Jay-jay's POV
I hold back my tears and my breath. I feel like even the slightest wrong move will crack my skull open. Even without looking, I can feel the gun aimed at the back of my head.
I've had guns pointed at me many times before, but the longer this goes on, the heavier it feels. It's like death is getting closer and closer to me.
"Aaarrrggghhh!!" Sato let out a loud scream, followed by the gunshot.
I screamed as well, thinking the shot was meant for me, but I didn't feel any pain at all. Maybe I died instantly—that's why. I opened my eyes, and I could still see my surroundings, though everything was blurry from my tears.
This isn't a joke anymore! I might really die this time.
Can we delay it for now? Someone still owes me money. I haven't settled things with the Ulupong yet. I haven't even punched their King. I haven't seen my father either. Maybe we can do this after all that.
One of them grabbed me again and forced me to stand. Since I could barely walk properly, he had no choice but to drag me like a ragdoll. I almost fell flat on my face because my body felt so heavy.
We exited through a door, and a wide vacant lot greeted me. Not too far away were piles of cement and broken tree branches.
"WHERE IS MY CAR?" The idiot Sato shouted at his men.
I couldn't think straight. I was struggling to breathe because of what this Sato had done to me. My hair was a complete mess, covering my face. I probably looked like a witch by now, but that was the least of my worries.
I needed to escape from him!
Out of nowhere, Sato went on a rampage, furiously kicking his men. Even the one holding me wasn't spared. He was like a child throwing a tantrum because he didn't get what he wanted. When he had no one left to vent his anger on, he pointed his gun at me again.
"I want you dead! You're going to die! Your friends will not help you!" he shouted, pressing the gun against my head.
"T-that's not true!" I answered him, but he kept shouting and pressing the gun harder against me.
"No one will help you! You will die here! I will kill you!"
"NO!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "They will come! They will save me!"
They're already here!
"They will not make it! My men will defeat them!"
He really wanted to argue with me. If only his breath didn't stink. And on top of that, his saliva was splattering all over my face.
I knew what he was trying to do. He was taking away my hope. He thought I would fall for his trick. Did he think I was a child?!
"YOU FOOL! THEY WILL SAVE ME! I KNOW IT! BECAUSE THEY'RE MY FRIENDS! I TRUST THEM!" I shouted, purposely moving closer so he could feel my spit, too.
Feel that, you bastard!
I heard slow clapping, followed by a fake sob from someone. I turned toward the sound coming from behind us.
"Jay-jay trusts us! How touching!" Rory said.
"Nice! She trusts us!" Mayo said, raising his eyebrows repeatedly.
"Trust trust baby!" Drew added while dancing.
"Wow... Trust." Josh chimed in, clearly sarcastic.
I smiled, but it quickly disappeared when I felt the cold metal against my head again. At the same time, he grabbed my arm tightly so I couldn't move away. Here we go again!
They all tensed up. Some of them tried to move closer, but the idiot pressed the gun harder against me.
"Easy..." Felix said.
"Where is Yuri and Keifer?" he asked the Ulupong.
The fools looked at each other. No one could answer. I wanted to cry!
I might as well die and he still wouldn't show up. What else needs to happen to me? Maybe I'm already buried and rotting in a coffin and he's still not here.
Damn you, Keifer! Damn you for real!
I swear, I'll make you eat my mismatched socks. Traitor! So annoying! I just want to stab you right in the gums! Or flick your gums real hard! I want to yank out your esophagus!
"Damn it! Let me go! That bastard isn't coming!" I shouted in frustration.
If I'm mad at this Sato, I'm absolutely livid at that damn Demon King of the Ulupong.
"Let go! Aaaggghhh!" I screamed, struggling.
"Noisy." I heard someone say.
I fell silent, and so did Sato. Son of a—shutanginamers!
I looked around. I also examined everyone in front of me one by one. Even the goons of this Idiot behind us and on the floor—I checked them too.
"H-he's here," I whispered, my eyes darting everywhere. When I didn't see him, I turned to the Ulupong. "He's here? Is he here?"
"W-who? Who is here?" Sato asked in a panic.
Your mother, that's who!
He must have started feeling afraid. He slowly pulled me away from my idiot classmates. But it was pointless since the area was wide open. Even if we ran, we'd still be visible wherever we went.
"Let her go now!" someone shouted.
If I wasn't mistaken, that was Yuri's voice.
"🎶 Let her go... Let her go... 🎶" another voice sang, just like Elsa's song.
I couldn't be wrong—that was Percy's voice.
"Let go of my sister!" That voice belonged to Horoscope. That was Aries.
From the side of the building we had come from, the owners of those voices slowly emerged. My brother came first, followed by my other brother and Yuri.
I thought it would stop there, but time seemed to slow down when I noticed someone else following them.
I saw a black shoe step onto the dusty ground. My eyes traveled upward—to black pants, then to a white long-sleeved shirt tucked in neatly. A luxurious-looking tie, which he slowly loosened as he approached us. A black coat held in one hand.
I couldn't stop my tears from falling.
The King of the Ulupong.
His hair was brushed up—like some arrogant jerk! The four of them stopped a short distance from where we stood. He flashed an arrogant, smug grin.
"Tss... Profanity."
Oh, wow!
Wow, seriously! You know that feeling when all you can do is curse? That was it! He just had to say his famous line first. I was beyond pissed at him, but despite that, why did my heart feel like it was jumping with joy?
"You jerk! That's what you're focused on?! You animal!" I yelled.
I wanted to reach out and punch him in the face. But I was too far, and this damn Sato was holding me. So I couldn't hug him—uh, I mean, punch him.
He grinned again, even more annoyingly this time. His perfectly white teeth, which didn't even need whitening, made me want to knock them out one by one. He ran a hand through his hair before yanking off his tie and tossing it along with his coat.
Why did he look even more handsome—ugh! Stop! That's not what I should be focusing on!
"I came back straight from London, and then you call me a jerk and an animal?" he asked, furrowing his brows. "... Can't I at least get an 'I miss you, Keifer'?"
You son of a—!
"Idiot! We saw each other yesterday!" I yelled at him.
He nodded. "Yeah. You cursed at me, remember?" he reminded me.
Ugh! Why did he have to bring that up?! There were so many people in the lobby when I shouted that. Everyone turned to look at me!
"I-I don't remember! T-that wasn't me!"
Sure, just deny it!
I was denying it to the one person who was a pro at catching liars. Yep! Deny it real hard! He raised an eyebrow and I quickly looked away, staring up at the cloudless sky.
"Nice weather up there," I said, but then Sato tightened his grip on me. "Aahhh... Ouch!"
I almost forgot that this damn idiot was still here. The King had stolen all my attention.
"Let go of Jay-jay now," Yuri said, glaring at Sato.
Sato pressed the gun against my head even harder. I was scared, but something felt different. I couldn't explain it, but my chest felt lighter.
Usually, situations like this made me panic, but now that I saw them— All of them… All four of them. I felt like everything was going to be okay. I felt safe, even though I wasn't in their hands yet.
"Let go of my Baby Sister. Isn't our handsomeness enough to intimidate you?" Percy bragged.
Felix smacked his forehead. Even I wanted to do the same, but I was still tied up.
"Don't call her Baby Sister. She's my sister, not yours," Aries said.
Percy pouted at him. "You're so grumpy. Fine, you be my Baby instead," he said, flashing a smile and acting like he was about to hug Aries.
Aries' fist immediately shot up, making Percy back off. His nonsense had no limits—he could still joke around even in a situation like this.
But it was okay. Even if I didn't want to admit it, his jokes reminded me that he was here and ready to help me.
I looked at the person beside him.
Aries' grumpy face. He carried my fate in his hands. Even though he always looked mad at the world, I loved him. Even though we always fought, he was important to me. And that grumpy face of his reminded me that I had a scolding waiting for me later—because I would survive this.
Then I looked at the other end.
Yuri's serious face. His red hair made him look like he was burning with rage. But despite that, he was strong—because after everything that happened between us, he was still here.
That red hair reminded me that later, he would hug me and let me know how worried he was.
And lastly—
Jerk!
The sight of that damned, demonic, idiotic King of the Ulupong.
It reminded me that I still had to punch him. That he still had to pay for all the nonsense he put me through. That he still had to explain everything he had done.
"FUCKING HELL ! LET GO OF ME!" I screamed at Sato, desperately trying to pull my arm free.
For some reason, it seemed like he had finally lost his patience, and with all his strength, he shoved me away. I crashed onto the dusty ground, but at the same time, he pointed his gun at me.
I didn't close my eyes. I was ready to take the bullet, but then—
A man tackled Sato to the ground.
"TAKE JAY-JAY AWAY FROM HERE!" Keifer commanded, and someone lifted me up.
I didn't see what happened next. I felt like a sack of rice being carried—probably by David. They rushed me back into the building we had come from.
"Take me back! Something might happen to them!" I begged, but they ignored me.
A few moments later, they stopped and set me down. My whole body felt heavy, and I could barely breathe.
"Untie her!" Kit's voice ordered, and someone removed the ropes from my hands.
I felt weak, my throat was dry. I fixed my disheveled hair and wiped my face with my palm.
Panting, I looked around. We were still inside, but we were close to the exit. Some of them stood in front of me while others helped Mica.
"Jay-jay," Ella called out to me. "...Where's Aries?" Worry was clear in her voice.
"H-he's outside... They're facing Sato and the rest of his men."
"Are you hurt anywhere?" Eren asked me.
My whole body. My heart, too.
But I couldn't answer. I wanted to cry. They shouldn't have taken me away from there—how would I know if they were okay?
Sato was insane, crazier than the people we had fought before. He was probably more messed up in the head than I was.
I felt something soft press against my face. I flinched, but when I saw that it was David, I let him be.
"Let go already!" Rakki yelled.
I turned to see them struggling to pry C-in off of him. He was clinging to Rakki's waist like a damn tarsier.
"No! I was worried about you! I won't let go!" C-in argued.
Then my gaze shifted to the couple—Mica and Calix. They were wrapped in each other's arms, with Calix planting kisses all over his girlfriend's forehead.
Okay… they were still disgustingly sweet.
"He hurt you, didn't he?" David asked, making me look at him. "...Your cheek is starting to bruise."
I didn't care about bruises. I wanted to go back outside, to see if they were okay. I wanted to make sure this bastard Sato would be defeated.
I didn't know how much longer we had to wait, but the worry only grew deeper when we heard a series of gunshots. I immediately ran toward where it came from, but David blocked my way.
Ella ran after me too, but Edrix and the others stopped her.
"Get out of the way!" I yelled at David.
"Just stay here!" Denzel replied.
"Something might've happened to Aries!" Ella cried, her voice cracking.
"I'm sorry… it's their fight now," Rory said sadly.
"What, and I'm not part of it? We're all here because we got dragged into that fight!" I couldn't help but feel weak.
I dropped to my knees. This damn feeling again. That feeling that just screams damn it all.
"Let me go! I just want to make sure Aries is okay!" Ella pleaded.
But the ones blocking our way didn't move. Even Ella couldn't hold out any longer and just sat down on the ground.
Half an hour had passed. We hadn't heard a single sound from them. All sorts of thoughts ran through my mind, but none of them were helpful.
I felt someone sit beside me. I didn't even bother checking who it was.
"Jay-jay." It was C-in. "...I have something to tell you." He said, but I didn't respond. "...I don't talk to Keifer often. But whenever we do, you're always the first thing he asks about. Sometimes, you're even our topic of conversation."
I didn't react, even though I had just learned about this now.
"He's always worried about you. He even wonders if you've already given up on him." He added.
If only you knew, C-in...
There were so many times I wanted to give up. So many times I tried, but I always failed.
"He also said you have a big chest."
I immediately shot a glare at C-in. He was grinning mischievously at me, so now I didn't know if he was serious or just messing with me.
"Seriously?" I asked.
He shook his head. "Just kidding... I just wanted to see if you were still conscious or if you had already passed out without us noticing."
I rolled my eyes at him. Damn it! I really thought he said that for real. Keifer was such a pervert, after all.
"But he actually did say that before. Back in your first few weeks in Section E." C-in explained, making my blood boil.
That bastard!
"Asshole! No way!"
He laughed. "He was always looking at you, so he noticed a lot about your body and the way you moved."
Looking at me? I didn't know why, but something about that made me feel weird.
Well, I guess it made sense since he used to sit behind me, so I had no idea what he was doing.
"He's dead meat when he gets back." I threatened, but the guy beside me just laughed.
"It's taking too long!" Honey yelled.
"You can go home if you're that impatient." Felix said, which immediately earned a glare from her.
"I'm waiting for Percy." She replied.
"Me, I'm not waiting for anyone. Can I go home now?" Freya asked, irritated.
"L-let's all leave together... t-to make sure nothing happens to you." Edrix stammered.
For a few moments, they kept arguing about whether or not to go home. Felix kept trying to send Honey off while Edrix was doing the opposite with Freya.
I wanted to yell at them to shut up, but then my eyes caught something in the distance. Someone was walking toward us from a part of the building.
I immediately stood up and focused on the figure. The first person I recognized was Percy. There were bloodstains on his clothes, so I ran to him right away.
"Percy!" I called out.
He greeted me with a smile. I couldn't help but hug him. Some of my worries faded.
"What happened? Whose blood is that?" I asked as soon as I pulled away.
I knew it wasn't his because the stains weren't concentrated in one area.
"Kuya, are you okay?" Felix asked, appearing beside me.
Percy glanced at his clothes and smiled at us. He was about to answer when suddenly, someone shoved Felix and me aside to push us away from him.
Son of a—
"Percy!" Honey called out in an overly dramatic tone, arms raised for a hug.
But Percy's reflexes were too fast. He pushed Honey away as if he were merely shoving a statue.
"Hm! Witch!" He said, followed by Felix's loud laughter.
"Aw... Do you really have to push me that hard?" Honey complained.
But my stepbrother wasn't paying attention to her anymore. His eyes were locked onto Freya, who was visibly irritated.
"Freyaaaaa!" He screamed, running toward her with both hands raised.
It seemed like Percy and Freya had something in common—both were quick to react. Before he could reach her, Freya shoved him with all her strength, making him topple over like a doll.
"Don't touch me!" She snapped.
But my crazy brother got up right away, acting like nothing had happened.
"Look! I have blood on me..." He whined like a child, showing his stained shirt.
"So? We all have blood on us, Percy." Freya replied sarcastically.
He just scratched his head and pouted. Freya rolled her eyes so hard, I thought they might pop out of her skull.
"Whatever." She added before turning away and facing Edrix, who was standing nearby. "...You!" She called out. "...Since you're so persistent, come outside with me. I'm bored here!"
Edrix just nodded and followed Freya out of the building. Percy slumped his shoulders before turning to us again, but he quickly smiled.
"I fall even more in love with her every time she gets mad at me." He said cheerfully.
But that wasn't what I wanted to know.
"Where are the others? Why are you the only one here?" I asked.
"A-Aries? Where is he?" Ella asked, worried.
Percy's smile slowly faded.
It felt like someone had kicked me in the chest. A painful, sinking feeling settled in.
He often joked around with us, but this time, I wasn't amused.