Jay-jay's POV
I was alone again. That same feeling was creeping back— That feeling of being unwanted. But this time, it wasn't from my classmates... It was from the very family taking care of me.
"The patient's vitals are now stable. There's no need to worry anymore about the damaged lung tissue, it responded well to the treatment we gave him," the doctor told Tita Gema.
Tito Julz and Kuya Angelo immediately let out a sigh of relief. I should've felt that way too, but all I could feel was guilt.
Because no matter how you look at it— It all started with me.
"...I suggest longer body rest for the patient. Some light exercise would also be good," the doctor continued.
Tita Gema asked a few more things I couldn't understand anymore. I looked over at Ella, who was holding Aries's hand tightly. She didn't take her eyes off him.
"I'm sorry," I whispered while watching them.
Everyone was busy talking to the doctor. I took the chance to slip out of the room. I wiped away the tears already pooling in my eyes.
"Jay-jay." Percy called out to me. He was leaning against the wall next to the door. I knew he'd been there a while. He didn't leave even after Tita and the others arrived.
"W-why haven't you gone home yet?" I asked, my voice hoarse.
I'd been holding back my tears all this time. I just felt so weak— Like I was completely helpless in everything that was happening to me.
"What did Angelo say to you?" he asked.
I shook my head. He hadn't said a word since we left the school. I wanted to go straight home, but Kuya brought me to the hospital instead.
Percy smiled and gently patted my head. "You're way too stressed. Let's get something to eat first."
I didn't say anything. I just followed him right away. Everything that happened earlier suddenly made me feel so hungry. Now I was scared to go back to school, especially after what Kuya said to our Guidance Counselor.
We went to a fast food place near the hospital. Percy ordered for me. Even while eating, my thoughts were running deep. I didn't know what to do anymore.
I wanted to talk to Yuri's family. But would that make me look shameless? After everything I said back to their Head Master— And after ignoring Yuri's mom when she tried to speak to me. What face would I even show them?
I was starting to regret my decision not to go through with the wedding. But if I had gone through with it, I knew I wouldn't be happy. And maybe Yuri wouldn't be either.
"So it's really off... the wedding with Yuri." Percy suddenly said, making me look up at him.
"Y-yeah... Yuri and I had an agreement. He'll call off the engagement... in exchange for us starting over." I explained lifelessly.
"Hmm... No wonder why Angelo suddenly acted like that."
I frowned a little. "Acted like... what?"
"Like he was the most miserable guy on the planet. His eyes... they were just like the first time I met him."
I looked down. That guilty feeling was back again. If only I could do something. If only I could help... without needing a wedding to make it happen.
"Where's the necklace I gave you?"
I looked at him in surprise. He was staring at me seriously, waiting for an answer. I took my bag and opened it. I pulled the necklace from the secret pocket inside.
But before I could even fully hand it to him, he suddenly grabbed it from my hand. I was shocked— But even more shocked when he took off the ring Yuri had given me.
He handed the necklace back to me. "Wear it."
The truth is, I stopped wearing that necklace because I was upset with him. The day I called David to send a message to Percy, I had already taken it off my neck.
He waited for me to put it on again before speaking.
"I'll be the one to return this to him."
"W-why?"
"I just want to. And if possible, I want you to stay away from him."
My brows furrowed completely. I couldn't understand the way he was acting. I immediately snatched the ring from his hand.
"What is your problem? Why are you acting like this?" I asked irritably.
He looked at me seriously. "Because I don't think Yuri is right for you."
"Why?"
He avoided my gaze. "Just... let me keep that to myself for now."
I was getting close to losing my temper. Did he think I didn't notice he was hiding something from me? There were things he clearly didn't want to tell me. And here I was, looking like a fool, waiting for him to open up.
I stood up abruptly and walked out of the restaurant. He quickly followed behind me.
"Jay-jay." he called.
I didn't stop walking. "Go home, Percy. Felix is probably looking for you."
"What's your problem?" he asked, clearly annoyed.
I spun around to face him, glaring. I didn't care if people on the street were staring at us.
"You! You're the problem! I'm mad at you because you won't tell me the truth!"
"Because you don't need to know everything right away."
I froze at what he said. He had a point. Who was I to expect him to share those things with me?
"Not everything is about you, Jay. And those things... we still need to fix them before we can tell anyone else." He explained, then walked past me.
I bit my lower lip out of frustration. I didn't even bother to look where he went. I just returned to the hospital and went straight to Aries's room.
So frustrating!
I was right in front of Aries's room when it suddenly opened. Ella and Kuya Angelo stepped out as if they were just leaving.
"Come with us. We're heading home," Kuya said flatly.
I lowered my head. "I'll just say goodbye to Tita first."
He let me in. Tita Gema was sitting beside Aries's bed. Tito Julz was on the phone, talking to someone.
I walked over to Aries, whose face was covered in bandages. Parts of his face were bruised and turning purple. His condition was truly heartbreaking.
"Jay-jay..." Tita called out, forcing a smile. "...Go with Kuya Angelo. They're heading home."
"T-Tita..." I couldn't stop my voice from trembling. "...I-I'm sorry. It's my fault Aries got hurt by his classmates."
Tita held my hand. "Don't blame yourself. Never do that."
"Your Tita's right," Tito Julz added. "...They're the ones who wanted to hurt Aries. Not you."
"B-but... If the wedding wasn't called off, you wouldn't be going through this... People would still look up to Aries..."
I couldn't finish what I wanted to say— Because Tita Gema tightened her hold on my hand. She smiled at me, as if telling me everything's going to be okay.
I forced myself to return her smile. We talked for a few more moments before she allowed me to leave. Ella was waiting for me outside the room. We walked quietly side by side on the way to the parking lot.
I thought Kuya Angelo was already in the car, but he wasn't there when we arrived. I looked around and spotted him in a corner, smoking. It was the first time I ever saw him smoke.
"I'll just go to Kuya," I told Ella, not waiting for her response.
Kuya looked at me when he saw me approaching. He quickly threw away the cigarette he was holding.
"Don't tell anyone you saw me like this," he said.
"Why are you smoking?"
"Just to relieve some stress," he said flatly. "...Come on. We still have to drop Ella off."
We walked back to the car together. He unlocked it and got in the driver's seat. I sat in the passenger seat, and Ella got in the back.
No one said a word. The silence was deafening, and all sorts of thoughts ran through my head. I was completely uncomfortable.
We stopped in front of a small bungalow house. It was simple and not extravagant. Ella got out and thanked Kuya.
That's when I realized people were right when they said Ella wasn't rich. Her life was very simple— —a life she herself was complicating.
We arrived home. Kuya collapsed onto the sofa and closed his eyes. No one greeted us, so the maids were probably already asleep.
"Go get some rest," he said without looking at me.
But I didn't move. I looked at him as I tried to form the words I wanted to say.
"K-Kuya—"
"Don't continue," he cut me off. "...I just want to rest."
I felt embarrassed. I headed to my room without saying another word. As soon as I closed the door, all the tears I'd been holding back came pouring out.
I sank to the floor and hugged my knees. I'm so weak! No matter what, I never seem to do anything right for the people around me.
Maybe I really am just unlucky.
First it was Lola, and now it's Tita Gema and Kuya Angelo. And who's next? Who's going to suffer next because of me?
I heard my phone buzz. I grabbed it from my bag and saw a text message had come in.
To: GagongBaliw
Message: Missing you now. 😚
I wiped my tears and quickly called GagongBaliw's number. It rang four times before he finally answered.
"Don't say anything yet," I said as soon as he picked up. "...Just listen, please. Just listen to what I'm going to say. That's all I need."
I didn't hear a reply, so I continued speaking.
"My brother got hurt because of me..." I took a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears. "...B-because I chose not to go through with the wedding they arranged for me. But the price was... was too high..."
I wiped the few stray tears from my eyes. "... The family that helped me is suffering now. They've started looking down on my cousin—and even my brother."
I couldn't hold it anymore. I started crying again like a child. Even my nose was running along with the tears falling from my face.
I didn't want him to hear me breaking down like this, so I ended the call——but only seconds passed before he texted me.
To: GagongBaliw
Message: Please continue. Tell me everything.
I wasn't planning to respond anymore, but suddenly he called. I didn't answer. But he called again. And again. He called several times before I finally decided to pick up.
"S-sorry if I disturbed you... I-I just don't have anyone to talk to about this," I said while still crying. "... I feel so weak. I'm unlucky and I keep making mistakes. Everyone I care about ends up getting hurt because of what I do. Even if they don't say it, I know they're blaming me."
For some reason I couldn't explain, my crying gradually began to soften. It was as if the tears were stopping on their own, even without me trying.
" I feel like I'm all alone. Like there's no one I can lean on. This is the first time I've felt this kind of pain... even though I've always been alone. Maybe because..."
...he's not here beside me.Call me foolish, call me dumb, but a huge part of me is looking for him—wants to see him.
"...Keifer." I whispered—
—and then the call suddenly ended.
I didn't even try to understand why. I almost crawled to the bed and lay down. I couldn't even bring myself to change clothes. And because I was so exhausted, I fell asleep instantly.
The next day, I woke up feeling terrible. I had a fever, and it felt like something heavy was stuck in my throat.
I forced myself to get up and went straight to the bathroom. I had to go to school. This was the only right thing I could still do for Tita Gema and the others. I showered and got ready, even though my head felt like a ton of bricks was crushing it.
When I got to the dining room, there was no one there. But there was food prepared for me. I forced myself to eat something and asked one of Tita's maids for medicine.
Seriously... why did I have to get sick now of all times?
I was already walking out the house when I saw someone near the gate. I took a few more steps before I could clearly see who it was. Yuri.
"W-what are you doing here?" I asked right away.
"I thought we could go to school together." He looked me over. "...Are you okay? You look really pale."
I didn't want to argue. My head was heavy and nothing made sense anymore. I had no comebacks left for him.
I walked up to his car and opened the passenger seat door. I got in without saying a single word.
He quickly got in the driver's seat and started the engine. He kept glancing at me even though I couldn't see him clearly. He was so distracted staring that he didn't notice the cars in front had stopped.
He slammed on the brakes so hard I nearly hit the dashboard. My bag flew forward and burst open because I hadn't zipped it properly. Everything spilled.
Ugh, great! This stupid bag just had to break now.
I started picking up my stuff. All the empty snack wrappers and junk came falling out.
"Sorry," Yuri said and reached out to help me, but I stopped him.
"Just focus on driving," I said and continued cleaning up the mess.
I even reached under the seat to check for more of my stuff. I accidentally touched something that felt like plastic and paper. Thinking it came from my bag, I grabbed it— and raised an eyebrow when I saw it was a pack of cigarettes.
Yuri glanced at me. "T-that's Keifer's," he quickly said, though he looked like he wanted to take it back the moment he said the name.
I stared at the pack. A few sticks were already gone.
I suddenly wondered how many of these Keifer went through in a day. What did these cigarettes even taste like that made this his brand of choice?
I took one stick and placed it in my mouth, though I had no intention of lighting it. Yuri was slightly surprised by what I did, but calmed down once he realized I was only holding it between my lips.
I just wanted to know what he felt like whenever he had a cigarette in his mouth.
"Do you think..." I murmured absentmindedly. "...W-when do you think Keifer will come back?"
Because what if what Blaster said was true? What if he really wasn't coming back?
"I don't know." His response was lifeless.
Maybe Keifer didn't tell anyone he was leaving. Not even his best friend. Maybe he didn't leave any message or ask anyone to look out for me. Maybe... he really had no plans of coming back. Maybe he really didn't want to come back to me.
There was a sudden sting in my chest. I returned the cigarette to the pack and stuffed it into my bag.
"Didn't you talk to him before he left?" I asked again, still staring out the window.
"No. We never had the chance."
"Can you contact him?"
"He's not responding."
I closed my eyes. Aside from the pain in my chest, my head was now throbbing. I felt like crying with every movement, every sharp ache.
Ugh, this stupid pain! Of all times?!
I held my temple, and with it came the slow stream of tears from my eyes, even though they were shut.
What a pain! Not just physically, but emotionally too. What now? Wanna fight?!I'm not crying because of Keifer—I'm crying because I feel like crap.
"Jay... are you hurting somewhere?!" Yuri asked in a panicked voice.
Yes! I'm in so much pain!
I felt the car come to a stop. Then suddenly, he touched my neck— I opened my eyes just as my vision blurred so badly it nearly blinded me.
"Crap! You're burning up!" he said, alarmed, then quickly started the car again.
I had no idea what he was about to do, but the next thing I knew, he stopped right in front of a hospital. Before I could protest, he had already jumped out and was opening the passenger door.
"W-what the—" I couldn't even finish what I was about to say because he suddenly scooped me up—bridal style.
I could clearly see the worry on his face. He kept calling for a nurse while rushing me in until I was laid down on a bed in the emergency room.
"We'll take it from here," said one of the nurses.
Yuri stepped back a bit while watching them work. And me—I couldn't take my eyes off of him.
Why are you like this, Yuri? You're making me mad.
I'm mad at you because you're so kind.
I'm mad at you because you fell for someone like me.
I'm mad at you because even though you know you have no chance, you're still here.
I'm mad at you because looking at you feels like staring at my own reflection.
It shows me how foolish I've been when it comes to love. Why does it have to be like this?
Why does it have to be so complicated? Can't it just be simple—flirting, then friends, then a relationship? Why do we both have to suffer like this?
We're partners in stupidity. After this, I'm going to start a club just for the two of us.
SLC... Shunga Lovers Club.