Jay-jay's POV
I didn't want to go in today. I don't feel like it. I still can't get it out of my mind about what I did. I also have nightmares sometimes.
"Jay-jay." Yuri called me and sat down next to me.
I reached out to him with my hand. Since I left the hospital my fist has always hurt so I can't use my hand properly.
So here is Yuri and he's always massaging my hand. It was effective, because after two days of doing that, the pain had subsided.
"Why are you so tired?" he asked me.
13
That was his 13th question since I got out of the hospital.
"If only there was a fee for each question you asked, I would have bought new shoes." I said lifelessly.
"If you weren't like that, I wouldn't bother asking you."
He said and stopped massaging my hand for a moment. "...You can tell me."
Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. A big part of me refused to tell him.
I forced a smile.
I'm sorry...
Yuri is kind, even if he can be a bit of a jerk sometimes, like Keifer.
Speaking of Keifer, I haven't seen him since this morning.
He also hasn't been picking fights with me like he usually does.
Just like the others, he's always keeping an eye on me and won't let me go home or go to school alone.
It just feels weird.
I'm so used to us throwing insults at each other or exchanging sharp glares.
I guess I kinda miss it.
"Section E! The committee is asking for the names of our participants!" Kit greeted us as she entered the room.
Oh my!
The time we should have been preparing for the
Festival was wasted. What a mess we had become.
"Jay-jay and Ci-N to Mr. Ganda and Ms. Pogi." Eren replied.
Tsk! I can't refuse. I'm the only girl here. Now I feel the hardship of my situation.
"What about the battle of the band?" The others asked.
"Can't you, Yuri?" Rory asked Yuri who was busy massaging my hand.
Yuri? To the battle of the band? I looked at him and waited for him to say something.
"I haven't talked to Keifer about it yet." He replied.
The two of them started talking again.
"Do you have a band?" I asked him.
"We do... Keifer is the singer, I'm the lead guitar, Edrix is on drums, Rory is on bass and Felix is on piano."
Oh yes... I saw a guitar in Yuri's room when I went to see them.
"..but we can't play anymore. Keifer has lost his appetite since... Ella." He added.
What a shame.
"In the Dance troops... Who?" They asked.
Tsk! That's another one. There's also a singing contest. Oh my! What Freya wants to do to us is really a pain in the ass.
"Do you have any ideas, Jay?" Kit asked me.
Why are you asking me?
I just shook my head and focused on what Yuri was doing.
A few more minutes passed while the others kept talking before Sir Alvin arrived, followed by the King. Honestly, it feels like Keifer is the real teacher when he walks in. It's embarrassing—he even gets here earlier than Sir.
He was looking at me while walking to his seat at the back.
Did he really have to stare?
Sir Alvin started his lesson, but I'll admit—I wasn't really listening. It's not that I didn't want to, but my mind was drifting off somewhere else. I feel like my thoughts have already traveled to Antarctica—just kidding!
Before I knew it, class was over. While the others were chatting, Keifer suddenly walked up to me.
"Follow me," he said.
He didn't even wait for my response and just walked out, so I followed him.
He suddenly turned toward the stairs going up to the second floor. I had to run to catch up and ask why he wanted me to follow him.
Keifer's strides were so long, he disappeared from my sight in no time. When I reached the second floor, I saw him standing in front of a tightly closed room.
It was right next to the room where I found Calix's love letter—the very last room at the end of the hall.
"Do you need something?" I asked him.
He pulled something out of his pocket—a key?
He stuck it into the doorknob and opened the door. He motioned for me to go inside. I didn't really want to, but the way he was looking at me made it clear he wasn't going to take no for an answer.
I walked in slowly. It was dark, and the only light came from the open door.
Once inside, Keifer followed me and immediately shut the door.
Oh no! Oh no!
"Hey! Do you plan on doing something bad to me?!" I yelled at him.
Suddenly, the lights turned on, and I saw the whole room. There was a sofa in the middle and two tables against the walls. The walls were almost completely covered with pictures.
I walked up to them and started looking at each one. They were all pictures of guys, with a few girls mixed in. Everyone was wearing the HVIS uniform.
Some were candid shots, and some had serious expressions. Some photos were old and faded, while others looked pretty new.
"Who are all these people?" I asked Keifer, who was leaning against one of the tables.
"They're all from Section E—1994 up to the present year," he said, pointing at a section of the wall.
I walked over and saw Ci-N and the others. Most of their pictures were either goofy or smiling straight at the camera. As I kept looking, I noticed something strange—Keifer only had one picture, and he was with Ella in it.
I kept looking through the pictures until my eyes landed on someone familiar.
It was my older brother, Angelo!
I stared at the photo closely to make sure I wasn't just seeing things. But it was really him—he even had a band-aid on his jaw and cheek. It was a side-profile shot, and it looked like he didn't even know his picture was being taken.
"This is my brother, right?" I asked again, unable to hide my excitement. No wonder he knows so much about Section E—he used to be part of it!
"Yeah... He was the best and most powerful president of Section E back then."
"My brother was that awesome?!"
"Believe it or not, half of this town knows him well. Other schools don't even want to visit here because of him."
I kept staring at my brother's picture. I couldn't wait to tell him about this when I got home.
"Now you're smiling," Keifer suddenly said.
I paused. I really had been smiling the whole time—was that a problem?
"...You've looked like the world was crashing down on you lately," he added.
Ugh, this guy!
"Can I put a picture up here too?" I asked, changing the subject.
I didn't want to ruin the moment because of Keifer.
"Yeah... anytime. Just tell me when so I can lend you the key."
I smiled and nodded. I started thinking about which picture I'd put up here—maybe one from the amusement park? But we looked like total fools in that one.
I kept browsing the photos, seeing more familiar faces, including one of my brother's classmates who once visited our grandmother's house with him.
"Let's go... They're probably waiting for us," Keifer said.
I followed him out of the room, figuring our teacher might already be there.
I waited for him to lock the door before we walked back together.
"Thank you..." I said.
"Hm?"
"For letting me see those pictures," I said with a smile.
"Tss."
Way to ruin the moment! He could've said "It's nothing" or "You're welcome." But no—he just had to give me that mysterious, dismissive sound.
This guy!
When we walked back into the room, I expected to see our teacher in front of the class. But instead, everyone was lined up at the back of the room, facing away from us.
What's going on?
I glanced at Keifer, hoping he'd know what was happening, but he looked just as clueless.
Suddenly, music started playing, and the others began dancing.
The song was familiar—I was pretty sure it was one of Vhong Navarro's songs.
"Yay yay ya! Yay yay yay ya ya! Yay yay yay ya ya! Yay yay ya!"
Yuri turned around holding a mic, and my eyes widened.
Was he going to sing?
"When my heart falls in love, it's guaranteed to last. But if you hurt it, you won't get to taste it," Yuri sang, dancing along with the others.
I wanted to burst out laughing—their faces were so into it, and they were dancing like crazy.
Then David grabbed the mic.
"You won't get to taste this, love. Even if you're rich and fancy. If you don't know how to love, you won't get to taste this," David sang.
He looked so serious and obviously forced—it made everything even funnier.
I glanced at Keifer, who had one hand on his waist and the other covering his mouth, clearly trying not to laugh.
"If all you're after is my body, which sways and turns... My heart will still have the final say. The heart of Don Romantiko!" David and the others sang together, completely feeling the vibe of the song.
"Hugh! Hugh!" They shouted and started to dance again. "Yay yay ya!
Yay yay yay ya ya! Yay yay yay ya ya! Yay yay ya!"
Jusme!
They could be mistaken for macho dancers by their looks. Someone was biting their lips. Ci-N was still moving her polo shirt up and down, feeling like my abs were going up and down.
I could feel my face turning red. I was holding back my laughter and also feeling like they were fools.
Calix was the one who held the mic.
"My handsomeness is no joke. I think I'm like heaven. If you fool me. You won't taste it." He sang.
They passed the mic to Ci-N who was still dancing while dancing.
"I can also be called D' One. Because I won't leave you. If my heart is hurt. You won't taste it." He sang while pointing to his heart.
"If you only chase my body. If you grind, it turns. My heart will still follow. Don Romantiko's heart." Ci-N and Calix sang together. "Hugh! Hugh!" They shouted again, louder and grinding again. "Yay yay ya! Yay yay yay ya ya! Yay yay yay yay ya! Yay yay yay ya!"
Suddenly, Keifer grabbed the mic and joined them.
"When Don Romantiko shows his sweet side, you'll forget your own name. But if you're not true, you won't get to taste this," Keifer sang, swaying his hips like he was really feeling the song.
My face turned red—I couldn't take it! I covered my face with both hands as Keifer kept dancing. He was way too into it!
Then, as if things couldn't get any wilder, Keifer suddenly took off his shirt and kept dancing.
Oh my gosh! Is he a macho dancer by night?!
"Hugh! Hugh!"
"Yay yay ya! Yay yay yay ya ya! Yay yay yay ya ya! Yay yay ya!"
I stared at Keifer, who kept dancing without a care in the world.
Best President? Seriously?
Right now, all I see is a guy dancing like crazy with his equally insane friends.