Chapter 30
Keifer's Perspective
I stayed up all night.
I couldn't sleep at all.
I don't know why.
Or maybe I do know.
There might be problems that have taken over my mind...
I don't know which problem to fix.
The monster is still lurking...
I need to stay away from Jayjay...
I need to keep the promise I made to Yuri's mother...
And what about Tripp...
That's a separate matter...
My gaze fell on the wall clock.
05:14
It was still dark, but I could see white rays of light coming from afar.
The sun was about to rise.
Then I heard a rustling sound from the next room.
???
I slowly got out of bed and walked towards the sound.
The door to the room was ajar.
There was movement inside.
I slowly pushed the door open.
I saw the person sitting at the desk with their back turned.
Keigan...
I was standing by the door, watching her.
He noticed me.
"Oh... Kuya? Did I wake you up?" He asked anxiously.
"No, no... I couldn't sleep anyway... You?"
"I was studying for tomorrow's exam."
"Hmm... Okay, I'm going to watch the sunrise, just so you know."
He shook his head.
I was about to turn and leave when I stopped at what he said.
"Why didn't you tell us?"
"Tell you what?"
I was still standing with my back turned.
"That you're Triple's siblings..."
I quickly turned back to him.
"Who told you that?"
"Honey told me. She overheard the maids talking."
"O-Okay. Don't tell Keirene anything."
"Okay."
I turned around and walked away.
I opened my closet and took out a tracksuit.
After changing, I put on a cardigan and left the house.
I decided not to buy a car.
Hmm... Why don't I turn this into a morning run???
My quick steps quickened even more, and I started running.
I looked at my watch and saw it was 5:23 AM.
The sunrise had already begun.
I arrived shortly after.
This was a beach.
I sat on a rock and started watching the sunrise.
It had been a long time...
The last time I watched the sunrise was with Yuri, Aries, and Percy...
Now I'm watching it all alone...
I didn't realize how time had flown by.
It was almost 8:00 AM.
I got up from the rock and went back home.
Keigan and Keiren were already getting ready and having breakfast.
They couldn't see me because their backs were turned.
I went up to my room and put on my uniform.
Just then, I heard a voice at the door.
"Can you drop us off at school?"
I looked and saw it was Keigan.
"Of course, wait for me downstairs."
He nodded and went down the stairs.
I grabbed my bag and left the room.
As I went down the stairs, the maid said, "Keigan and Keiren are in the car, sir."
I didn't say anything and left the house, heading towards the garage.
I overheard Keiren and Keigan sitting in the car talking about something.
I approached the open window.
"I heard the monster is in the Philippines," Keiren said.
Without waiting, I got into the car.
Keigan was about to open his mouth, but when he saw me get in, he fell silent and smiled at me.
"You've come to K-Kuya," Keiren said nervously.
"Yes," I said calmly as I started the car.
The journey was silent; I dropped them both off at their schools.
I was trying to get to school, but the traffic was making it very difficult.
My eyes fell on a road.
The road where the accident happened...
N-No, Keifer, you have to control your thoughts.
You can't go that way...
I looked at my watch and saw that I was about to be late for school.
Damn!
I guess I'll have to go this way...
I weaved through the cars and entered that road.
It was a deserted road covered with trees...
Suddenly, someone jumped onto the road from behind the trees.
The car hit her.
My eyes and mouth dropped open...
I immediately got out of the car and looked at her.
She had long black hair and must have been a girl.
She wasn't unconscious, but she was holding her knee and looked in pain.
"A-Are you oka—"
"I'm fine," she said quickly.
I leaned down to touch her knee, but she pushed my hand away.
Damn! Her hand was so rough!
She looked at me, and I saw her face.
Her bright blue eyes were filled with tears...
And she looked quite beautiful...
"Be careful next time you're driving."
"Excuse me, but you jumped into the road."
"I didn't know you'd pass through here. No cars ever pass through here... The last time a car passed through here was a few years ago, and I think, as far as I remember... That car had an accident..."
This incident felt familiar...
"Hey! Are you there?"
"Y-Yes."
"Ugh, whatever." She said, getting up from her seat.
"If you have even a tiny brain, you'll have understood what I said, and I hope we never meet again... Stubborn thing."
"Stubborn thing?"
Without saying anything, she turned around and limped away through the trees.
This girl is really strange...
I got up from the ground, got into the car, and started driving fast.
I hope this girl suddenly appearing in front of me isn't a coincidence...
Shortly after, I arrived at school.
I heard the bell ringing between my steps.
I walked towards Section E.
When I entered, there was both chaos and silence.
One side seemed crazy, while the other seemed quiet.
Jayjay was in class today... He had finally come to class...
Tripp wasn't there; he was probably getting ready to leave.
I quietly went to my seat.
Yuri was taking notes.
"Hi," He said.
"Hi."
"Why were you late?"
"There was a lot of traffic."
"Hmm... Okay."
"Tripp is going to New York."
He stopped writing shortly after and slowly turned her head towards me.
After a brief glance, she looked at Jayjay.
"Does she know?"
"No, Tripp asked me not to tell him."
"Good."
"Aren't you going to say anything else?"
"What do you want me to say? You know I hate Tripp, do I have to cry and get depressed just because he's leaving?"
"Okay, you're right."
"You should be partying over this news, why are you like this?"
"Yes, at first I hated him too, but Yuri, he's my brother, how can I party over news like this?"
He said nothing and continued writing.
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Jayjay's Perspective
I heard noises behind me.
I turned around and heard Yuri and Keifer talking about something.
"Okay, you're right," I heard Keifer say.
"You should be partying over this news, why are you like this?" said Yuri.
"Yes, at first I hated him too, but Yuri, he's my brother, how can I party over news like this?"
Hearing the word "brother," I realized they were talking about Tripp.
According to what I heard from C-in, Tripp had always come to school until now, but he wasn't there today.
I hope he's just late...
LUNCHTIME...
It was lunchtime, but Tripp still wasn't there.
I'd sent thousands of messages and called him, but he hadn't looked at the messages or answered the calls...
I know I'm an idiot... We had broken up, and I seemed obsessed with him right now.
He's probably not coming today...
"Hi."
When I looked, I saw David.
"Hi."
"What's wrong? Why are you so quiet?"
"Do you miss the old cheerful Jayjay?"
"Well, I can't really say I miss him, but this state you're in feels strange."
I chuckled.
"Tripp didn't come today."
"Yes."
"Do you know why?"
"No... I have no idea... He's not checking calls or messages."
"Hmm..."
"David!"
C-ini's voice was heard from afar.
"Aaa, Jay, you're here too!" he said in an excited tone.
"No, She's not here, I'm his spirit." I said.
"What! David, are you friends with genies now!"
"What genie?! That's Jayjay."
"But she says she's his spirit."
"Do you not understand jokes? I have no idea how you moved up a class."
"Yeah, I was scared for a moment."
We laughed.
"Anyway, I'm leaving," I said, and walked away from them.
AFTER SCHOOL
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Tripp's point of view
Only 1 hour left...
To say goodbye to the Philippines...
To say goodbye to the little family I've built here...
To say goodbye to the girl who is my source of life, even if everything else ends...
I grabbed my suitcase and went outside.
I locked the house door with the keys and looked at her one last time.
Shortly after, I turned around and walked away...
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Keifer's Perspective
Loud noises came from the door.
"Keifer! Open the door!"
Jayjay?
I quickly went to the door.
When I opened it, I saw he was breathless.
"What's wrong?"
"I heard you talking about Tripp today."
"D-Did you hear everything?"
"No, I heard a little, but that's not the point. Do you know where Tripp is?"
"J-Jay..."
"No calls, no messages... He's not answering any of them... He's not home... Where is Keifer?!"
"I'm going to tell you something, but stay calm."
He took a breath.
"I'm calm, tell me."
"Tripp... He's moving to New York... I'm sorry, but he didn't want me to tell you... That's why we didn't tell you..."
He suddenly collapsed to the floor.
I knelt beside him.
"Jay, I'm sorry..."
"When does his plane leave?"
"In half an hour."
He suddenly jumped up and started running.
"Jay!"
I pulled the door shut and ran after him.
"JayJay! Wait!"
"Keifer?!"
I turned around and saw Yuri.
"Yuri?"
"Don't ask why I'm here, just follow Jayjay!"
Without saying anything, I continued running, and Yuri followed behind.
Jayjay was running without paying any attention to any cars or anything.
Soon after, he got into a taxi and drove away without waiting for us.
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Author's point of view
Jayjay... couldn't understand which emotion he was feeling...
Fear?
Or sadness?
What about anxiety?
Guilt?
Imagine an emotion that is all of these at once...
Keifer and Yuri had also hailed a taxi and continued following Jayjay.
"Speed up!" Jayjay shouted to the driver.
Jayjay felt momentarily dizzy and nauseous.
She hadn't been able to eat anything since morning because he was thinking about Trippi.
The driver noticed his condition and offered him a glass of water.
"Here you go."
"T-Thank you."
APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES LATER...
The taxi stopped, and Jayjay quickly got out after paying.
Keifer and Yuri hadn't arrived yet.
"Will you slow down?!" Keifer shouted.
"Sir, this is the maximum speed."
"Ah!" he cried.
They arrived shortly after.
Keifer quickly got out of the car while Yuri paid and got out as well.
Meanwhile, Jayjay was searching everywhere for Trippi.
"Tripp?" She murmured, looking around.
She turned around and saw Keifer in the distance.
"Damn it," she muttered.
She continued searching around.
Someone noticed him and approached.
"Hello? Is something wrong?"
"Oh yes. I was looking for someone. Have the planes taken off?"
"Hmm... They seem to have."
"W-What?"
"I'm sorry," he said, walking away.
A few tears fell from his eyes.
"B-But... I hadn't even said goodbye yet... T-Tripp..."
"Jay?"
She looked up and saw two pairs of black eyes staring at him.
"T-Tripp?"
Tripp approached him and wrapped his arms around him.
"I was going to leave without saying goodbye, I'm sorry."
"Why did you choose not to tell me?"
"Because I knew this would happen. That you would feel guilty..."
"But you should have told me anyway."
"Excuse me?"
They parted without hugging.
They saw the flight attendant from earlier.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. There was a mistake."
"I-It's alright."
Then she smiled and walked away.
Jayjay looked at Tripp.
Tripp held his cheek.
He saw Yuri and Keifer watching them from a distance.
He smiled at them.
Then he turned to Jayjay.
"Jay..." he said, his eyes filling with tears.
"I never thought saying goodbye would be this hard."
Jayjay couldn't hold back and started crying.
He took a deep breath.
"I'm not angry at you... Maybe a little hurt, but I could never hate you. Because loving you was much easier than hating you," Tripp continued.
A bitter smile spread across his face.
"You were my first true love. We laughed together, we fought, we cried together... And I will never forget any of those moments."
A single tear rolled down his cheek.
"Maybe one day you'll completely forget me. Maybe you'll love someone else. But if you ever remember me... please don't remember me as a bad person."
He took a step back.
"I'm leaving, Jay. I won't wait for you... Because someone who truly loves you should also know how to set the person they love free."
He smiled one last time.
"Take care of yourself, Jasper Jean Mariano..."
"And... I will never regret loving you."
He turned away.
"Goodbye... my love."
"Goodbye..." was the only word Jayjay could manage to say.
Tripp started to walk away.
Jayjay could only watch her helplessly.
No words could bring her back now.
She thought to himself.
She had betrayed Tripp, but he had also broken the trust he had placed in him...
Some stories don't end happily; some begin again from their most painful point...