CHAPTER 378 - REMOVE
JAY-JAY's POV
We all looked at Drew in silence. Even if they didn't say it out loud, I knew they were waiting for him to take back what he said—or at least add, "just a joke" to his last words.
Say you're just joking, please.
But he said nothing. He didn't add anything. We waited for a few more minutes until my cousin and the Ulupongs cursed one after another.
"Fuck you, Drew! You're not funny!" Blaster shouted angrily before walking up to him and pushing him. I also hoped the other Ulupongs would rush at him—but they just stood in the middle.
David interrupted.
"Stop it! Let him explain himself!"
"Explain? Hey bitch, we've been betrayed!" May snapped.
"What other reason would he have? It's money again!" Eren said angrily as he poked Drew.
"So that's why you kept borrowing my cellphone? Because you were already taking pictures on it? You're going to make things worse for Grace," Denzel said calmly, though I could see he wanted to hit Drew.
I just watched them silently. I couldn't accept that someone had betrayed us. Why would he do that?
Why? I didn't understand.
I was proud to say that, after everything we'd been through, it was unlikely any of us would even consider doing something like this—but here he was, right in front of us. It was hard for him to look at me, not just because of what he did, but because of how our friends helped him.
I had every right to be angry at him because what he did hurt—but I felt that our friends were angry enough. He didn't need to hear it from me anymore.
"It was just a bet that our lives would be the opposite of yours!" Calix shouted angrily. "You know Ram would kill just to please him!"
"Calm down!" Rory tried to mediate, but he ended up getting the blame instead.
"Look! You're another one! You knew something too!" Felix turned to him.
"Listen first! This conversation won't end if you let anger take over!" Edrix shouted as he intervened.
"You're another one who knew!" Kit glared at him. "You didn't even think about Jay-Jay!"
It broke my heart to see them like this. It was painful to watch them argue. They were just like this when they fought over Yuri and Keifer's argument, when the truth about their plan came out, and now again—because of a traitor.
It was hard to see them like this.
I held my breath. In an instant, the scolding and cursing turned into full-on yelling. Kuya Angelo tried to approach Drew, and because everyone knew what he was about to do, most of them—despite being mad at Drew—immediately stopped him.
"You son of a bitch! You better give me a good reason for risking my cousin's life!" he yelled in rage.
Ma'am Cindy and Sir Alvin also stepped in to hold him back. Even with all of them, Kuya almost pushed them aside with his steps.
"Speak up, Drew!" Yuri demanded, clearly feeling sorry for him.
Drew still didn't want to speak. But when our eyes met, it seemed like he wanted to ask for help. He gasped a few times, then started crying when he saw me wiping my own tears.
I felt so heavy. I just wanted to lie down in bed and not get back up.
"I needed money. I didn't have anything—not like you guys," he said, and in return, he received one harsh remark after another.
"Putangina! If you had a serious need, we would've helped you!" Blaster replied.
Drew laughed in annoyance. "I've approached all of you several times. Even Keifer, David, Eman, Rory. I've approached almost all of you."
"I didn't lend you money because you're not telling the truth," Keifer said. "I just wanted to know where you're planning to take the money."
"Same reason. You're hiding something from me," said David.
Eman sighed. "How do I know you're not just going to use the money to gamble?"
Drew straightened up. I can tell he's struggling, but he still can't bring himself to tell the truth about where the money really goes and why his debt keeps increasing.
I hope the reason isn't gambling.
"I owe another loan shark. I thought we had a good conversation, but he pressured me. He even blackmailed my sister. I have nothing left," Drew said, trying to wipe away his tears. "He told me if it's hard for me to pay, he'd find me a sideline. He brought me to Ram. I really didn't want to, but he said he'd deduct the amount from my loan if I did the job well. He even said they'd cancel the interest and extend the deadline."
I could see the frustration in our group. Even Ma'am Cindy was clearly affected by what she heard. Sir didn't react, but my cousin was still visibly angry.
But how did he end up with another debt? Where did he use the money? I don't know of anyone in his family who's in need.
"I was scared, I was desperate. That loan shark is involved in sex trafficking. What if they do something to Marianne? What about my sister?"
He sat on the floor. He was scared—that's the real reason, not just the money. I wish he had told the truth or come to me. Even if I didn't have the money, I would've found a way. I wish he hadn't lied to me like this.
"But believe me, I'm not giving him all the details he's asking for. I just know he'll be... s-satisfied. I thought Ram would take a while to act on his plan because he's short on people and just got out of the hospital."
"So you were okay with sending him the location of my house?" asked Sir Alvin.
Drew couldn't answer. He couldn't even look at Ma'am and Sir. I knew he was ashamed, especially because we ended up disturbing the couple. It looks like they'll be forced to move house.
"What assurance do we have that those are the only details you're giving?" Josh asked.
I knew he was just trying to be sure, but his tone was accusatory.
"We know—we can see what he sends," Edrix replied.
Felix pointed at them angrily. "You two knew something and didn't tell me? You didn't even tell Keifer?"
I looked at Keifer. He was calm, yes, but the way he looked at Drew told me he wanted to hit him. He was probably using all his self-control.
"Because we had to be sure about Ram's plan. If we told Keifer, he would've acted immediately, and Ram would've noticed what Drew was doing. His plan happened really fast," Rory explained.
My cousin sighed several times. He was no longer being restrained, but the others stayed close in case he tried to rush again.
"These kids managed to find Ram before we did?" Sir asked Kuya. "I don't know if I should be amazed or disappointed."
I remembered that Kuya Angelo had also been looking for Ram, but they could never find a solid location. Ram always disappeared whenever they got a lead.
You'll be disappointed, Sir. You're a poor seeker.
"Sudden or not, you should've expected him to rush. Look at what happened today—Jay had a panic attack and now a high fever, her cousin nearly died, and their house was exposed," David said calmly while pointing at us. "Your irresponsible decision caused all of this."
"Alright, we're here when Drew is desperate and in need, but couldn't he have asked for help from the right person—Jay-Jay's big brother, David, or Sir Alvin?" said Yuri, clearly trying to understand his friend's situation.
"It's risky! We can't tell what could happen. What will Ram do or say to the loan shark if Drew betrays him?" Rory defended.
I can't help but think Rory and Edrix are wrong too. They controlled the situation and chose not to tell me what was happening.
Calix combed his hair. "But are you sure about what Ram is going to do? This is it—they suddenly rushed in without you knowing or predicting it."
"I'm sure we were the first. That's why we felt complacent, thinking we had time to come up with a plan before telling Keifer," Edrix answered.
"Eh? Where's your plan now? It's gone, isn't it? It's just a matter of time—use your brain properly! You're so out of your mind that you think you've got the situation under control!" Eren said angrily.
One after another, they received reprimands and insults from their fellow Ulupongs. Rory almost got into a fight.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Kuya Angelo shouted, his voice echoing throughout the house.
The Serpents fell silent. Drew sat on the floor with his head down.
I want to talk to him. I want to hear his reason and what he really thinks. What he did hurt me, but what hurts more is the thought that our friendship has been damaged and may never be repaired.
I need Bob the Builder—maybe it will be fine.
"What are you going to do with your friends?" Kuya asked Keifer.
He took a deep breath. He looked at me as if wondering whether I'd be okay with his decision. He was calm, but his face was filled with a mix of anger and sadness. I wanted to tell him to talk to Drew first and think carefully before deciding.
But it seemed he had already made up his mind.
"I want him to stay away from Jay-Jay," he said, and what he said next shocked us all.
"I want him out of Section E." 🔥
"W-Wait, Keifer." I called him, but he didn't seem to hear me because the Ulupongs were all talking at once.
"You're kicking Drew out?" Edrix asked.
"Hold on. You're making a decision too quickly," Yuri stopped him.
"That's it? Don't you think his reason is valid?" Rory asked.
"Isn't that too harsh?" David added, clearly not agreeing with the decision.
Our other friends looked confused. They were shocked and didn't expect that kind of decision from their King. I could tell they didn't agree, but they couldn't oppose him either because they understood the reason behind it. I know they don't want this—even if they're angry with Drew.
"W-What about the exam? The graduation?" Blaster asked.
"He can talk to Sir Alvin and arrange a separate schedule for the exam and graduation. I just don't want to see him near my Jay-Jay," Keifer answered as he walked closer to him.
"Just a moment—please think about it," I begged.
We're about to graduate. Why does he have to send Drew away? There are other ways to punish him. He furrowed his brows one by one, just like that.
"My decision is final. I want him to leave our section, our classroom, and our friendship." 🔥
I couldn't stop crying. I looked at Drew, but he was still bowing his head, silently crying as he endured all the harsh words. I know Keifer's decision hurt him deeply.
"Keifer, maybe you can think it over?" Rory insisted, but the King shot him a sharp glare.
"I'll speak with you two later. For now, I don't trust either of you. Your loyalty to me—and to this group—is in question."
Keifer turned to me again and supported me gently. "You need to go back to the room. You're getting pale."
I tried to resist, but because of the pain and weakness, I couldn't fight back. I didn't take my eyes off Drew. Our eyes met for a moment, and he looked like he was silently apologizing. Just for a moment.
We returned to the room, and he helped me lie down on the bed. He picked up the bowl of porridge again.
"Eat this so you can take your medicine."
I shook my head. "Why did you make that decision?"
"Let's not talk about it."
Because of what I did to get up earlier, my fever seems to be getting worse. On top of that, Drew's confession and the decision to fire him... My tears won't stop falling.
"Please eat."
I shook my head again. "I just want to sleep."
I can't help but sulk at him. It's like he didn't really think about what he did. He seems to sense my anger too.
"Come on, Jay. Do you really think I'd let him get close to you again? How can I even be sure he's not talking to anyone who's our enemy?"
I couldn't answer. I just burst into tears. I'm upset because he's right—Drew is hard to trust—but it still feels like too much to send him away like that.
Keifer lowered his hand and quickly moved to hug me, but I turned my back on him and hugged the blanket tightly to my chest.
"He's our friend," I said, crying. "Our friend."
We're still friends, even if he betrayed us.
I don't know how long I cried. I didn't even realize I had fallen asleep until I felt the movement of people around me.
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Kuya Angelo. He noticed I was awake but didn't stop talking to the person with him.
"Are you serious about your decision?" he asked.
"Of course I'm serious. What about you? What will you do about what Drew did?" Keifer's voice answered.
"Probably... termination of his existence," my cousin replied, and I was alarmed.
Sweetie! What does he think Drew is—some kind of termite that needs exterminating?
"Kuya!" I called out in a warning tone, though it came out hoarse.
My cousin laughed immediately, and Keifer walked up to him.
"Hey, are you feeling better now?"
I nodded and tried to sit up. My head hurt immediately, but I ignored it—I wanted to face my cousin who was acting like an angel.
Acting brave. Pretending to be brave.
"I'm fine. What were you two talking about? And what 'termination' are you talking about?" Slowly, the memory of what happened before I fell asleep came back to me.
"If you're feeling better, we can leave. You should go home and rest," my cousin said, turning away from us.
I turned to Keifer. "What were you really talking about?"
"Just some random things... and my decision to kick Drew out."
My heart sank again. While I was asleep, he didn't even try to talk to Drew or reconsider his decision.
"I want to talk to Drew," I said and tried to stand, but he stopped me.
"Drew's already gone. He left with Rory and Edrix. David drove them while you were still asleep. The others went home too."
I held my breath. I wanted to argue, but the pain in my stomach was too much. I hadn't eaten anything since morning. I couldn't think straight, and I didn't have the strength to fight.
I need to eat.
I held my stomach. "I want to eat."
He must have guessed I'd be hungry when I woke up. He helped me fix myself up. He even combed my hair—I was just embarrassed that it felt like my scalp was going to come off with every brush. I regretted not combing it properly earlier.
Once I was ready, he helped me down to the kitchen, where Yuri and Sir Alvin were sitting. Ma'am Cindy was standing—they seemed to be in the middle of a conversation.
Yuri immediately stood up and offered me his seat. "Jay, do you feel better now?"
"I'll serve you. You must be hungry," Ma'am Cindy said and quickly got to work.
Sir Alvin stood up and left us—it looked like he was going to find my cousin. My friends were siding with me. I couldn't help but lean my head against the table.
"My head still hurts," I said, but I knew I no longer had a fever.
I'm still feeling tender, though not as much as before. My bones ache too. I looked at the wall clock. It was 12:48 AM, but I was just about to eat now.
Not eating all day is debilitating. Good thing I'm still alive.
Ma'am lowered her plate for me. I thanked her. Yuri was the one who got me a drink, while Hari supported me when I had trouble raising my arm.
I suddenly felt annoyed because I felt like an invalid, and these two were acting like my nurses.
"Stop it. I want to eat properly!" I said, irritated.
Yuri laughed, but Keifer didn't respond. They let me eat. I was almost finished when I heard Sir Alvin and Kuya Angelo talking. They both entered the kitchen.
"Live underground so they won't find you," said my cousin, and Sir almost cursed, but stopped when he saw us.
"I know a safe house. We can go there if you're still having trouble deciding," Yuri suggested.
Wait, are they moving?
"It's too far. We'll have trouble traveling to school," Ma'am replied.
"You can all move to my house. I don't mind," Keifer offered, and I looked at him.
"And Keigan? What do you think he'll say about us being there?" Yuri asked. "I think he would understand."
"I think he would NOT understand. His symptoms might get triggered because of us."
I looked back and forth at their friends. I felt like I was going to get a stiff neck from turning to both sides where they sat.
But is it true that Ma'am needs to move because their house has been exposed? Are they afraid someone might find them?
"Why are you moving? Did something bad happen?" Yuri asked.
He shook his head. "Nothing. It's just not safe here for the three of us."
"Is it because of Ram's arrival?"
Yuri looked at Ma'am Cindy, so I also looked at her. She just looked away, as if she didn't want to confirm that was the reason. I understood—maybe she just didn't want to blame Drew again.
I couldn't help but feel hurt by what he did, but I also felt sorry for him. He seemed trapped—but why did he have another debt? The only thing I could think of was gambling.
"Are you done eating?" Kuya asked me.
I nodded slightly. He looked at the time on the wall clock.
"Pack your things. We're going home," he ordered.
I was about to stand up when Keifer stopped me. "I'll do it. Stay here."
He stood up and went straight to the room where I was staying. I didn't have much with me, so it wouldn't be hard for him to pack.
Sir and my cousin were still talking.
"Tomorrow, I'll help you find a house. Even if it's a cave."
"Alright, find us a house under the sea," Ma'am replied sarcastically.
"When I look for you, don't come out of the sea. After all, you're a shokoy," Kuya Angelo replied. Sir chuckled softly but quickly became serious when he saw his wife shooting him a deadly look.
Understandable.
It didn't take long for Keifer to return with my things. He even made me double-check in case he left anything behind. I confirmed that he got everything.
Since I had eaten, I had regained some strength. They escorted us until we got into the car.
"Hey, text me when you get home," Keifer said and quickly kissed the top of my head.
I looked at Yuri, who was behind him. He smiled and waved at me. I waved back at all of them and said goodbye.
While on the trip, Kuya was constantly tending to his wounds. I didn't say anything because he might get angry. His mood wasn't good either. I thought we were going straight home, but suddenly, he turned toward the nearest hospital we passed by.
It looked like he couldn't bear the pain of his wounds anymore.
"Both of us need to be checked," he said after parking the car.
I just followed him, even though deep down I knew he was the only reason we stopped here.nWhen we arrived at the ER, there were only a few nurses and no other patients.
Maybe it was because it was a small hospital, or maybe not many people come here. A male doctor was available and was the first to approach my cousin.
They talked for a bit, and then Kuya was brought to one of the beds. The doctor pulled the curtain beside it open before pointing to the other bed.
"Stay there, please," the doctor said to me.
I just sat and watched them. My cousin removed his shirt, revealing wounds with stitches. Only then did I realize he was right about a lot of things. The wounds looked superficial, but the stitched areas didn't hold well.
Why were his wounds stitched like that?
The doctor first checked the stitches on Kuya Angelo's neck. He removed the bandage and picked up a pair of scissors, along with another tool without blades at the end—I think they're called forceps. He began removing the stitches.
I saw the surprise and disbelief on the doctor's face as he examined my cousin's wound. "Who stitched this up? It looks like someone was sewing clothes," he remarked.
A nurse came over with a tray containing new threads and needles. She placed it beside Kuya, and I couldn't help but notice how she was staring at his body. I couldn't tell if she was looking at the wounds or his muscles.
Sis, I'm late to catch on.
"Whoever stabbed you must have been scared too. The wound isn't deep, and your external jugular vein wasn't hit," the doctor said. After properly stitching up Kuya's wound, he lowered his hand. "Your vein is right here," he said, pointing to his own neck near Kuya's wound. "Just a few centimeters more or one wrong move, and you could've died."
The so-called angel laughed lightly. "I know where it is. That's why I wasn't hit—I managed to move my neck a second before he stabbed me."
I was tormented by my cousin's arrogance. He managed to dodge a stab to the vein—but not Keifer's. He even lost consciousness.
The doctor kept talking while changing the bandage on another wound. While they were busy, a female nurse came over and spoke to me.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Oh, I'm —"
"She had a high fever this morning until the afternoon. Her temperature just became normal," Death interrupted my answer.
He even beat my personal doctor in giving my medical history. He just didn't want me to explain it myself. Maybe my cousin is studying to become a doctor.
A quack doctor.
The nurse pulled out a thermometer and pointed it at my forehead. I thought she was going to shoot me, so I nearly dodged it.
"I'm fine, see? I was just stressed this morning, that's why I had a fever," I said, trying to explain while checking the result.
But it's true—I was stressed. My body just couldn't handle everything that had happened. Next, she was about to check my blood pressure, but before she could start, I got up from the bed.
"Jay…" my cousin looked at me.
"I'm really okay. He's the one who needs help," I said, pointing at him.
I could feel Death's piercing glare on me. "Let her do her job."
I ignored him and just thanked the nurse before walking out of the ER. He called my name, but my steps were fast. He couldn't follow right away since the doctor was still treating him.
I just needed to breathe. The smell of the hospital was starting to make me feel sick.
But I still couldn't breathe—not when the memories of what I saw and everything that happened kept coming back to me.