Chapter 80 – "Who Are They Really?"
Morning didn't feel normal anymore.
Not in Bangalore.
Not in that house.
Not in JJ's life.
---
Cole stood near the doorway with his phone in hand.
Expression calm.
Too calm.
Like this kind of thing happened often.
---
"I have to go to London," he said simply.
No drama.
No explanation.
Just fact.
---
Care looked up instantly.
"…again?"
Cole nodded once.
"Yes."
---
Rhys immediately frowned.
"Bro is collecting countries like Pokémon at this point."
Lyra elbowed him lightly.
"Not now."
---
Alex watched Cole carefully.
"…is everything okay?"
Cole paused.
A fraction too long.
Then:
"Yes."
---
And that was it.
No details.
No clarity.
No one pushed further.
Because somehow—
they trusted him anyway.
---
Care, especially, didn't question him.
Not fully.
Because Cole wasn't just "part of the group" to her anymore.
He was something closer.
Something she didn't define out loud.
---
Cole adjusted his coat.
"I'll be back soon."
Then he left.
Just like that.
---
And nobody stopped him.
---
JJ – Campus Exit
Later that day—
JJ walked out of IIM Bangalore after class.
Same routine.
Same quiet confusion in her chest that never fully went away anymore.
---
Care was already waiting at the car.
Leaning slightly against it.
Watching the crowd.
---
When JJ approached, Care opened the door immediately.
"Get in."
JJ blinked.
"…you're early."
Care shrugged.
"Changed my schedule."
---
JJ sat inside.
Still slightly distracted.
Still feeling that same strange heaviness from campus.
---
Care got into the driver's seat.
Then paused for a moment.
Looking ahead.
---
"…today," she said slowly, "I saw them."
JJ turned slightly.
"…who?"
Care didn't answer immediately.
Then:
"Section E."
---
That name made something inside JJ shift faintly.
Not memory.
Just reaction.
---
JJ frowned.
"…the group from before?"
Care nodded once.
"They were watching you."
---
JJ looked out the window.
Uncomfortable now.
"…they've been acting weird since that library incident."
Pause.
"They keep looking at me like I'm supposed to know them."
---
She hesitated.
Then added quietly:
"…like I'm the one forgetting."
---
Care didn't respond immediately.
Just started the car.
Hands steady on the wheel.
Expression unreadable.
---
JJ continued softly:
"I don't think I've done anything wrong."
"…but it feels like I broke something I can't see."
---
Silence inside the car.
Heavy.
---
Care finally spoke.
Calm.
Grounded.
---
"You didn't break anything."
JJ glanced at her.
"…then why does it feel like this?"
---
Care didn't answer that.
Because she couldn't give her the full truth.
Not yet.
Not without everything collapsing.
---
Instead—
she just said:
"Don't force yourself to understand it right now."
---
JJ nodded slowly.
Still confused.
Still uneasy.
---
As the car moved forward—
IIM Bangalore disappeared behind them.
---
And somewhere inside that campus—
Section E stood watching from a distance.
Silent.
Frustrated.
Broken in ways they didn't know how to fix yet.
---
Because they had found her again.
But she still wasn't theirs.
---
Watching Her Leave Again
Section E stood near the hostel gate, still.
Too still.
Like movement itself had become optional after JJ left.
---
Percy broke the silence first.
"…we literally just got her in the same city."
Yuri didn't even look at him.
"She's not gone. She's just out of reach for a few hours."
"That's not comforting."
---
Aries stood slightly ahead, arms folded.
"We don't have permission to take vehicles out yet. Dean's restriction still applies."
Felix exhaled.
"So we just stand here and emotionally rot?"
Endrix replied flatly:
"Yes."
Nobody argued with that.
---
Rory suddenly pointed.
"…there."
---
A car was leaving the campus gate.
Slow.
Clean.
Normal.
---
Everyone looked instantly.
---
And JJ was inside.
Front passenger seat.
Looking out the window.
Detached from everything around her.
Like she was physically present but mentally somewhere quieter.
---
Percy went still.
"…she left again."
No jokes this time.
No sarcasm.
Just truth.
---
Aries didn't answer immediately.
Because his focus shifted.
---
JJ wasn't alone.
But they didn't know who the girl driving was.
Not her name.
Not her identity.
Nothing.
Just someone older.
Calm driving posture.
Trusted enough for JJ to sit beside her without hesitation.
---
Felix narrowed his eyes.
"…that must be the one who's been taking her around campus."
Yuri muttered:
"Lucky guess. I hate not knowing things."
---
Aries spoke quietly:
"She's not random to JJ."
Pause.
"…that's enough for her to trust her."
---
Silence again.
Heavier this time.
---
The Girls
Behind them, the girls stood slightly apart.
Ella.
Freya.
Rakhi.
Mica.
All watching the same direction.
---
Ella whispered:
"She didn't even look back."
Freya replied softly:
"She doesn't know she should."
---
Rakhi's voice was low.
"This feels wrong."
Mica nodded faintly.
"…like she's slipping away even when she's right here."
---
Keifer
A few steps behind everyone—
Keifer stood completely still.
Hands in pockets.
Eyes locked on the road where the car disappeared.
---
Not speaking.
Not reacting.
Not blinking much.
---
Percy noticed and muttered:
"…he hasn't moved since she left."
Aries glanced back.
Keifer was calm.
Too calm.
The kind that meant everything inside was loud.
---
Yuri lowered his voice.
"He's not okay."
Felix replied:
"He hasn't been okay for a year."
---
The Car Disappears
The vehicle turned at the end of the road.
Merged into traffic.
Then—
gone.
---
Just like that.
---
Percy exhaled slowly.
"…we found her."
Pause.
"…but we still lost her again."
---
Aries didn't correct him.
Because it felt true enough.
---
Rory asked quietly:
"So what now?"
---
Silence.
---
Felix answered first.
"We wait for permission."
Yuri added:
"And we don't lose sight again."
---
Calix nodded.
"…even if she doesn't know us yet."
---
Keifer
Then Keifer finally spoke.
Low voice.
Controlled.
---
"She's not lost."
Pause.
"…she just hasn't remembered us yet."
---
Nobody responded immediately.
Because that wasn't dramatic.
It was worse.
It was patient.
---
Final Scene
Campus noise slowly returned around them.
People walking.
Classes starting.
Normal life continuing like nothing happened.
---
But Section E didn't move.
Not yet.
---
Because JJ had just left again—
and for them, every time she disappeared into a direction they couldn't follow…
it felt like losing her all over again.
---
And somewhere far ahead in Bangalore traffic—
JJ sat quietly, unaware that the people watching her leave weren't strangers at all…
they were just people she hadn't learned how to remember yet.