Jay-jay's POV
6 AM.
Here I am, walking to school at this hour. That's what we agreed on with Eman.
But I'm still so sleepy. I feel like the cold water I showered with didn't even work.
"Yaaawwwnnnn...."Ugh! I should've gone to bed early. I was mourning over the shorts Aries burned.
Rest in peace.
As I was walking, someone suddenly placed a hand on my head. I immediately swatted it away and glared at the culprit.
"Good morning!" Yuri greeted me.
Pfftt… It's just Yuri.
"Good morning too! Why are you up so early?" I asked him. My eyes unconsciously drifted to his.
He tried to look away, but I grabbed his face to keep him from moving.
"W-why?"
"Are you wearing contacts?" I asked, moving my face even closer to his.
"Y-yeah."
I let go of him, but I kept staring at his eyes.
"They suit you… At least there's nothing covering your face anymore."
"T-thanks."
I smiled and continued walking. He followed behind me. Yuri looks even more handsome now. Ahihihihi...
When we arrived at the room, Eman had already started cleaning, while Ci-N was… sleeping. That idiot really came all this way just to sleep.
"Good morning, Eman!" I greeted loudly on purpose, hoping to wake a certain someone up.
But it was useless. Still asleep.
"Good morning… Just the two of you?" Eman asked, noticing that only the two of us had arrived.
We agreed to text the whole class and let them come voluntarily. But no one volunteered. Amazing!
Ci-N could've at least shown some effort, but nope. We couldn't do anything if he was going to act like that. I walked over to him and lightly shook him, but he still didn't move.
"Ci! Wake up!" I said while shaking him harder.
He just groaned in response. This kid is so stubborn!
"Just let him be," Yuri said as he started pulling out the cardboard covering the back.
I felt a little annoyed. Before joining Eman, I flicked Ci-N's ear.
No effect! Damn it.
We removed the cardboard, tin sheets, and plywood stacked at the back. A shoe rack was revealed—almost like a locker without a door.
I saw it again. The names "Ella" and "Keifer," with a heart between them.
"Aren't we going to remove these names?" I asked.
"We probably should. If Keifer sees this, he might go ballistic." Eman replied.
We started scraping off the names. I removed "Ella Dianne Hyun" first. No particular reason—it was just the one in front of me. Honestly, Ella seems nice. But how did she end up in Section E before?
"Why was Ella in Section E before?" I suddenly asked, making Eman and Yuri pause.
They exchanged glances before answering.
"Ella…" Yuri started, rubbing the back of his neck. "...Maybe she looks like an angel outside, but it's the opposite when she gets mad."
I just stared at Yuri, waiting for him to continue. Eman must have sensed it because he took over.
"Ella got into a fight before. Her punches were so heavy that her opponent ended up with a bald spot on their head. Their nose bled, and their face was covered in bruises. They weren't rich, so it became a problem whether to kick her out or just suspend her."
Oh, so she was a fighter.
"Her family pleaded, so she was transferred to Section E after serving her suspension," Eman finished.
That makes sense. I'd always wondered about that. She has such a pretty face, too. No wonder she suddenly got angry when we talked about Mica before, like there was something deeper behind it.
She must be really tough. I wonder if Aries knows about this.
"How did she end up in Section A?" I asked.
This was my chance to get some gossip. They were open to talking about it, so I might as well take the opportunity.
"Those are none of your business."
We all froze. It felt like we'd been doused with ice-cold water.
"Keifer… we were just—"
"Shut up." Keifer cut Yuri off.
I straightened up and faced Keifer. His eyes were filled with anger, and I could tell he'd been mentally killing me for a while now.
He stepped closer and locked eyes with me.
"You're really nosy, aren't you?! You even pry into other people's stories!"
"I-it's not like that… I was just curious." I replied.
"Do you believe in the saying 'Curiosity kills the cat'?"
I shook my head. I never really understood that saying. Yeah, it's about being curious, but I wasn't sure about the whole meaning.
Keifer moved even closer, pressing his lips near my ear.
"You better start believing it."
Goosebumps.
I think my whole body just shivered when he whispered that to me. Damn!
Keifer walked away but not before throwing a sharp glare at Yuri.
"Let's just talk about Ella some other time," Eman said, going back to work.
I followed, but honestly, I was still shaken by what Keifer whispered to me. Because, seriously!
Why does Keifer seem to have such an impact on me? Ugh!
We continued cleaning while Ci-N continued snoring. The other slackers finally arrived—some helped, while others just decided to sleep.
As I was taking out the trash we had collected, I noticed Denzel pacing outside near the stairs. He was holding something white and looked restless.
"Hey, Denzel!" I called out, startling him. He immediately threw whatever white thing he was holding somewhere. He walked up to me and forced a smile.
"Good morning!" he greeted before quickly heading inside the room.
He didn't even wait for my response. What was that about? I suddenly remembered the white thing he was holding. I don't know why, but my brain itched to find it. I wasn't sure where it landed, but I searched for it anyway.
I almost turned the trash pile near the stairs upside down. Seriously, why did people have to dump stuff here? Until finally, I saw a white object on the first step of the stairs.
I wasn't sure if this was it, but I picked it up anyway.
A pregnancy test?
Why is this even here? The worst part? Two red lines. My teacher once said that meant positive.
Wait! Wait! If this is the white thing Denzel was holding, that means…
Denzel is pregnant?!
No, wait! Denzel's a guy! That means…
DENZEL GOT SOMEONE PREGNANT?!
My eyes widened at the realization. But… who did he get pregnant? What's going to happen to his studies?
I need to talk to him. But not now—he clearly doesn't want anyone to know yet. I hid the pregnancy test and went back to the room, but my eyes stayed on Denzel.
"Why did you take so long?" Yuri asked.
I just shook my head.
"Are you okay?" he asked again.
I nodded.
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
I shook my head again.
"Jay! Help me out here!" Eman called.
I left Yuri, who still had a confused expression on his face, and helped Eman arrange the supplies.
We placed all the dry goods separately on the shoe rack—one space for canned goods and another for other items. All the appliances went on the top shelf of the shoe rack. Eman even brought an electric stove. All we needed was a fridge, and the back of our room would practically be a kitchen.
"All set!" Eman announced, clapping his hands. That's when I noticed Ci-N was finally awake.
The prince of slackers has risen. "Wow! The great one has awakened!" I said, giving Ci a sharp look.
Such a pain!
Sir Alvin arrived, followed by the king of slackers himself. I didn't look at him. I was already annoyed. If our eyes met, we'd probably just start another fight.
Class began, but I was more excited for lunchtime because Eman and I would be cooking. I was going to ask him to teach me. I didn't know how to cook either. The maids at my aunt's house had been trying to teach me, but I guess they lost patience.
"What are you cooking later?" Ci-N whispered.
"I don't-----"
We all froze. David suddenly walked into the room. His face was covered in bruises, and he was limping.
"W-what happened to you?" I asked.
David just shook his head and sat beside me. The slackers exchanged glances, as if communicating telepathically. Creepy.
"Did you get into a fight?" Kit asked David.
David whispered something to them. It was like a switch was flipped—their expressions instantly changed.
What did David say?
It couldn't have been anything good. Kit and the others wouldn't react like that if it was. I looked at Ci-N, but he just shrugged. I turned my attention back to the front.
Sir was already starting his lesson. Even though no one was listening, he kept teaching. The slackers weren't paying attention. I wasn't either. My mind was somewhere else. Until I started hearing snippets of their conversation. Kit and the others were getting louder.
"When are we hitting back?"
"Later, they said."
"Who's involved?"
"Kiko Evans' group."
I froze.
Kiko's group? Did they get into another fight with Kiko? Was Aries involved?
This is going to be a mess.