Jay-jay's POV
"I'll slap you!" I threatened C-in after he took the bread Kit gave me.
"Just a little bite. Stop being stingy," he replied before quickly taking a bite and handing it back to me.
This idiot!
"I don't want it anymore! You already bit it!"
The brat grinned widely, even showing his gums. I suddenly felt like yanking his teeth out without anesthesia.
"I knew you couldn't resist me," he said before walking out of the room.
And because he had food, his fellow troublemakers immediately followed him.
"Share some! Don't be selfish!" I heard Eren say before they all ran off like thieves being chased outside.
I scowled as I watched them leave. Now, I had no food. And to think Kit gave that to me. I went back to Kit and Mayo's spot.
"Kit... do you have more?" I asked, trying to sound pitiful.
"You're such a glutton," Mayo muttered.
Wow. Coming from you?
I frowned at him. "Maybe C-in took it," I said in annoyance.
"I don't have any more, Jay," Kit cut in. "Someone's been messing with my stuff. Turns out, I've been unknowingly feeding a food thief."
"Oh, well, obviously, it's not me," Mayo said, looking away.
Kit and I exchanged glances before glaring at him. Kit kicked him hard, making him fall off his chair. He quickly got up.
"You've been kicking me nonstop! It hurts, you know!" Mayo complained.
"You got a problem?" Kit's voice had a threatening edge to it.
Mayo sat back down like a scolded puppy, even shaking his head.
"Nope."
I was forced to return to my seat and sulk. It was already lunch break, yet we still had no food. Eman couldn't cook for us anymore since he wasn't allowed to bring his equipment into our new classroom. So now, we were just sitting here, staring blankly into space.
Kit had brought some food earlier, but it was only enough for us—and the brat took it.
"I'm starving," I muttered, burying my face in my arms.
"I'll buy you something," I heard David say, making me look at him.
He rummaged through his bag, and I saw him take something out.
"Where? The cafeteria? You wanna get suspended?" I asked.
He lowered his bag and faced me. "It's better than letting you get sick from hunger."
He was already holding his wallet, and it really seemed like he was serious about buying food for me.
I smiled at him. "You're so kind."
"Next time, bring your own food again. And pack some for me too," he said.
Ah, so that's why. He was buying me food now, but in return, I had to start packing lunch for him. This guy.
"It's difficult. It makes my bag heavy. We should just figure out how to sneak Eman's kitchen setup back in here."
"Yeah, Jay-jay's right," Blaster chimed in, hugging Josh's cat, Edy.
He even rocked it like a baby. The cat just stared at us while flicking its tail.
"Let's just cook that cat. It's basically siopao material," Denzel joked, reaching for the cat, but Josh immediately smacked him on the head.
"Leave the cat out of this," Josh scolded.
We watched them argue, but something was bugging me.
"Wait… cats are allowed in this building?" I asked, pointing at Edy.
The troublemakers all froze and looked at Josh, who also seemed to just realize something.
He scratched his head. "A-as far as I know, they're not."
He suddenly grabbed the cat and walked toward the window. He opened it and stuck his arm outside, then let go.
We all screamed as he dropped Edy out the window. It was like watching someone toss a piece of paper into the wind.
"Josh, you idiot!" Felix shouted, just as shocked as the rest of us. "What if our room is on a high floor?!"
Josh turned to us as if he hadn't just committed feline homicide.
"What? It's a cat. It'll land on its feet."
What brilliant logic.
"Your friend here is completely nuts," Drew said, pointing at Josh.
"Are you really surprised? You're just as bad," Denzel remarked.
I chuckled at them. I turned to David, but I was shocked to see he was no longer in his seat. It looked like he had left without me noticing.
He didn't even say goodbye.
I shifted my attention back to the idiots. They were now arguing over who had the worst case of craziness, even going so far as to measure their levels of insanity.
But I couldn't really blame Josh for bringing Edy here. We were used to our old classroom, where anything was allowed because no one cared.
Their argument was cut short when we heard a high-pitched scream. It grew louder and louder until we all stood up, trying to figure out what was going on.
Was there a fire?
Then Eman walked in, biting into food and holding a can of Coke. Behind him was Edrix, clutching a loaf of bread. Rory followed, carrying a huge bag of fish crackers.
Last to enter was C-in, the source of the high-pitched scream.
He was pressing a piece of bread and a bottle of Coke against his cheeks, running back and forth in front of us.
"C-IN!" I yelled to make him stop.
My ears were ringing from his loud, shrill screams. He sounded worse than a girl being chased by ten horses—or a fangirl who had just spotted her idol.
He stopped and looked at us. I thought he was about to speak, but instead, he screamed again and kept running in circles.
I saw Yuri step toward him, seemingly pulled out of his deep thoughts. He grabbed C-in by the collar and slammed him down onto a chair.
"Ouch," C-in muttered, pouting.
"My ears hurt," Yuri said, rubbing one of them.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" I asked C-in. He quickly hugged his food.
"You won't believe it," Eren butted in. "We actually managed to buy food from the cafeteria!" he boasted.
"Enjoy your suspension," Eman said, crossing his arms.
"We're not suspended," Edrix added as he fought over the food with the others.
That was hard to believe.
"It's true! That's why we ran back to tell you," C-in said. "Calix is even eating there with Mica. And David is already in line to buy food."
For real?
Almost at the same time, we all bolted out of the room. It seemed impossible, but they had managed to buy food there. I wasn't even sure if the rule about Section E being banned from the cafeteria had been lifted.
Because we were walking together in a big group, people moved aside as we passed. By the time we reached the building exit, students were still stepping out of our way.
We stopped at the entrance of the cafeteria, exchanging glances.
"Who wants to go first?" I asked.
They all immediately took a step back, leaving me in front. I turned to glare at them.
These damn troublemakers.
"Why me? You're all grown men, yet you're scared?" I scoffed.
"You have connections. If you get suspended, someone might pull some strings. We don't," Blaster said.
Well, he had a point.
The question is, are Kuya and the others willing to plead just so I won't get suspended?
Maybe he'll have me kicked out and refuse to let me finish high school. Then he'll send me to a convent to become a nun. How would that even work? I'd burn in there.
Suddenly, Felix grabbed both of my shoulders and forced me to face the cafeteria door.
"You got this, Jay. We believe in you." He said before giving me a push.
I almost stumbled into the door if I hadn't caught myself in time.
I turned to glare at him, but he just flashed a peace sign.
"Ladies first." Mayo said with a mischievous grin. "Ayeeh. Our beauty queen is about to enter."
What the heck?!
I don't know why, but I suddenly laughed. "Get a grip!" I said, pretending to be annoyed.
"You like it, though." Eman added, laughing at me.
Their teasing only made it harder for me to muster the courage to go in.
In the end, I had no choice but to step inside just to make them stop.
I took a step forward. I expected people to immediately stare and call me out, especially those from Section A, but nothing happened. I even checked if I had entered the right cafeteria.
I walked in slowly, glancing around at the students.
But nothing changed. They just kept eating, chatting, and walking to their destinations.
I even spotted Calix happily talking to Mica.
They were happy.
I really couldn't understand what was happening.
Was I dreaming? It seemed too unreal that we were suddenly allowed inside.
Their rules used to be so strict about keeping us out, and now, just like that, it vanished into thin air?
Or maybe… they had a plan. Maybe they were plotting to humiliate us here.
Perhaps they were waiting for all of us to gather before dumping something on us.
AHA!
I immediately raised my fists in the air and kicked a few times. The students around me started staring.
"AYA!" I yelled. "You won't fool us!"
I didn't know karate, but I'd become a martial artist if I had to.
"There she goes again."
"She must be crazy."
"Isn't she the girl from earlier?"
I heard students whispering and laughing. I glared at them.
"What are you doing?" David asked as he approached me.
I ignored him and raised my fist toward a guy walking toward us.
He was carrying a bowl of soup—probably to throw at David or me.
He looked shocked and scared, so he quickly backed away.
Ha! I beat you to your plan!
"Stay alert. Any second now, someone will pour something on you." I warned, stepping toward a girl who was glaring at me, but David stopped me.
"Stop it." He said, gripping both my arms. "No one's going to pour anything on me."
"You never know. They probably let us in for a reason."
"And where did you get that idea?"
David and I turned toward the voice.
There he was. Did he hold my fate in his hands?
I immediately noticed how his gaze shifted from me to David's hands, still holding my arms.
"Kindly remove your hands off my sister." He said, his tone laced with warning.
David slowly let go. I faced my brother with my head slightly bowed.
"What on earth got into you, throwing karate moves everywhere? You almost hit someone! What if someone got hurt? You'd be in even more trouble." He scolded.
At least I didn't hit anyone.
"I was just… getting ahead of them." I answered, sneaking a glance at him.
I noticed his classmates behind him. I didn't realize we were so close to their table.
Ella was shaking her head while watching us, while Freya just grinned at me.
"You're being paranoid. No one's going to do that."
"You never know." I insisted.
He let out a deep sigh. I knew he was holding back because he didn't want to yell at me here.
Then, he turned to David behind me.
"You explain it to her. I need to go. I have a lot to do."
"Alright." David replied.
My brother turned to leave but suddenly stopped and looked back at me.
"If you can, don't cause trouble on the stairs either. You almost got sent to the guidance office earlier." He added.
So he knew about that too.
I was about to explain myself, but he shot me a glare, so I shut my mouth and just nodded.
One scolding was enough—I didn't want to push my luck.
He finally walked away, his classmates following behind him, some sneaking amused glances at me as they laughed.
Go ahead. Laugh all you want!
Just as they left, the Ulupong gang entered. They immediately rushed toward us.
"So? So? What's the update? Are you suspended, Jay?" Felix asked.
I shook my head. "I think David has some explaining to do."
We all turned to David. He just raised an eyebrow at us.
"Let's buy food first." He said and headed to the counter.
We quickly followed him.
The line moved fast since there were barely any students left—lunch break was almost over.
After buying our food, we all ran back to the building. Well, I had to slow down because of how much I was carrying. I was gasping for air by the time I climbed the stairs. I felt like an old woman with aching joints.
I suddenly envied these idiots. They had so much energy. How did they have that?
We were together almost every day, but I had never seen them do anything special to get that strong.
David and I walked almost side by side. I wasn't sure if he was purposely slowing down or if he was just lazy.
Whatever it was, I appreciated it—at least I wasn't alone.
When we got to the room, everyone immediately dug into their food. It was like they were in a speed-eating contest. I took a deep breath to calm myself.
Damn it. I need to exercise.
I walked over to Yuri's table and placed our food down. Good thing I noticed he didn't follow us earlier. I didn't know what was up with him, but he seemed to have a lot on his mind.
"I'm out of breath." I said after putting our food down. "Let's eat."
I grabbed a chair and pulled it over to Yuri's table.
"You bought me food?" He asked, noticing the extra meals.
"No. All of this is mine. I just felt like eating in front of you to make you jealous." I said, and he smiled, shaking his head. "Of course, I bought you food. You didn't look like you were planning to eat."
"I don't have an appetite."
"What?! No way! Let's eat while we talk. Start your story." I said, already eating, but he still wasn't touching his food.
"Sorry, I can only manage to eat. I'll tell you next time." He said with a forced smile.
I sighed. I was worried about him, but I didn't want to force him. I let him eat in peace as he said.
Lunch break was almost over, so we finished eating quickly. Of course! They were used to this—
I mean, they were. Because they were all starving pigs.
Yes, just them. I let out a burp after drinking water. I was so full.
After eating four servings of rice, fried chicken and pork chops, siomai and dumplings, cupcakes, and cream puffs, I was stuffed.
I really eat so little.
"Still not enough." I muttered.
Yuri must have heard me because he almost choked from laughing while eating.
I shot him a sharp glare. "What's so funny?"
He just shook his head and continued eating, though he was still chuckling. Now I was even more worried. He was laughing for no reason.
This was serious.
I turned to look at the Ulupong, who seemed energetic as ever with their antics. They were causing a commotion again, even fighting over food despite already holding their own. Nothing had changed.
My gaze landed on Blaster, who was holding trash in his hands. He approached the window, clearly intending to throw it out.
"Hey! Blaster!" I called out, and he immediately turned to look at me.
The rest of the Ulupong also turned their attention to him.
"You idiot, bro! Don't throw it there!" Denzel scolded, grabbing his arm to pull him away.
"We're not in our old classroom anymore, where the whole place was basically a trash bin," David added, making me glance at him.
"Hey, Dabid!" I called out, remembering that he still owed us an explanation.
He turned to me in confusion. "What?"
"Well? Explain already why we can buy food in the cafeteria again."
The Ulupong's attention immediately shifted to David after what I said. They all stared at him while he looked back at me.
Scratching his brow, he finally spoke. "Do we really have a 'we' here?" he asked innocently.
Damn, talking to him is frustrating.
I threw my empty water bottle at him, and the others followed suit. He laughed as he blocked them all.
"You guys don't have that privilege. And you never will," Yuri said seriously.
David simply raised a brow at him, brushed off his uniform, then finally addressed us.
"Your brother said he felt sorry for you," David began. "Since Eman won't be able to cook anymore, no one will feed you."
Ayyyeeeiiihhh… He really cares about me, huh?
"And since you're basically a starving stray, he's afraid you might suddenly snap and start biting people."
Oh, what the hell.
I heard David let out a small chuckle, making me glare at him.
"Stop joking! What's the real reason?" I asked, annoyed.
"That's exactly what he said."
Wow. My brother really can't stand the idea of me going hungry. Maybe he just doesn't want me to lose weight.
"So he removed the rules we put in place before?" Yuri asked.
"Yeah. He said it's up to us if we still want to follow that rule, but he specifically requested that Jay-jay be an exception." David explained.
"Damn! Kuya's making up for things." C-in commented as he sneakily tried to take food from David's plate.
But he got caught, earning him a raised hand as if David was about to smack him. C-in pouted, moved away, and came to my side instead.
"David is bullying me," he whispered.
Poor thing. He looked so pitiful—this annoying little brat.
"That rule tortured us for too long. I'm not following it anymore. F*ck that!" Drew said in frustration.
"Same here. I starved for so long because of that rule," Blaster added.
"Keifer probably doesn't care about that rule anymore," Eren said. "It was only made because of Ella." Then, he turned to me with a teasing smirk. "But there's no more Ella, because now we have Jay-jay."
The whole group erupted into cheers. They were hollering like cavemen, some even slamming their hands on the table. C-in kept poking my side.
I scowled and turned my back on them. Because of that, I locked eyes with Yuri, who had a sad look in his eyes.
"J-just ignore them," I said, forcing a smile.
He tried to smile back, but I could tell it wasn't easy for him.