Jay‑jay
I never thought I'd stand in front of them again.
Sixteen boys who once called me their "Gem," now unable to even meet my eyes.
Sir Alvin gave us the auditorium for the morning "team reflection." The rest of the students were outside setting up booths. It was quiet enough to hear my own heartbeat.
They sat in their old formation—my old formation—desks scattered, personalities loud even in silence.
Mayo was fidgeting.
Yuri was smirking just to hide how nervous he really was.
Blaster kept opening and closing his mouth like he wanted to speak and couldn't find words.
Felix, Calix, and Denzel sat stone‑faced, guilt sharp in their posture.
Rory and Eren avoided my gaze completely.
Josh clasped his hands together in prayer on his lap.
Drew tapped his knee out of habit.
David looked calm but watchful.
Ci‑N sat at the center, tears already threatening.
And at the back — Keifer, quiet, still, unreadable.
I took a deep breath and started.
"I didn't come here to stay angry."
Sixteen heads lifted.
"You all thought I wouldn't show. Maybe you think this is some kind of closure meeting. It's not. It's everything I needed to say before I go back to London."
The room shifted — hesitant, waiting for an explosion that didn't come.
"You hurt me," I said plainly. "You made me believe that being part of something good was a joke. But I also know that not all of you made that choice. Some of you followed, some of you stayed quiet. Silence cuts worst of all."
Yuri nodded faintly, shame flashing across his charming mask.
"Ci‑N," I said next, my voice softening.
He looked up, trembling. "…yeah?"
"You were supposed to be my best friend. I trusted you with everything. And still… you stayed when they used me."
He broke. Tears slipped freely now.
"I know. And I'll regret that for the rest of my life."
I nodded slowly. "I forgave you a long time ago, even if I didn't want to admit it."
Gasps rippled through the group.
"All of you—Section E—you taught me things I wish I'd learned easier. Loyalty. Stupidity. Family. Pain. I don't hate you anymore. Being angry kept me alive when I left, but it's time I stop living like I'm still in that classroom."
David spoke up quietly: "We're sorry, Jay. Truly."
"I know you are."
One by one, they stood — Kit, Mayo, Eman, Rory, Drew, Blaster — each murmuring some word, some apology they'd rehearsed but never said aloud.
Mayo sniffed loudly. "You don't get how weird it felt, Jay, walking class without you bullying us to study."
For the first time, I smiled. "Maybe you finally learned."
Laughter cracked through their tears.
I scanned their faces — sixteen shades of regret and relief. The weight in my chest finally loosened.
But when my eyes met Keifer's, everything inside me froze again.
Keifer
They stood. They spoke.
One by one, she forgave them all.
Not once did her voice tremble — until our eyes met.
For everyone else, her expression was soft, merciful, understanding.
For me—it was armor.
She walked toward me slowly, stopping just close enough for the air to turn electric.
"And you," she said, voice steady. "You don't get forgiveness yet."
Sixteen boys went dead silent.
"They followed you, Keifer. You started it, and you finished it, too."
"I know."
"You said you loved me, and maybe that's true. But love without honesty ruins everything it touches."
I swallowed hard. "I'm not asking you to forgive me today."
"Good," she said flatly. "Because you're not ready for that yet—and neither am I."
Then, softer, almost pleading:
"Stop apologizing if you're not going to change. Stop looking at me like I'm still yours."
Her words hit harder than any punch ever could.
Ci‑N tried to speak, but I lifted a hand. "She's right."
Jay‑jay
They were crying now — Ci‑N quietly, Eman openly, Rory trying to laugh through it.
Mayo handed around tissues while muttering something about "not being emotional," even though his eyes were shiny too.
I looked at them — all sixteen boys of Section E — and saw, maybe for the first time, not delinquents or traitors, but just a group of people who messed up and learned too late what loss looks like.
"Thank you," I said finally. "For admitting it."
And even if I couldn't say the words aloud, the truth shook quietly through me:
I missed them.
All of them.
Except him.
Not yet.
Keifer
When she walked past me toward the door, I didn't stop her.
Ci‑N reached out to hold her hand briefly — she let him.
David nodded as she passed — she smiled.
But when she stood beside me, she hesitated for just a second, enough to whisper:
"Maybe one day, Keifer. Just not now."
Then she left the auditorium with the sunlight at her back.
Mayo exhaled. "Do you think she'll ever forgive you?"
Ci‑N answered quietly, wiping his eyes. "When he forgives himself first."
And maybe that's what hurt most—
They were right.
Jay‑jay
Outside, the wind smelled like the last day of something.
For the first time, thinking of Section E didn't make me ache.
It didn't heal everything. But it stopped the bleeding.
Forgiveness wasn't a door; it was a crack of light.
And though Keifer stayed in the dark behind me, the others were finally free.