Jay POV
Yuri was right.
I was absolutely planning something.
And Yuri knew it.
David knew it.
Ci-n knew it.
Even Keagan somehow knew it.
😭
The sun had already started setting.
The event hall was quieter now.
Employees moved around nervously.
Mr. Watson was speaking to someone on the phone.
And I was pretending to behave.
Pretending.
Because inside my head...
I was already halfway to Kingsground.
😌
My phone buzzed again.
Nothing from Keifer.
I stared at the screen anyway.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
How dare he disappear and then tell everyone not to look for him?
Who did he think he was?
Actually...
Don't answer that.
😭
A few minutes later, I slipped outside.
The plan was simple.
Leave.
Find Keifer.
Bring him back.
Yell at him.
In that order.
Unfortunately...
The moment I stepped outside...
Four people were already waiting.
👀
Yuri.
David.
Ci-n.
Keagan.
I froze.
They froze.
For exactly one second.
Then Ci-n pointed dramatically.
"I KNEW IT."
"Shut up."
"You're going after him."
"No."
"Liar."
"Fair."
😭
Keagan crossed his arms.
"You're terrible at sneaking."
"I wasn't sneaking."
"You literally checked if the hallway was empty."
"Details."
"Suspicious details."
😭
Yuri sighed.
The sigh of a man who had accepted his fate.
"We're going with you."
"I didn't ask."
"And yet we're coming."
"Why?"
"Because you're worse at making good decisions than Ci-n."
Ci-n looked offended.
"That's rude."
"And true."
"...Fair."
😭
Twenty minutes later...
They were on the road.
The city lights blurred past.
The joking slowly disappeared.
Because everyone was thinking the same thing.
The photo.
Keifer's bruised face.
The blood.
The message.
Something had happened.
Something serious.
Nobody said it aloud.
Nobody needed to.
Finally...
The familiar sign appeared.
Kingsground.
My stomach tightened.
I remembered the last time.
The noise.
The crowds.
The trouble.
This place attracted problems the way Ci-n attracted detention slips.
😭
The car stopped.
Nobody moved immediately.
Then Keagan quietly said:
"He comes here when he's angry."
That didnt surprise everyone.
Including Yuri.
We stepped out.
The night air felt heavier somehow.
Louder.
Music echoed from inside.
People laughed.
Cars moved past.
The city kept going.
Like nothing was wrong.
Then Ci-n suddenly grabbed my arm.
"Jay."
His voice sounded strange.
Serious.
Very serious.
I followed his gaze.
Across the street.
Near the back entrance.
A familiar figure sat alone on a low wall.
Head lowered.
Hands in his pockets.
Black hoodie.
Bruised face.
Torn sleeve.
And somehow...
Looking more exhausted than I'd ever seen him.
Keifer.
For a second nobody moved.
Not Yuri.
Not David.
Not Keagan.
Not me.
Because seeing the photo was one thing.
Seeing him in person was another.
And suddenly...
He looked a lot less like the confident class president.
And a lot more like someone carrying something far too heavy alone.
Then Keifer slowly looked up.
And spotted us.
The silence that followed felt endless.
His eyes landed on Yuri.
Then David.
Then Ci-n.
Then Keagan.
Finally...
On me.
And from the look on his face...
He knew exactly what I was about to say.
😡
"Go home."
He warned.
Too late.
I was already walking toward him.
End Chapter 👀🌙📖✨