Chapter 1 - The Truth We Buried

The campus buzzed with its usual noise—lockers slamming, laughter spilling down hallways, sneakers squeaking across polished floors—but for Jay Jay, it all sounded like static. Every face blurred past her, every voice muffled. She had only one target today.

And he was standing at the far end of the hall like a shadow she couldn't outrun.

Kiefer.

He hadn't changed. Still leaning against the lockers like the hallway belonged to him, still wearing that half-smirk that looked equal parts infuriating and dangerous. The only difference was the way his eyes darted to her the second she walked in. For the first time since he'd come back from London, he didn't look untouchable.

Jay Jay's grip tightened on the straps of her bag. Days—no, weeks—she had waited for this. Her body healed, her nightmares dulled, but the storm in her chest hadn't let her rest. She couldn't carry it anymore.

She marched down the hall, ignoring the whispers of Section E trailing behind her. Mika muttered, "Ohhh, she's gonna blow." Gio whistled low, and Risa hissed, "Shut up, let her do her thing."

Jay Jay stopped in front of him.

"You."

Kiefer raised a brow, feigning calm, but his jaw twitched. "Me. Hi. How's the patient doing?"

Her glare could have set him on fire. "Cut the crap. We're talking. Now."

The smirk faltered. He glanced at the curious eyes around them, then pushed off the locker. "Fine. Roof. Ten minutes."

"No." Jay Jay's voice sliced through the hallway. "Now."

The crowd of Section E fell silent. Even Yuri, who leaned against the far wall with his arms crossed, watched intently, unreadable.

Jay Jay grabbed Kiefer's wrist and yanked him toward an empty classroom, slamming the door shut behind them. The thud echoed like a gunshot.

For a moment, neither spoke. Just silence, just the rise and fall of their chests, just the storm in her eyes clashing with the guilt in his.

Finally, Jay Jay exploded. "You think I don't know? You think I didn't feel it? The kiss. In the hospital. You stole it like a coward when I couldn't even open my eyes."

Kiefer flinched. "Jay—"

"Don't you Jay me!" she snapped, stepping closer, fury radiating from her. "You broke me. You left me. You made me believe I was nothing to you. And then you—" Her voice cracked. "You kissed me anyway. Why? Why the hell would you do that?"

Kiefer scrubbed a hand over his face, pacing once before stopping dead in front of her. His eyes were raw, stripped of every wall. "Because I never stopped loving you."

The words punched the air out of her lungs. She opened her mouth, closed it again, shaking her head. "No. Don't you dare say that now."

"It's the truth," he said fiercely. "I never wanted to leave you. I never wanted to hurt you. I did it because I had to."

Jay Jay laughed, but it was hollow. "Oh, here we go. Another excuse. Go on then, Kiefer. Tell me how breaking my heart was all for my own good."

His hands trembled as he grabbed the edge of the desk between them, knuckles white. "Because my family is poison. You don't know them, Jay. You don't know what they do. Anyone I love, anyone I even care about—they become targets. They go after them to control me, to hurt me. I had to push you away before they figured out how much you meant to me."

Her anger faltered, confusion swirling. "Your... family?"

Kiefer's eyes locked on hers. "They were watching, Jay. From the second I let you in, I knew. I saw the signs. I thought if I made you hate me, they'd leave you alone. That's why I said those things. That's why I left. Because losing you was the only way I thought I could save you."

The room tilted. Jay Jay gripped the desk for balance. Pieces she hadn't been able to fit before—the cruelty, the distance, the sudden coldness—slid together like a cruel puzzle.

Her voice was barely a whisper. "You let me think I wasn't enough."

Kiefer's throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. "Because the alternative was watching them destroy you."

Her eyes burned, tears spilling despite her fists clenching at her sides. "You bastard. You absolute bastard. You could've told me. You could've trusted me."

"I couldn't," Kiefer said, voice breaking. "If you knew, you would've stayed. You would've fought for me. And I couldn't let you. I'd rather you hate me than see you hurt."

The silence after that was suffocating. The only sound was the faint chatter of students outside the door, muffled by walls, irrelevant to the war inside this room.

Jay Jay stepped closer, close enough to see the tremor in his lips, the guilt in his eyes. "You think I hate you?"

Kiefer nodded once, jaw tight.

Jay Jay's tears turned into a bitter laugh. "God, you're dumber than I thought." She shoved his chest, once, twice, until he stumbled back against the desk. Her voice rose, cracking. "I don't hate you, Kiefer. I hate what you did. I hate how you made me believe I wasn't worth loving. But I..." She stopped, biting her lip until it bled.

"But you what?" he whispered.

Her hands trembled as she grabbed his collar, yanking him down. "But I never stopped loving you either, you idiot."

And before she could second-guess, before the fear could drag her back, she kissed him. Hard, desperate, teeth clashing, tears smudging against his cheeks.

Kiefer froze for a heartbeat, then melted, hands cupping her face, holding her like she was glass and fire all at once. He kissed back like a man starved, like he'd been dying to breathe and finally found oxygen.

When they broke apart, foreheads pressed together, both trembling, Jay Jay whispered, "That was for the hospital."

Kiefer let out a shaky laugh. "And this one?" He kissed her again, softer this time, lingering, full of promises. "That's for everything else."

Jay Jay buried her face against his chest, her voice muffled. "You're not getting off that easy."

"I don't expect to," he murmured, pressing his lips to her hair. "I'll spend every damn day proving myself to you. If you let me."

She closed her eyes, heart pounding. For once, she didn't answer with words. She answered by not letting go.