Jay-jay's POV
WHY?!
Why didn't anyone tell me that the exam was this Saturday? Did they stick to not talking to me? They didn't even tell me the day of the exam.
I'm about to cry!
Aside from them not telling me, I also have no review. Is this the end for me?!
"Kuuuuyyyyaaaa... I haven't reviewed at all. Please!" I begged Kuya Angelo while following him.
Since I didn't have any review, I planned to make an excuse and pretend to be sick. But it didn't work!
I just asked him to call the school and tell them I was sick. And there we were, both insisting.
"...Kuuuuyyyyaaaa..."
He stopped walking and looked at me with a fierce expression. "Stop it! I'm not going to tolerate that behavior of yours!"
I hugged him, trying not to cry, while looking into his eyes. He didn't move, and his gaze stayed the same.
"Please... Just tell them I'll take it on Monday." I begged him.
"The retreat is on Monday." Aries suddenly chimed in as he passed by behind me.
I pulled away from Kuya and looked at him. Monday already? No way!
"So you really need to take the exam today." Kuya said and walked away from me.
T_T... I'm really going to cry now.
"That's what happens when you're lazy to go to school." Aries teased as he left the room.
Is it my fault? Those snakes made me mad. I didn't feel like going to school, and that lasted for a few days. They're the ones to blame for this.
R.I.P. to my grades. Frowning, I made my way to school.
I thought about using my bike, but I wasn't in the right state of mind — I might get into an accident.
When I got to school, the first person I saw was Calix. It looked like he had just walked Mica to school. He smiled at me, but that couldn't hide the bruise on the side of his lip.
He noticed right away that I was staring at it, so he quickly looked away and walked ahead into the room.
My feet felt heavy, but I had no choice but to keep walking.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Felix and Rory. They both smiled at me, but Felix winced from the cut on his lip. I also noticed the scratch on Rory's cheek.
I couldn't bring myself to return the smiles they were giving me. My worry got ahead of me. I was used to seeing them with bruises or wounds on their faces when they came to school, but thinking that they did this to each other made me sad.
It shouldn't be like this.
I walked into the room with slumped shoulders. You could hear a pin drop—it was so quiet. Some were talking, but their voices were barely above a whisper.
Ci-N smiled at me. I felt shy, so I forced a smile back, but it ended up looking more like a grimace. As I approached my seat, the "King" sat there with his head resting on his hand, looking gloomy. Yuri, on the other hand, was focused on his notes.
I wanted to review, but I knew nothing would really stick in my head. Still, I had to try. I let out a deep sigh and opened my bag. Just as I was about to grab my notes, I froze.
Why are there so many chocolates in here?
I glanced around the room, worried someone might see this and pounce on me.
I quickly tried to remember if my bag had somehow started producing chocolates on its own—then it hit me. Aunt Gema. I saw her earlier with a bag full of chocolates. She even mentioned it was good to snack on them while reviewing.
No wonder my bag was so heavy earlier.
I glanced at Ci-N. He was folding a piece of paper into an airplane.
Light bulb... 💡
I smiled widely while taking a chocolate from the bag.
"Ci-N!" I called out to him.
He faced me while holding the paper airplane.
I showed him the chocolate in my hand. He looked like a drooling dog.
It wasn't just him reacting like that, though—everyone else also looked at me and the chocolate I was holding.
"Is that for me?" he asked innocently.
"It's yours... If you answer my question." I said, but he suddenly turned away.
"No! I know what you're going to ask! I won't answer!" He yelled, not looking at me.
Pffftt... So frustrating!
But I wouldn't give up. I know your weaknesses, guys!
I looked at the others. They quickly looked away, even though they really wanted to ask for some.
Tss... You think I'll give up? Not happening!
I opened one chocolate. Slowly, I bit into it, squinting like I was in a commercial on TV.
"Shit... It's so good." I said, loud enough for them to hear. "...It melts in your mouth right away."
I looked at them, but they acted indifferent, even though some were almost biting their lips.
"...The sweetness that doesn't overwhelm." I added again. "...It's delicious, especially when you're reviewing." I looked at Yuri, who was staring at me.
I could see his Adam's apple moving up and down. He tried to look back at his notes.
Avoidance mode, huh?
I turned my gaze to Keifer's side. I wiped the part of my lips with my thumb, took another bite, and looked directly at him as if teasing.
"It's really good... Promise." I said in a low voice.
I could see the mix of irritation and envy in his expression. He looked away, but one hand was playing with his phone.
Avoidance mode...
I glanced at the others. One of them even wiped their mouth from all the drooling.
I heard my phone ring, so I quickly grabbed it. A text message had come in.
From: King Ulupong
Message: 'Stop it! It's not funny!'
Looks like he's getting annoyed. I looked at him, and our eyes met. His gaze was full of anger, like he was ready to pounce on me anytime.
Okay... Sorry.
I was about to reply, but suddenly, Ci-N jumped in front of me.
He looked like he was about to cry.
"I'll speak now... Just give me some." He pleaded.
I gave him a wide smile in return. I finished the chocolate I was holding.
I opened my bag and showed him what was inside. I made sure the others could see it too.
"See this?" I asked him.
He nodded while literal drool was dripping from his mouth.
Yuck!
"...Just answer my question, and all of this is yours."
He nodded again, but at the same time, the Ulupongs shouted at him.
"Don't, Ci-N!"
"Don't fall for it!"
"It's just chocolate! We can buy some!"
It seemed like Ci-N had gone deaf from all the chocolates in front of him. My ears almost clapped in joy.
"Tell me, Ci... Why were you guys fighting last time?" I asked.
He first glanced at Keifer and Yuri. Then, he motioned for me to come closer to him. I did, and he whispered.
"Keifer and Yuri fought. Of course, we each supported different sides, so we ended up clashing." He explained.
IT'S HAPPENING!
This is it. Section E is divided. It shouldn't be like this. I was filled with worry as I looked at all of them. Each of them was avoiding eye contact.
"W-what were they fighting about?"
Ci-N bit his lip and glanced at Keifer for a moment. When he looked back at me, he just shook his head.
I opened my bag further and brought it closer to him. His eyes were sparkling as he fought the urge to take some.
"B-because... What—"
"Shut your mouth, Ci-N!" Keifer interrupted him.
I glared at him. "Stay out of this!!"
I looked at Ci-N and saw the fear in his eyes. Along with that was the way he bit his lip, something he rarely did. I knew he was terrified of the King of the Pests, the Ulupongs.
"Damn it! Just speak up!" Mayo shouted, making all of us look at him.
"Shut up! Stop interfering!" Eren shouted back at him.
"You're just tormenting Ci-N!" Denzel interrupted.
"Don't get involved!" Kit yelled.
I just stood there, watching them argue. I couldn't understand—why was it so hard for them to tell me what happened?
I gestured for Ci-N to take the chocolates from my bag. He hesitated at first, but I smiled at him encouragingly. As soon as he grabbed them, he hurried back to his seat.
I looked at Keifer, who was now glaring at Mayo. Why was he so adamant about keeping this a secret?
Just then, Sir Alvin arrived with our test questionnaires. He didn't say a word—he could probably feel the tension in the room.
"Go back to your seats! Sir's here." David said, causing everyone to adjust their seats.
While taking the exam, I didn't focus on my answers. I kept thinking about their fight. Why won't they tell me? All those things.
The Ulupongs turned in their papers one by one. Instead of staying, they were getting their bags and leaving the room.
I felt left behind, so even though I didn't want to, I forced myself to write my answers and pass them to Sir.
"Ms. Mariano." Sir called out to me just as I was about to walk out of the room.
I turned to face him. "Yes?"
"The papers you need signed? Don't forget them on Monday."
I nodded and smiled. Great... That too, another headache.
When I left the room, they were all gone. It seemed like they went home so I couldn't confront them. I was forced to go home quickly. I tried texting Yuri and Keifer about it, but they didn't reply either.
I even texted the others, but got nothing in return.
I arrived home, and immediately, Aries and Ella greeted me.
I wasn't in the mood to face them, so I went straight to my room. I changed before lying down on the bed. I checked my inbox several times, hoping they would reply.
So frustrating! I heard a knock on the door, and it slowly opened.
I was facing away from it, so I couldn't see who it was. I thought it might be Kuya Angelo or Tita Gema.
"I'm fine with my exam. I just want to rest for now." I said without turning around.
"Your room is very simple."
I shot up from the bed. It wasn't Kuya Angelo or Tita Gema.
It was someone I never expected to walk into my room. I looked at her in surprise.
"W-what are you doing here?" I asked Ella.
She scanned the room first. Good thing I cleaned up recently. Her last glance landed on me.
"I just wanted to talk to you." She said straight out. "...Can I look around?"
I nodded, letting her do whatever. There's nothing impressive in my room.
There's no design or anything pleasant to look at.
"So you're with Keifer now." She said while looking at my study table.
I didn't answer, but I kept my eyes on her.
What does she want?!
"...What about Yuri?"
I couldn't help but laugh slightly. I knew it. This is all about Yuri and Keifer.
The two guys who became part of her past in Section E.
"What about Yuri?" I asked, bored.
"You don't like him, so why are you still planning to marry him?"
I raised an eyebrow. "You should tell that to him. Not to me."
"I know Yuri." She said, grabbing the ring box on the table. "...He's still hoping."
She put it down and walked around in front of me.
"...And he wouldn't be hoping if you didn't give him hope."
Nice...
This girl is really getting on my nerves! What exactly is she trying to say?
"Oh?"
"Stop messing with Yuri. You're just hurting him." She ordered me.
I stood up from the bed and glared at her.
"Look who's talking. You've hurt him too, remember?"
Ella matched my glare. Just by looking at her, I could tell she wasn't backing down.
"You don't know what exactly happened. So you don't have the right to talk to me like that!"
"Same to me. So don't talk to me like that either."
I walked towards the door and opened it. But it wasn't for me, it was for her.
"You can leave now."
She looked at me one last time before walking out the door. I was about to close it, but she spoke, making me stop.
"You'll regret being with Keifer. Trust me... I've been there."
What the...?
"Ella!" Aries' voice called.
Ella walked away. I closed my room door and sat at the edge of the bed.
What did she mean by that? And why is she interfering? What business does she have with us?
Aries is with her, so she should just focus on him. Because of what she said, my thoughts just kept piling up. I didn't even realize it was already afternoon, and it was getting dark outside.
I went out of my room to get some water. I ran into Kuya, who was all dressed up.
"Why aren't you dressed yet?" He asked me.
I looked at him in confusion. "W-why?"
"We have a dinner date with the Peraltas."
Is it already time for that?
I quickly went back to my room to get ready. I picked out some nice clothes, something a bit formal.
I went straight to the living room, where Kuya Angelo and Tita Gema were already waiting. Tito Julz wasn't there because he was still working. Aries didn't want to come along.
Tita Gema fixed my hair quickly, and we rushed out. We were late, of course, because of me. She said we were going to eat at a Chinese restaurant.
Ci-N's looking fierce!
"How was the exam, Jay?" Kuya asked while driving.
I looked out the window. How am I supposed to tell him I couldn't answer any of it properly?
"O-okay..." I replied.
Kuya didn't ask any more questions, nor did Tita. They probably accepted my answer.
Kuya parked at the Chinese restaurant. The first person I saw was Ci-N, standing at the entrance. He greeted me with a wide smile.
"Good evening, Mr. Fernandez." Ci-N's uncle greeted Kuya Angelo.
They shook hands briefly. The same thing happened with Tita Gema, but when it came to me, he just gave me a bad look.
I'm going to poke your EYE!
"Let's go inside." He invited us.
I walked alongside Ci-N, holding his arm and purposely lagging behind. He still owed me a lot of answers.
Now that Keifer wasn't here, there was nothing for him to be afraid of when it came to answering.
Bwahahaha...
"Hey... You owe me a lot." I whispered to him.
He suddenly became serious. He stopped walking and looked at me.
"Jay... I don't want to talk about it. It shouldn't come from me." He took my hand. "...But please, forgive me."
Forgive?
"What... are you talking about?"
"We've done you a great wrong-a huge one."
He didn't speak further. Even though I wanted to ask, I couldn't. It just added to my worries.
A wrong? What could they possibly have done to me?