. Measured him. Didn't move. "There are other seats."
Keifer's jaw tightened. "That one's mine."
Michel smiled. It was the kind of smile that said he knew something you didn't. "It's just a chair."
Jay looked between them. Yuri was watching from across the room. Mica was watching. Care was watching. The whole class was watching.
"Michel," Professor Aguilar called. "Front row. There's an empty seat."
He stood. Slow. Deliberate. He looked at Jay. "See you around."
He walked to the front. Sat down. Didn't look back.
Keifer sat beside Jay. His hand was flat on the desk. His jaw was still tight.
"He's just a guy," Jay said.
"I know."
"It's just a seat."
"I know."
She looked at him. "Then why are you angry?"
He didn't answer. He picked up his pen. Opened his notebook. Stared at the page.
Jay looked at Michel. He was watching her. He smiled. She looked away.
---
Part Two: The Hallway
The rest of the class passed slowly.
Michel didn't look back. He took notes. Answered questions. Laughed at something Professor Aguilar said. He was relaxed. Easy. The kind of person who fit into rooms without trying.
Jay couldn't focus. Keifer was too still beside her. His pen hadn't moved. His notebook was blank. His jaw was still tight.
When the class ended, she packed her bag. Fast. She needed air. She needed space. She needed to not be sitting next to Keifer while he sat like a statue.
She walked into the hallway. The crowd was thick. People pushing past. Voices echoing. She headed toward the exit. Toward the courtyard. Toward somewhere she could breathe.
"Jay."
She turned. Michel was behind her. His bag was slung over one shoulder. His hands were in his pockets. He looked like he'd been following her for a while.
"You walk fast," he said.
"I walk normal."
"You walk like you're running from something."
She looked at him. "I'm not running from anything."
He smiled. "Good."
He fell into step beside her. She didn't ask him to. He didn't ask if he could.
"Your friend," he said. "The one who sits next to you. Is he always like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like he wants to put his fist through something."
She stopped walking. "He's not like that."
Michel stopped too. Looked at her. "He looked at me like I'd stolen something from him."
"You didn't steal anything."
"I sat in his chair."
"It's a chair."
He tilted his head. "Is it?"
She stared at him. His eyes were dark. His face was calm. He wasn't provoking her. He was asking. Genuinely asking.
"His name is Keifer," she said. "He's my—" She stopped.
Michel waited. "He's your what?"
She didn't have an answer. She opened her mouth. Closed it.
Michel smiled. "I see."
She frowned. "You don't see anything."
"I see a boy who sits next to you every day. I see a boy who got angry when I sat in his seat. I see a boy who's standing in the doorway behind you looking like he wants to pull you away from me."
She turned.
Keifer was there. Ten feet away. His bag was over his shoulder. His hands were empty. His face was unreadable.
"Jay," he said.
She didn't move. "Keifer."
His eyes went to Michel. Michel didn't move. Didn't smile. Didn't look away.
"I was just walking her to the courtyard," Michel said.
Keifer's jaw tightened. "She knows the way."
"Everyone knows the way. I was being polite."
"She doesn't need you to be polite."
Michel's smile returned. "Maybe she wants me to be polite."
Keifer stepped forward. Jay stepped between them. "Stop."
They both looked at her.
"I can walk myself to the courtyard," she said. "I've been doing it for months."
She walked away. She didn't look back. She didn't need to. She could feel them watching.
---
Part Three: The Locker
The courtyard was empty. Classes were still in session. The benches were free. The fountain was running. Jay sat on the edge. Stared at the water. Tried to breathe.
She didn't know why she was angry. She didn't know why her hands were shaking. She didn't know why she'd walked away from Keifer. From Michel. From everyone.
She heard footsteps behind her. She didn't turn.
"Jay."
Keifer. She knew his voice. She knew his footsteps. She knew the way he said her name when no one else was around.
"What?"
He didn't answer. She turned. He was standing by the fountain. His hands were in his pockets. His face was still unreadable.
"You walked away," he said.
"I needed air."
"You walked away from me."
She stood up. "I walked away from both of you. There's a difference."
He stepped closer. "Is there?"
She stepped back. Her back hit the lockers behind the fountain. The metal was cold against her shoulders.
"Keifer—"
"He was following you."
"He was walking me to the courtyard."
"You know the way."
"I know the way."
"He was smiling at you."
She stared at him. "People smile."
"Not at you. Not like that."
She didn't move. Didn't breathe. He was close now. His hands were out of his pockets. His face was close to hers.
"You were jealous," she said.
He didn't deny it.
"You sat in class with a blank notebook because a boy sat in your seat."
"It's not my seat."
"You've been sitting there for months."
"That doesn't make it mine."
She looked at his face. At his jaw. At his eyes. At the way he was looking at her like she was the only thing in the room worth seeing.
"Then why are you angry?" she asked.
He stepped closer. His hand was on the locker beside her head. His face was inches from hers.
"Because he looked at you like he wanted to know you. Because he walked beside you like he had the right. Because you didn't tell him to leave."
She swallowed. "I didn't tell him to stay."
"You didn't tell him to leave."
"You're being unreasonable."
"I know."
"You're being irrational."
"I know."
"You're being—"
He kissed her.
His hand was on her face. His lips were on hers. His body was pressed against her. The lockers were cold. His mouth was warm. She grabbed his shirt. Pulled him closer. Kissed him back.
He pulled away. His forehead was against hers. His breathing was heavy. His hand was still on her face.
"You're mine," he said.
She stared at him. Her heart was pounding. Her hands were shaking. Her lips were burning.
"What did you say?"
He looked at her. His eyes were dark. His jaw was tight. His voice was low.
"You're mine, Jay. You've been mine since the first family dinner. Since you spilled wine on my shirt. Since you called me 'that Watson boy.' You've been mine for years. And I'm not letting anyone—anyone—sit beside you. Follow you. Look at you like—"
She kissed him.
His hands went to her waist. Her hands went to his face. The lockers rattled. The fountain ran. The courtyard was empty.
She pulled back. Her face was red. Her lips were swollen. Her hands were on his cheeks.
"You're impossible," she said.
He smiled. "You like it."
She looked at his face. At his eyes. At his mouth. At the way he was looking at her like she was the only thing in the world worth seeing.
"I don't not like it," she said.
He kissed her again.
---
Part Four: The Interruption
They didn't hear the footsteps.
"OH MY GOD."
They pulled apart. Yuri was standing at the edge of the courtyard. His mouth was open. His hands were in the air. Behind him, Lyra was holding Alex's arm. Ash was holding a pillow. Care was holding Cole. Mica was holding Calix. Freya was holding her camera. Erdix was holding Freya. David was holding chips.
Ci N was holding his notebook. His pen was moving.
"They kissed," he said. "In the courtyard. By the lockers. Page 249."
Yuri pointed at Keifer. "You kissed her. Again. In public. While she was supposed to be walking to class."
"She was walking," Keifer said.
"She was kissing."
"She was walking. I was kissing. There's a difference."
"There's no difference."
"That's our difference."
Yuri grabbed his hair. "I CAN'T. I CAN'T WITH THEM."
Lyra was laughing. Her voice was hoarse. Her eyes were bright. She was standing on her own. She wasn't holding Alex's arm. She was standing.
"Lyra," Jay said. "You're out of bed."
Lyra looked down. At her feet. At the ground. At the space between her and Alex.
"I'm out of bed," she said.
"You're standing."
"I'm standing."
She looked at Alex. He was watching her. His hands were in his pockets. His face was calm. His eyes were wet.
"I'm standing," she said again.
He smiled. "I see that."
She walked to him. Slow. Unsteady. Her hand found his. Her head dropped against his shoulder.
"Don't leave," she whispered.
"I'm not leaving."
She closed her eyes. Her breathing slowed. Her hand held his.
Ci N watched. His pen moved. "Moment captured. Page 250."
Yuri looked at him. "Are you documenting everything?"
Ci N nodded. "Everything."
"Even the kiss?"
He flipped back several pages. Showed Yuri. The time. The location. The angle of the sun. The number of seconds. The estimated force of impact.
Yuri stared at the page. "You calculated the force of the kiss?"
Ci N closed the notebook. "I calculate everything."
Yuri walked away. Muttering. Something about eighteen-year-olds. Something about notebooks. Something about kisses.
Ci N watched him go. Then he looked at Jay. At Keifer. At the way they were standing close. At the way neither of them was moving.
"You should do that again," he said.
Jay looked at him. "What?"
"Kiss. In front of the lockers. The lighting is better now. The sun is at a forty-three degree angle. Optimal for photography."
Freya raised her camera. "He's right. The lighting is perfect."
Jay grabbed a napkin from her bag. Threw it at Ci N. He caught it.
"You have a catching problem," she said.
"You have a throwing problem."
"I have a Ci N problem."
He tucked the napkin into his pocket. "The worst kind."
---
Part Five: The Return
They walked back to the room as a group.
Lyra was between Alex and Ash. Her steps were steady. Her breathing was steady. Her hand was in Alex's.
Jay walked beside Keifer. Their shoulders touched. Their hands didn't.
Ci N walked ahead, writing in his notebook. "The kiss occurred at 10:23 AM. Duration: 7.3 seconds. The second kiss occurred at 10:25 AM. Duration: 12.8 seconds. The third kiss occurred at—"
"Ci N," Jay said.
He looked up. "Yes?"
"Stop counting."
"I can't. My brain works at one hundred sixty percent. I count everything."
She grabbed his notebook. He grabbed it back.
"That's mine," he said.
"I'm borrowing it."
"That's not borrowing. That's taking."
"That's our taking."
He stared at her. She stared back.
"You're impossible," he said.
"You like it."
He pulled the notebook. She pulled back. The pages rustled. The pen fell.
"I'm going to drop it," she said.
"Then let go."
"You let go."
"I'm not letting go."
"Neither am I."
Keifer took the notebook from both of them. Handed it to Ci N. "Stop fighting."
Ci N took it. Held it against his chest. "She started it."
"You started it when you calculated the force of my kiss."
"That was scientific inquiry."
"That was invasion of privacy."
"That was documentation."
He opened his notebook. Wrote something. Closed it. Smiled.
Jay looked at Keifer. "He's writing something about us."
"I know."
"He's always writing something about us."
"I know."
She looked at Ci N. He was walking ahead, fox in his bag, notebook in his hands, calculating something.
"He's impossible," she said.
Keifer took her hand. "You like him."
She looked at their hands. His fingers were intertwined with hers. His palm was warm. His grip was steady.
"I don't not like him," she said.
He smiled. She smiled. They walked into the room.
---
Part Six: The Room
The door closed behind them.
Lyra was on the couch. Alex beside her. Her head was on his shoulder. Her eyes were open. She wasn't sleeping. She was watching.
"You kissed," she said.
Jay looked at her. "You were there."
"I was standing. I wasn't watching."
"You were watching."
"I was recovering. There's a difference."
"There's no difference."
Lyra smiled. "That's our difference."
Jay sat on her bed. The shark was on her pillow. Blue. Soft. Stupid. She picked it up. Held it.
Ci N appeared beside her. "You're holding the shark."
"I'm holding the shark."
"You hold it when you're thinking about Keifer."
She looked at him. "I hold it when I'm thinking about sleep."
"You were thinking about Keifer. Your eyes were distant. Your breathing was elevated. Your pulse was—"
She grabbed a pillow. Hit him with it.
He laughed. Ran to his bed. Sat down. Picked up his fox. Opened his notebook.
"You kissed," he said. "In the courtyard. By the lockers. You kissed and then you walked back here and now you're holding the shark and thinking about kissing again."
She didn't answer.
"The probability of a fourth kiss within the next hour is 82.4 percent. The optimal location would be—"
She threw the shark at him. He caught it.
"You have a catching problem," she said.
"You have a throwing problem."
She looked at her hands. Empty. No pillows. No napkins. No sharks.
"I have a Ci N problem," she said.
He walked to her bed. Put the shark on her pillow. "The worst kind."
He walked back to his bed. Sat down. Wrote in his notebook.
Keifer sat beside her. His shoulder touched hers. His hand was in his lap. Close to hers.
"You threw the shark," he said.
"He deserved it."
"You threw the shark at Ci N."
"He deserved it."
She looked at the shark. Blue. Soft. Stupid. Back on her pillow. Where it belonged.
"You gave me that," she said.
"I gave you that."
"At the amusement park."
"At the amusement park."
"Before you kissed me."
He took her hand. "Before I kissed you."
She looked at their hands. His fingers were intertwined with hers. His palm was warm. His grip was steady.
"You said I'm yours," she said.
He looked at her. "You are."
She looked at his face. At his eyes. At his mouth. At the way he was looking at her like she was the only thing in the world worth seeing.
"What if I want to be yours?" she asked.
He stared at her. "Then be mine."
She leaned forward. He leaned forward. Their foreheads touched. Their noses brushed. Their lips were a breath apart.
"Jay."
"Keifer."
"Can I kiss you?"
She smiled. "You're asking?"
"I'm always asking."
"What if I say no?"
"Then I'll wait."
"What if I say yes?"
He smiled. "Then I'll kiss you."
She looked at his lips. At his eyes. At the way he was looking at her like she was the only thing in the world worth seeing.
"Yes," she said.
He kissed her.
---
Part Seven: The Explosion
The room exploded.
Yuri fell off his bed. "AGAIN! THEY KISSED AGAIN!"
Ci N was writing. "Moment captured. Page 251."
Felix was smiling. "That's four times now."
Alex was watching. Lyra was watching. Her eyes were wide. Her mouth was open.
"They kissed," she said.
"They kissed," Alex said.
"In front of everyone."
"In front of everyone."
"While I was watching."
"You were watching."
She grabbed his arm. "They kissed four times today."
"Four times."
"One time in class?"
"Before class."
"One time in the courtyard?"
"By the lockers."
"One time in the hallway?"
"Against the lockers."
"And now here."
"And now here."
She stared at them. Jay was leaning against Keifer. Keifer's arm was around her. Her face was red. His ears were red.
"They're together," she said.
Alex looked at her. "They've always been together. They just didn't know it."
She looked at him. "Is that how it works?"
He looked at her. "I don't know."
She watched Jay laugh at something Keifer said. Watched Keifer smile. Watched them lean into each other like they'd been doing it forever.
"I want that," she said.
Alex went still. "What?"
She looked at him. "I want that. What they have. What they've always had. I want—" She stopped.
He waited. She didn't finish.
"Lyra."
She looked away. "Never mind."
He took her hand. She didn't pull away.
"One day," he said.
She looked at him. "One day?"
He didn't answer. He just held her hand and watched Jay and Keifer laugh and didn't let go.
---
Part Eight: The Night
The room was quiet.
Lyra was on the couch. Alex beside her. Her eyes were closed. His hand was in hers. She was sleeping. She'd been sleeping for three hours. The longest she'd slept since the crash.
Ci N was on his bed. Notebook open. Pen in hand. He was writing something. His forehead was wrinkled. His lips were moving.
Rakki watched him. "What are you writing?"
He showed her. Numbers. Times. Dates. Kisses. Four of them. Each one documented. Each one calculated.
"I'm tracking them," he said. "The kisses. The probability of a fifth kiss tomorrow is 91.3 percent. The probability of a sixth kiss is 87.6 percent. The probability of—"
She closed his notebook. "You need to sleep."
"I'm not tired."
"You've been calculating all day."
"I've been documenting."
"Same thing."
He looked at his notebook. At the closed cover. At the numbers inside.
"She's sleeping," he said.
Rakki looked at Lyra. Asleep on the couch. Alex beside her. His hand in hers.
"She's sleeping."
"She hasn't slept like this since the crash."
"I know."
He picked up his fox. Held it. "She's going to be okay."
Rakki kissed his cheek. "She's going to be okay."
He nodded. Closed his eyes. His fox was under his arm. His notebook was on his chest.
Across the room, Jay lay in her bed. The shark was beside her. She could hear Keifer breathing. Two beds away. Close enough.
"Hey, Mariano."
His voice was soft. Just for her.
"Hey, Watson."
"Can't sleep?"
"No."
"Me neither."
She looked at the ceiling. "You kissed me today."
"I kissed you."
"Four times."
"Four times."
"In front of everyone."
"In front of everyone."
She smiled. "You said I'm yours."
He was quiet for a moment. "You are."
She turned on her side. Faced his direction. "Then I'm yours."
She heard him shift. Heard him breathe. Heard him smile.
"Good," he said.
She closed her eyes. The shark was beside her. Keifer was across the room. She was his. He was hers. They hadn't said it. Not in those words. But they didn't need to.
From across the room, Ci N's voice: "That's efficient."
Rakki's voice: "Ci N."
"I'm sleeping."
"You're talking."
"I'm sleeping and talking. My brain works at one hundred sixty percent. I can do both."
"Ci N."
"Goodnight, Rakki."
"Goodnight, Ci N."
The room was quiet. Sixteen people. Sixteen people who were something to each other. Something that didn't need a name.
Jay closed her eyes. Keifer was across the room. The shark was beside her.
She slept.
---
End of Chapter Twenty-Seven