**Keifer's POV**
The wound on my side throbbed, but I ignored it. This injury was nothing compared to what I had to do.
"We just made a plan, and here you are, laid up like a helpless puppy," Keigan scolded, his voice laced with the authority of an elder brother. "It wasn't my choice," I muttered, my voice barely a whisper.
He sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. "I'm going home to check on Keiren."
He started to leave, but paused at the door, turning back to face me. "Please… rest properly."
My lips formed a thin line as I nodded. He finally left, the click of the doorknob echoing in the room. A wave of relief washed over me.
Keigan had been so bossy during his reprimand, I momentarily forgot who was the eldest. I had given him the responsibility of being the head planner, but it felt like I had also given him the authority to boss me around.
Tss…
The bathroom door creaked open, and Yuri's face peeked out. "Is he gone?" he asked.
"Yes, he is. Get out." Yuri flung the door open and walked out, followed by Felix, Ci-N, and David.
They had been forced to hide in the bathroom when they heard Keigan approaching. He would definitely interfere if he knew about our plans. His mere presence raised suspicion. Even our other friends had been forced to leave the room, hiding from him. I couldn't understand why they all had to disappear. One or two could have stayed.
"That bathroom smells amazing. I'm winning the scent game," Felix declared, sniffing himself.
"That wasn't the bathroom. It was my fart you smelled," Ci-N retorted, bursting into laughter.
Felix's face contorted in disgust. He was about to swat Ci-N, but David was quicker.
"Ouch," Felix whined.
"Don't lie. Your farts don't smell good. Tested and proven," David said, crossing his arms. "Jay-jay can also confirm it."
Our eyes automatically darted to him. The name felt like a forbidden word.
"Oh, insensitive," Ci-N mumbled, though it was clearly meant for our ears.
"Why? Isn't Jay-jay the reason we're here? Stop acting surprised every time you hear her name," David said.
Ci-N looked at me, his lips pouting. He seemed to be waiting for my response. David had a point, but I couldn't help but turn my head whenever I heard her name. Especially when it came from his mouth.
"That's enough. Call the others. We have a lot to discuss," I said, hoping to silence them.
"I already did," Yuri replied, holding up his phone.
Soon, the door swung open, and the rest of the guys poured in, their voices a cacophony of excited chatter. Some jostled each other, their energy contagious.
"Holy shit, Pre! I was so scared of Keigan. His presence is different now," Drew said.
"Nothing's changed. He's just gotten more arrogant," Blaster said with irritation.
Their rivalry seemed far from over.
"Wow, you're brave, huh? His brother is right here. You can face him," Denzel teased, gesturing towards me.
"So what? I'm not here for him. I'm here for Jay-jay."
It didn't really matter to me if he still had an issue with Keigan. He had the audacity to say that in front of me. He was right, though; he was here because of Jay-jay.
That's what I wanted anyway.
"Are we all here?" Yuri asked, scanning the room.
They looked at each other, trying to figure out if anyone was missing.
"Seems like someone's missing."
"Yeah."
"We're missing someone." I counted them silently. It seemed like everyone was present.
"Who's missing?" Felix asked.
"Ci-N is missing," Drew answered.
Ci-N's face fell, and he pointed at himself. "I'm right here!" he exclaimed.
They all looked at him with a strange smile. I knew what they were going to say next.
"You're standing up. That's why we didn't see you," Mayo started, and they all erupted into laughter.
I smiled faintly. For now, I had nothing to worry about regarding them. I knew they wouldn't let Jay-jay down, especially when I was gone.
"I'll grow taller. You'll see!" Ci-N retorted, his voice laced with annoyance.
He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, his anger evident. The guys ignored him.
"Enough. Let's talk about our plan," I said, and they all turned to me, their faces serious. I had been thinking about this since yesterday. I was going to challenge every group in our area. If threats didn't work, then this was what I had to do.
And when I defeated them… they would become my underdogs.
Keigan had told me to get more allies. And that's what I was doing now. Gathering every ally I could. I would start from the bottom and work my way up to the more powerful ones.
Just like Angelo.
"We've already sent out warnings to those who have crossed us before," Yuri said, still holding his phone. "As expected, they just laughed and asked if they could have a one-on-one fight with you."
"Some of them have conditions," Rory added. "They want to face you, fight you, but if you lose, you become their slave."
"This isn't working. No one is listening to our warnings," Edrix said, resting his hand on his chin. "Maybe we should ask Jay-jay's cousin for help." Drew suggested.
Yuri and I exchanged glances. We knew Jay-jay's cousin was powerful, but I didn't know they knew about his actions and capabilities.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Tiger told me what kind of person Jay's brother is. He has more connections than we imagined. He's been accumulating them since childhood. We can use them to protect—."
I cut him off. "No! We're not going to ask for his help."
"I think Drew is right," David said. "Let's admit it, we're weak. We lack experience and people who can help us."
"That's why we're doing this. To change that," Yuri said.
"We don't have time. We can't afford trial and error," Denzel said. "I don't agree with asking her brother for help." Felix interrupted. "It'll come at a high price."
"He'll take Jay-jay away from us!" Ci-N shouted, his face filled with fear. He even slapped his hands against his face.
"Good! She's not safe here with us anyway!" Josh answered.
"How can you be sure she'll be safe if she's away from us?" I asked, and they all fell silent.
"…It's more difficult to take a chance, especially if she's far away."
"Keifer's right," Yuri agreed. "It'll be harder if she's far away. Our enemies might follow her wherever she goes."
She couldn't be far from our friends. She was safer here.
"Hurry up and make a decision, Keifer. By the time you decide, ten groups might have already attacked Jay," Calix said.
I nodded. I couldn't attack those groups challenging me yet. I was still in the hospital, and the doctor hadn't allowed me to leave.
They continued discussing the plan. Some offered suggestions, while others gave their opinions. Some even mentioned asking Angelo for help.
Tss… That's not an option.
I knew he suspected something was going on. He was probably just waiting for me to approach him, and of course, he would give me conditions I couldn't refuse.
Angelo was too smart. He was hard to outsmart. I needed to learn from him, to become as cunning as him to outmaneuver my enemies.
"Keifer!" Felix called out to me. "…Kuya texted! He said Jay-jay just finished fighting a group."
A wave of anxiety washed over me. This was what I had been afraid of.
"How is Jay?" Yuri asked.
"She's okay, apparently. But the group she fought seems to be one of our old enemies."
"Damn it!" I growled, frustration boiling over. "No one wants to listen to our warnings. I have no choice."
"Ci-N! Call your father. Tell him to discharge me now," I barked, forcing myself to stand.
Everyone rushed towards me, trying to stop me.
"Stop it!" Yuri yelled. "How will you fight like this? You haven't even recovered your strength!"
"I will hunt those bastards and make an example of them."
"We'll handle it," David said, his voice firm, halting my advance. "Don't push yourself. Besides, they're weak. We can handle them."
"Dabid's right. We'll take care of it. You rest and think of a plan," Ci-N said, stretching his legs, clearly warming up for a fight. He was hiding his excitement well.
"I'm going with them," Yuri said, forcing a smile. "It's the least I can do."
"I'll stay here. I'll arrange the message we'll send. Just send me the pictures," Edrix said, pulling his laptop from his bag.
"Let's go! Let's go!" Mayo urged.
"I'm staying," Kit said, drawing everyone's attention. "I think Keifer and I need to talk."
"Staying—," Mayo started, but Eren cut him off.
"You're coming with us. Let them talk." He said, and I saw Mayo clench his fist.
What for?
The others started to leave. Yuri made sure I wouldn't try to escape before leaving. The rest followed suit, leaving only Edrix, Kit, and me.
"Do you think they can handle it?" Edrix asked, looking at the closed door.
"Seems like you don't have faith in them," Kit said, shaking his head immediately.
"It's not like that. The gangs are more aggressive now that Ram is gone. They're looking for a new leader, and they see themselves as candidates," Edrix explained.
He was right. They were trying to rise to the top. They saw me as an obstacle, so they targeted Jay-jay to prevent me from fighting back.
"You're right, but don't forget… as Jay-jay said, we're Ulupong," Kit said, making us smile.
"I don't get your connection, but it's true, we are Ulupong," Edrix answered, shaking his head.
Both of them looked at me. I smirked, shaking my head.
Yeah, I know. You're all Ulupong, and I'm the King.
I lay back on my bed to rest. The wound throbbed from my earlier attempt to stand. It must have been deeper than I thought. I should have never allowed Z to make a move.
I didn't even know if he survived what his friend did to him. It would be better if he didn't.
I was about to close my eyes to sleep. I was confident my friends would do what they said. But sleep wouldn't come.
I heard Edrix saying goodbye to Kit. I looked at them before Edrix walked out the door. Kit faced me, forcing a smile.
"He's just going to get some food," he said, and I nodded.
He sat on the sofa opposite my bed. He looked uncomfortable, and it pissed me off.
"Do you want to say something?" I asked, my voice serious.
He flinched. "U-um… Well, you know, about what you found out—about Jay-jay and me—even though there's nothing… I mean… We didn't—."
"Kit," I cut him off. "I'm having trouble understanding you."
He scratched the back of his neck. He winced, clearly struggling to find the words. He took a deep breath. "U-um… about what you found out. What you heard Mayo and me arguing about."
I frowned, trying my best to remain calm. The memory made my blood boil.
"You kissed Jay-jay," I stated, not asking for confirmation.
He hung his head. "I tried, but it didn't happen."
I turned my head slightly. I wanted to stand up and punch him.
He tried to kiss Jay-jay… My Jay-jay.
Even if it didn't happen, I wasn't happy. He tried to kiss my Queen. No one is allowed to kiss her. I will never allow anyone to kiss her. She's mine, and what's mine will always be mine.
I took a deep breath to quell the anger I felt.
"You know exactly what you did, right?" I asked, my voice irritated.
"I-i…"
"How dare you try to touch her," I said, trying my best to remain calm. "You tried to claim what is mine. Do you want to die at my hands?"
I saw him swallow. I looked at my hands. I realized my fists were clenched.
"I-I know… If you claim her, no one else can get close," he said. "But I didn't do it to take her from you."
I looked at him like I was about to kill him. For the first time, he looked me straight in the eye. It was like he was challenging me, just with his gaze. It was like he was fighting for something.
"Explain," I demanded.
"I wasn't myself at that moment. Jay-jay was the only one in front of me, willing to listen to me—to my problems," he explained. "I asked her for help." He smiled faintly. "But she punched me. We were both surprised, but it helped me wake up."
"I don't see the connection between your explanation and trying to kiss her."
He nodded briefly. "I asked her for help, Keifer. I asked her to help me become…" I saw regret in his eyes, but he quickly shrugged it off. "To help me become…" He breathed heavily. "To help me become… a real man."
My forehead furrowed. "W-what?"
"I'm gay, Keifer."
I was speechless. I didn't know what to say. Did he just say the word 'gay'?
He was Kit, one of my friends. One of the people I always relied on. He never backed down from a fight. He was a bit crazy and always surrounded by girls, second only to Eren.
He was Kit, and… he was gay?
"W-wait… what?" was the only thing that came out of my mouth.
He scratched his cheeks, a sign of irritation.
"Do I need to repeat myself?"
I shook my head. "No. It's just that—how?"
"I don't know how. All I know is I no longer feel attracted to women," he said.
I stared at him for a while. I was trying to process everything, to understand it.
"So… Y-you're gay," I said, still lost for words. "You romantically like men, not women."
He nodded slowly. "You don't really like or feel attracted to Jay-jay." He shook his head slowly.
My lips slowly formed a smile. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't hold it in anymore, and I burst out laughing.
Shiiit!
All this time, I thought he liked Jay-jay too. I thought he had special feelings for her. I thought I had another threat to watch out for.
"K-Keifer… are you okay?" Kit asked.
I was still laughing, unable to stop. I even touched my wound, as it throbbed, but I couldn't stop.
"You're gay, and you don't really like Jay-jay," I said, still laughing. "Not that I don't like her. I mean, I like her as an individual."
I was starting to get tired from laughing, so I stopped. I sat up straight in bed.
"I thought I'd need to keep an eye on you too. I'm relieved," I said to him.
He looked at me, confused. "So, it doesn't bother you that I'm gay?"
I shook my head. "Do you have a crush on me?"
"No."
"Then I have no reason to be bothered. You're the same Kit I know. Still my friend, still my classmate. Nothing changes unless you wish to change your sex to female."
He immediately shook his head. "No. I'm not changing it."
"Then I have no reason to be bothered," I said, and he smiled. "At least I'm comfortable asking you to take care of Jay-jay."
He looked confused. "Why would you ask that?"
I cleared my throat. "I have to go back to London before my birthday. With everything I have to do, I need to be there a month before."
"W-what about Jay-jay? Is that it? You're leaving her, or are we left clueless about what's really happening?"
"Trust me. It's better this way. The less you know, the safer it will be for Jay-jay," I said.
He was about to say something when the door opened. It was Edrix, holding too many food items in his arms.
"Kit! Help!" Edrix shouted.
Kit looked at me before running towards him. He was carrying a lot of food, mostly large bags of junk food.
They placed the food on the coffee table beside the sofa.
"Alright… let's eat," Edrix said, rubbing his hands together.
He was about to open a bag when he noticed we were staring at him, not moving.
"Why?" he asked.
"You're doing this on purpose. You know I can't eat yet," I said, sounding irritated.
"Have you checked your phone? Maybe they've messaged you," Kit said.
"You guys are so mean to me," he said before pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Oh, there it is! It just arrived."
He grabbed his laptop and started typing. He was clearly excited.
"Type my message," I commanded, and he gave me the go-ahead. "This is the first warning. Cross my path, and I'll break some bones. Touch my girl, and I will open the gates of hell. Don't test my patience, I can be a living beast."
I'm a Watson, I am cursed, and I am turning into a beast.
Because I am in love.