Jay-jay's POV
I don't want to go to school! I know I've had a long enough break—three days, even. But I still don't feel like going back.
Should I make an excuse letter? Maybe write that my hospitalization got extended? Would they accept that?
But then, they might call Kuya Angelo. That's it! I'd definitely end up back in the hospital. He might even pinch my ear off. If he were the spanking type, my butt would probably be swollen by now. Good thing he's not.
I suddenly heard a loud bang on my bedroom door, the kind of bang that made it seem like the door was about to break. Of course, I already knew who it was.
Damn! It's like there's a fire or something.
"You're so slow!" he shouted.
"Yeah, yeah! What, are you the one opening the school that you always have to be early?!" I snapped back.
The door suddenly swung open, and Horoscope walked in. Oh, right. It wasn't locked.
"What? You got something to say?" he asked, and I quickly grabbed my bag.
"Here I am. Let's go. We should always be early for school so we can accomplish more. We're the most factual ones, after all." I said as I walked past him.
I knew he was following because I could feel the daggers he was shooting at me with his eyes. He was probably already plotting my murder.
"Factual? Don't you mean punctual?"
Haha, my bad.
"Yeah, yeah. We're kind of dumb in that area." I admitted, scratching the back of my head.
"No, you're just dumb." he replied, and I discreetly stuck my tongue out at him.
Says the genius.
I was so ashamed of myself. Who was the fool who got kidnapped just because they were looking for their phone? Right? That was dumb, too! A grown man getting kidnapped. All because his brain was filled with thoughts of Ella.
When we reached the garage, I realized his car was already back home. Lucky for him, he knows how to come home. If only that weren't the case, because a car that knows how to come home by itself is terrifying.
"Can I make a request?" I asked while he was busy driving.
"What?"
"I don't want to go to school. Don't tell Kuya Angelo."
Just trying my luck. Maybe it'll work.
"Sure." he said lifelessly.
"Really?" That didn't sound true.
"Don't go to school. I won't tell Kuya."
I clapped my hands in delight. If my ears could clap too, they would have. My smile widened.
"I'll just text him." he added, and my shoulders slumped as my smile disappeared.
Wow, this guy is great to talk to. I should send him back to the hospital. Maybe I should just punch him right here and blame it on his enemies. If they ask who did it, I'll just say it was some hungry thugs. Jay-Jay gang and corporation.
Left with no choice, I fell silent and leaned against the seat. My brother had zero sympathy.
It's not that I was too lazy to study—though, that was part of it. That's just a given in student life. But the real reason? I was afraid the school might cancel classes… because the real goddess had arrived. Kidding.
Maybe they injected the wrong meds into me at the hospital.
I was really embarrassed about what I did to the Snakes. The way I acted when their King needed help. After he saved me, I just pushed him away when he was the one in need. I was such a worthless person at that moment.
Aries' car came to a stop in the parking lot, and I practically tied my seatbelt around my neck to keep myself from getting out.
"I'll just stay here." I pleaded.
"Get out." There was a threat in his voice.
"Later."
"I'll call Kuya."
And just like that, I was out before he even had a chance to move. I slammed the door shut.
"Fine! Taurus isn't talking to you!" I yelled before quickly walking away.
I looked up at the massive building in front of me before finally stepping inside. Why didn't I feel happy about being here in the new building? I still preferred our old one that looked like a junkyard. Even though it was full of trash, at least it was fun.
I entered the building with a scowl, immediately catching the attention of students from other sections.
Here's another problem. This whole building is full of enemies. What if they suddenly gang up on us? Team up against us?
I made my way to the stairs leading to our floor, but I couldn't shake the thought that they might target us now that we were closer. What if they dumped trash on us again? Or worse, what if they pushed us down the stairs while we were walking?
Just then, I came across two girls from Section B. They were giggling and nudging each other slightly. That was probably their way of preparing to push me. Any moment now, they'd shove me hard as soon as they got close.
I had to strike first! I immediately flung my hands into the air nd lifted one leg like I was doing karate.
"You won't oppress me!" I shouted at them.
The two girls were clearly startled and stepped away from me, keeping their eyes on me as they continued down the stairs.
"Isn't she from Section E?"
"Crazy."
I heard them mutter as they hurried away. They probably couldn't believe I beat them to their plan.
That's right!
I continued climbing the stairs, only to be met by another group of students—this time, a bunch of guys. If I wasn't mistaken, they were from Section D. Real enemies!
I instantly started punching the air and throwing kicks that didn't even reach them. They were so shocked that one of them even fell back, while the others grabbed onto each other.
"What the hell was that?!" one of them exclaimed.
"You can't beat me!" I yelled and pretended to kick them, making them scatter in different directions.
"What's wrong with her?!"
"She's gone nuts."
"Crazy! Who even is she?"
They disappeared from my sight, and the other students who witnessed the scene quickly left or changed directions. Good. Stay away from me.
Because of that, I reached our classroom in peace. Did they really think they could get the better of me? I'm sharp, guys, sharp!
I was about to open the door to our classroom when I hesitated. What if I wasn't welcome anymore? What if they didn't accept me after what I did to their King? What if… haizt! Whatever happens, happens.
I opened the door. Nothing had really changed. The usual chaos—people talking, messing around, laughing. As much as I didn't want to step inside, I had no choice.
I expected them to ignore me, or worse, throw snide remarks at me. But as soon as I took a step inside—
"Good morning, Jay." Denzel greeted, chatting with Josh, who nodded at me in acknowledgment.
"G-good morning." I replied hesitantly.
They greeted me like nothing had happened. Or maybe it was just them? Maybe the others were still mad at me.
"You're early, Jay." Drew said as he walked to his seat.
"Hello, Jay!" Eren greeted enthusiastically, loud enough that the others turned to look at me and waved.
I gulped, unsure of what to expect next. I slowly raised my hand to wave back.
"Jay-jay!" Ci greeted me happily, his gums showing as he smiled. I quickly went to my seat and put down my bag. "Why do you look like that?" he asked. He must have noticed how uneasy I was.
"A-aren't they mad at me?"
He shook his head. "No. Why would they be?"
"Didn't I... s-say those things about Keifer?"
He stared at me for a moment, as if trying to recall what had happened. After a few seconds, he nodded repeatedly as he finally remembered.
"That? Oh, that's fine now. They understand. Yuri already explained that you have a fear of blood, so that's why you reacted that way."
I sighed in relief. I really thought they were upset with me because of that.
I rested my forehead on my desk. These past few days had been exhausting. But thinking too much, especially when I didn't even have a brain to think with, was even more tiring.
That must be an illness.
I glanced at Ci-N, who was busy playing with the small toys on his table. I wanted to ask him if he had any news about their King. I thought about messaging him, but I didn't know what to say. Besides, that would make me look desperate.
I took a deep breath, but before I could think further, a peanut shell landed on my desk. I picked it up and looked around to see where it came from. My eyes landed on Kit, who was eating peanuts. Beside him sat Mayo, his back turned toward me.
I approached them and placed the peanut shell back on the table. Kit smiled at me.
"Want some, Jay?" Kit offered.
"Don't give her any," Mayo interrupted, pulling the bag of peanuts away.
"Fine! Shove it down your lungs!" I said, annoyed.
Kit immediately smacked him on the head. "You have no right to be stingy. I was the one who brought these."
I laughed right in front of him. It was obvious he was irritated—jerk—jerk—whatever he was!
I sat across from Kit, grabbed some peanuts, and started peeling them. I piled up the nuts in one spot, waiting until I had a bunch before eating them. It was too tiring to peel-eat, peel-eat. I preferred peel-stack, peel-stack, eat.
"What made you bring these?" I asked as I continued peeling.
"He likes peanuts," Mayo answered with a mischievous grin. "But he likes hotdogs even more."
Kit quickly kicked him. I just stared at them, wondering how hotdogs got involved in a conversation about peanuts.
"That hurt," Mayo complained, rubbing his side where Kit had kicked him.
"Get lost. You're pissing me off," Kit warned.
"Why are you kicking me out?"
"Who's the annoying one here?"
Mayo suddenly pointed at me.
"Why me?" I protested.
"Want a flashback?" he asked sarcastically.
"Cut it out! That's over. You already got your revenge, right? You slapped her," Kit said.
"That wasn't enough. She should've gotten a marriage-worthy slap." Mayo's words made me vfreeze.
"You still haven't moved on? I was kidnapped, you rescued me, and this is still your issue?" I asked seriously.
"Mayo, stop it," David suddenly chimed in. I didn't even realize he was listening.
So he was awake. I thought he was sleeping. Other people near us turned to look because of what David said. Even Ci-N stopped playing and glanced our way.
"Can you blame me? What happened caused a huge problem for us," Mayo said.
"And not for me? Did you forget that I was hurt too? Even worse, because all of you betrayed me."
"You're the one who should've been slapped, for how you treated her," Kit added.
Mayo looked away, but David gave him a warning glare, forcing him to face me again. He took a deep breath before leaning his cheek toward me.
"Go ahead! Slap me! Get your revenge," he said, pointing at his cheek.
I raised my hand, but instead of slapping him, I just gave him a light tap.
"It's fine now. Don't think about it anymore. I deserved it," I said, giving him a small smile.
I saw the softness in his gaze. I knew Mayo was an idiot, but he was also one of the people who used to stand up for me, even though we always fought.
Kapour!
"If I had just thought about what I was saying back then, maybe you guys wouldn't have fought," I said, and Kit flashed me a quick smile.
"But we probably would've ended up fighting anyway once they found out the truth. It was better that it came from me."
"So we're good now? No more slapping?" Mayo asked.
"I'll do the slapping," Ci-N suddenly said, now standing in front of us.
Before Mayo could respond, Ci's palm landed on his face. He even clapped his hands happily as he walked away after slapping him. We were all too stunned to speak. Then I noticed a line forming—those damn Ulupong.
"Me next!"
"Me too! Me too!"
"Hit him harder!"
"You bastards—!" Mayo couldn't even finish because someone else slapped him.
He tried to fight back, but every time he did, another slap landed on him. Sometimes it was straight to his face, other times on his forehead or even his chest.
The Ulupong were having the time of their lives. After the slapping session, Mayo collapsed onto the table, drained.
"It hurts..." he whimpered, looking at Kit. "Rub it for me. It really hurts."
The idiot was literally in tears. Kit ignored him, still peeling and eating his peanuts. I elbowed Kit and pointed at Mayo.
"Rub his face," I said.
Kit frowned.
"Not my face," Mayo said. "Lower—"
Mayo went flying. Literally. He almost crashed into the next table. Kit had kicked him so hard to shut him up.
I hadn't heard what he said at the end, so I just ignored it. I went back to piling up my peanuts, but I suddenly noticed they were gone.
I immediately looked at the floor, thinking they might have spilled without me noticing—but there was nothing. It was spotless, as if a vacuum had sucked them up.
"Did you see my peanuts?" I asked Kit, but he just shook his head.
"Not on the floor?" he asked in return.
"No," I replied, about to ask Mayo, who was still dusting off his clothes, but I saw him staring at Kit earlier.
Damn it! I got robbed!
"Who took my peanuts?!" I asked angrily.
The others just laughed. They probably thought I was joking. I was serious! I had been saving those!
"Who took them?! Own up!" The bastards laughed even harder. "Who's the peanut thief?"
"It was Eren!"
"I didn't take any peanuts!"
"Damn it! I saved those!"
"Come on, give Jay-jay back her peanuts!" Mayo said, but then he burst out laughing. "Actually, it should be Kit's peanuts. They were Kit's in the first place. Jay-jay just asked for some."
The room erupted in laughter.
"Give back Kit's peanuts," Eren said, laughing hysterically. "Kit has peanuts. Damn!"
These idiots!
The laughter didn't stop. I saw David's face turn red as he looked at me. The moment he noticed me staring, he quickly ducked his head.
Before I could shout a decent curse, Sir Alvin arrived, greeting us with a smile. I returned to my seat with a frown. My hard-earned peanuts were gone to waste.
"Are you all enjoying your new room?" Sir Alvin asked.
"Yes, hopefully, Sir."
"Especially if the air conditioner is on."
Almost everyone simultaneously pointed at the large air conditioner at the back. It looked old and broken, so I wasn't expecting much from it.
"Oh, that?" Sir took something from the drawer on his table—a white remote. He pointed it at the air conditioner and pressed a button. The air conditioner turned on, blowing cold air. Almost in unison, we all cheered. It felt so refreshing, and we no longer had to endure the single ceiling fan we had in our previous room.
"The remote was just there all along." C-in commented, and I noticed he was chewing on something.
I saw him reaching into the pocket of his polo and bringing something straight to his mouth. I watched closely, and my nostrils flared in irritation.
"You stole it, you scoundrel!" I shouted, ready to smack him, but he quickly dodged.
So he was the one who took the peanuts I had been collecting—well, technically, they were Kit's peanuts since I just asked for them.
"I just took a little." He said, trying to sound pitiful.
A little? He took everything!
"You're something else." I said, reaching to grab whatever was left in his pocket.
Before I could, the door swung open. Yuri entered with messy hair, one of the lenses of his glasses fogged up, and his uniform wrinkled and disheveled.
"S-sorry, I'm late." He said, bowing to Sir before heading to his seat.
My eyes followed him. This was the first time he had been this late, and on top of that, he looked like a mess. As he sat down, he immediately tried to fix his hair.
Our eyes met when he turned in my direction. He quickly smiled at me. I couldn't hide my concern for him, but he assured me he was fine with a bright smile.
I had no choice but to turn back to Sir, even though I had so many questions for Yuri.
"This is the first time he's looked like that," David said, not looking at me.
I subtly nodded because it was true. I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to him. His mother was very caring and always made sure he looked presentable. He always came to school neat, and it was only here that his uniform would get wrinkled.
Did something bad happen?
"Keifer still isn't here?" Sir suddenly asked, making my heart skip a beat.
Tsk! Sir! Don't say bad words!
Just hearing his name already had this effect on me. This wasn't good! Next time, my heart might just decide to leave me altogether. I don't want to lose my heart yet.
"He's not here yet, Sir." Felix answered.
Sir nodded while looking at his records. I immediately noticed the way he glanced at me with a teasing smile.
"He's been gone for a while." Sir muttered. "Ms. Mariano?"
Whut?
"What? Sir?! Why are you asking me?! How would I know anything about that guy?! Why would I care about him?! Maybe he extended his vacation! I know nothing! Let him stay there! He's annoying! It's actually great that he's gone! No more pest! He probably has a girl there, that's why he can't leave! He's probably happier there! And we're happy here! Happy-happy! He's best friends with James Bond now!" I blurted out, gasping for breath.
I scratched my head. That was such an over-the-top reaction.
"Just leave him be, maybe he's just resting. He has… you know… at the back… he has… you know—." I tried pointing at my back but couldn't bring myself to say outright that he had been shot.
Because if I did, Sir would just keep asking more questions. And it would be hard to explain.
I heard soft chuckles from the Ulupong gang and even from Sir Alvin. I scowled. I said so much, yet none of it was relevant to what Sir was actually asking.
Wait… what was he asking again?
"What was your question again, Sir?" I asked, scratching my head.
"I was just going to ask if you're okay now. You just got out of the hospital, right?" He asked with an annoying grin.
Oh.
I had it all wrong. I thought he was going to ask about Keifer.
"O-okay now, Sir. Alive and kicking."
I heard the group laugh again. I glanced at them briefly. Felix coughed, but there was something hidden in it that I immediately understood.
"Miss cough him cough!"
I shot him a glare, but he only answered with a wide grin.
You guys are messing with me!
"I don't miss him!" I defended.
"We never said it was you." Felix replied, laughing.
"Oh no! We got it!" Rory suddenly shouted, making the others cheer.
"You mother—!" I shouted, widening my eyes at them.
They only laughed louder and cheered even more. I looked at David, hoping for some help, but even he was laughing along with these idiots.
"You're just hungry, Jay." Eman said, making me turn to him. "Hungry for Keifer's love." He added, and the whole group erupted in chaos.
You lunatics!
Before I could get even angrier at their nonsense, I sneaked a glance at Yuri. I couldn't help but worry about him.
But he seemed unaffected. He was obviously deep in thought. On top of that, he was so out of it that he didn't even notice his glasses slipping off his face.
"Enough of that. Let's start." Sir said, forcing me to turn to the front.
I still wanted to look at Yuri. I wanted to approach him and find out if he was okay.