Jay-jay's POV
Should I go through with this?!
Maybe I shouldn't! Maybe I should just go straight to school. But I need to see him.
Damn it!
"Jay-jay..." Ci-N called out to me. "Keifer's going to scold me for this!"
"I don't care!" I snapped at him.
He's the one who'll get scolded, not me. Those jerks! They didn't even pity Kiko; they just did that to him like it was nothing.
I already talked to Ci-N, and he explained the video I saw. He said it was their revenge on Kiko for what he did to me.
But I couldn't hide my anger at him. Yes, Kiko did something wrong to me, but what they did to him was way too much.
Wasn't it enough that they already beat him up the night they saved me from him?
"Don't go... Keifer's going to look for you, and I won't know what to tell him." Ci-N pleaded.
"Just tell him I woke up late."
"That won't work!"
I raised an eyebrow. "Why not?!"
"K-Keifer knows when I'm lying." He scratched his head in frustration.
"Then be better at lying..."
"It's not that simple!" he said, annoyed.
"Tsk! Just leave already!" I ordered him, throwing a high kick.
I've been practicing that for a while now. Nearly broke my leg trying to get it right. But still can't do it!
"Jay-jay, come on!"
I quickly hailed the approaching taxi from where I stood. The moment it stopped, I got in. Before closing the door, I shot a glare at that brat who now looked on the verge of tears.
"Mister, take me to Benedict Hospital, please." I told the driver, who nodded in response.
The taxi drove off, leaving that annoying kid behind. He can figure out his excuse for Keifer on his own.
Benedict Hospital was a bit far. Good thing Ci-N finally admitted where they took Kiko. I thought I'd have to resort to violence to make him talk.
I stared out the window. The traffic was light today, and the weather was nice. It was a good day to—why do I sound like a news reporter?
The trip took about twenty minutes. My wallet was bleeding from the fare. Damn it! I should've asked Ci-N for money—this was their fault anyway, which is why I had to come here.
The hospital was smaller than I expected. It only had four floors. There were only a few cars parked outside, and the number of people coming in and out of the main entrance was minimal.
The surroundings were beautiful. It looked like a park with lots of trees. There were cottages and tables in the middle. A small playground and a pathway lined the side.
Is this really a hospital?!
I headed straight to the hospital's main entrance. A security guard greeted me at the door. He checked the inside of my bag before finally letting me in.
I approached the information counter, or "tsutsu" as it was labeled in front of the desk—'Information.'
"Good morning... Do you have a patient named Kiko Evans?" I asked the woman at the desk.
She looked at me for a moment before smiling. "Yes, we do... Are you his classmate?"
She must have noticed the uniform I was wearing. I just smiled and nodded.
"May I borrow your ID, please?" she asked.
I took out my ID and handed it to her. As she typed on her keyboard, I glanced around the area. The hospital looked expensive, and there were only a few people around.
"One of your classmates just left a while ago. You barely missed each other," the woman said while still typing.
"Ahh... T-they didn't tell me," I said as an excuse.
She returned my ID. "I see... He's in Room C9."
"Thank you," I said and was about to leave when I suddenly realized I didn't know where C9 was. "Where is C9, by the way?"
"Third floor... You can take the elevator or the stairs," she said, pointing to the area just beside the counter.
"Thanks..." I said and quickly ran towards the elevator.
It opened just as I reached it, so I stepped inside right away and pressed the number 3.
Unlike typical hospitals, this place smelled nice. There was no strong scent of medicine, blood, or disinfectant.
When the elevator doors opened, I felt like I was no longer in a hospital. It looked more like a hotel—the hallway was beautiful, with plants along the sides.
I searched for Kiko's room.
C5... C6... C7... C8... C9!
I stopped in front of it and took a deep breath. I was nervous. I knew what I was about to do was a long shot.
I knocked a few times. No one answered, so I knocked again. Still no response. Gathering my courage, I carefully turned the doorknob and opened the door.
I moved slowly. The loud volume of the TV was the first thing that greeted me. No wonder he hadn't heard me knock.
The room was spacious, with a sofa set near the bed. There was a kitchen sink, a small fridge, a dining table, and another door that looked like a bathroom. The bed was positioned in the corner, facing a large window and a flat-screen TV.
"I'll eat later... I'm not hungry yet," Kiko said, his eyes still on the TV.
I had no idea how long he had been here. But looking at him now...
His left leg was in a cast, from his foot up to his thigh. It must have been the part Keifer kicked in the video. His other foot was wrapped in bandages around the ankle. His right arm was also in a cast, leaving only his left hand usable, which he was currently using to hold the remote.
He had a neck brace on, along with cuts and bruises on his face.
I bit my lower lip. I couldn't believe those scoundrels could hurt someone like this. Yes, they got into fights, but only against people who fought back. I also couldn't accept that they ganged up on someone who was completely defenseless.
"K-Kiko..." I called his name.
He turned to look at me. When he finally recognized me, he just stared and switched off the TV using the remote in his hand.
He didn't say anything. He had no reaction either. It was hard to tell whether he was angry at me or not.
"H-how are you?" I asked as I walked closer to him.
My question felt a little awkward.
"I-I just found out… what happened to you," I started, taking a deep breath. "...I-I want to apologize—"
"Don't." He cut me off.
"Huh?"
"Don't apologize. I deserve this." He said, which puzzled me.
"But…"
"What I did is unacceptable. I deserve this." He forced a small smile. "...I'm the one who should be apologizing to you."
I couldn't say anything. I just stared at him. It was like I was seeing the Kiko I used to have a crush on again.
"Please... accept my apology. I wasn't in my right mind back then. I was brokenhearted because you rejected me, so a lot of things went through my head. I'm really sorry, Jay." He explained.
I moved closer to him and held his hand. What he did was completely wrong, but he had already paid for it. More than enough, even. I could see that he truly regretted it.
"Apology accepted." I said with a smile.
He smiled back at me. "Thank you." He glanced behind me as if looking for someone. "...Are you alone?"
I nodded. I walked to the other side of the bed when I noticed the small stool. I sat down and quickly opened my bag.
I took out the food container I had brought and placed it on the bedside table.
"What's that?" He asked.
"Sopas... I didn't know what to bring you. Luckily, Manang cooked this because Kuya Angelo is sick." I explained.
"Thanks… I'll eat it later."
I let him be since he really didn't seem to have an appetite. I observed his face and body. He had lost some weight, and his hair had grown longer.
We both fell silent. It was awkward, and I didn't know what to say to him first.
This is so awkward!
Suddenly, my phone rang, so I quickly took it out of my bag.
King Ulupong Calling…
I put it on silent without ending the call. I didn't want to answer. He could deal with it himself.
"Looks like your classmates are looking for you." Kiko said with a smile.
"Ahh… Haha… N-not really… Let them be… Haha…"
Damn it! I couldn't bring myself to mention or talk about those jerks in front of him.
They were the ones who did this to him. It would be awful to bring them up.
"You're very lucky, Jay… Your classmates and friends love you so much. They are willing to fight for you." He said seriously, making me stare at him. "...They weren't like that with Ella before."
His words confused me. They weren't like this with Ella? Why?
How did they treat the oh-so-gorgeous Ella? Harshly?
"Maybe…" I mumbled in response before clearing my throat. "...S-so how are you here? When will you be discharged?" I changed the topic.
"Not anytime soon. Approximately six to eight months for my full recovery. Plus, I still need to go through therapy."
I swallowed hard at what he said. Damn it! The damage done to him was way too much.
"...I've been here for over a month now. So I still have about five to seven months left here." He added and let out a small laugh.
I looked down. I felt ashamed.
The time he should have been spending on studying was now being spent lying in a hospital bed.
"W-what about your studies?" I asked, though I felt like it was the wrong question.
Expelled, man!
"Home schooling… My teacher comes here before 10 AM. We're the ones who decide how much time we'll spend studying." He explained.
Wow, how fancy! This guy's doing home school. I kind of want that too.
"What did Freya say?"
Might as well take advantage of this moment. Time for some gossip.
"Nothing… We broke up." He answered quickly and looked out the large window. "…She said she doesn't want a disabled boyfriend. So we just ended things."
Wow!
Unbelievable! First, there was Grace— instead of helping her friend who got pregnant, she laughed at her. Now, instead of supporting her boyfriend, she just dumped him.
Very nice!
"That girl is something else."
"That's just how she is… Once someone is no longer useful to her, she ignores them."
"Tss… It definitely shows." I commented, and he let out a small laugh.
"But she wasn't always like that. She changed because she got hurt."
I looked at him. Freya? Hurt? Impossible! She doesn't even look like someone who could get hurt.
"She doesn't seem like someone who gets hurt."
He suddenly laughed. "You're ruthless when it comes to Freya… Seriously though, she really wasn't like this before. Back in grade school and summer class, Mykel and I used to fantasize about her. But when we reached high school, she changed."
I suddenly remembered the picture Edrix showed me. She really did look like a dream girl in that. Beautiful and simple.
"I wonder what happened to her?" I asked.
Kiko didn't answer. He just fell silent and seemed lost in thought.
"Ask Keifer and Yuri." He said almost in a whisper.
I looked at him, confused. It took me a while to remember that Freya was Keifer's first girlfriend.
But why Yuri too?
"What do you mean by that?"
He lowered his head slightly. "It's not my story to tell… But from what I remember, Freya's boyfriend died, and then Keifer, Yuri, and Aries passed her around."
What the—?!
I couldn't handle it! Not at all! I felt like my brain just did a backflip. My jaw dropped at what I was hearing.
F-Freya… Argh!