Jay-jay's POV
It was already late afternoon when we decided to go home. I couldn't stay out too late because my aunt knew we had a half-day at school.
Ci-N was overjoyed, hugging his stuffed toy tightly. He won a big-headed dog plushie.
"You're so cute! I'll name you..." He tilted his head, holding his chin. "...Jay-jay!"
Idiot!
I gave him a hard smack on the head. Seriously?! Does my name look like it belongs to a dog?!
"That hurts! Jay-jay... Jay-jay hit me!" he whined to his stuffed toy.
I heard Felix and Percy laughing softly in front of us. I kicked their seats, making them glance back at us for a second before returning to their amusement. They really had the audacity to laugh at me.
"Let's drop Ci-N off first. His condo is the closest," Felix suggested.
"He should just walk," Percy teased.
"What if I tell Kei—Kingkong about this?"
I knew he wouldn't dare continue that sentence. I was already giving him a piercing stare, as if I could melt him with my gaze. That look that said, You and that pest of a guy are talking behind my back.
So now I know?
Earlier, Percy had slipped up, mentioning that he had a video call with Keifer. When I tried to clarify it, he bolted and pretended to be busy playing games.
"How long were you planning to hide from me that you talked to him?" I asked irritably, turning to Felix. "...Or maybe you talk to him too?"
Felix quickly avoided my gaze. Tsk! I knew it. There's no way they wouldn't be talking to that snake. I wasn't mad or anything. We did agree on that whole space-space thing, right?
But I don't know... A part of me misses him.
A part of me misses the King.
"He wouldn't be able to endure it," Percy said, making us look at him. "...That guy's got it bad. He doesn't even know the meaning of patience."
That reminded me of when Yuri and I were eating. I was sure I saw him.
"Could it be that..." I mumbled.
There's something I don't understand. Actually, I don't understand anything at all. Why does everything have to be so complicated?
Author, why is everything so confusing?
Felix..." I called for his attention. "...there's just something I don't understand about what you said."
"What is it?"
"You said Keifer voluntarily stopped the plan, so you all stopped as well. But in the end, it seemed like he still went through with it."
Ci-N and Felix exchanged glances. As if they were asking each other the same question.
"Jay..." Ci called me. "...We really don't know the reason. But before that whole mess happened, we noticed he was restless."
"He was also always fighting with Keigan," Felix added.
I looked at them in confusion. "Keigan?"
Felix nodded. "One time, when I went to their place, they were shouting at each other, almost about to throw punches."
But why?!
I felt like something had happened that we didn't know about. Honestly, I was struggling with this situation. Nothing had a clear explanation.
Keifer! I think you have a lot to explain to me. When he gets back here, he better be ready.
"We're here. Get off, Kid!" Percy said.
Ci-N stuck his tongue out at him. "Yeah, yeah!" He turned to me. "Bye, Jay-jay. See you tomorrow."
He got out of the car and ran toward the entrance of the building. Only when he was out of sight did the car start moving again.
"Hey, Felix." Percy called his brother. "...Pay for all the expenses I covered."
"What?!"
The two of them suddenly started arguing over the so-called date expenses. I didn't pay them any mind because my thoughts were occupied with something else.
Food?!
Well, I always think about food. But this was different. Everything was so confusing. Why did everything have to be this complicated?
The two still hadn't stopped bickering, even when we arrived in front of my house.
"Thanks for the ride," I said before getting out.
I was about to enter the gate when Felix called me.
"Thank you," he said with a smile. "...I won't waste the chance you gave me."
I smiled back and nodded before going inside. Somehow, I felt lighter about Felix. Maybe that's how it is when you finally forgive someone.
But what about the others? Should I forgive them too? But how can I do that when some of them seem so proud of what they did?
Bastards. Damn snakes. That's why they were in Section E—because they're snakes.
I stopped walking as I entered the house. My brother was standing there with his arms crossed. His brows furrowed deep.
"It was just a half-day, right? Why are you home so late?" he asked authoritatively.
Crap... I forgot to tell Aunt Gema.
"We decided to eat out," I explained. "...I-I tried not to stay out too late."
"You just came out of the hospital, Jay."
I lowered my head. I knew what he meant. He was worried about me because of everything that had happened.
"S-sorry. I should have texted first."
He let out a deep sigh, as if he was already overwhelmed with problems and I was just another added burden. I knew he was already stressed with their company matters. But this felt different.
"Never mind. Go get changed and eat. Mom made snacks." He ordered before walking out of the house.
I stood there, staring at him. I just watched as he walked away. My brother must be exhausted with everything he's dealing with. He even forgot to comb his hair.
Good thing he's handsome.
I headed straight to my room to change, just as my brother told me.
While switching into a T-shirt, I heard my phone ring. I grabbed it from my bag and saw Yuri's name on the screen.
From: Pres. Yuri
Message: Hey, did you get home already?
I quickly replied.
To: Pres. Yuri
Message: Yes, stale!
From: Pres. Yuri
Message: Hahahahaha...
Bastard?!
He just laughed at me. He seemed so happy. I was kind of jealous of his happiness—he should share some of it.
I put my phone down and continued changing. Once I was done, I reached for my phone again but noticed something in my bag. It was slightly open, revealing a few of my things.
The letter...
I picked it up and stared at it again. I never finished reading it earlier. I didn't even get to see who it was from, but I had a feeling it was a girl. It had a woman's handwriting!
I opened the envelope again and continued reading.
Dear Jay-jay,
This is not a love letter. It's more accurate to call it a friendship letter. Because first of all, we are not lovers—and this thing is so corny.
Please bear with me, I'm not good at writing letters. All I know is I need to explain my side and ask for your forgiveness. So please, please, and more please—read this letter until the end.
First of all, I'm so sorry. Sorry for having the audacity to get involved in the plan despite the help you gave me. That plan was made at a time when I didn't know you well yet. I agreed to it because all the anger I had for the world and for what happened to me and the person I loved, I ended up directing it at you. I don't know, maybe because you're also a girl.
I raised an eyebrow. The part where she said 'because you're also a girl'... Was the writer a lesbian who held resentment toward other women?
Now I was confused. I didn't have any female classmates who could have written this.
I continued reading.
But believe me, when we became okay because of you, I wanted to back out. I wanted to not be involved, but I was forced to stay silent because I was afraid of Keifer. None of us could stand up to him. Even Yuri, his best friend, admitted he couldn't. So, I kept my mouth shut while Keifer carried out his plan.
I was also angry when I saw him succeeding. I felt sorry for you because you were falling into his trap. I had no one to confide in, thinking I was the only one against what he was doing. Not even to Mica did I say anything, knowing she would get involved too.
I remained silent even longer. Not because I was still afraid, but because I could feel that even Keifer had fallen into the trap he set for you. I don't know what happened that made him say those cruel words to you. Almost all of us were shocked and confused.
I won't make this any longer. I know you're lazy to read. You, of all people! So, I'll end this here and leave the decision up to you.
I'm happy to be your friend. I hope you give me another chance.
With love, as a friend,
— Handsome Calix
Son of a—! Why does Calix have such a feminine handwriting? I knew Mica didn't write this because I had seen her handwriting before. Damn it! I really thought a girl wrote this.
I reread the part where he explained that even Keifer became a victim of his own plan. It was the same thing Felix told me. And even he didn't know why Keifer ended up saying those things to me.
All sorts of thoughts were running through my head. I didn't know what to believe anymore. Calix, Felix, C-in, and David all said that Keifer really loved me, yet none of them could explain why he still hurt me.
What are you hiding, King of the Snakes?!
I set the letter down on my study table. Just thinking about all of this was making me hungry. I left my room and walked to the kitchen to grab a snack.
I was passing by Kuya Angelo's room when a piece of paper suddenly flew to my feet. I picked it up and looked at it—seemed like some printed report. Too lazy to read it!
I glanced toward Kuya's room because it looked like it came from there. I stepped inside and saw more papers scattered across the floor, probably blown by the wind.
Scratching the back of my head, I went in and started picking up the papers. I also looked for the source of the wind that had scattered them. My eyes landed on the window beside Kuya's study table—it wasn't fully closed, and it seemed to be the culprit.
Tsk! Kuya, seriously?! You don't even know how to close a window properly?!
I shut the window completely and tidied up the papers. As I stacked them together, something caught my eye—a picture next to a brown envelope.
"That's me," I muttered.
It was a photo of me entering school. I was baffled as to why Kuya had it. I flipped it over, hoping to find something written on the back—and I wasn't disappointed.
There was something written. I read it, and my eyes widened in shock at what it said.
"You should never walk alone. You're giving me a chance to kill you."
— R. Sato
Sato? Was this the Ryosuke Sato they had warned me about before? One of the people who wanted me dead? The one Yuri fought?
I thought they had stopped targeting me. Then what is this?!
I dropped the picture and checked inside the brown envelope. There were more photos, all of me. I quickly flipped them over to read the messages written on the back.
"Just wait... for me to kill you. Bitch!"
"Blame Yuri and Keifer... Blame them when you see them in hell."
"Keep laughing... 'Cause that will be your last laugh."
"I can't wait to kill you and see Yuri cry in pain."
All of these... are from Sato.
My hands trembled as I looked through the photos and messages. Death has been watching me all this time, and I had no idea.
What if one day, I just end up lying lifeless on the street?
"Hey! What are you doing there?!" Aries shouted from the doorway.
I turned to look at him, my eyes welling up with tears, on the verge of falling because of fear.
"I asked you a question!" he said, quickly approaching me. "...Kuya doesn't like—what is that?"
He took the pictures from my hand and examined them one by one. Then, he read the messages on the back. His eyes widened, and his brows furrowed.
"Why do you have death threats?" he asked, worried, as he continued flipping through the photos. "...Who is R. Sato?"
I couldn't answer. I leaned against the table, feeling weak from what I had just discovered. Death is within my reach.
Aries slammed the photos down on the table. "Fvck! I told you to stay away from Yuri and Keifer! This is what you get for disobeying me!"
A lecture is the last thing I need right now! Please!
He grabbed his phone and dialed a number. I had no idea who he was calling. He kept his eyes on me as he waited for the other person to pick up.
"How long has this been going on?" he asked.
I shook my head. "I-I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?!"
"I just saw it n-now. In Kuya's room."
He looked at the pictures scattered on the table. He briefly took his phone away from his ear and started pressing some buttons before putting it back.
It was obvious that he was getting irritated by the unanswered call.
"Do you know where Kuya went?" he asked irritably.
I shook my head again. "I-I saw him l-leave the house, but I d-don't know w-where he went."
He put down his phone and almost threw it in frustration. It looked like he was calling Kuya Angelo.
"Do Keifer and the others know about this?!"
"T-They know—."
"Then why are they acting so easy-going? He even managed to leave the country!"
"W-we thought they s-stopped after w-we took Jason down."
He looked at me in surprise. "You faced Jason?"
Not the one from Friday the 13th!
I nodded. "I-I talked to him at first, b-but it ended up in a fight."
"What the fvck, Jay?! Are you really looking for trouble?! Why did you get involved in Keifer's mess?!" he shouted angrily.
He paced back and forth in front of me several times, running his fingers through his hair in frustration.
I didn't know if he was worried about me or what. Whatever it was, I couldn't bring myself to feel anything. Fear and anxiety overwhelmed me.
"Call Yuri. I need to talk to him." he ordered.
I looked at him in surprise, my mouth slightly open in shock. This would be the first time they would talk again after the retreat incident.
"Do what I said!" he yelled, making me panic.
I ran back to my room to get my phone and call Yuri. My hands were shaking as I dialed his number.
Relax, Jay!
How can I relax?! I might die, and I don't even know it yet!
The call started ringing. With each passing second that he didn't answer, I felt death creeping closer.
["Hello... Jay."] he answered.
"Y-Yuri... C-can you come here?"
["Are you okay? I can come. Did something happen?"]
"S-something did."
["Shit! I'm on my way!"] he said in a panic before ending the call.
Even after speaking to him, my hands continued to tremble. I couldn't sit still. I was afraid, and I didn't even understand why. I must have used up all my courage on Kuya Angelo because I couldn't handle this situation at all.
Suddenly, Aries appeared at the door and spoke. "Did you call—?"
"KINGINA!" I screamed in shock.
"Are you cursing at me?!" he asked angrily.
"Why do you keep barging in all of a sudden?!"
"So now it's my fault?!"
"Stop scaring me like that!"
"Then stop staring blankly!"
"I was thinking about something, obviously!"
"Did you call him already?!"
"Yes!"
"Why are you yelling?!"
"Because you're yelling!"
Tita Gema suddenly arrived, looking at us in confusion. "Why are you two shouting?"
Aries and I shook our heads at the same time. "Nothing, ma'am." we answered in unison.
She squinted at us. "You two... One of these days, we might just find one of you dead here."
Aries immediately frowned. "Ma! Stop being so dramatic! Do I look like I could kill someone?!" Jay-jay... Yes! Especially when she's hungry."
"I'm just saying." Tita replied before turning away and leaving.
Aries immediately glared at me. "Don't leave your room."
"Why?! Yuri is coming."
"We'll talk. Not you." he said before slamming the door shut and leaving.
What the hell... What's their conversation going to be about?!