Chapter 19 — Rumors
Jay's POV
Packing.
Boxes. Clothes. Memories. All of it a mess — like my mind.
Mom said we'd be moving next week. Just like that. No warning, no discussion. Just, "We're leaving."
I was folding my uniform when my phone buzzed.
Yuri: "Courtyard in 5? I've got snacks. Don't argue."
I sighed, smiling. Yuri was impossible to say no to. And honestly, I needed the distraction.
By the time I got there, he was already waiting — sitting on the bench with two sodas and a packet of crackers.
Yuri: "One for the tornado. You look like you haven't slept in a week."
Jay: "I haven't. Try packing your whole life into three boxes."
He laughed, handing me the soda.
We started talking — about school, about the move, and about him.
Keifer.
Jay: "I don't know if long distance will work, Yuri. What if he just… stops loving me?"
Yuri leaned back, serious for once.
Yuri: "You're literally the only girl he's ever looked at like that. If anything, he'll probably fly to you every weekend."
I laughed softly, shaking my head.
Then the wind decided to play traitor — my soda slipped from my hand and spilled all over my sleeve.
Jay: "Oh no—!"
Yuri: "Here, hold still," he said, grabbing a napkin and wiping my sleeve, way too close for comfort.
And that's when it happened.
Someone nearby gasped. I turned — and saw a random student watching, eyes wide like she'd just witnessed a scandal.
Jay: "It's not what it looks like!"
But she was already whispering to her friend.
I didn't even need to hear the words to know what was coming.
By the time last period started, I could feel it. The stares. The murmurs.
"She's with Yuri now."
"Poor Keifer…"
My stomach dropped.
When I looked around for him later, he wasn't anywhere. Not in class. Not by the lockers. Not even in the courtyard where we always met.
He was gone.
---
Keifer's POV
Rumors have teeth.
They bite before you can defend yourself.
By lunch, I'd heard it from three different people.
"Keifer, man, I'm sorry."
"Didn't think Jay would do that."
"Yuri's your best friend, right?"
I didn't believe them. I couldn't.
Jay wasn't like that.
But then someone showed me a picture.
Jay and Yuri — close. Him wiping her sleeve. Her smiling.
It wasn't proof.
But it looked like proof.
I felt something heavy twist in my chest.
Why would she do this?
Why wouldn't she just tell me?
I left the cafeteria, walked outside, and ended up at the fountain — the same one where I first told her I loved her. The sky looked like rain again, mocking me.
I wanted to be angry. To yell.
But all I could do was whisper to the empty air:
"Why, Jay?"
---
Jay's POV
That night, I sat among half-sealed boxes, my phone glowing in the dark.
Ten unread messages. All to Keifer.
No reply.
"It's not what it looks like."
"Please, just talk to me."
"I didn't do anything."
The silence was louder than shouting.
Maybe this is how love ends — not with goodbye, but with doubt.
---
Keifer's POV
I read her messages. Every single one.
And still couldn't decide what to believe.
If she loved me, why didn't she come find me?
If she was innocent, why did it look so real?
I turned off my phone, let it drop on my chest, and stared at the ceiling.
"Maybe love's not enough if trust isn't there."
---
Jay's POV
Tomorrow, I'll see him.
Tomorrow, I'll tell him before I leave.
If he even wants to listen.