The cost of breaking her
It happened on a Tuesday.
Which felt disrespectful.
Because Tuesdays were ordinary.
There were quizzes.
There was cafeteria noise.
There were unfinished assignments and loud laughter echoing down the corridor of Section E.
Nothing felt catastrophic.
Until it was.
The classroom was loud that morning.
Cin was arguing with someone about something irrelevant.
Rakki was half-listening, half-filing her nails.
Keifer sat at the back, unreadable as always.
Jay walked in late.
Not dramatically late.
Just a minute.
Her hair still slightly damp from the rain outside.
Her expression neutral.
Her presence — steady.
She didn’t know that everyone already knew.
That Kaizer Watson had made his move.
That Keifer had been warned.
That a plan had been executed without her consent.
And that this would be the moment he ended it.
She took her seat.
Keifer didn’t look at her at first.
Then he did.
And something in his eyes was already gone.
Not anger.
Not hatred.
Distance.
Calculated distance.
Cin cleared his throat awkwardly.
No one laughed.
Jay noticed.
Her fingers tightened slightly around her pen.
“What?” she asked lightly.
No one answered.
Keifer stood.
Slowly.
Too slowly.
He didn’t raise his voice.
Didn’t shout.
Didn’t accuse.
He looked at her like she was a stranger.
“I used you.”
Silence.
Jay blinked once.
The room felt smaller.
“I don’t understand.”
He held her gaze.
“You were part of a plan.”
The words landed clean.
Precise.
Engineered.
Her lips parted slightly.
“A plan?”
“To get back at Aries.”
There it was.
A collective inhale from the room.
Jay’s eyes flickered — just once — at the mention of her brother.
Aries.
Section A.
Ella.
Keifer’s ex.
The revenge plot.
It clicked.
Too fast.
Too clearly.
“And everyone knew?” she asked quietly.
No anger.
No disbelief.
Just… confirmation.
No one denied it.
Keifer didn’t hesitate.
“Yes.”
Something inside her shifted.
Not shattered.
Not exploded.
Just… emptied.
The worst part wasn’t the words.
It was the fact that he didn’t stutter.
Didn’t hesitate.
Didn’t even pretend to struggle.
She searched his face for something.
Anything.
A crack.
A flicker.
A tell.
There was nothing.
Because he had rehearsed this.
He had chosen to be cruel.
On purpose.
“I see,” she whispered.
Her hands were shaking now.
Barely noticeable.
But shaking.
Cin looked like he was about to speak.
Keifer’s jaw tightened slightly.
But he didn’t stop her from hearing it.
He didn’t protect her from the full impact.
That was the point.
He needed her to walk away.
Because Kaizer Watson had made it clear:
If Jay kept meddling,
If she stayed close,
If she became leverage—
She would die.
So he chose to break her instead.
Jay didn’t scream.
Didn’t throw anything.
Didn’t ask why.
She just nodded once.
And said—
“Okay.”
Her voice trembled.
Just slightly.
She stood up.
Slowly.
Everyone watched.
No one moved.
She picked up her bag.
Walked past his desk.
Their shoulders almost brushed.
He didn’t reach for her.
Didn’t stop her.
That would’ve ruined the performance.
She walked out of the classroom.
The door clicked shut behind her.
And the silence inside became suffocating.
Outside, the hallway felt too bright.
Too loud.
Students walking past, unaware that something irreversible had just happened.
Jay kept walking.
One step.
Then another.
Her vision blurred.
Not dramatically.
Just slowly.
Her chest felt tight.
Like something was pressing inward.
She reached the stairwell.
The last thing she heard—
“Jay!”
Percy’s voice.
Sharp.
Panicked.
She turned her head slightly.
Saw him running toward her.
Black curls messy.
Blue eyes wide.
And then—
Everything went black.
Hospital
When she woke up, the ceiling was white.
Sterile.
Unfamiliar.
Her body felt heavy.
There was a steady beeping sound somewhere to her left.
She blinked slowly.
The room came into focus.
Percy was sitting beside her bed.
Leaning back in the chair like he owned the place.
One leg crossed over the other.
When he saw her eyes open—
He grinned.
Relief flooding his face before he masked it.
“Well well,” he said lightly.
“Miss me, baby sistah?”
Her throat hurt when she tried to speak.
He immediately leaned forward.
“Easy.”
She swallowed.
“Where…”
“Hospital.”
He reached for the cup of water beside her and helped her sit up slightly.
“You fainted outside school.”
She processed that slowly.
Like everything was underwater.
A knock came at the door.
The doctor walked in.
Professional.
Measured.
Percy straightened slightly.
Jay’s fingers tightened around the hospital blanket.
The doctor glanced at her chart.
“There’s something you need to know.”
Silence.
“We ran routine tests.”
A pause.
Jay felt it before she heard it.
“You’re pregnant.”
The word hung in the air.
Percy froze.
Actually froze.
Then blinked slowly.
“…I beg your pardon?”
Jay didn’t react immediately.
Didn’t gasp.
Didn’t cry.
She just stared at the doctor.
Like the information needed time to travel.
Pregnant.
Keifer’s plan had stopped midway when she became family.
But not soon enough.
The doctor explained options.
Medical timelines.
Support systems.
It all sounded distant.
When the room cleared again—
Percy turned to her carefully.
Not joking now.
Not dramatic.
Just big brother.
“What do you want to do?”
Jay stared at her hands.
They weren’t shaking anymore.
They were steady.
Too steady.
“I want to start fresh.”
Her voice was quiet.
But firm.
Percy searched her face.
“Fresh how?”
She met his eyes.
“Without them.”
Percy’s Apartment
Percy’s apartment was massive.
Floor-to-ceiling windows.
Minimalist design.
Soft lighting.
He threw his bag onto the couch.
“Welcome to my tight and crusty dwelling.”
She almost smiled.
“It’s huge.”
“It’s emotionally compact.”
He walked toward the kitchen.
“Hungry?”
She shook her head.
He didn’t push.
Later that night, she stood by the window.
Looking out at the city lights.
Hand resting unconsciously against her stomach.
Fresh start.
Not revenge.
Not confrontation.
Just removal.
The Next Morning
She didn’t wear her uniform.
That alone sent shockwaves through the school.
Black jeans.
Simple top.
Hair tied back.
No effort to blend in.
She walked into Section E.
The room fell silent immediately.
Keifer stood up without realizing he had.
She didn’t look at him.
Not yet.
She walked to her locker.
Stared at the metal surface for a second.
Her name tag — neatly printed — still taped to the top.
Jay.
She reached up.
Ripped it off.
The sound was small.
But it echoed.
Inside the classroom, she walked to her desk.
Picked up her books.
Turned them upside down.
Shoved them backward into her bag.
Keifer stepped forward.
“Jay—”
She moved past him.
He reached for her wrist.
Not forcefully.
Just instinct.
She pulled away.
Not violently.
Just firmly.
Like he was nothing.
The room held its breath.
She walked to Cin.
He looked confused.
Lost.
She placed a small box in his hands.
Tiny surprise eggs.
Wrapped carefully.
The gift she had planned for his birthday.
She leaned close.
Her voice barely audible.
“Happy birthday, Cin.”
His face crumpled slightly.
“Jay, I didn’t—”
She stepped back.
Didn’t let him finish.
Then she looked at Keifer.
Finally.
Not with anger.
Not with hatred.
Just—
Absence.
He had expected tears.
Accusations.
A slap.
He had prepared for rage.
He hadn’t prepared for this.
“I hope it was worth it,” she said quietly.
Not dramatic.
Just honest.
And then she walked out.
Again.
But this time—
She didn’t faint.
She didn’t look back.
And Keifer realized too late—
Breaking her was supposed to protect her.
But watching her leave without anything left in her eyes—
That was worse.
