Chapter 76
Home Doesn't Feel the Same
The first thing Jay noticed about school was that it was loud.
Painfully loud.
After weeks of ocean waves, private beaches, late-night conversations, and Keifer Watson being annoyingly present every five minutes, the noise of students rushing through hallways felt strange.
Almost foreign.
Jay adjusted the strap of her bag and walked through the school gates.
Immediately regretting it.
Because people stared.
A lot.
Whispers started before she even reached the main building.
"Isn't that Jay?"
"I thought she transferred."
"No, I heard she got suspended."
"My cousin said she ran away."
"My friend said she got married."
Jay stopped walking.
Slowly turned.
The group of students immediately looked away.
Cowards.
"Idiots," she muttered before continuing.
The rumors somehow got worse every day she was gone.
One person apparently claimed she had joined the mafia.
Which was honestly funny considering how close that rumor accidentally was to something she definitely wasn't going to think about.
Her phone buzzed.
Ci-N: WHERE ARE YOU???
Ci-N: I HAVE IMPORTANT INFORMATION.
Ci-N: BLASTER ATE MY LUNCH.
Ci-N: THIS IS A HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION.
Jay rolled her eyes.
Jay: Die.
Ci-N: OMG YOU'RE BACK.
Ci-N: JAYYYYYYYYYY.
Too late.
She already heard screaming.
Loud screaming.
Very loud screaming.
Unfortunately familiar screaming.
"JAYYYYYYYYYY!"
Students jumped aside as Ci-N came running down the hallway like a missile with emotional issues.
Jay sighed.
"Don't."
Too late.
Ci-N wrapped his arms around her dramatically.
"YOU'RE ALIVE."
"I was gone for a few weeks."
"THE LONGEST WEEKS OF MY LIFE."
"You saw me three days ago."
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT."
Jay pushed his face away.
Ci-N grinned.
For a second everything felt normal again.
Then the rest of Section E appeared.
And suddenly...
It didn't.
Felix.
Blaster.
Rory.
Edrix.
David.
Josh.
Calix.
Drew.
Kit.
Eren.
Everyone.
The hallway somehow became quieter.
Not silent.
Just...
Careful.
Jay felt it immediately.
So did they.
Because this wasn't the same as before.
Before the island.
Before London.
Before everything exploded.
Nobody knew how to start.
Blaster surprisingly spoke first.
"Uh..."
Everyone looked at him.
Blaster looked offended.
"What? I can start conversations."
"No you can't," Rory said.
"Fair."
The awkwardness somehow got worse.
Jay shifted her bag slightly.
Then smiled.
A small polite smile.
"Hey."
And that was the problem.
The smile.
Too polite.
Too careful.
Too distant.
Rory noticed first.
Then Felix.
Then David.
Because normal Jay didn't say "hey."
Normal Jay insulted people.
Aggressively.
Creatively.
Sometimes artistically.
This version felt different.
Like she was standing a step away from everyone.
Ci-N glanced between them.
Immediately sensing danger.
His survival instincts finally working for once.
"Sooooo..." he said loudly.
Nobody answered.
"Great."
Keifer arrived.
And somehow the atmosphere changed again.
Not fixed.
Just easier.
Because Jay immediately looked more relaxed.
Tiny change.
Most people missed it.
Keifer didn't.
Neither did Section E.
The realization landed quietly.
She trusted him now.
That hurt more than anyone wanted to admit.
Because once upon a time...
She trusted them too.
"Morning," Keifer said.
Jay looked at him.
"Morning."
The response came naturally.
Effortlessly.
And somehow that made everything worse.
Because everyone noticed.
Nobody mentioned it.
But everyone noticed.
Ci-N mentally prepared his funeral arrangements.
Lunch arrived faster than expected.
Section E gathered at their usual table.
For the first time in what felt like forever.
Jay sat down.
Ci-N immediately stole half her fries.
"Death."
"Love you too."
"Give them back."
"No."
"Ci-N."
"No."
Jay reached across the table.
Ci-N screamed.
The entire cafeteria turned.
"HELP."
"Nobody's helping you."
"THIS IS ABUSE."
"Give me my fries."
Eventually she got them back.
Justice prevailed.
Mostly.
For a few minutes things felt normal.
Blaster complained about exams.
Rory complained about teachers.
Drew complained about money.
Which wasn't surprising.
Drew could somehow turn winning the lottery into a financial crisis.
Everyone laughed.
Even Jay.
A real laugh this time.
Small.
But real.
The table immediately became quieter.
Because they missed that sound.
More than they realized.
Jay noticed.
Pretended not to.
Then Eren accidentally ruined everything.
"Honestly," he said casually, "at least nobody disappeared this month."
Silence.
Immediate silence.
The kind that arrives without warning.
Eren froze.
"Oh."
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Jay stared at her food.
Ci-N looked ready to throw Eren out a window.
Blaster looked horrified.
David finally woke up.
Which was how bad the situation was.
Even Keifer looked uncomfortable.
A few seconds passed.
Then Jay stood.
"I'm gonna grab a drink."
Nobody stopped her.
She left before anyone could.
The cafeteria suddenly felt much heavier.
Blaster smacked Eren.
"What was that for?"
"You idiot."
"I didn't mean—"
"We know."
"Then why did you hit me?"
"Because it felt right."
Fair enough.
Outside, Jay stood near the vending machines.
The cold can of soda pressed against her palm.
The hallway was mostly empty.
Which was nice.
She needed a minute.
Just one minute.
The cafeteria doors opened.
Jay already knew who it was.
Keifer stopped beside her.
Neither spoke immediately.
Comfortable silence.
The rare kind.
The dangerous kind.
The kind Jay secretly liked.
"You're thinking too much."
Jay snorted.
"You know me too well."
"I try."
That made something warm settle in her chest.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
Keifer leaned against the wall beside her.
"They miss you."
Jay stared ahead.
"I know."
The answer came quietly.
No sarcasm.
No jokes.
Just honesty.
For once.
Keifer waited.
Jay sighed.
"I don't hate them."
"I know."
"I'm not angry anymore."
"I know."
She glanced at him.
"Stop saying you know."
A smile appeared.
Tiny.
Stupid.
Keifer's favorite kind.
"I know."
Jay groaned.
"You're insufferable."
"And yet."
"And yet nothing."
"And yet you keep coming back."
Unfortunately.
He had a point.
Which was deeply irritating.
The bell rang.
Students started moving through hallways again.
Normal life returning.
Keifer pushed away from the wall.
"Ready?"
Jay looked toward the cafeteria.
Toward the people waiting inside.
The friends she missed.
The friends who hurt her.
The friends who clearly didn't know how to fix things.
Maybe she didn't know either.
Maybe nobody did.
But for the first time...
The distance didn't feel impossible anymore.
Just unfinished.
And unfinished things could still be repaired.
Sometimes.
Hopefully.
Maybe.
"Yeah," Jay said finally.
Then started walking.
Back toward them.
Back toward the chaos.
Back toward Section E.
One step at a time.
---
The hardest journeys were never across oceans or islands... but across the small spaces that hurt enough to keep old friends standing on opposite sides of the same room.