Jay-jay's POV
"You're taking so long!" Aries called out from my bedroom door.
"I'm coming, I'm done," I replied irritably.
He turned around and walked out ahead of me. I followed him with a frown. If he hadn't been the one to open the gate for me last night, I would have answered him back already. I wasn't sure if he bought my excuse that I went out to buy something without anyone knowing, which was why I got locked out.
He just lectured me, saying that what I did wasn't safe and that I shouldn't forget that there were still people trying to harm me. I simply nodded to cut the conversation short.
When I got to the living room, I met Auntie carrying a cup of coffee. She smiled at me before putting the cup down and greeting me with a hug, which I gladly returned.
"Take care, okay? Always text your Kuya Angelo and Aries when you're going somewhere," she reminded me, and I smiled.
"Yes, Tita."
She let go of the hug and fixed my hair. "Maybe you could also ask Keifer for forgiveness on my behalf. I was just carried away by anger and worry."
"Sure, Tita. I know he'll understand," I answered, and she smiled.
I said goodbye to her because I knew my brother was already frowning while waiting for me.
I breathed a sigh of relief at what Tita said. I really thought she was mad at Keifer and had the wrong idea about what that fool did to me on the island.
He did nothing. Nothing.
When I got into my brother's car, I nearly jumped when I saw his furrowed brow.
"Sit in the back. We're picking up Ella," he ordered.
"Why? Doesn't she have feet to walk herself?" I asked, annoyed.
His eyes flashed with anger, so I quickly got out of the car and moved to the back seat. I kept rolling my eyes at him, fuming. If I had the power to hoax, I'd hex both him and Ella. May their butts seal shut.
I stayed quiet throughout the ride until we reached his not-so-quite-girlfriend's house. I cringed when the scent of her perfume hit me like a wave. As soon as she sat down, she kissed Aries on the cheek.
Ew.
"Good morning, Jay," she greeted me with forced sweetness.
"Good morning," I replied lifelessly.
"Why was your whole section absent yesterday?" she asked me, and I almost raised an eyebrow.
"We had an outing." Keifer gave me an island. Ha. Ha. Be jealous.
"You thought of going on an outing on a Monday?"
I heard Aries cough lightly. Our eyes met in the rearview mirror, and it was like he was warning me not to start a fight.
I rolled my eyes. "It was supposed to be a weekend. We just didn't make it back in time."
"I see," she replied, and no one spoke after that.
I was cursing nonstop in my head. This girl really annoys me. And why did she even care that we skipped school yesterday?
Maybe she was waiting for someone?
Damn! My vision was darkened. I felt like slapping someone. Who was she waiting for among the bunch of those snake-faced idiots?
There's only one thing I can think of that this girl's waiting for—the King of the Snakes himself.
When Aries' car stopped in the school parking lot, we all got out almost simultaneously. I immediately noticed Ella glancing at the flashy car parked next to Aries'.
I knew she knew who owned that car. I glared at her sharply, and when she noticed, she just rolled her eyes at me before catching up to Aries and clinging to his arm.
I couldn't help but get annoyed at her behavior. She claimed she loved Aries and that she never loved Keifer because she was into Yuri back then.
So why's she acting like this?
Don't tell me she's having regrets. I rolled my eyes at my own thoughts. I glared at the fancy car belonging to that crazy, snake-faced King of the Snakes.
"This is all your fault!" I hissed and kicked the back of the car.
I was about to kick it again when the car door suddenly swung open, and I saw the owner about to step out.
The owner—run! RUN!
I ran faster than a thief, and by the time I reached our classroom, I was drenched in sweat. I held my waist while trying to catch my breath.
"What happened to you?" Edrix asked, just arriving, too.
"I—I ran. I—I thought I was late," I lied, and he just shook his head, laughing.
When I entered the classroom, I immediately noticed Yuri slumped over his desk, seemingly asleep. I'd never seen him sleep in class before. I put my things down on my table before walking over to him.
I peeked at his face before nudging him. He groaned softly as he lifted his head. His glasses fell off, and I quickly picked them up.
"You look really tired," I commented before handing him his glasses.
He smiled at me. "Yeah. I had a lot to do last night."
"Making babies," someone teased, making me turn around.
The King of the Snakes plopped into his seat lazily. He even raised an eyebrow at us, so I rolled my eyes at him.
I should've kicked his face instead.
I turned back to Yuri, who was wiping his glasses while looking down. My eyes drifted to his hair.
That's when I noticed something—I saw that the roots of his hair weren't black. And then it became clear to me. Black wasn't his natural hair color.
But I couldn't quite determine the actual color because he kept moving around.
I knew 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.
"H-huh? What's wrong with it?" he asked defensively, his hand going to his hair.
"There's dirt," Keifer cut in, making me glance at him.
He shook his head slightly, as if telling me not to push the subject. I didn't understand why, but I went along anyway.
"Y-yeah. There's dirt," I said, forcing a smile.
I turned away from them and went back to my seat, my forehead creased in thought as I tried to make sense of it.
What's up with Yuri's hair?
I decided to let it go. Just then, Sir Alvin arrived, And of course, he scolded us for skipping class yesterday.
"It would've been fine if finals weren't coming up. Your absences wouldn't have been an issue. But it's risky now because the faculty is monitoring everything," he explained, and most of us bowed our heads.
"We're sorry, Sir. We'll make up for it," David said.
Sir sighed before starting the lesson. Ci-N and I exchanged looks, but it was clear he was teasing me.
It was like he was saying it was my fault we didn't attend class yesterday. I just rolled my eyes at him and focused on listening to Sir.
Wow. Actually listening.
The whole morning was spent "studying"—supposedly. We had to catch up on lessons, so the teachers just breezed through the material, leaving us to review on our own. This is where you see who's actually serious about learning.
By lunchtime, hardly anyone stood up—we were all drained. It wasn't just me whose brain felt wrung dry from the sudden pile of lessons.
"Lunch! Jay-jay, lunch!" Ci pleaded dramatically.
I wanted to kick him. He's the only one with energy between us, and now he wants me to buy his food.
"Lunch will be here in a moment," the king of the snakes announced.
Music to my ears.
Not his voice, mind you—the word "lunch." I couldn't care less about his voice or his accented English.
True to his word, our food arrived shortly after. A buffet!
The Snakes immediately went wild, scrambling like it was some grand birthday feast. I didn't let myself fall behind and elbowed my way in to grab some food.
I was about to return to my seat when I saw Yuri leave carrying his bag. I was about to follow him, but Keifer beat me to it. I watched them for a moment before realizing someone was stealing Shanghai rolls from my plate.
"Hey!" I snapped at Ci-N, but he'd already popped it in his mouth.
"Just one," he said with a grin, but when I looked at my plate, he'd taken them all.
I glared at him. I just decided to eat while waiting for Yuri to return. But Keifer was already back, and still, the president of the Shunga Lovers Club was nowhere in sight. The afternoon classes started and ended, and still, no redhead appeared.
"Jay-jay. Let's hang out!" the Brat suggested.
"I can't. My brother will scold me. I'm going straight home today," I said while packing my things.
"You also can't hang out. Or have you forgotten someone's threatening our lives?" David reminded Ci.
"Oh, right. Thanks for the reminder, Grandpa," he answered with a grin.
I chuckled a bit when David rolled his eyes at him. We all left almost at the same time, but I chose to lag behind so I could talk to the King of Snakes.
"Sweet. Are you waiting for me?" he teased when he noticed I was lingering.
"Yeah, I wanted to ask about Yuri."
His expression shifted instantly, but it was quickly replaced by a teasing grin.
"You're making me jealous."
I gave him a fake smile. "I'm so embarrassed for you."
"What?" he asked, confused.
I shook my head. He didn't know what I was thinking about Ella and Freya. It was better if he doesn't find out because it would probably just inflate his ego even more.
He'd definitely tease me about it again.
"I just want to know where he went. It's not like him to skip class."
"I skip class too, but you didn't worry," he said, and I almost flared up my nostrils in annoyance.
"This is serious."
"I am serious. Don't meddle in Yuri's business... please. I don't know if you could handle what you might find out about him," he said, taking my hand.
"That's not how it works. Yuri's my friend. He's always there for me, so I can't just turn my back on him," I said, pulling my hand away.
"You don't get it, Jay," there was a hint of warning in his voice. "Yuri is the most mysterious guy I know. What you see now is only half of what I know. Yet, even I still don't know the real him," he explained.
I couldn't help but feel annoyed. Why did it seem like he was badmouthing Yuri to me? He wanted me to avoid the person who never got tired of wiping my tears during those times when he wasn't around.
"You're being so vague. He's your friend too!"
"He is. He's my best friend, to be exact, but he'll ask for my help if he needs it." He took a deep breath. "Please, don't push it."
A tear fell from my eye on its own. I was upset because it felt like he had no intention of helping his friend. Yuri needed help — I could see it because he had given up in front of me multiple times.
"Fine, just so you'll calm down. I'll talk to him," he said, holding both my hands. "I'm worried too, but Yuri's a guy — he's not a baby."
I nodded. "O-okay. Thanks."
He forced a smile. He was about to hug me, but I quickly stepped back.
"We're not that..." I whispered.
"That what?" he asked.
"That fine."
He nodded slowly. "I see." He smiled sweetly. "I'll work hard for your forgiveness."
It was hard to believe that the Keifer I used to always argue and fight with was now standing in front of me, saying he'd work for my forgiveness.
DON'T SMILE! DON'T!
We walked toward the parking lot almost side by side. I could see Aries and Ella waiting for me by the car.
I approached them, but before the King of Snakes could pass our spot, he suddenly kissed my forehead and walked straight to his car.
"Y-you're crazy!" I shouted, but his car was already speeding off.
I glanced at Aries, who looked at me as if I were some awful woman, while Ella just stared at me seriously.
We got into the car in silence. The ride was quiet too. The car stopped briefly at a traffic light. I looked at the opposite road, where vehicles were crossing in front of us.
Their traffic light turned red, and it was our turn to go. But for some reason I couldn't understand, a car suddenly hit the front of Aries' car.
Ella screamed, and I was thrown forward like a bouncing ball. Aries' car tilted due to the strong impact and blocked the middle of the road. I clutched my head as a sudden pain shot through it.
People started to panic, with the other cars honking loudly.
"Is everyone okay?" Aries asked worriedly.
"I'm okay," Ella answered.
Before I could respond, I heard loud knocking on Aries' car door. When I looked up, I saw Keifer's worried face. He was signaling to unlock the door.
Aries quickly unlocked it, and Keifer opened the door beside me.
"Are you okay?" he asked immediately.
I was still holding my head. "I-it hurts."
He swiftly lifted me up and carried me out of the car. Suddenly, I was blinded by the light and felt dizzy.
"Where are you taking Jay-jay?" Aries shouted, but Keifer ignored him.
"David! Help him get the car out of the way!" Keifer said, but I couldn't see who he was talking to.
David's here too?
"I'm not your slave!" David complained, but I felt him move away from us.
Keifer set me down. When I forced my eyes open, I realized we were inside his car, but the door was still open.
"Here. Drink this," he said, handing me a bottle of water.
I took a small sip and gave it back to him. I leaned my head against the backrest, feeling his eyes on me.
"My head didn't even hit anything, but it suddenly started hurting," I explained.
"Sshh... just rest," he instructed, and I complied.
I kept my eyes closed for a few minutes until I could say I was okay. I was about to stand when Aries suddenly approached me.
"Hey... are you okay? Where does it hurt?" he asked rapidly, examining me.
"I'm fine—" Before I could finish, he hugged me tightly.
"I'll be more careful driving. Just please be okay," he said, his voice heavy with guilt.
How sweet, and yet he'll probably scold me later.
I hugged him back. "I'm really okay."
He pulled away and looked at me again. He forced a smile before helping me stand.
David and Keifer were talking to the police. I looked around and saw the parked cars. I was shocked to see that both David's and Keifer's cars were damaged.
"What happened?" I asked as Felix, Rory, Edrix, and Drew approached us.
"How's Jay? Are you okay?" Felix asked, and I nodded.
"Tsk! This was intentional," Edrix said, but Rory quickly shushed him as a police officer glanced our way.
I moved closer to them. "What do you mean intentional?"
"Three consecutive accidents on the same road, and someone was following David and Keifer before they crashed. Plus, they didn't seem to aim for full impact—it's like they were just trying to scare us," he explained.
"Where's the car that hit us? It's gone, right?" Rory added, and I looked around.
The car that hit Aries' car was indeed gone. Moreover, I clearly remembered that our traffic light was green, which meant the other side's light was red.
"Do you think this is Ram's group's doing?" I asked, my worry growing.
Edrix nodded. "He's the only one with a grudge against us right now. Plus, Ci-N and the others texted saying that someone was following them too."
I bit my lower lip. Their threats were getting more blatant. What hurt even more was that they involved Aries and Ella, who had nothing to do with this mess.
Aries was talking to the police when Kuya Angelo arrived. He asked about what happened, and he couldn't hide his disappointment as he looked at me.
I know. He didn't have to say it — I could feel that he blamed me too for what happened. And I did, too. I blamed myself for dragging others into this mess.
This is my fault.
"Almost everyone has responded. They said they're safe and that no one's following them," Felix said, holding his phone. "Yuri hasn't replied yet."
Hearing that made me even more anxious. Especially now, when Yuri was dealing with his own problems and was all alone. Something might've already happened to him.
I immediately approached Keifer, who had just finished talking to the police.
"Let's go see Yuri, please," I pleaded.
Confusion flickered across his face, but he nodded anyway. He spoke briefly with David, who also nodded back. Keifer then took my hand and led me to his car.
I heard Kuya Angelo call out to me, but I ignored him. The car started and sped off.
I kept biting my lip and picking at my nails, gripped by fear and unease. Yuri was alone right now—what if they decided to target him? I didn't even know if it was still safe at his building.
When we reached the underground parking of his building, I didn't wait for Keifer. I jumped out and headed straight for the elevator, pressing the button for the top floor. It wouldn't move at first, so I looked for the camera inside. I waved and showed my uniform.
I knew they had some sort of identification process, but Yuri had told me before that my name was already on their guest list. I shouldn't have any issues coming back.
Finally, the elevator started moving up. I waited several long minutes before I reached Yuri's place.
No one greeted me when I arrived — the house was dark and silent. I stepped inside, trying to remember where his room was. I was about to turn into a hallway when I ran into someone I least expected.
Freya…
My eyes went straight to her disheveled uniform—and the obvious absence of anything beneath it.
"W-what are you doing here?" I asked, stunned.
"I… uh… helping a friend?" she replied, grinning widely before walking past me.
I wanted to chase after her, but my priority was finding Yuri. So, despite my head was spinning, I kept walking. I reached his room, and my eyebrows shot up when I saw clothes scattered on the floor.
There was also a bra on the ground, making me frown. I suddenly remembered running into Freya. I wasn't born yesterday—I knew what had happened here.
So… was I worrying over nothing? While I was wondering if something bad had happened to him, he was here… busy with Freya.
My eyes scanned the room, landing on the empty boxes and bottles scattered across the floor. There was even a small torn packet with something red inside among the mess.
The bathroom door in Yuri's room opened, and out came the reason I had come all this way. He froze when he saw me.
"J-Jay," he stammered, towel-drying his newly-dyed hair. "I-I didn't know you were coming."
I let out a fake laugh. "I was so worried about you, Yuri, but it looks like I was worrying for nothing."
"Did something happen?"
"Yeah, there was. And apparently, something happened here, too."
He followed my gaze to the mess on his floor. He saw the Freya's bra lying among the scattered clothes and sighed.
"I can explain."
"Go ahead. While you're at it, explain why it feels like you're not being honest with me." My voice was calm, but firm.
Yuri quickly looked away.
What else don't I know about you?