Jay‑jay
The auditorium buzzed like one long heartbeat. Cameras flashed, mics clicked, students whispered. I adjusted my blazer, pretending my hands weren't sweating through the fabric.
Mia waved frantically from across the aisle. "Jay, smile! You're representing the international students again!"
Drake squeezed my shoulders, soft‑voiced and calm. "You'll do great, love."
Right.
London Jay — confident, focused, composed — not the girl who once cried in classroom hallways in Manila.
Then Principal Evans strode on stage, silver hair gleaming under the lights.
"Good afternoon, everyone! Today we celebrate our extraordinary students—not only for their achievements here at Central London but for the bridges they're building across the world."
The crowd cheered. Evans smiled, letting the noise fade before continuing.
"To push those bridges even further, the university will be launching a Cultural Partnership Program with one of our sister schools overseas."
Murmurs spread quickly. I shared a confused glance with Mia. Across the row, Eli mouthed, Trip?!
Evans turned toward the huge screen behind him. "Our delegates will participate in a two‑week academic immersion at—"
A slide appeared with a photo banner.
The name hit me like a punch.
HVIS University, Manila.
The audience broke into a wave of cheers.
Mia half‑shouted beside me: "Wait—that's your old school, isn't it?!"
My throat closed. My heart pounded so hard it blurred out the noise around me.
Drake leaned closer, oblivious to the blood draining from my face.
"That's amazing, Jay! You can show me where you came from!"
I forced a brittle smile. "Yeah. Amazing."
He kept talking, his excitement rising with the crowd's. But all I heard was rain. Rain and echoes.
Section E.
Keifer Watson.
All the ghosts waiting back in HVIS's cracked corridors.
Half an hour later, while groups celebrated and took photos, Principal Evans made his way toward me.
"Miss Mariano," he said warmly. "We're very proud to have one of HVIS's graduates among our delegates. It'll be meaningful for their students to see you again. You're living proof of redemption and progress."
Redemption.
If only he knew.
Behind him, students chattered about travel dates, flights, and hotel reservations. I smiled politely until he walked away, then sat down before my legs could give out.
Mia rushed over. "Jay? You look pale. Cold feet already?"
"It's just… memories," I said quietly.
She narrowed her eyes. "The bad kind?"
I nodded once.
Eli plopped into the chair beside me. "Hey, relax. It's a school, not a warzone."
If only he knew how close those two things felt to me now.
That night, alone in my flat, I scrolled through my inbox.
Right between travel documents and visa confirmations sat one unread message.
From: Felix
Subject:Section E misses you, Jay.
How many ghosts could fit into one email thread?
I locked my phone and closed my laptop.
The city lights outside blurred through a thin layer of rain — quieter, smoother than Manila's storms, but heavy just the same.
"I'm never going back," I whispered.
"Not for Keifer. Not for Section E. Not for anyone."
But the truth was louder than my fear — plane tickets already booked, her name already listed.
Whether she liked it or not, the past had booked her return.
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Author note
👉Would you like me to continue with Chapter 7: The Return — set as the start of Jay‑jay's reluctant 😒 journey back to Manila and HVIS University, where both Section E and Keifer 😍 react to the news of her return ✈️?
👉 Should I make Jayfer or Jayri or Jay and drake ?
👉 You guys are up for a surprise 😮
Your pretty author ✍️
Jayfershipper
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