(For context Jay-jay met Percy right outside the gate after Keifer told her that he had used her)
Keifer's POV
Damn you, Percy!
Of all times, you chose to come back now. Why did he take Jay-jay? Where did he bring her?
"Rory!" I shouted. "…Find him! Find Percy now!"
"I'm already on it!" He answered while holding his phone.
"Edrix! Any updates?!"
"I'm having a hard time tracking his car! Did no one see the plate number?!" He asked before typing on his laptop keyboard.
"Now you're scared." David said, making me irritated. "After hurting Jay-jay and letting her run away, you're searching for her like a madman."
I immediately grabbed his shirt. "Shut your mouth if you don't want me to add another bruise to your face."
"Even if Keifer did that, it doesn't mean he's just going to abandon Jay-jay." Yuri said and removed my hand from David's shirt. "…We don't know what Percy is planning to do to her. Unless you want to tell us."
David dusted off his clothes. "Even if I wanted to, I have nothing to say. He doesn't tell me everything."
I wanted to squeeze information out of him, but it would be a waste of energy. He was telling the truth—he really didn't know anything.
My phone suddenly rang. I took it out of my pocket.
Demon calling…
It was Angelo. I already had a feeling why he was calling.
I stepped away from them before answering the call.
"Angelo…" I said upon pressing the answer button.
[ "What have you done, Keifer?" ] He asked calmly.
His calmness made me uneasy, like the wind before a storm.
"I followed your advice."
I heard him sigh.
[ "Let's talk about it. Same place." ]
He ended the call, and I put my phone back in my pocket.
I need to find Jay-jay first. Percy might take her away for good.
I will hunt you down, Percy—even in the afterlife. If I have to, I'll send you back to your grave.
"I found it!" Edrix shouted, and all of us walked toward him. "…They left town. The CCTV footage was cut off when they reached the highway."
"You did a great job." I said, patting his shoulder.
"Sorry, Keifer. Percy didn't leave any traces. He probably knew you'd look for him." Rory said.
"Fvck! Fvck you, Percy!" I shouted and almost punched the wall.
Percy knew exactly how I operated. Probably because of David. Damn it! I'd love to strangle them both. And he even used someone I never expected to follow him.
David had this boss instinct and attitude, so it was unlikely he'd take orders from anyone. I need to defeat him first to make him follow me.
I noticed Felix in the corner. He had been silent for almost an hour now. Maybe he still couldn't believe that his brother had finally shown up.
"We can't just sit here and wait for nothing." Yuri said.
I knew he was just as worried as I was.
I looked at him. "Search for them near the last CCTV footage. Use my car and the others at home if you have to."
"You're not coming?" Eman asked.
"I need to talk to someone who can help us find her." I said, and they all nodded.
They gathered their things and immediately walked out of the room. I asked Calix to go to the Faculty and talk to Sir Alvin. The teachers will start looking for us if they notice we're missing. Although, most of them don't really care.
They left with my car. I waited for a taxi outside the school gate, but then a car stopped in front of me.
Yuri…
"Hop in. I'll take you to him."
I didn't say a word. I got in, and he drove like he knew exactly where to go.
While looking out the window, I kept thinking about her.
I still can't believe I did that. I hurt her in front of everyone, and I was so calm while doing it.
No excuses.
I didn't even know how I managed to say those words. So many times, I thought about stopping, but I couldn't. I almost forced myself to shut up, but Jay-jay insisted on hearing my answer.
Those words… I used you. It felt like I stabbed myself when I let go of those words. But what broke me the most was seeing her cry…
…And I can't do anything about it because I'm the cause of her tears.
I badly wanted to hold her in that moment. I wanted to apologize over and over again and tell her that I had long abandoned that plan. I wanted to shout to her how much I love her.
I badly want to… But I can't.
This was the first time I had ever seen her cry like that. I felt like I had gone too far. My conscience was knocking me down. Maybe I should have done things differently. Maybe I should have broken up with her like a normal couple would.
But that's bullshit. Definitely bullshit! We didn't even have an official label. And besides, that wouldn't have worked on me because I knew I wouldn't be able to bear it. She would just laugh at me or maybe even get annoyed.
Too much pain is the perfect recipe to push someone away, and I got the perfect ingredients.
"We're here." Yuri announced as he parked the car.
I immediately got out, and he did the same. I turned to face him before I could enter the Kingsground doors.
"I think you should search with them. I'll be the one to talk to Angelo." I said and was about to walk away, but he stopped me.
"Why, Keifer? Why are you keeping all your problems to yourself again? When will you stop being like this? We're friends—no, we've been best friends for so many years. Maybe we're rivals in some things, but we're still best friends." He said, his voice full of worry.
As much as I wanted to tell him, it was better not to. I didn't want to drag him into the weight of what I was feeling. Right now, he and our friends were the only ones I could rely on.
Telling him my plan might ruin everything.
"Search for Jay-jay." That was the only thing I said before leaving him behind.
I wanted Yuri to be the one to take care of Jay-jay. Despite being my rival, he always tried his best to understand me. And if she ever chose him because of what I had done, I would still be at peace knowing Yuri would take care of her.
But of course, I will make sure that it won't happen.
I went straight to Tiger's office. Angelo was talking to someone over the phone. He put it down when he noticed me.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked right away.
"What?"
"Someone saw Percy… alive and driving a car." He said.
He was obviously overthinking it. It seemed like Percy had purposely shown himself at this moment. He had been talking to Jay-jay for a long time, yet we never had a lead on him.
Now, he no longer cared if people recognized him.
"Because we're not sure why he's coming back."
He pointed a finger at me. "You should know why! What if he drags Jay-jay into this mess again?"
"They are together." I almost whispered. He looked at me in shock.
"What?!"
"Yuri and the others saw him—"
He cut me off by punching me in the face.
I fell to the floor. Honestly, it felt strange whenever he hit me.
"Look at what you've done! You dragged her into your mess again!"
I wiped the blood from my lip. "Tss… Have you forgotten that Aries was the reason for the accident? So if you're going to blame someone, it's not me."
He didn't say anything. The way he looked at me made it clear—he was still putting the blame on me.
"…It's not my mess that dragged Jay-jay into this. It's her brother's."
His expression suddenly changed. He was now looking at me in horror. He probably couldn't believe that I knew about it.
"H-how…"
"I'm being clever as fvck. Thanks to you."
He raised both hands in the air as if surrendering.
"You really learned a lot from me." He smirked.
"…But you're still weak."
"Just wait… One of these days, I will be stronger than you."
He looked at me with a challenging gaze. "I will surely wait, Keifer. I will."
He didn't wait for my response. He turned around and walked away.
My fists clenched. I was planning to ask for his help in finding Jay-jay, but it seemed that wouldn't happen anymore.
"Damn you!" I shouted out of frustration.
My mind was a mess. I didn't know what to do anymore. What if Percy went through with his plan? What if he took Jay-jay away?
I needed to act fast. I took out my phone and dialed Rory's number.
["Keifer… We still haven't—"]
I cut him off. "I want you to check all the scheduled flights at the airport. Percy might try to take Jay-jay out of the country."
["W-what? That's impossible."]
"You're disappointing me, Rory."
["You don't understand, Keifer. What you're asking for is highly secured information. Even Edrix can't—"]
I was desperate.
"Rory… Please." I said, almost begging.
I heard him sigh.
["Let me see what I can do."]
"Thank you."
["But I can't promise anything."] He ended the call.
I knew he could do it. He was Rory Abejar—they owned a private investigation company. He was starting to become part of it himself, so I knew he was capable.
I decided to leave Tiger's office and head straight for the exit of Kingsground.
"Are you leaving already?" It was Tiger.
"Sorry. I'm in a hurry." I answered.
I didn't wait for his response and walked out. Taxis are not really common in this area since it's known as a hangout for addicts and muggers. I had no choice but to walk to the main road.
I quickly hailed a taxi and got in. I asked to be dropped off at home. I took one of my cars and drove away. I need to search; I can't just sit around and do nothing.
Jay-jay must be feeling extremely hurt because of me. I just broke her heart. What if she does something she'll regret later? And now, she's with Percy.
Dammit!
I couldn't stop myself from punching the steering wheel. My mind was filled with chaotic thoughts. Especially now that they're together. Jealousy is boiling my blood.
Try touching Jay-jay, Percy. I'll send you back to your grave!
I couldn't understand his real intentions. Why did he only show himself to Jay-jay? It was very suspicious.
Revenge was the first thing that came to mind. But if that's really what he wanted, he should've shown up sooner—back when things weren't this complicated.
I had been driving for hours when my phone rang. It was Yuri.
I answered the call. "Yuri…"
"I received a text from Angelo. Someone saw Percy and Jay-jay at a fast food restaurant."
It seemed like he was also looking for his cousin. He must be restless, knowing that Jay-jay was with Percy.
"Good. Let's meet at Angelo's house."
I ended the call and drove as fast as I could toward Angelo's house. I knew I wasn't welcome there, but I was willing to take the risk. I just needed to make sure Percy hadn't done anything to Jay-jay.
When I arrived, some of our friends were already there. I parked the car and got out.
Rory was the first to speak to me.
"Sorry, Keifer. Someone blocked me from accessing the flight schedules. I think it was airport security." He explained.
"It's okay. You tried your best." I said and walked toward Yuri.
I didn't miss the exchange of looks between Rory and Edrix. I realized he never even attempted to follow my request. Maybe he's upset with me too. Perhaps they intentionally wanted to make me worry.
"Keifer…" Yuri called out to me. "It looks like Percy didn't do anything to Jay-jay."
"How sure are you?"
He didn't answer.
I chose to go inside Angelo's house. He was in the living room, talking on the phone. His mother sat beside him, also on a call.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Aries snapped the moment he saw me.
He grabbed me by the collar and shoved me toward the door.
"What did you do to Jay-jay?!"
"I thought you didn't care about your cousin—oh wait! Your sister? Why are you so angry now?"
Fear and shock flashed across his face.
"H-how the hell…"
I pushed his hands off me and left him standing there, stunned. I walked back inside, and Angelo's mother immediately approached me.
"Keifer… do you have any news about Jay-jay?" she asked.
"I'm sorry, but none yet."
"I see… Have a seat. Angelo is already looking for her." She gestured toward the sofa.
I did as she said, and Yuri followed me. Angelo occasionally glanced at me, but neither of us said a word.
"Should we call the police?" Jay-jay's grandmother suggested as she arrived.
"You have to wait 24 hours before reporting a missing person." Angelo explained.
"What exactly is that girl up to?" Jay-jay's mother asked.
Soon, everyone living in the house had gathered, including his new stepfather.
Aries was still glaring at me like he wanted to kill me.
I chose to ignore him.
After hours of waiting, I finally heard someone speaking outside. It didn't take long before that person walked through the door.
It was Jay-jay.
You made me so damn worried.
Her grandmother, aunt, and mother immediately rushed toward her. She looked exhausted, her eyes swollen from crying. She seemed lifeless as she gazed around.
"Where have you been?" Her grandmother asked.
"Your classmates have been looking for you." Her aunt added.
"What happened? Why did you suddenly leave school?" Her mother questioned.
She didn't answer them. Instead, she scanned the room until our eyes met.
It broke me. Seeing her like this, seeing her suffer because of me, and watching her avoid me.
"Ma…" She finally spoke. "Am I an illegitimate child?"
And at that moment, I realized Jay-jay would suffer even more than I had expected.