Jay-jay's POV
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Keifer greeted me angrily, arms crossed.
I scratched the back of my head and looked in another direction. "...I-I woke up late."
"Ci-N said you went somewhere," Yuri added.
I immediately looked for that little rascal. That brat! He should've just said I overslept.
"I-I did go somewhere... T-that's why it took me so long, right?" I made an excuse.
But Keifer still gave me a hard stare. I bowed my head as I walked past him.
"Why weren't you answering your phone?" he asked authoritatively.
"B-because... um... I knew it was you calling," I replied before quickly running away from him.
Hehehe... Am I being bad?
"Next time, can you tell us right away? We were worried about you. What if something like what happened with Rory happens again?" Yuri said with concern.
I lowered my head. "S-sorry... I promise! Next time." I said, raising one hand.
"Wooohhh... Promise! Promise! You won't keep that," Eren teased, making me glare at him.
"Promises are meant to be broken," Ci-N added fuel to the fire.
Oh, come on!
Are they ganging up on me now? These little demons!
"But where did you really go, Jay?" Kit asked.
*Cough*... U-uh... Just around..." I mumbled.
I couldn't say it properly. I didn't even know what place I should mention.
"What?" they asked.
"Uhhhh... Just... theeeerrreee... aaattt..." I dragged out my words, and they all waited for me to finish.
"If you don't want to say it, then don't!" Keifer snapped angrily and went straight to his seat.
The others let me be and sat down as well, just in time for our next teacher to arrive.
During class, I couldn't help but glance at Edrix. I remembered what Kiko told me. It seemed like he fell in love with the wrong person.
But what exactly happened for him to end up with those three?!
Rakki once told me something before—that there was something going on between Aries and Freya back then. Could that be what Kiko was referring to?
I had nothing to say to Edrix. I had no plans of helping him either. Not because I wanted to ruin things for him or anything... but I just don't like Freya for him.
I know that sounds judgmental, but... I'm not sure about what really happened between him and those three. What if he just ends up getting hurt again?
I know it sounds judgmental, but... I'm still not sure about what really happened to him and between those three. What if he just ends up getting hurt again?
Our subject ended just like that. It's hard to focus in class when your mind is full of thoughts.
"Jay-jay..." Eren called me.
I looked at him, and he gestured for me to step out of the room. I followed him, thinking he needed something, but when we got outside, he suddenly dragged me toward the stairs.
"W-where are we going?" I asked.
"It's about Mayo..." he said, glancing briefly at our classroom door. "...He's been pestering me, asking for my help with Kit."
"Then help him..." I replied, bored.
That's all there is to it, and yet he's bothering me.
"I can't... Kit threatened me. He said that if I interfere between him and Mayo, he'd tell all my girlfriends about it. So..." I waited for him to continue. "...I was hoping you could talk to them instead."
Me? Seriously?
"I don't think so," I quickly refused. "...I wouldn't even know what to say to them."
"Anything... Just make them talk properly. You know, like real men."
I grimaced. This idiot really has no filter.
"You want me to tell them to 'man up' in their situation?!" I asked, annoyed.
He scratched the back of his head and forced a smile.
"Oh, right? That doesn't sound right."
I smacked my own forehead. Maybe it's better if I handle this myself. It would be a disaster if Eren were the one to speak.
"Fine... I'll talk to them."
He clapped his hands in excitement. Just because he's scared of being reported to his girlfriends, he dragged me into this mess. Tsk!
He should be grateful that I'm worried about those two as well. Their situation is complicated. Neither of them can move properly.
We returned to the room as our next teacher was already approaching. During class, I noticed Mayo glancing at Kit, but Kit acted completely oblivious.
Sigh...
Class ended, and it was finally lunchtime! But we're still eating canned food. The group still hasn't reconciled, so Eman still can't buy fresh ingredients.
"I want soup..." I heard Ci-N mutter as he stared at his food. "...Sinigang or Nilaga would be nice."
"Maybe this weekend, Eman and I will go grocery shopping," I said.
I always go with him to shop since I once promised to help him cook for everyone.
"Jay-jay..." Ci-N called. "...How did your trip go?" he whispered.
I leaned closer to him. "It went fine... Benedict Hospital is really far, but the place is beautiful."
"Well, only rich people get confined there," he replied.
I nodded. It was obvious—the place looked private and exclusive.
"What about Kiko? How is he?" he asked again.
I shot him an annoyed look. "You're asking about the guy you beat up?" I asked sarcastically.
He scratched his head, pouting. "I was just asking."
"He doesn't look good—he's injured and can't move properly."
"Ahh... What a waste..." I heard him mutter.
What do you mean waste?! This little punk!
I immediately grabbed his ear and pulled it. "What do you mean 'waste'?!"
"Aahh... J-Jay! I-it hurts! Ow!"
"I heard what you said!"
"T-that's not what I meant!"
I let go of him. He was on the verge of tears as he rubbed his ear and glared at me.
"You're even whispering over there," I said to him, annoyed.
"I'll tell Keifer on you," he threatened, mimicking my tone.
I glared at him. Does he really think I'd be scared of his threat? Like I'd be intimidated by him.
"KeiferSiJay-jayIsCursing!" he blurted out quickly, so fast that I barely understood it, but I still covered his mouth immediately.
"What did he say?" Felix asked.
I looked at them. Most of them were now staring at us. Damn it!
"What did Ci-N say?" Rory asked.
I forced a smile. "N-nothing. We were just messing around."
"But he called my name," Keifer said.
I shook my head. "It's nothing."
"Ci-N." Yuri called out to him, but he couldn't respond because my hand was still covering his mouth.
"Hhmmm... hmmm... Hmmm..." he mumbled.
"Huh? What? You want to go outside?" I asked, pretending to lean my ear closer to his mouth.
"Hmmm... Hmmmmmmmmm..."
"Oh! He wants to go out! Alright, let's go! Let's go!" I said and immediately dragged Ci-N outside while still covering his mouth.
Once we were outside, I let him go.
"I never said I wanted to go out," Ci-N said, scratching the back of his head.
"You're such a little devil! You were about to get me in trouble," I said to him, irritated.
I walked a few steps away from him, but he followed me. I didn't even get to finish my food because of him.
Speaking of food... I spotted Josh feeding a black cat. I approached him and tapped his shoulder.
"That's your food, isn't it? Why are you feeding it to a cat?" I asked as I sat beside him.
Ci-N moved closer to the cat, watching it eat.
"I'm not hungry, so I just gave it to him," Josh replied.
We both watched the cat, which Ci-N was now poking.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Josh warned Ci-N.
"Why?" I asked.
He just smiled at me in response. Josh is seriously weird. Sometimes, I catch him staring at me, and then he just smiles. He doesn't talk much, but he can be as playful as the others—though he's usually quiet.
"You're such a glutton, Edy," Ci-N said to the cat.
Josh and I both turned to him, confused.
"Who are you calling Edy?" Josh asked.
"This cat."
"It doesn't have a name. Don't call it Edy."
I looked at the cat, still busy eating. Even though it was black, I could still see the dirt on its fur.
It was clearly a stray!
"Where'd you even get 'Edy' from?" I asked Ci-N.
"Because of its color… It looks like the one in the Eveready battery commercial. So, Edy." He grinned.
Oh yeah! That commercial did feature a black cat. This kid is pretty sharp.
"No way! Don't call it Edy!" Josh protested, irritated.
"Have you even given it a name?" I asked.
He shook his head.
Just then, the cat—Edy, according to Ci-N—came up to us and rubbed its body against my leg.
The cat had finished eating, so it walked over to us. Ci-N suddenly stood up and ran quickly back into the room. It looked like he was going to get more food for Edy.
"So, you know them now," Josh suddenly said while petting the cat.
"Huh?"
"The ones you saw on the night of the festival."
Mayo and Kit.
"Hmmm... Yeah," I answered in a whisper, playing with Edy.
"Now that you know, what do you plan to do?"
I averted my gaze. I didn't know how to answer him—because I didn't even know how to help them.
"Just leave them alone. Keifer might get mad if he finds out the two are in a relationship," he said, looking at me. "...You haven't seen him angry yet."
What the... Why does it feel like he's going against me? Like he wants to say something that I just can't grasp.
"What exactly are you trying to say?" I asked him.
"Mayo and Kit are my friends... It would be better if they just stopped this madness. In the end, they're the ones who will suffer," he said.
I could feel his concern for his friends, but why did he have to stop them from making amends?
Suddenly, he reminded me of Ella. She had talked to me the same way before—trying to stop Mica and Calix.
"Edy! I got more food!" Ci-N's excited voice rang out as he ran toward us.
Josh and I quickly avoided each other's gaze. Thankfully, Ci-N was too busy feeding the cat to notice that something tense had just happened between us.
While the cat was eating, Ci-N kept poking its head. Until...
Damn it! Here it comes!
"Aaaaggghhhh!!! It bit me!" he screamed, pulling his hand away from the cat's teeth.
But the cat looked furious at him. It even bit down harder on his finger.
"I told you not to do that!" Josh scolded him, annoyed.
"Argh! Get Edy off him!" I shouted at Josh, pushing him.
"His name is not Edy!"
Was he seriously arguing about the name right now?
"JUST GET HIM OFF!" I yelled.
"Jay! It hurts!" Ci-N cried as tears welled up in his eyes.
Josh grabbed the cat and stroked it, causing it to finally release Ci-N's finger.
"There's blood!" I shouted, pointing at his finger.
"I'm gonna die! Rabies!"
"Stop being so dramatic!" Josh yelled at him.
"What the hell?! What is going on here?!" an angry voice demanded.
I turned to see who it was, and only then did I realize that the others had come out of the room.
"What happened to Ci-N?" Yuri asked, worried.
"He got bitten by a cat," I answered.
"He might get rabies! We should take him to the hospital!" someone said.
Oh no! We're in trouble!
Ci-N started crying even harder at their words.
"I don't want an injection!"