Jay-jay's POV
"What did you talk about?" I asked Aries while we were having breakfast.
"None of your business." he replied, bored.
I glared at him. "Just tell me!"
"Tsk! Leave me alone!"
"What is this?!" Mama said irritably as she walked towards us.
She took a sip of her coffee before placing the cup on the table. She gave us both a sharp look, as if telling us that we were the most annoying siblings on the planet.
But Aries actually looks like the planet.
"It's too early for your bickering! Can't you two be quiet?" she said in frustration before grabbing a piece of bread.
I just lowered my head and continued eating my rice, while Aries acted like he didn't hear anything, casually continuing his meal.
I looked at the door when Kuya Angelo walked in. He was still adjusting his necktie as he approached us and took the untouched cup of coffee from earlier.
That coffee must be cold by now.
"Did anyone enter my room?" he asked without looking at us.
Aries and I exchanged glances. All that was missing was him saying, 'I'm telling on you.' We stared at each other for a long time before he turned to Kuya Angelo.
Oh no! He's going to rat me out!
"That was Aries! Aries was the one who entered your room!" I said while pointing at Aries.
His eyebrows immediately furrowed as he shot me a sharp look. I bit my lips and slowly withdrew my finger.
Kuya looked at him. "Did you enter my room?"
Aries kept his eyes on me. "Yes, I did."
Wooooossshhhhh! Save!
"...I saw what was inside the brown envelope on your table," he added, causing Kuya to freeze.
They both shifted their gaze to me. I quickly looked away and returned to eating my breakfast. Mama was clearly confused about what was going on.
"What are you all talking about?" she asked.
Secret! No clues!
None of us spoke. Kuya and Aries continued staring at me, forcing me to stuff all my food into my mouth.
Kuya Angelo broke the silence. "It's nothing, Tita. I have to go now. Please tell Mama for me."
"O-okay," Mama answered.
Kuya quickly grabbed his things and walked away. Aries also stood up without saying a word.
I forced myself to chew the food in my mouth so I could leave as well because I knew Mama would just pester me with questions.
Hurry up, Jay!
Just as she was about to ask, I abruptly stood up and swallowed everything in my mouth. I drank some water to help it go down faster.
"I'm going to take a bath," I said and didn't wait for her response.
I took large steps, but not toward my room. Instead, I headed straight to Aries' room. I didn't bother knocking and went right in, which I immediately regretted.
My mistake was going all the way near his bed, far from the door. My brother was topless, wearing only his boxers.
Shit! My eyes! Oh no! My eyes!
"What the fvck!!" he shouted upon seeing me.
To be honest, this wasn't new to me, probably because I was used to the Ulupong boys. I had seen them in their boxers countless times, shamelessly changing in front of me. It usually happened during P.E.
My eyes drifted to the lower left part of his chest. On his ribs, there were two scars. Each one looked about half a handspan long.
What happened there?!
He must have noticed me staring because he casually draped a towel over his left shoulder, covering what I was looking at.
"What do you need?! Do you really not know how to knock?!" he asked, annoyed.
I almost forgot why I came. His scar was to blame. It was distracting! This was the first time I'd seen him topless.
"I just w-wanted to thank you for what you did earlier."
He raised an eyebrow at me. "Because I had no choice. You pointed at me. If not for that—you're lucky I wanted to find out something, so I just took the blame!"
"What do you want to find out?"
He placed his hands on his hips. "Do I really have to tell you that?"
I avoided his gaze and pouted. "Yes, I wish you would."
He let out a deep sigh. "I want to know why Kuya has those pictures and if he's done anything about them. Satisfied now?"
I slowly nodded. "I actually have one more question."
"What?! Spill the bean."
I was really embarrassed to ask, but... "Are we okay now?"
He clearly froze at my words. At first, he seemed confused, but then he started thinking deeply. Tell me my horoscope for today.
"Get out," he simply said.
His eyes turned serious. He looked at me but quickly averted his gaze. I was about to protest when he spoke again.
"Please get out of my room," he ordered with authority.
I had no choice but to obey. I stepped out of his room and closed the door. My steps felt heavy as I walked to my own room.
I couldn't understand his attitude, and I couldn't understand myself either. I was angry at him. I resented everything he had done. But I couldn't deny that a part of me wanted to make amends with him. I missed the bond we had.
I headed straight to the bathroom to take a bath. As I was brushing my teeth, I suddenly remembered Aries' scar below his chest.
Where did he get that? Why does he have something like that?
I felt weird about his scar. My hand instinctively went to the lower part of my chest. If I wasn't mistaken, his scar was right over his ribs.
Wait a minute... Is that right? Over the ribs—over the lungs? Was that—
'Jay-jay! It's me! DOOON'T!'
"Argh! It hurts!" I screamed, clutching my head.
I dropped my toothbrush and gripped the sink with one hand. A sudden, sharp pain shot through my head, followed by an unexpected flash of memory.
That was Aries' voice. I was sure of it. But it was unclear, and I couldn't understand. It felt like a fragment of the past suddenly resurfacing.
When did that happen? I don't remember anything like that.
I massaged my temples. The pain in my head slowly faded after a few minutes. Maybe I just needed to wash it away.
I continued what I was doing in the bathroom, trying to forget what just crossed my mind. Afterward, I quickly got dressed and fixed myself.
As I was combing my hair, my phone beeped, indicating a new message. I immediately grabbed it, thinking it was from Yuri, but instead, an unknown number popped up on my screen.
From: +639********* Message: You're dead**
A strange sense of dread washed over me upon reading that message. I almost dropped my phone. I hoped it was just a prank. I hoped I was wrong about what I was thinking.
Please... let it not be real....
Maybe when I step out of the house, someone will already be waiting for me. I don't feel like going in. What if I die at school? I still want to look good when I die.
How am I going to leave? I know Aries won't give me a ride.
Yuri!
That's right! I'll ask him to pick me up. I'll also ask him about what he and Aries talked about. And I'll tell him about the message I received.
My hands were still trembling as I searched for his number, but just then, a message came in, and I accidentally pressed his name, followed by a call.
GagongBaliw!
He answered quickly, so I didn't get the chance to hang up. I had no choice but to talk to him, even for a moment, to explain my stupidity with my phone.
"Hello? Sorry… I accidentally pressed the call. I'll hang up now," I said and waited briefly for his response. But as usual, he didn't say anything again, so I ended the call.
Not even a second later, a message from him arrived.
From: GagongBaliw
Message: Why are you not responding to my messages?
I stared at his message. It's like he wasn't being a jejemon today. I ignored it and just replied.
To: GagongBaliw
Message: bc ksi me. Dming nangyri khapon.(I'm busy. Lots of things happened yesterday.)
From: GagongBaliw
Message: Still! You should have texted me at least!
To: GagongBaliw
Message: Demanding! Are you my boyfriend?
From: GagongBaliw
Message: No! But I'm your future.
I grimaced at what he said. This guy is something else. But he does have a good effect on me. Because of him, my fear momentarily disappeared.
I didn't reply to him anymore. I finally did what I had planned—to call Yuri and ask him to pick me up.
["Hello? Jay?"] He greeted me as soon as he answered the call.
"Hey, can I ask for a favor? You're not at school yet, right?"
["Not yet. I'm still on my way. What favor?"]
"Can you pick me up?" I said without hesitation.
I heard his soft laughter.
["Actually, I've been waiting for you outside your house."]
I was shocked by what he said and panicked. I couldn't even respond or hang up the call. I quickly grabbed my things and ran out of my room.
"Jay! You might trip!" Auntie shouted when I passed by her.
"I'm going to school now!" I replied.
I went straight outside, and there Yuri was, leaning against his car. He smiled at me and waved. I quickly approached him.
"Get in! We might be late," he said with a smile.
"Yes, sir. Here I come."
He opened the car door for me and even fastened my seatbelt. I felt so spoiled by him. He always did that. I think I'm starting to depend on him, and that's not a good thing.
He quickly moved to the driver's seat and started the car. As he drove, I couldn't help but stare at him.
He was always so attentive. He hadn't changed in how he took care of me. In fact, he seemed even more attentive now than before. Now, when he had no claim over me.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked, snapping me back to reality. "...Are you falling for me?"
I grimaced. "Huh?"
He gave me a sweet smile. "Tell me if you fall in love with me, okay?"
"Why would I do that?"
"So I can make you suffer. Why should I be the only one who struggled in our love story? You should, too."
I punched him hard on the arm, making him yell loudly. He immediately rubbed his arm.
"Itai! Itai! Itai!" (Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!) he said, almost in tears.
Why is he calling for his dad?
"Sore wa totemo warui ga itai!" (It hurts so bad!) he said to me in frustration.
I frowned at him and glared. I pointed a finger at his face.
"F* you too!"** I shouted.
He looked at me, almost crying. "I am not cursing you!"
"How would I know that?!"
Annoyed, he gripped the steering wheel and drove off. I crossed my arms, leaned back, and stared outside.
The whole trip, he remained silent. He seemed genuinely annoyed by how hard I punched him. I occasionally glanced at him and saw that he was still nursing his arm.
Maybe I overdid it. He rubbed his arm again and stole a glance at me. But he quickly looked away and focused on driving.
We arrived at school without speaking. I didn't wait for him to open the door for me. I did it myself. I walked quickly toward the classroom.
When I entered, I expected to see food on my desk as usual, but there was nothing. Damn that Felix. He just made up with me, and now he's not bringing food anymore.
Annoyed, I turned to Felix, but he was busy talking to his fellow Ulupong. I was about to sit down when David handed me a sticky note.
I looked at him in confusion but took it and read it.
Jay,
I enjoyed our date. Hope you like the French toast and coffee.
—Felix
Toast and coffee? But there's no— I quickly turned to C-in.
He didn't greet me like he usually did. That's because he was busy eating. He slowly turned to me as he felt my gaze on him. He forced a smile even though his mouth was full of food.
Looks like he got the toast, but who has the coffee? It's not with Ci-N because he doesn't drink coffee. But it seems I don't need to search any further. I heard a loud sip from David.
Nice! Looks like they shared it.
He even let out a satisfied ahhh after drinking the coffee that was supposed to be mine. I glared at him so he could feel my irritation, but he was too engrossed in drinking and reading something on his phone.
"How embarrassing for the person who took the food which was meant for me."
I said it loud enough for both Ci and David to hear before sitting down. But the two acted as if they heard nothing and continued what they were doing. I could only grimace, feeling the urge to smack both of them.
I looked toward the door and saw Yuri enter. He walked straight in without even glancing in my direction.
Wow. So we're really not acknowledging each other?
I rolled my eyes. I knew I was at fault, but was ignoring me completely really necessary? It's like I committed some major crime.
Back when I hurt him, he didn't act like this. What I did was so minor, and yet he's treating me this way now? What's his deal?
I snuck a glance at him from behind. He was talking to Rory, but his face looked serious—just like the first time I saw him. Back when I had a crush on him.
I shook my head and looked back to the front just as Sir Alvin entered the room for class.
"Your exam schedule has changed. It was originally set for the end of March, but it has been moved to the first week of April," Sir announced.
"Why was it moved, Sir?" Eren asked.
"Because it didn't move forward," Ci-N suddenly answered, and the whole class erupted into laughter.
"Whoa! Shorty made a joke!" Josh teased.
The Ulupong gang burst into laughter again. I looked at Ci and saw his eyebrows furrow tightly. He stood up and pointed at Josh.
"I will kill your Pussy!" he shouted angrily.
For a moment, silence filled the room. The only thing missing was the sound of crickets.
Then suddenly, everyone exploded into laughter. Some were even rolling on the floor, tears in their eyes from laughing too hard. Even I couldn't help but laugh.
Sir, who had just been observing us, ended up laughing too. Ci-N's scowl deepened, his face turning red with embarrassment.
"Stop laughing at me!" he yelled, stomping his feet.
"Think about what you just said," Edrix said, wiping his tears.
"But I was right! I was talking about Josh's cat! Why are you all laughing?!"
"Enough! Enough! Sit down, Mr. Peralta," Sir intervened.
Ci sat down with a huff, pouting. I turned back to Sir to listen to what he had to say.
"...Your exams will be in the first week of April. If I'm not mistaken, you'll have a two-week vacation before the Post-Final Exam. Lastly, your graduation will be in June."
What a mess! Their schedule is all over the place.
It's because this school's academic year starts in August.
Not that it matters—I haven't really learned much from the past lessons anyway. Honestly, it always feels like I haven't learned anything at all.
After explaining the schedule, Sir went back to teaching. The lessons became intense because they said we had to catch up on topics.
Even the teachers after Sir were focused on teaching. Our last teacher for the morning left early, so Eman was able to cook lunch quickly. But I still wasn't going to eat here.
I walked out of the room and headed straight for the second floor, where I usually waited for my crazy stepbrother.
I was near the stairs when Calix appeared in front of me. One hand was in his pocket while the other was scratching his cheek. He was looking down, seemingly shy to face me.
"Do you need something?" I asked, bored.
He looked at me for a second before looking down again.
"Did you... read the letter?" he asked hesitantly.
I crossed my arms and gave him a sharp look. "Yes."
His face lit up with a hopeful smile, as if I had just given him the best news of his life.
"What's your decision?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Nothing. You didn't even write that letter."
"Hey! I wrote that!" he defended.
Him? That handwriting was way too feminine. All it needed were hearts, flowers, and unicorns, and it would scream rainbow soul.
Unicorn!
"Is that your real taste?" I asked absentmindedly.
His eyebrows knitted together. "What?!"
"Your handwriting looks like a girl's! Even mine isn't that neat. My penmanship feels embarrassed just standing next to yours."
My handwriting looks like it survived a typhoon.
"Mica told me to make it neat. She said it's one of the secrets to a good love letter—which is true because her handwriting is beautiful."
"You overdid it—it made me question if you actually wrote it." I mumbled, but it seemed he heard me.
"I shouldn't have made it so neat," he muttered, scratching his head.
What a gwapo move, huh?
Honestly, I wanted to laugh at him. I had a strong feeling he even asked Mica for help just to create that so-called friendship letter for me.
Silence hung between us for a moment. I looked behind him and saw Percy approaching with food. I turned back to Calix.
"Thanks for the effort," I said, making him look at me. "...I have a lot of pride, but I'm not a bad person—unlike you guys."
He pouted.
"...I won't deny you the chance you're asking for."
His smile was bright and sweet. He was about to hug me, but I quickly pointed a finger at his face.
"S-Sorry. I just got excited."
"Be grateful—I felt bad for Mica," I said.
"I don't care if even my mom was the reason," he replied, smiling.
I grimaced. "Wow, you're intense."
"As long as you're giving me a chance. That's how important you are to me—as a friend, of course."
I shook my head at his antics. He turned and walked back to the room, leaving me standing there watching him.
I don't know, but... it felt different.