JAY-JAY'S POV
"It's been a while!" Aries said from the doorway of my room.
"That's it. I'm done," I replied, annoyed.
He turned and walked out first. I frowned and followed him.
If he hadn't opened the gate for me last night, I would have answered him sooner. I don't even know if he believed my excuse-that I went out without anyone knowing-so I was shocked when he let it slide.
He just warned me that what I did was not safe and reminded me that someone was still attempting to harm me. I was just going back and forth, so I didn't take too long.
When I reached the living room, I saw Tita holding a cup of coffee. She smiled at me, set the cup down, and greeted me with a hug. I immediately hugged her back.
"Be careful, okay? Always text Kuya Angelo and Aries when you go somewhere," she said.
I smiled. "Yes."
She let go of the hug and fixed my hair. "Maybe you should also apologize to Keifer. I was just overwhelmed by anger and worry."
"Alright. I know he'll understand," I replied, and she smiled.
I said goodbye to her because I knew my brother was already waiting for me, probably with his eyebrows raised.
I sighed in relief at what Tita said. I really thought she was mad at Keifer and had the wrong idea about what that thug on the island did to me.
He did nothing. Nothing.
When I got into my brother's car, I almost jumped at the sight of his furrowed brows.
"Sit in the back. We're picking up Ella," he ordered.
"Why? Doesn't she have legs to walk with?" I asked, annoyed.
His eyes flashed with anger, so I quickly got out of the car and moved to the back seat. I wanted to hit him out of frustration. If only I had the power to curse, I would curse Ella.
I wish their buttholes would close up.
I stayed silent throughout the ride until we reached her uncle's house. The scent of her perfume made me cringe. As soon as she got in, she kissed Aries on the cheek. Eww.
"Good morning, Jay," she greeted me, trying to be friendly.
"Good morning," I replied lifelessly.
"Why was your whole section absent yesterday?" she asked, barely raising an eyebrow.
"We went on an outing. Keifer gave me an island," I answered. Hahahaha Jealous?
"It's Monday, and you decided to go on an outing?"
I heard Aries cough lightly. Our eyes met in the rearview mirror, and it was as if he was warning me not to start a fight.
I sighed in exhaustion. "It was actually a weekend trip. We just didn't get back right away."
"I see," she replied and said nothing more.
I cursed under my breath. This woman really irritated me. And why did she even care that we skipped school yesterday?
Maybe someone was waiting.
Queen! My vision seems to be darkening. I feel like slapping someone. Who is watching out for those vipers?
I can only think of one thing that this girl is looking forward to-the King of Snakes.
Aries' car stopped in the school parking lot. We got out almost at the same time. I immediately noticed Ella turning toward the fancy car parked next to Aries'.
I knew she recognized the owner. I looked at her intently, and when she saw me doing that, she tormented me before chasing after Aries and grabbing her arm.
I couldn't help but feel irritated by her expectations. Aries is the one she claims to love, yet she also says she didn't love Keifer because she was in love with Yuri.
Why is she acting like this?
She better not say she has any regrets. My thoughts tormented me as I glared at the fancy car belonging to that deranged King of Snakes.
"It's all your fault!" I said in annoyance and kicked the back of the car.
I was about to kick it again when suddenly the car door opened, and I saw him stepping out.
The owner-RUN! RUN!
I took off, running faster than a thief. By the time I reached the classroom, I was sweating and gasping for air, my hands on my hips.
"What happened to you?" Edrix asked as he arrived.
"I-I ran. I-I thought I was late," I said, shaking my head while he laughed.
I entered the room and immediately noticed Yuri sitting at his desk. He looked like he was sleeping. I had never seen him sleep in class before. I put my things down on my desk and approached him.
I peeked at his face before gently touching him. He groaned softly and lifted his head. His glasses slipped off, and I quickly caught them.
"Wake up," I said, handing him his glasses.
He smiled at me. "Yeah. I had a lot to do last night."
"Making a child."
Whoever said that made me spin around.
The King of Snakes sat in his seat, raising an eyebrow at us. His smug expression annoyed me.
I wish someone would kick him in the face.
I turned back to Yuri, who was currently wiping his glasses while leaning forward. I looked at his hair.
For the first time, I noticed that the hair growing at his roots wasn't black. That's when it hit me-his natural hair color wasn't black. I had assumed he dyed his hair red, but it was impossible for even his roots to change color.
"Yuri, your hair," I said, reaching out to touch it, but he quickly dodged.
"Huh? What?" he said defensively, grabbing his hair.
"There's dirt," Keifer interjected, making me look at him.
He shook his head slightly as if telling me not to continue. I didn't understand why, but I decided to go along with it.
"O-oh. There's dirt," I said with a forced smile.
I turned back to my seat, my forehead creased in thought.
What's wrong with Yuri's hair?
I decided to let it go. Sir Alvin arrived just in time and, of course, scolded us for not attending class yesterday.
"It wouldn't be an issue if your finals weren't approaching. But right now, all faculties are monitoring attendance, so it's dangerous to miss classes," he explained, and almost everyone lowered their heads.
"Sorry, Sir. We'll make up for it," David said.
Sir sighed before starting the lesson. Ci-N and I exchanged glances, but it was clear he was just teasing me.
It was as if he was saying that I was the reason we skipped class yesterday. I rolled my eyes at him and focused on listening to Sir.
Wow, listening.
We spent the entire morning studying, catching up on missed lessons. The teachers rushed through their subjects, making it feel like they were throwing information at us rather than properly teaching. This was where true learners were tested.
When lunch came, almost none of us stood up due to exhaustion. Looks like I'm not the only one who has run out of brain cells from the sudden pile-up of lessons.
"Lunch! Jay-Jay, lunch!" Ci said with pity.
I wanted to kick him. He's the only one who still has energy between the two of us. And yet, he expects me to buy his food.
"Lunch will be here in a moment," said the King of Serpents.
That voice-music to my ears. But the voice that announced lunch wasn't his. I like his voice and his English accent.
True to his words, our food arrived a few moments later. A buffet!
The Serpents immediately rioted. With the amount of food, it looked like a birthday celebration. I didn't back down and quickly sneaked in to get my share.
I was about to return to my seat when I saw Yuri leaving with his bag. I was about to follow him, but Keifer beat me to it. I watched them for a moment before realizing that someone was stealing a piece of Shanghai from my plate.
"Hey!" I turned to Ci-N, but he had already taken a bite.
"Just one," he said with a smile. But when I looked at my plate, he had taken everything.
I glared at him but chose to eat while waiting for Yuri's return. Keifer came back, but the President of the Shunga Lovers Club was still nowhere to be found. Afternoon classes started, yet there was still no sign of Yuri's red hair.
"Jay-Jay, let's go!" Ci-N called out.
"I can't. Kuya will scold me. I'm going straight home," I said while packing my things.
"You shouldn't wander around either. Don't forget that someone is threatening our lives," David reminded Ci.
"Oh, right. Thanks for the reminder, Grandpa," Ci replied with a grin.
I chuckled a little when David shot him a look. We almost left at the same time, but I deliberately stayed behind so I could talk to the King of Serpents.
"Sweet, are you waiting for me?" He opened the door, noticing that I was lingering.
"Yes, I was going to ask about Yuri."
His expression immediately changed, but he quickly replaced it with a teasing smile.
"You're making me jealous."
I gave him a plastic smile. "You wish."
"What?" he asked curiously.
I shook my head. He had no idea what I was thinking about Ella and Freya. And it was better that way-if he knew, his self-confidence would skyrocket.
He'd just tease me again.
"I just want to know where he went. Skipping class isn't like him."
"I skip class too, but you don't seem worried," he pointed out.
I nearly flared my nostrils in frustration. "This is serious."
"I am serious. Don't involve yourself in Yuri's business... please. I might not be able to handle it if you find out what he's up to," he said, holding my hand.
"That's not an option. Yuri is my friend. He's always been there for me-I can't turn my back on him," I said, pulling my hand away.
"You don't get it, Jay." There was a warning in his voice. "Yuri is the most mysterious guy I know. What you see now is only half of what I know. And even then, I still don't know the real him."
I couldn't help but feel irritated. Why did it sound like he was trying to slander Yuri? He wanted me to avoid the one person who never hesitated to wipe my tears when he was away.
"You're an idiot. He's your friend too!"
"He is. He's my best friend, to be exact. But if he needs my help, he'll ask for it." He took a deep breath. "Don't push it, please."
A tear slipped from my eye. I was frustrated. It felt like he had no intention of doing anything to help his friend. Yuri needs help-I could see it. He's given up several times, right in front of me.
"Fine. Just so you'll calm down, I'll talk to him." He held both of my hands. "I'm worried too, but Yuri is a guy, not a baby."
I nodded. "A-alright. Thank you."
He forced a smile. He was about to hug me, but I immediately stepped away.
"We're not like that..." I said, almost in a whisper.
"What are we, then?" he asked.
"Nothing."
He nodded. "I see." He smiled sweetly. "I'll work hard for your forgiveness."
It was hard to believe that Keifer, the same person I often yelled at and considered my enemy, was now standing in front of me, saying he would work for my forgiveness.
No one was smiling. Nothing felt right.
We almost walked to the parking lot together. I could clearly see Aries and Ella waiting for me next to the car.
As I approached them, Keifer, the so-called "King of Snakes," suddenly kissed my forehead before continuing toward his car. ❤️
"Y-you're crazy!" I shouted, but his car had already sped away.
I turned to Aries, feeling like the worst person ever. Meanwhile, Ella looked at me seriously. We got into the car in silence. Even during the drive, no one spoke.
The car stopped momentarily at a traffic light. I gazed across the road, watching the cars moving in front of us. Their traffic light turned red-it was our turn to go.
We crossed, but for some inexplicable reason, a car suddenly sped in front of Aries' vehicle.
Ella screamed. I jolted in my seat like a bouncing ball. Aries' car overturned, coming to a stop in the middle of the road due to the impact. I clutched my head as a sharp pain struck me. Chaos erupted around us, with blaring horns and panicked voices.
"Is everyone okay?" Aries asked, his voice laced with concern.
"I'm okay," Ella responded.
Before I could answer, I heard a loud knock on Aries' car door. When I looked up, I saw Keifer, his face filled with worry. He gestured for Aries to unlock the door.
Aries immediately complied, and Keifer wasted no time opening the door next to me.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
I was still holding my head. "I-it hurts..."
Without hesitation, he lifted me out of the car. A wave of dizziness hit me, making everything blur.
"Where are you taking Jay-Jay?" Aries shouted, but Keifer ignored him.
"David! Help him move the car!" Keifer ordered, but I couldn't see who he was talking to.
"Ugh, I'm not your slave!" David complained, but I felt him walk away.
Keifer set me down gently. When I managed to open my eyes, I realized I was inside another car, though the door was still open.
"Here, drink this," he said, handing me a water bottle.
I took a few sips before giving it back to him and leaned my head against the seat. I could feel his eyes on me.
"I didn't hit my head, but it suddenly started hurting," I explained.
"Sshh... just rest," he instructed, and I obeyed.
I closed my eyes for a few minutes before finally saying, "I'm okay now."
I was about to stand up when Aries suddenly rushed toward me.
"Hey... Are you okay? What's wrong? Do you feel dizzy?" He fired question after question, his eyes scanning me with worry.
"I'm okay-" But before I could finish, he pulled me into a hug.
"I'll fix the drive... Just please be okay," he whispered, regret evident in his voice.
That's good. We can argue later.
I hugged him back. "I'm really fine."
He pulled away and studied my face again. Forcing a small smile, he let me stand up. David and Keifer were speaking to the police. I looked around at the road and the parked cars. I was shocked to see that David's car and Keifer's car were both perfectly fine.
"What happened?" I asked as Felix, Rory, Edrix, and Drew approached us.
"How's Jay? Are you okay?" Felix asked, and I nodded.
"Tsk! It was on purpose," Edrix said, but Rory immediately silenced him as the police turned around.
I slightly approached them. "What do you mean?"
"Three accidents in a row on the same road, and then they said someone was following David and Keifer before they had their accident. And one more thing-they didn't intend to stop, as if they were just trying to scare them," he explained.
"Where's the person who ran them over? Is there no one?" Rory added. I looked around.
The car that crashed into Aries' car was nowhere to be seen. Besides that, I clearly remember that the traffic light on our road was green. That means the light on the other side must have been red.
"Do you think Ram's group is behind this?" I asked, feeling a wave of worry wash over me.
Edrix nodded. "He's the only one targeting us right now. Besides, they also texted Ci-N and the others, saying someone was following them."
I bit my lower lip. They were openly threatening us. What hurt even more was that they sympathized with Aries and Ella, who had nothing to do with the situation.
Aries was currently talking to the police when Kuya Angelo arrived. He found out what had happened and couldn't hide his disappointment as he looked at me.
I knew he didn't need to say it-I could tell he also blamed me for what happened. And I blamed myself too. Others had to suffer because of me. It was my fault.
"Almost everyone replied. They said they were safe and that no one was following them," Felix said while holding his phone. "Yuri hasn't responded."
Hearing that made me even more nervous. Yuri had a problem and was alone right now. What if something had happened to him?
I immediately approached Keifer, who had just finished talking to the police. "Let's go to Yuri, please," I pleaded.
He looked surprised for a moment but nodded. After exchanging a few words with David, he took my hand and led me to his car. I heard Kuya Angelo calling me, but I didn't listen. The car sped away.
I kept biting my lip and clawing at my fingernails, overcome with fear and anxiety. Yuri was alone. What if they had already gotten to him? I wasn't even sure if his building was still safe.
When we arrived at the underground parking lot of his building, I didn't wait for Keifer. I immediately got out and rushed to the elevator, pressing the button for the top floor. It didn't move at first, so I looked for the camera inside and waved, showing my uniform.
I knew they had an identification system or something, but Yuri once told me I was already on the list, so I shouldn't have any trouble getting in.
The elevator finally ascended. After a few minutes, I reached Yuri's apartment.
No one greeted me, and the place was eerily dark and silent. I stepped inside, trying to figure out where his room was. As I turned down a hallway, I unexpectedly ran into someone.
Freya. . .
My eyes immediately fell on her disheveled uniform. Not only that-she wasn't wearing anything underneath.
"W-what are you doing here?" I asked hesitantly.
"I... ahm... just helping a friend?" she answered with a wide smile before walking past me.
I wasn't sure if I should go after her, but my concern for Yuri won out. So, despite my confusion, I continued toward his room.
When I arrived, my brows furrowed at the sight of clothes scattered on the floor.
A bra lay among the mess, making me frown. I suddenly recalled running into Freya moments ago.
I wasn't born yesterday-I knew exactly what this meant.
Was I worried for nothing? While I had been panicking about something bad happening to him, he had been busy in bed with Freya.
I also noticed the scattered boxes and bottles on the floor. Among them, I saw a red-colored package.
The bathroom door in Yuri's room opened, and the reason I came here stepped out. He was clearly stunned to see me.
"J-Jay," he called my name while wiping his newly colored hair. "I-I didn't know you were coming."
I let out a fake laugh. "I worry too much about you, Yuri, but it seems my worries are for nothing."
"Did something happen?"
"Yes. And something happened right here in your room too."
He glanced at the mess on the floor, knowing that I had seen the remnants left by Freya. He sighed.
"I can explain."
"Alright, then. Explain. Explain why it feels like you're not telling me the truth," I said calmly.
He quickly lowered his gaze.
What else do I not know about you?