Jay-jay's POV
When I first met Freya, I hated her with all my heart. Why? It's simple... She always matched my sass. If we had talked properly, maybe there would've been a chance for us to become friends.
I would've accepted her even though she looked like a coloring book and had a record of being a Total Bitch.
But because we were both too proud, there was no way we would get along.
I thought Freya was the worst of them all, but I was wrong. I was so wrong. Especially when I met this woman!
I feel like Yuri's parents did this on purpose—no, scratch that! Let's remove the word "feel" because they definitely did this on purpose.
Sharing the table with us? Oh, come on!
They had their own celebration, yet they want to share our table? Is that a joke?! The woman with Keifer looked even more like a joke. She was clinging to his arm like it was her lifeline.
They were dressed so formally, too.
I think this woman's Freya's friend! She looked like a coloring book too. It was so weird because she seemed familiar to me. I couldn't remember where the hell I'd seen her before.
IMPAKTA!
I looked at Yuri's mom. She was staring at me, but when she noticed that I saw her, she smiled.
Of course, she saw me and Keifer together before. Maybe that's why they invited them here.
What does she even want to happen?
"Miss..." Yuri's dad called to the woman, the one who was clinging to Keifer. "...How did you and Keifer meet?"
The woman smiled. "That's a great question." She lightly nudged Keifer. "...Would you like to tell them how?"
Oh my god! She's doing that!
The PESTENG King of Snakes coughed lightly. "I met her at a Halloween party last year..."
Halloween? Holy cow, that slutty Bunny Girl who danced with him! I remember now! No wonder I've always hated her!
He continued with his story, and it turns out, he only recently found out that this woman was Mr. Ryder's niece. And her name was even more infuriating... Honey Bee Ryder.
Nice! But why is she here?!
There was so much food in front of us, but I had no appetite. I completely lost my appetite because of this woman's face. The other thing that annoyed me was that Keifer wasn't even looking at me, that bastard. And on top of that, Yuri and his mom were obviously observing me.
What do they want?
"Maki... Open your mouth." The woman said while trying to feed the bastard.
What did she say? Maki?! Maki! MAKI!!! Where the hell did that damn Maki come from?!
"Maki?!" I asked, louder than I intended, making them all look at me.
Honey—or should I say, Bee—raised an eyebrow at me. "It's my nickname for Keifer. I gave it to him! Is there a problem with that?" she asked, her voice all high and annoying.
I looked at Keifer, but there was no reaction from him—he just stared at me blankly.
What the hell? Why aren't you doing anything? Don't you have anything to say?!
"N-no..." I muttered, grabbing the bread knife next to the other utensils.
Could this cut through a neck? Or maybe if I threw it, would it pierce the skin?
Maybe I could... Try it on Honey, she looks like a Bee!
I looked down at my plate when suddenly some potatoes were placed in front of me. When I looked up, it was Yuri.
"Why did you—"
"It's your favorite, right?" He cut me off.
He still remembered that. The last time we had dinner at home with Lola, I asked him for potatoes.
"Thank you..." I said, forcing a smile.
The weight of our conversation earlier still hadn't gone away, but my irritation with these two was becoming more dominant.
He smiled back at me.
"What are you two to each other?" Honey suddenly asked us.
I was caught off guard by her question. I didn't know how to answer. The worst part was that Kuya and Yuri's parents were also looking at me, all waiting for my answer.
Wait! Why me?!
Even Keigan and his girlfriend looked at us.
"W-well... W-we're—" Before I could continue, Yuri suddenly grabbed my hand.
I looked at him, and he smiled at me meaningfully.
"We're more than friends but less than lovers." Yuri answered while smiling at Keifer and the woman.
Yuri's parents and Keigan chuckled, but Kuya and Keifer still had serious faces.
"What's that? No official relationship?" Honey asked again.
Yuri laughed. What was that? What does 'More than friends but less than lovers' even mean? I've never heard of such a relationship before.
"...I understand. Some really don't want an official relationship. Like Maki, he doesn't want to make it official with me." She said, as she rubbed the shoulder of that DAMN King.
My ears rang at what she said. He doesn't want an official relationship with her? Well, no wonder! You don't even look like you take anything seriously. And you expect something official?
Your outfit barely even counts as clothing! And you expect commitment?! Unbelievable! I should shave your head.
A male waiter approached us, carrying a cake. Keigan stood up to take the cake and place it in front of Elixera. We all started singing "Happy Birthday," clapping along.
While the others were busy singing, I took the opportunity to look at Keifer. Thankfully, he was looking at me too.
I glared at him. I really wanted to shout at him and curse him out. He should be thankful we're surrounded by people. It looked like he understood what I wanted to say because he scratched the back of his head and tried to force a smile, which looked more like a grimace.
"🎶...Happy Birthday to you!🎶" We finished singing and waited for Elixera to blow out the candles.
We gave her a loud round of applause. Everyone went back to chatting and laughing.
But me? I went back to burning holes through Keifer and Honey Bee with my glare.
I was so irritated by their faces. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I grabbed my phone. I almost crushed my phone screen just typing a message. But I ended up deleting it and only sent an angry emoji instead.
I waited for him to pick up his phone and read the message. I didn't have to wait long because he did pick it up and even glanced at me before replying.
From: King Ulupong
Message: 'I love you... 😚'
Did he really think I'd get flustered over that message? I quickly replied.
To: King Ulupong
Message: 'Idiot!'
I saw his forehead crease when he read my reply. It wasn't even a second before I received his response.
From: King Ulupong
Message: 'Profanity!'
I raised an eyebrow. He really had the audacity to demand that? Unbelievable!
To: King Ulupong
Message: 'Your face is profanity!'
He kept looking back and forth between me and his phone. While he was typing a reply, suddenly Honey grabbed his phone and turned it off.
She placed it on the table without even a word of protest from this idiot!
Honey turned to him, looking pissed, and held his chin with one finger.
"I want your full attention on me. Only me." she said, bringing her face closer to Keifer's.
Seriously?! I'm ready with the bread knife!
Keifer also held her chin. This snake is so flirtatious! He ran the back of his finger down Honey's cheek and shoulder. They were both clearly enjoying it, almost like they were getting tickled.
Enough! What is this idiot doing?!
I felt like my chest was going to burst, I was so irritated.
Suddenly, someone grabbed my hand. I was a little surprised, but I calmed down when I saw it was Yuri. The awkwardness was still there, though.
He leaned in a little closer and whispered. "Jealous?"
I immediately shook my head. "I'm just irritated by their faces."
"That's part of jealousy," he said, looking toward Keifer. "...Wouldn't it feel great to get back at them?"
I don't know why, but what he said was tempting. It's true... It would feel so good to get back at them, and make them squirm.
I slowly nodded. Yuri leaned in even closer and whispered in my ear.
"Giggle."
Huh?!
"What? Goggle?" I asked, and he suddenly laughed.
That caught the attention of Keifer and Keigan, who were close by.
"Is that Mr. Billiones?" Yuri's dad suddenly said while looking at a group of businessmen because of their attire. "...Come on Angelo. We'll introduce you." Kuya and Yuri's parents stood up and walked over to the businessmen's group.
The six of us were left at the table, and I was almost taken aback by the way Keifer looked at me.
It felt like Yuri and I would melt under his gaze.
Oh, now you're paying attention?!
"You're Jay-jay, right?" Honey asked me. I just nodded. "...You look very familiar to me."
Uh-oh!
Maybe she'll remember that I was with this one at the Halloween Party. She can't remember! I know she saw the... No answer to the question of why you're important...
"Impossible! My beauty is unique. It's hard to find." I said and laughed lightly.
His eyebrows raised. "Really? Where exactly can people like you be found? At the market?"
My eyes narrowed at what he said. The market?! What does she mean by that?
"Excuse me?!"
"You're excused." He replied, smiling smugly at me.
Oh, she was definitely challenging me. Hang on — I just need to sharpen this bread knife.
Bitch Mode: ON!
"What about you? Where can someone like you be found?" I asked.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Yuri take a sip of water while Keifer loosened his tie. Elixera and Keigan exchanged looks.
The idiot flipped her hair before answering. "It's hard to find someone like me. I'm one of a kind."
I nodded slowly. "Ahh... Isn't that at the Gay Bar?"
His brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"You kinda look like a gay guy."
Suddenly, everyone except Honey and I laughed. Just by looking at him, it was clear this idiot wouldn't back down.
She laughed in a fake way to join in with their laughter. "Ha.Ha.Ha. You're so funny."
I mimicked her tone. "Ha.Ha.Ha. You're so ugly."
Her eyebrows finally met in fury. She was seconds away from exploding. She might lunge at me any moment, and I needed my bread knife ready.
"...I mean, funny." I corrected myself.
"You know what?" She crossed her arms, causing her chest to puff up. "...I don't like your tone. In fact, I don't like you at all."
I also crossed my arms, but there was no chest puffing—my cleavage was hidden!
"It's okay... I don't like you either, and the feeling is mutual." I replied and smiled annoyingly.
She just shook his head. "This makes no sense."
"You make no sense."
She was starting to turn red with anger. Her bad look towards me was unrelenting.
"Relax... Please... Don't make a scene here." Keigan said.
Honey seemed to snap out of it. She took a deep breath and stood up.
"I'll go to the restroom." She said and looked at Keifer. "...Wanna join me?"
Join?! Join me ah!
I glared at Keifer. He was lucky I didn't throw my eyeballs at him. " Try standing up from that chair! Believe me, that will be the last time you ever stand!" I threatened.
I saw his Adam's apple bob up and down. It seemed like he got my message and decided to stay put. Honey walked off toward the restroom, clearly annoyed.
I don't know... But I'm still not satisfied. I feel like our exchange isn't over yet.
I stood up and excused myself to go to the restroom. No one stopped me, even though Yuri really wanted to. It seemed like he got scared when I glared at him.
I walked straight toward the restroom. Just as I expected, she was facing the mirror, retouching, and it seemed like she was waiting for me.
I looked at her reflection in the mirror. She did the same thing.
She stopped, and it seemed like the women inside the restroom felt something. They voluntarily walked out, and some didn't continue entering the cubicle.
We waited for the people to leave before she spoke. "I remember you now." SHe said and turned to face me. "...You're the girl who was with Keifer at the Halloween party. You were also the one he kissed that night."
I crossed my arms. "So what?"
She smirked. "You and the guy you were with earlier, right? Then there's Keifer too. You're such a flirt."
"Yeah! Just like you."
She looked me up and down. His eyebrows raised when she saw my shoes. I know, it looks tacky—wearing a dress with shoes.
"You're not that pretty, but if flirting was a sport, you 'd probably run out of men," she said, making my blood boil. Her words hit too close to home, reminding me of the cruel things people used to say about my mom.
"What? No comeback?" she teased, thinking she had won. "Because you know I'm right—Argh!"
My vision went dark with rage, and before I knew it, my fist flew.
"What the fvck?!" she screamed, clutching her nose as blood trickled down.
I didn't want to hurt anyone or get into a physical confrontation, but this woman really pushed me to the limit. For the first time... I lost in the battle of words.
All because of the words I once heard people throw at my Mama.
Running out of guys.
Honey's hands were shaking as she tried to wash the blood off her nose in the sink.
I walked out of the restroom, my heart full of anger. I was already in the hallway when I saw Keifer.
He looked at me and immediately walked toward me. He grabbed my arm and pushed me against the wall. He smiled as he slowly pressed his palms to trap me.
"How's your conversation with Honey?" He asked, which annoyed me. It sounded like "Honey" wasn't even a name when it came out of his mouth.
"What's it to you?!" I snapped.
He chuckled lightly. "Are you jealous?"
ME?! JEALOUS?! AND WHY?!
"No." I answered calmly.
"You're jealous."
"No, I'm not."
"You're jealous." He repeated.
I immediately pushed him hard. He was surprised at first but quickly regained his balance.
"Fvck! I am not! Can't you understand?!" I yelled at him angrily.
It really wasn't true!
He raised two of his fingers. I thought he was doing a peace sign, but I noticed his mischievous smile.
"Two profanity words—actually, it's three from yesterday." He corrected.
I smacked his hand away. "Your face is profanity! You kissed yesterday! Plus, you smoked, I tasted it." I moved closer to him to sniff. "...And you smell like cigarettes now!"
He sniffed himself. "I didn't smoke! It was Honey, the smell just stuck to me."
I squinted my eyes at him. "Are you still lying? Go get kissed by YOUR HONEY!" I yelled at him and walked away.
"And you're saying you're not jealous." I heard him say.
I really wasn't!
It's stupid! I have no reason to be jealous. Why would I be? Because I love him, and he says he loves me too? Pffft... No way!
When I returned to our table, Kuya and Yuri's parents were already back. They looked at me for a moment before going back to their conversation. It seemed like they agreed on who they introduced to Kuya Angelo.
"Did everything go well in the restroom?" Yuri asked me.
If only you knew!
I just nodded in response. While listening to their conversation, I saw Keifer helping Honey back to our table.
"Oh my... What happened?" Yuri's mom asked, worried, looking at Honey.
I punched her!
Honey couldn't answer because she was struggling to speak. It looked like my punch did more damage than I thought.
"Sorry Auntie and Uncle, but we have to go now. I need to take Honey to the hospital." Keifer said, giving them a kiss on the cheek.
"It's better that way,she should get checked out." They replied.
He asked Keigan, and it looked like they were leaving too. They said their goodbyes to me and walked out of the restaurant.
Before they completely disappeared from sight, I saw Honey smirking and holding on to Keifer's arm again.
This Keifer better watch out!