Jay's POV
The silence after the fight was unbearable. Even though the bonfire still burned, its warmth couldn't reach us anymore. I could feel Keifer's anger lingering in the air, sharp and heavy, and David's hurt pressing down like a shadow. Section E wasn't laughing, wasn't teasing, wasn't the same.
Ci-n tried to break the tension with his usual antics. "Okayyy… who wants marshmallows?" he said, waving the bag like it was a magic wand. But no one answered. The fire crackled, the waves rolled, and the silence swallowed us whole.
Felix muttered under his breath, "This is bad. We can't keep pretending everything's fine." His words cut through me, because I knew he was right.
I looked around at my friends, the people who had been my family for years. Half of them sat closer to Keifer, their loyalty clear. The others drifted toward David, offering him quiet support. It was like the beach itself had split us in two, and I was standing in the middle, torn apart.
My chest tightened. Section E was supposed to be unbreakable. We were supposed to be the group that survived everything—exams, heartbreaks, secrets. But now, even laughter felt impossible.
I wanted to scream, to tell them all to stop, to remind them that this trip wasn't about choosing sides. It was about us, about the memories we were supposed to carry forever. But the words stayed trapped inside me, locked behind the fear that no one would listen.
I hugged my knees tighter, staring at the flames. Every flicker felt like a warning, every spark like a reminder that something precious was slipping away.
Ci-n finally said what everyone was thinking. "Guys… if we keep this up, Section E won't survive." His voice wasn't teasing anymore. It was serious, heavy, almost pleading.
The waves crashed harder, louder, as if echoing his warning. And deep down, I knew he was right.