JAY-JAY'S POV
I can't go to the next class after lunch. Rory said we'd only be here for a while, but lunch is almost over, and we're still in Edrix's dorm.
"There's a girl in Rix's room," I heard someone say from outside.
I even saw their shadow through the window.
"Don't pay attention to them. They're just jealous because a woman came here," Rory said as he rummaged through Edrix's things under the bed.
"I thought Edrix was with his parents at home," I said, glancing at the items on his study table.
He has three laptops of different brands. Five internet routers are either mounted on the wall or placed on top of a cabinet filled with books and logbooks. A shoebox full of flash drives sits nearby. There are also scattered cable wires and connectors, along with action figures of famous anime characters.
His desk is a bit messy, but the rest of the room is the opposite. Everything is organized. His dirty clothes are in a basket, while his blanket and pillow are neatly folded in one corner of the bed. His shoes are lined up in another corner. The plates are washed and arranged next to the glasses and jugs.
"Edrix hasn't been going home since his mother disappeared," Rory said without looking at me.
Disappeared?
Not finding anything under the bed, he moved to Edrix's closet. He even chuckled when he saw Freya's photo stuck to the back of the closet door he had opened.
I couldn't help but think about what he said about Edrix's mom. He mentioned it so casually, but to me, it wasn't something to take lightly. We've been friends for a long time, yet I had no idea he was dealing with something like this. Losing a family member is hard, especially a mother, who should be there for every milestone in life. If I struggle without a father, how much more does he?
"W-what happened to his mom?" I asked hesitantly.
"She suddenly disappeared, and there's been no news since," he answered while continuing to search.
"How long has it been? Was there any clue? A last-known location? Nothing?"
"That's expected," he replied, making me frown. "Because of her line of work."
"Line of work?"
He glanced at me for a moment. "You don't know?"
Do you think I'd be asking if I did?
I stared at him blankly. "Would I be asking if I already knew?"
He chuckled softly. "Wrong question. My bad."
"What was her job?" I asked again.
He pointed at Edrix's study table. "The same as what our group does. A high-profile person went down, and then she suddenly disappeared."
I sat on the bed. It's heartbreaking to hear a story like this, especially about a friend. Edrix never showed signs of struggling. He always joined in on the pranks and laughed along with us, but just like everyone else—just like me—he carries a hidden pain.
His resilience is admirable.
"But why did he leave them?"
"He felt ashamed because his mother's husband isn't his real father. He didn't want to be a burden, so he left," Rory explained while pulling Edrix's clothes out of the closet one by one.
"Then how does he afford to live here?"
"Your boyfriend pays for it."
"He's not my boyfriend" I asked quickly.
He stopped what he was doing and looked at me. "I haven't said a name yet."
"Because I don't even have a boyfriend!"
"Maybe that's because you're guilty."
"Tado!" I shouted, throwing a pillow at him.
He laughed loudly before going back to what he was doing. I didn't ask too much, even though I wanted to know why he was taking money from Keifer, that idiot.
I froze when I saw Rory pull out a box from under Edrix's closet. He quickly put the clothes back, closed the closet, and sat next to me before opening the box.
"Tada!" he exclaimed, revealing photos, dried flowers, and letters that he had apparently chosen to hide. "The secret of Edrix's closet."
"W-what are these?"
"Our troop's love for Freya," he answered, shaking his hips playfully. "And there are even poems in here."
Wow. Who knew that snake had this side?
I looked at the photos taken with an old camera. They were in black and white, giving them a classic feel. Every single one was of Freya—stolen shots, all of them.
I couldn't quite understand the purpose of the dried flowers. I figured I'd better not touch them too much in case they fell apart.
"What are we going to do with these?" I asked.
Rory opened one of the drawers in Edrix's study table, pulled out a paper clip and double-sided tape, then picked up a letter. He read it for a moment before grabbing a photo and a dried flower. He clipped them together, folded them, and placed them in an empty envelope. After sealing it with double-sided tape, he closed it.
"If Edrix isn't going to make a move, then we'll do it for him," he declared, clapping like a sea lion.
Only the sound effects were missing.
"Are you sure about this? Won't he get mad at us for interfering?" I asked, scratching my head.
"He'll be mad, but that doesn't matter. As long as we help him. That coward won't do anything. Meanwhile, I—one night was all it took for me to get the girl," he said arrogantly, making me remember when he shamelessly showed off in front of me.
He even got together with his girlfriend's sister, and it just so happened that we were both running late that day. It was embarrassing for him, but somehow, he still managed to win the girl.
"You're about to turn into Eren," I muttered.
"Here's the plan," he began. "I'll take care of delivering these, and you'll take care of Freya. Deal?"
"A-alright, but what if Edrix gets mad?"
He sighed. "You started this. Why did you tell Freya she had a suitor if you weren't going to help me with this?"
Because... I had my reasons.
"It would be better if Edrix confessed himself. What if Freya actually says yes? How do we explain what we did?"
He scratched his head for a moment. "We'll figure it out later. For now, let's just help him."
I held my breath. It's not like I had a choice. If I refused, I'd have to face Hidalgo's wrath. She might scratch me—or worse, pierce me with her sharp glares.
I sighed and nodded. "I'm telling you, Rory. If your plan backfires, I'm blaming you."
He put everything back in the box and stood up. "Yeah, yeah. Just trust me."
He didn't seem all that trustworthy.
I stood up as well and helped fix Edrix's things. Rory held onto the box and the bedroom key. Once everything was in order, we left the room—only to be startled when an old woman greeted us. She had been asleep earlier.
She looked me up and down, her nostrils flaring. I couldn't help but feel nervous.
"Wazzup, Manang!" Rory greeted the old woman.
"This dorm is not a motel!" she snapped, making me take a step back.
I looked at the group of men behind the old man. They kept staring at me as if they were examining my soul.
"Chill, Manang! It's Tombits!" Rory said, pointing at me.
I almost cringed at what he said.
"We just took something," he added.
The old man turned to face me directly. "You! Where is your delicacy? And you agreed to be alone in the room with just the two of you!"
Terrible! It's like he's making me sound like a disgraceful woman.
"What delicacy? Do you eat it?" I asked innocently.
He looked slightly shocked, as if he had just heard something offensive. "Kerbarbarity!"
Barbecue?
I heard faint laughter from those around us. Before the old man could explode in anger, Rory and I quickly pulled away. He was still shaking his head, laughing.
"Just leave it. He doesn't want another girl in her dorm," he said, hailing a taxi for us.
We weren't going to make it to the next class anyway, so I just accepted it. And I would also have to endure Kuya Angelo's lecture and scolding when I got home later.
While riding in the taxi, Rory kept glancing at the carry-on box, counting letters and photographs. When we arrived at school, he paid the fare.
"Let's hurry, or Keifer will kill me," he said, rushing out of the taxi.
He's the reason we were running late in the first place. As we were walking to our classroom, Rory suddenly stopped on the ground floor. I stopped too and looked at him.
"What is it?" I asked.
He opened the box he was holding and took out three envelopes. Handing them to me, he pointed at a woman approaching us.
Freya…
"Give them to her," he ordered, and I obeyed like a robot.
I faced the impact. "Freyangot," I muttered, and she immediately shot me a glare.
"What?"
I handed her the three envelopes. She stepped back, thinking my hand would hit her face.
"They said these are for you. And they also said it's from your 'lab'," I said, pushing the envelopes closer to her.
She looked completely confused but had no choice but to take them, glaring at what she was holding.
"Seriously? People still do this kind of thing? It's like the Jurassic era."
I looked at her innocently. "You look Jurassic," I said, and Rory quickly swatted at me.
I dodged and ran away. Rory and I laughed and teased each other like kids as we climbed the stairs. By the time we reached our floor, we were both out of breath.
"Why did you say 'Jurassic'?" he asked, still laughing.
"Because she acts like a fossil," I replied as he adjusted his bag to put the carry-on box away.
I had a strong feeling that Edrix would soon find out we had taken his secret box. He would definitely be angry with us. And honestly, I wouldn't blame him.
Please forgive me.
"Why only now?" someone asked from behind us.
Rory panicked and quickly closed the bag. I turned toward the voice and became slightly serious when I saw the bright red hair.
"I-I just took something..." I whispered.
He glanced at his wristwatch. "You didn't make it to class."
I nodded. "You? Why are you here?"
"Just going to the restroom," he replied with a forced smile. "Come in," he ordered, grabbing my arm to pull me inside.
I signaled to Rory that I was going in, and he nodded. I let Yuri lead me to my seat. He stared at me for a moment before glancing at my companion.
"Take your time," he said with a smirk, still watching Rory.
"By the way, Rory… What did Ma'am say? Was she looking for me?"
He shook his head. "No, Ma'am didn't ask about you."
"Ouch!"
I winced before nodding. I would have asked David, but he was fast asleep again.
I'm really intrigued by why someone is always so sleepy. He previously said it was because he was on a video call with his girlfriend—then it was a breakup, so that was another reason. Sometimes he said it was because he was studying, other times because of online games or live streaming, and lately, he said he had been watching videos on YouTube.
The things he wakes up to are always different. He could do those things on weekends. I only watch K-pop videos on YouTube, and then I go to sleep.
I wish I could stay awake too.
I had barely warmed my seat when I felt someone looking at me. I turned to the Ulupongs, feeling nervous as I met the King's gaze.
He looked at me seriously, as if accusing me of something. I answered with a sharp stare, feeling a sudden jolt of pain. He seemed to sense my shock. I just went with Rory.
Speaking of Rory—yes! He was now arguing with his Ulupong fellows.
"Just look!" Calix said, annoyed.
"I don't want to! Your breath might stink!" Rory retorted.
"That's why you and Jay-Jay took so long. You bought shoes," Felix said, trying to grab his bag.
I watched them curiously. They thought the contents of the box inside Rory's bag were shoes. He was doing a great job protecting it—just as long as no one got their hands on his bag.
I bit my lower lip. If they saw what was inside the box, there would surely be trouble, and Edrix would be furious with us.
I was about to step in and intervene when the teacher suddenly entered. One after another, they quickly returned to their places.
I really hope no one grabs the bag.
The class started, and I focused on the lesson for a while. Our teacher seemed to be in a hurry, probably because of the upcoming exam. He barely paused between lessons, moving quickly from one topic to another.
The other teachers did the same—except for Ma'am Cindy, who was our last class.
She taught the lesson thoroughly, without rushing, so we had plenty of time to take notes. While I was busy writing, something she said caught my attention.
"Keiren is asking about you," she said, and I turned to look at Keifer.
"I'll talk to him later," he replied.
I glanced at the King of Serpents. What did that mean? Ma'am... Why does she know Keiren? Our eyes met for a moment, but I quickly looked away.
Keifer once mentioned that Keiren was in the care of his friend, but he never said they were together now.
Wait... could it be...?
I looked at Ma'am. I knew that the Ulupongs had a crush on her even before I joined this section. Keifer had also praised her before.
They're close... but I wasn't aware.
I tried to finish copying my notes, but for some reason, my pen tore a hole in my notebook paper—three pages, in fact.
My handwriting must have been too forceful.
I had no choice but to rely on David's notes again. There was no way I could catch up, and I had to rewrite everything from the beginning.
I'm not even surprised.
Class ended, and the noisy Ulupongs rushed out like children escaping from a coral reef.
Time to go home.
"Jay-Jay?" Ci-N called out to me.
"What?"
"Who are you mad at?"
I hesitated for a moment, then looked at him in surprise. "N-no one."
"Is that the new trend now? Frowning all the time?" he teased.
I sighed in frustration and smiled.
I instinctively touched my eyebrows, realizing he was right—they were furrowed together.
I'm not mad.
"N-no. It's just that... I was thinking about something." I couldn't even finish my sentence because Rory suddenly passed between Ci and me.
"Hey! Let's see your new shoes!" Eren shouted as he chased after Rory.
"We borrowed them!" Drew shouted and ran after him.
We could do nothing but watch them. I walked out, scratching my head. Even now, the shoes are still new.
They thought they were in his bag.
I don't know if that's good or bad because his Ulupong friends still won't stop him.
We were close to the stairs when someone pulled my bag, making me fall backward. The person I was walking with disappeared, not noticing that I had been left behind. I immediately turned to face the shiny man and was about to punch him, but he grabbed my fist before I could.
"Taran—!" I couldn't finish what I was going to say because of his raised eyebrows.
Hold on Jay! No cursing!
"Continue," he challenged, like an angry king of the snakes.
I flared my nostrils. "What do you want?" I asked, clenching my fist again.
"Where were you and Rory?"
"Please..." I answered, irritated. "I don't need to report everything to you."
"Maybe not. But don't forget that Ram is still after you. It's too dangerous for you."
I snorted. Why do they not want Ram to stop? Let him face me so it can be over. One-on-one.
Arrogant!
"Are you sure it's really Ram?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
He raised an eyebrow back. "And what do you mean by that?"
"Nothing..." I denied. "Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Nothing. Nothing."
"Nothing, really?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing."
"You're not—WINNING!" I screamed as he suddenly stole a kiss from me. ❤️
He moved so fast that I didn't even realize what he was planning.
Once again, he took advantage of my momentary distraction. Animal! So shameless! I couldn't even retaliate because he ran away immediately.
I couldn't feel anything anymore.
I wiped my nose a few times before walking away. That shameless person is really something. I still have the nerve to tell David that I can take care of myself, yet here I am, letting him get away with this.
I'll say it again—I am not fragile.
When I arrived at the ground floor, Ci-N waved at me. I immediately went to him.
"Why did you suddenly disappear?" he asked.
"Just talked to someone," I replied.
He nodded and smiled sweetly. "Was it Keifer? What did you two do?"
I shook my head. "Nothing."
"You're still pretending." He stopped and looked behind me.
When I turned, the first thing I saw was Freya's raised eyebrows. She walked toward me, looking furious.
Uh-oh! Dangerous.
"Hey!" she called out angrily.
I stepped back a little. She might stab me with her eyebrows.
"Hey!" I replied.
"Who are those letters from?" she demanded.
I shook my head.
"Tell him that if he's going to take a picture of me, he should at least make me look good. I look ancient in that letter he gave me!"
"What letter?" Aries suddenly appeared beside us and asked.
Freya folded her arms and faced him. "Nothing. And it's none of your business." She turned her back and dramatically flipped her hair in our faces.
A few strands got into my mouth, making me wince. Conditioner does not taste good.
It tastes like chicken to me.