Jay-jay's POV
Isn't Calix also Mica's ex?
I suddenly remembered the letter. The one I found in one of the rooms on the second floor of Section E's building.
They know Mica.
"Ineng!" Ate Tindera called out.
I quickly approached her. The cashier was standing beside her.
"That'll be P1,445 in total," the cashier said.
I immediately took out P2,000 from the money they gave me. And since this wasn't my money anyway…
"Keep the change, Ate… Consider it a tip for your helper who carried my order," I said with a smile.
Ate Tindera visibly brightened and quickly thanked me.
They handed me the box. It wasn't that big, just about the size of a snack box. I thought that was everything, but then I noticed they were about to give me another box.
"Wait… Why so many boxes?"
"Ineng, you ordered a lot."
Ugh! Seriously? There's no way I can carry all this. Damn this Section E!
"Ate, I'll come back for the rest later. I can't carry everything now."
"S-sure…" she replied.
I lifted the box. It wasn't that heavy, but I could feel that it had dishes inside.
"She's carrying so much…"
"What's going on?"
"Is all that for her?"
"Maybe she's feeding the entire Section E."
"Probably… Maybe that's why they don't hurt her—because she's bribing them."
"So that's how it is."
What?! Bribing them? No way! Why would I even do that? I can handle them just fine.
…Which is exactly why I ended up running their errands.
I finally left the cafeteria. I kept walking even though it was obvious that students who saw me were whispering and staring.
Go ahead, keep talking!
Why is our room so far? My arms are getting sore! Keifer, you jerk, I swear I'm going to throw this at you!
I reached our building and saw Felix waiting at the door. The moment he saw me, he ran inside.
"She's here!" someone yelled.
When I walked in, instead of helping me, they immediately opened the box and grabbed their food. Animals!
I set the box down on one of the tables and stretched my arms. My muscles were aching!
"Why isn't mine here?" one of them asked.
"Ours is missing too," another added.
"Hold on… There's still another box. I'll go get it," I said and quickly ran back to the cafeteria.
I'm starving! When will this Section E torture end?
When I got back to the cafeteria, the line was long again.
I had no intention of waiting. My order was already prepared and paid for. I rushed to the cashier and squeezed past a guy who was ahead of the line.
"What the hell?!" he snapped, but I ignored him.
"Ate, my box, please!" I said, and she quickly retrieved it.
"Hey! Fall in line!"
"We've been here for ages!"
"Don't cut in!"
Ugh, these annoying people! I shot them a glare—the kind that could kill, the kind that pierced straight through flesh and bone.
Shut up, all of you! Let my stare do the talking!
Ate Tindera handed me two more boxes. They were a bit smaller than the first one. I took them and started walking away.
I was halfway through the cafeteria when someone suddenly blocked my way. Now? Seriously?!
"Excuse me!" I said, but they didn't move. "…Can I pass—"
"What is that?" the guy blocking me asked.
Oh, crap! I'm dead! Aries was standing in front of me.
"Uh… Well…"
"Is that for Section E?"
I couldn't answer. People around us started whispering.
"Excuse me, Aries… I need to go." I stepped past him, brushing against his arm.
I was almost at the door when he suddenly spoke.
"Put that thing down."
I turned to him in confusion. "Huh?!"
"Put. That. Thing. Down." His voice was calm but authoritative. "Do what I said. Now."
Argh… What the hell?
I really needed to leave. I wanted to obey him, but I just couldn't.
"Sorry." That was all I said before quickly walking away.
I heard him calling my name, but damn these Section E guys!
When I returned to the room, those who had already gotten their food were sitting, while the others were still waiting. I placed the remaining boxes on the table and let them fight over them again.
Whatever!
I tossed Keifer's change at him. Let him pick it up himself.
I slumped onto my seat, exhausted. Will I even get to eat? My body was so tired! Not a single one of them helped me!
I sat up properly to check on them. They were all staring at their food, but… why weren't they eating yet?
I glanced around. Everyone was the same—except for Yuri. He had no food in front of him.
Oh, no! Did I forget his order?!
But if I had, wouldn't he have complained by now? Right?
Felix suddenly moved to sit closer to me. The others did the same.
"We're all eating together," Felix said with a smile.
Were they waiting for me before eating? Whoa! That's actually kind of sweet.
I took out my own lunch and turned my chair to face Felix and the others.
"LET'S EAT!" they all shouted at once.
I couldn't help but chuckle. They actually looked kind of cute.
We finally started eating, and they were like excited little kids enjoying their meals. Pfft… Such a bunch of children!
Yuri still had no food. What about him? No one around him was sharing either. For some reason, I felt a bit sorry for him. Our eyes met, and he looked irritated.
Geez… So grumpy!
He suddenly stood up and walked towards us... Oh, wait! No, he was actually heading out, he just happened to pass by our side.
I tried to stop him, grabbing his wrist.
"Hey... Eat this!" I offered.
He didn't say anything. He just stared at my hand holding him. I could feel that he was annoyed by what I did, so I immediately let go.
"Come on, eat... Let's just share," I said.
There's nothing wrong with that, right? Keifer and I had shared food before.
Yuri still didn't say anything and kept looking at me. It seemed like he didn't like my food. I took out some chocolate from my bag.
"Here, have this instead if you don't want rice," I offered.
"Take it, Yuri... It's better than not eating at all," Felix said while chewing. Ugh, such a kid!
Yuri still didn't speak, but he slowly took the chocolate from my hand. He didn't show any reaction and just stared at me. I smiled at him and continued eating. He left immediately after taking the food. Maybe he doesn't like eating with others?
We finished our lunch, and everyone started cleaning up their mess. I thought they would throw their trash in the proper bin, but they just dumped it outside, right in front of our room.
What the heck! It was already messy out there, and now they threw more garbage?
Because there was already a pile of old stuff outside, the front of our room looked like a trash dump. Wow, these guys!
"Is that really where you're supposed to throw trash?" I asked them.
"No... It's actually supposed to go over there, but that's too far, so we just dump it here," one of them replied and walked away.
Wow, unbelievable! Their building already looked rundown, and now they turned the front into a trash heap.
I quietly sat back down and glanced to my right. Ci-N really didn't come back to class. I couldn't help but feel worried.
"Felix!" I called.
"Hmm?" he answered, his mouth full of food again. What a glutton!
"Do you have Ci-N's phone number?"
He pulled out his phone from his pocket. "Yeah, why?"
I took out my own phone. "I want to save it," I said as I walked towards him.
He showed me his phone screen and—wow! He had the latest Samsung model. My tiny keypad phone suddenly felt so outdated.
I just copied Ci-N's number. What if those guys I saw following her had already done something to her? I probably should have followed them to make sure she was okay.
I was about to go back to my seat when Felix stopped me.
"Huh?" I asked.
"Your number?" he asked, holding his phone out to me.
I felt embarrassed because of how fancy his phone was.
Still, I typed my number into his phone. Then I went back to my seat and texted Ci-N, hoping she would reply.
To: Ci-N
Message: Jay-jay here... Why didn't you come to class?
I waited for a reply, but there was none. Maybe he was resting. I put my phone away since our teacher had arrived—followed by Yuri.
Ugh, I couldn't stop thinking about Ci-N. What if something happened to him Even during the next subjects, he was still on my mind.
It's not like I have feelings for him! I'm just worried. He's still so young, and he might have gotten into a fight after walking me home. This is so frustrating!
It was our last subject with Ms. Smith, but Ci-N was still on my mind.
"Ms. Mariano?" Ma'am called out.
"Yes?"
"What's your middle name?" she asked while looking at the class record.
"Fernandez," I answered.
The whole class suddenly went silent, as if I had said something terrible. They all started looking at each other and then glancing toward the back.
A chill ran down my spine, even though there was no cold breeze.
What's going on?
Even Ma'am stopped what she was doing and stared at me.
"Are you related to Michael Aries Fernandez?"
"He... he's my cousin," I replied.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy, like a storm was coming.
Why?