Jay-jay's POV
"Question #1!" he said, looking at me. "...Where is your Mom?"
I didn't want to answer, but I also didn't want to drink.
"W-with her new husband."
He showed no reaction or expression to my answer.
"Your turn," he said again.
I had a lot of questions for him, but I didn't know which one to ask first.
"Is there still a chance for you and Aries to make up?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he immediately grabbed the glass and drank.
"My turn..." he said. "...Is there still a chance for you and Aries to make up?" he threw my question right back at me.
Was there?
I didn't know the answer, and it felt unfair to answer the same question I had just asked him.
I took the glass and drank. Damn! It burned my throat! The heat spread down to my chest. What kind of drink was this?
"My turn..." I said. "...What's the story behind your earring?"
He touched his earring briefly before answering.
"It belonged to my Mom."
I wanted to ask more questions, but it was his turn.
"I remember the incident with Ram. How did that happen?"
I didn't like that question.
I didn't answer, so I poured more into the glass and drank it all down.
"When did you start wearing that earring?" I asked.
"When we thought Percy was dead. I had no one to comfort me. So I went to her room, and I saw these earrings. When I took them, it felt like she was with me. So I chose to wear it," he explained.
It was that feeling — painful but somehow comforting. That's how he was; talking about his mom hurt, but at the same time, it made him happy.
"You... What's the story with your father?" he asked.
"I-I never got to be with him... I only saw him in pictures. Lola just said that Mama was mad at Papa, so she took me away. After that, I knew nothing about him... until we saw him yesterday." I forced a smile.
He answered my question about his mom — it was only fair that I answered about my dad.
"Where's the other earring?"
He looked off into the distance like he was thinking. I felt like he had lost it, but since it belonged to his mom, I knew it must be important to him.
"I gave it to the wrong person."
Was it Ella?
I wanted to ask, but I knew he hated talking about Ella. Just hearing her name turned him into a beast in anger.
"You... What's the real reason you and Aries fought?"
I looked at the glass. I didn't want to drink again — it hurt too much going down — but I also didn't know how to answer his question.
I was forced to take the glass and drink.
Damn! It burned!
"Your turn... Who did you give the other earring to?"
He didn't answer. He just drank and poured himself another glass. I had a feeling it really was Ella.
Ugh...
"What happened to that Cyrus guy?"
Why did Cyrus get brought into this conversation? I didn't want to talk about him! And honestly, I didn't even know what had happened. Even though the alcohol was hitting me, I still drank again just to avoid the question.
There were so many questions I wanted to ask, but I couldn't remember them all.
"How did you, Aries, Yuri, and Percy meet?"
"A fight... I picked on Yuri because his face annoyed me. Then Percy came to his rescue. Aries was just walking by when Percy accidentally punched him. We all ended up in the guidance office," he told me.
I wanted to laugh at his story. It was funny how their friendship started with a fight.
"Was Cyrus a good boyfriend to you?" he asked.
I looked down. I didn't want to badmouth Cyrus. But...
"A-at first, yes... But over time, no. He had a short temper, was sensitive, and was spoiled."
He looked at me seriously. I couldn't tell if he was angry or what.
"My turn... Uhmmm... Who was your first girlfriend?"
Wait! Why did I ask that?
"Freya," he answered quickly.
My eyes widened at his response. Freya? As in Freya Hidalgo? The daughter of...
"Are you serious?!" I asked in disbelief.
"Hey... One question at a time," he reminded me. "It's my turn. Was Cyrus your only boyfriend?"
I shook my head. "I had a first boyfriend... but he's gay now."
I saw him smile, but he quickly tried to hide it.
"My turn... Why Freya?"
"What do you mean 'why Freya'? I obviously liked her."
"I just... I just can't believe you liked her."
"She didn't look like that back then."
Huh?!
"My turn again... Is David really your type?"
I suddenly burst out laughing at his question. So he really believed I liked David?
"N-no... Hahaha... I just didn't know who else to point at back then," I answered.
"You lied to Ci-N."
"Something like that... My turn again. Who do you like now?" I asked him.
He avoided my gaze and quickly grabbed the glass to drink.
Cheater!
"You... Who do you like now?" he threw the question back at me.
Why would I tell him? He didn't answer, so why should I? I reached for the glass, but he grabbed my arm.
"Answer it," he ordered.
"No..." I said and quickly pulled my arm away to drink the contents of the glass.
Ugh! I don't think I can handle this anymore.
"Tss..."
Serves you right. You're a sneaky snake! Why does everything seem to be spinning?
It's my turn to ask.
"Do you still love Ella?" I asked directly.
Oh no!
My mouth had no filter—those words just slipped out.
Keifer quickly reached for the glass, but I was faster. I snatched the glass from him and stared at him.
"I don't want to answer," he said.
He stared at me for a long time, as if begging me not to ask anything more about Ella.
He suddenly looked away. It felt like something stabbed my heart. Slowly, I set the glass down in front of him.
He took it and drank.
"One last question," he said, but I didn't want to play this game anymore.
"...Do you like Yuri?"
What?!
Now it was Yuri. Earlier it was Cyrus. Was Keifer drunk already?
"I don't know... Maybe. Yuri's kind to me. And he's hardworking in his studies. Right?"
"How about me? Do you like me?" he asked.
Huh? Wasn't it supposed to be my turn to ask? Was it? I couldn't even remember anymore. The alcohol was getting to me.
"I don't know... You annoy me. I don't understand you. It's like you're possessed or crazy—you're out of your mind," I told him.
He chuckled as if he was pleased with my insult.
He's crazy!
"See? You're even laughing at my insult. You're a real nutcase. No wonder the others take after you. You're their king—KING OF THE SNAKES!"