Jay-jay's POV
Whose is this?
This suitcase is huge. I could probably fit inside it. This has to be the biggest one I've ever seen. But whose is it?
The moment I opened my eyes, it was the first thing I saw. I even blinked a few times, thinking I was imagining it.
I sat up and inspected the suitcase, looking for any identifying marks. I even tried to open it, but the zipper was locked with a code.
I tried pushing and moving it out of the way. It's blocking the path.
So heavy!
Is there a person inside this?! It's ridiculously heavy—like an entire house was packed in there.
"Whose is this?" I asked irritably.
I just scratched my head. How did this even get here without me noticing?
I glanced at the wall clock. It was still early. I went straight to the bathroom to wash my face. After that, I changed my clothes and stepped out of my room, looking for Auntie.
Maybe she was the one who put that in my room.
I headed to the kitchen. At this hour, they were usually there, having already finished breakfast. Even from afar, I could already hear Auntie's loud laughter.
I quickened my pace. They sounded like they were having so much fun. But when I stepped inside, I froze.
Ci-N?!
"...You little rascal. Hahahaha..." Auntie laughed.
"But I'm handsome, though," Ci-N replied, making Auntie laugh even louder.
Even Uncle, who was drinking his coffee, chuckled. Even my brother, Kuya, was smiling while shaking his head.
"Hahahahaha... Just eat already," Auntie ordered.
"I'll eat later. I'll wait for—Jay!" he called out when he saw me.
"Good morning, Jay... Have breakfast. Join your friend here," Uncle Julz told me.
Kuya Angelo just looked at me. I still didn't want to talk to him. He can do whatever he wants!
"S-sure."
"We'll head to the dining room now," Ci-N said.
I walked out of the kitchen, and of course, that rascal followed me.
Before we could even enter the dining room, I grabbed Ci-N by the collar.
"Aw... Jay!" he yelped.
"You idiot! What happened to you?!" I asked, irritated but also worried.
Who wouldn't be concerned about this troublesome kid? I barely got any sleep thinking about him—and Keifer and Yuri.
"B-because..."
"What?! What happened to you?!"
"K-Kuya locked me up." His voice was barely a whisper.
I froze, letting go of him as I stared into his eyes.
"...He said he's sending me to London. I refused, so he locked me in my room." He explained.
Tsk!
I felt a surge of anger toward his infuriating brother. That guy doesn't think at all. Locking up Ci-N?!
"Lola and I were worried about you," I told him.
"S-sorry... He also took all my gadgets."
"I-is that all he did to you? He didn't hurt you, did he?" I asked, worried.
I don't trust his brother at all. What if he did something else to Ci?
Ci-N didn't answer. He avoided my gaze and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Ci. Talk! What else did your brother do to you?!"
He shook his head. "Nothing... But he did threaten me. He said he'd come after you if I don't behave."
Me?! Ha!
"Then let him! Does he really think I'm scared of him?!" I snapped and continued walking into the dining room.
Ci followed behind me. If his brother thought I was afraid of him, he was wrong. In fact, I wanted to face him. We had a lot to settle.
We started eating, both of us silent. Probably because his mouth was too full of food.
I was just about to take a bite of my bacon when Aries suddenly walked in, immediately shooting a glare at Ci-N.
"What the..." he muttered. "...What are you doing here?!" he asked, irritated.
"Hhhhmmmm... Hmm.. hmmm..." Ci-N mumbled.
Huh??
I didn't understand a word. His mouth was completely stuffed, yet he was still trying to talk.
Aries turned his glare to me instead.
"I-I don't know yet. I was just about to ask him," I quickly answered.
Aries didn't say anything else. He just sat down and started eating.
But every now and then, he would shoot sharp glares at me and Ci-N.
Even though I still wanted to eat, I forced myself to stand up.
"Let's go, Ci... We might be late," I urged.
"Huh?! It's still early," he replied, shoveling another spoonful of rice into his mouth.
Just go along with it! He really didn't get what I was trying to say.
I glared at him. "Let's go," I said firmly.
Though confused, he finally stood up and walked with me.
As we walked, he kept nudging me.
"What?"
"I wasn't done eating. Why'd you make me leave?" he asked.
This idiot! He really didn't notice the tension at that table.
"No reason! I just thought we might actually be late."Lame excuse.
He just shrugged.
When we got back to the room, he suddenly ran toward the massive suitcase sitting beside my bed.
He laid it down and started pressing the lock on the zipper.
So it was his?!
"That suitcase is huge. Did you run away or something to be carrying that?"
I asked him as I walked toward my closet.
"I ran away." He answered quickly.
I looked at him in confusion. Ran away?!
"Are you serious? Did you really?" I asked again.
He opened the suitcase first before looking at me and answering.
"I really did. Kuya said that if I wasn't going to obey him, I might as well leave. So I left." He explained.
Damn it...
Very nice. His brother is completely insane. And this idiot actually took what he said seriously.
"And where exactly do you plan to stay now that you ran away?!"
He took out a few clothes and placed them on the bed.
"Here at your place," he answered while picking out socks.
My eyes widened at what he just said. He's crazy!
Here?! Did he forget that I live with Aries? Who knows what Aries might do to him? Or worse, Aries might start another fight with me. That guy hates seeing anyone from Section E.
"No way! Are you out of your mind?!" I yelled at him.
He looked at me while pulling a towel from his pile of clothes.
"Kuya Angelo said it was fine. And my mom knows too—I asked for permission."
Huh?!
Who asks for permission when running away? And Kuya Angelo agreed?! Wow.
"You're the only runaway who actually asked for permission."
"Why not? Of course, I had to let them know where I was going."
Well… he did have a point.
"Kuya really agreed?" I asked, still skeptical.
He walked toward the bathroom door, a towel draped over his shoulder and a bottle of shampoo in his hand.
"Yeah… He said I should stay in your room," he answered. "...I'll take a bath first." He added before stepping inside.
Wow.
How considerate. This rascal was already making himself at home, even using the bathroom before I could. But honestly, this wasn't so bad. At least now, I could make sure his brother wasn't mistreating him.
I just wasn't sure what kind of chaos this kid would bring into my life.
🎶Bubble butt... Bubble bubble bubble butt...🎶
I heard Ci-N singing in the shower.
I chuckled. I could hear him moving around inside, probably dancing while singing.
I grabbed my clothes and waited for the little rascal to finish showering.
Then, I heard my phone. I quickly reached under my pillow and checked the messages. Two people had texted me.
From: Yuri
Message: Good morning... 😘
That message made me smile. Damn it, Yuri! I quickly replied.
Then, I checked the next message. If Yuri's message made me smile, this one just pissed me off.
From: King Snake
Message: Get up! Your pillow is already soaked with drool. 😴😪
Annoying bastard! He only ever texts to mess with me. I didn't even bother replying and just tossed my phone onto the bed.
Suddenly, Ci-N walked out of the bathroom—wearing only a towel.
That was fast!
I glanced at the clock on the wall. He spent less than ten minutes in there.
"Your turn." He said.
I grabbed my towel and clothes, then quickly went inside the bathroom to shower.
While I was washing up, I heard Ci-N outside. It sounded like he was talking to someone. I turned off the shower for a moment to listen, but they suddenly went quiet.
I hurried to finish my shower. Since I was sharing a room with a guy, I just changed inside the bathroom.
When I stepped out, I wasn't wrong. The little rascal was talking to someone.
It was Aries.
"W-what are you doing here?!" I asked angrily.
Aries was glaring at Ci-N, even though the latter was just sitting on the bed, staring back at him.
Aries didn't answer. He just kept his eyes on Ci before walking out of my room.
I immediately approached Ci-N, checking if Aries had done anything to him.
"What did Aries do to you?" I asked.
Ci shook his head at me and quickly grabbed his shoes, putting them on before walking out of my room.
Why do I feel like Aries said or did something bad to him?
Tsk!
I finished getting ready, grabbed my bag, and ran to the living room where Ci-N was waiting.
"Shall we go?" He asked.
I just nodded, and we walked out together. I was waiting for him to say something about what had happened earlier, but he chose to remain silent.
Why? What happened?!
Ugh! I wasn't used to seeing Ci-N like this. I tried talking to him, even teasing him, but all he gave me were forced smiles.
We walked like that all the way to school.
Just as we were about to reach the classroom, he suddenly stopped walking, making me stop as well.
"What is it, Ci?"
"I-is it true?" He asked sadly. "...Are you leaving Section E?"
W-what?!
Who would even say tha—damn it! Aries must have told him!
"He said I should stay away from you because you're leaving Section E." Ci-N added.
"N-no... Don't—"
"Who said that?!" An angry voice called from behind me.
I froze. Chills ran down my spine. Even without turning around, I knew exactly who was behind me.
"Who said Jay-jay is leaving Section E?!"