Jay-jay's POV
Our province is simple. There are areas with houses and areas with fields. Unlike the city, where vehicles are packed tightly together, walking or biking is more common here.
When I was old enough to understand things—based on what I remember—we had only a few neighbors. Our house, Mama's and mine, was unfinished. There was a room meant for me and Mama.
There was a big tree near us, and I often climbed it with Aries.
Then, that incident happened—the one I supposedly couldn't remember. After being discharged from the hospital, I moved in with Grandma. It was a bigger house, old and Spanish-style, but sturdy.
I was enrolled in a public school, but my student life there wasn't great. I kept getting into fights, so I was transferred to a private school.
They thought—and I also thought—that I would do well at Holy Saints.
I became popular, not because of my looks, but because I was always getting into fights. I had no friends. My classmates were either scared of me or just being fake because they had something to gain from me.
I was in the Guidance office almost every day. They called Grandma daily, but when she got tired of it, she started sending Kuya Angelo instead. Even though he was in the city, he would come home just to deal with me at school.
That's when I got scared of him!
Then Cyrus came along. He courted me even though it was obvious we didn't like each other. He just used my popularity. Since I had nothing better to do, I said yes to him, not knowing that would trigger the real problem.
He was crazy!
He took my place on the throne. Became the school's top bully and thought he was untouchable. Then the unexpected happened—I hurt him unintentionally. Grandma had a heart attack and almost died.
That became the reason why my Aunt and Uncle took me in. I left all the painful memories behind in this province.
I never expected to come back so soon. So soon? I was hoping it would be at least 3-5 years later.
"We're almost at the camping site..." Sir Alvin announced over the bus microphone.
Some of the sleeping students woke up and stretched. Others yawned and tried to go back to sleep.
Good thing we finally had our own bus. We thought we would have to squeeze in with another section again.
I hated that!
I glanced at the seat across from me. Keifer was staring at me, but I just looked away. I was still mad at them.
But that wasn't the real reason I was avoiding him. Even back at school, I couldn't sit still until we arrived in the province.
I didn't want them to notice, so I kept my distance. I also chose to sit at the back, away from everyone else.
I could already see the places I used to visit. We had now reached the forested area. We passed through an old gate with a sign that read:
Camp is Rock.
Huh?!
Don't the people in charge here have any originality? They should just remove the 'is'—this is already the title of a movie I watched.
The bus stopped, and we all got off with our belongings. Looks like our organizer planned a nature trip for us.
I've been to this place before, but it wasn't developed yet. We used to hang out here and drink. But we got kicked out by the landowner because, apparently, there were a lot of snakes around.
What if there are still snakes here?
Just as I expected, my batchmates' dramatic sides started showing.
Who in their right mind would go on a retreat wearing heels?
Freya!
That girl is so clueless. Her heels were ridiculously high, as if we were going to the mall. So extra!
"Over here, everyone!" the organizer called out using a megaphone.
We lined up in front of a hall, sorted by section. From where we stood, I saw Aries looking at me. I knew that he knew I wasn't happy about coming back to the province.
The organizer explained something, but I wasn't paying attention—I was lost in thought.
"...You'll find your section's flag, and that will be your camping site," he added, signaling us to get moving.
None of us Ulupong moved. No one seemed eager to find our camping site.
"Where's ours?" Blaster asked.
David pointed to a separate path, away from the others. A bad feeling suddenly hit me. Our camping site's location felt… off.
Even though we had no enthusiasm—led by me—we forced ourselves to go find our camping site.
Our disappointment was massive when we saw the place. It was filthy! A mess! It looked like non-humans had camped here!
Aliens, maybe?!
Not far away, tall grass was visible. Damn… what if there are snakes in there?
"Is this really our spot?" Felix asked, kicking a burnt can on the ground. "...Does the organizer have a grudge against us?"
I wanted to ask that too. It really felt like we weren't part of this retreat. That's why Rory was complaining earlier—because apparently, we weren't included in the budget.
"This place looks small for us," Eman said as he walked around.
I scanned the area. He was right! It was too small for 17 people to set up their own tents.
The organizer definitely had it out for us!
"We're already here... There's nothing we can do," Denzel said as he started cleaning up one spot. "...Let's just set up our things."
The others followed his lead. They put down their belongings first and started setting up their tents. I was about to place mine next to Ci-N's when suddenly, someone grabbed my bag.
"Hey!" I shouted at Keifer.
He suddenly dropped down my bag and quickly opened it. He even took out the tent parts and started assembling them.
"What are you doing?" I asked, annoyed.
"Laundry," he answered sarcastically. "...Are you blind?"
I scratched my head in frustration. This king is annoying me early in the day! I had no choice but to move closer and help him.
After all the tents were set up, I finally realized that mine was placed right next to his.
So that's why he put me here!
I went inside my tent and started organizing my stuff—pillow, blanket, a small lamp, and of course… Snorlax.
I couldn't leave him behind, even though stuffing him into my big bag was a struggle. As I was fixing my things, my eyes landed on an envelope inside my bag.
Tsk! The document I need to get signed!
I made sure all my things were in order before closing my tent.
Holding the envelope, I turned to face Keifer.
"I-I'm going out for a bit," I told him.
"Where are you going?" Yuri asked.
"T-to my old school... I need to get this signed." I answered awkwardly.
"I'll go with you," Ci volunteered, but I quickly shook my head.
"It's okay... I'll go alone. I won't be long."
I didn't wait for them to say anything else. I immediately walked away.
I saw Sir Alvin talking to the organizer, so I approached him and quickly asked for permission. Since he already knew about this, he just let me go.
I walked out of the old gate and waited for a jeepney. The school was quite far from here.
Luckily, I didn't have to wait long before one passed by. As soon as I got on, a few students wearing Holy Saints uniforms looked at me.
Looks like they still remember me.
The jeepney stopped at the tricycle terminal. I hopped on and immediately told the driver my destination.
With every turn of the tricycle's wheels, my anxiety grew. It felt like I was heading toward my own death. It sounds dramatic, but that's really how I felt.
When the tricycle stopped in front of the gate—déjà vu! It felt like I had already been through this before. It was just so weird.
I walked up to the guardhouse and told them my purpose. The security guard was new, so he didn't recognize me. I wasn't sure if that was good news for me or not.
The guard signaled me to go inside. It was class time, so no students were loitering around.
But I wasn't able to avoid the janitor.
"Jay-jay?" he asked, squinting at me with his blurry vision. "...Is that really you?"
No, sir! Just a hologram!
I walked up to him and forced a smile. I felt embarrassed—let's just say I used to be one of the students who disrespected him. But not once did he ever get mad at me.
"H-how have you been, Manong?"
"It is you!" he said in surprise, throwing the towel he was holding over his shoulder. He looked around before asking, "...Why are you here? Are you enrolling again?"
"N-no... I just need to get something signed at the Guidance Office."
He smiled at me, the same smile he used to give me whenever I yelled at him.
"A lot has happened since you left."
I chuckled a little. "Well, the troublemaker disappeared."
He laughed loudly. "More like all the troublemakers came out! The ones who were scared of you before? They're ruling the school now!"
I scratched the back of my head. Damn it! I actually expected the school to be more peaceful after I left. But it looks like things only got worse.
"...Alright then, I should get back to work. Take care! I'm happy to see you again."
Before he could grab his broom, I held onto his arm.
He looked at me, confused, but I was serious.
"Manong... I-I just want to... apologize for everything I did to you before," I said.
It felt so heavy saying those words. Not because I didn't mean them, but because the word sorry wasn't enough for everything I put him through.
He smiled again. "It's all good, Iha..."
That was all he said, but just like that, the weight in my chest disappeared. It felt like a thorn had been pulled from me.
I smiled before letting go—a smile that wasn't forced, but genuine.
That encounter with Manong gave me the courage to walk straight to the Guidance Office.
But of course, just my luck—the school bell rang, and the whole swarm of my former classmates and schoolmates poured out.
Shutanginames!
Shock. Confusion. Annoyance. Those were some of their reactions.
"Is that Jay-jay?"
"Bro! It's Jay..."
"Did she get prettier?"
"Idiot! She might beat you up!"
"What the..."
"Why is she here?"
They all murmured among themselves. I quickened my pace toward the Guidance Office. It was located in the second-largest building in this school.
But before I could get there, I had to pass by the cafeteria—where half of the school's population was.
For fck's sake!*
I should've worn my headset first. Annoying! Now I'm going to hear all kinds of comments again.
As I walked, I saw a lot of familiar faces. People I either fought with, bullied, or shared a class with—back when Cyrus and I were classmates.
Speaking of Cyrus, I heard he was back in school. I wasn't sure when exactly, but Kuya Angelo was the one who told me. That's why I was also nervous because of him.
"Look who's here!" a familiar voice shouted.
I stopped walking and turned slightly in their direction. Just one of the many people I had fought with here.
"...You've got some nerve coming back here! After what you did to Papa Cyrus!"
I raised an eyebrow. Papa Cyrus? Are you his child? Since when?
Her accent was thick, probably because she grew up abroad. It sounded more like she meant Papa as in Father, rather than Papa in a flirtatious way.
Honestly, I had already forgotten her name!
"...You still have such an annoying face! Do you even realize that?!"
I shot her an irritated look but tried not to show it. Just like I always did whenever she confronted me.
"And how is that my problem?"
A loud burst of laughter erupted from the other students. It wasn't even funny, but I guess they laughed because, even after all this time, I was still giving her the same response—and she still couldn't come up with a comeback.
I continued walking.
I reached the building where the Guidance Office was. It was on the second floor, so I hurried up the stairs.
I just wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible.
Standing in front of the office door, I hesitated for a moment before knocking. I tightened my grip on the brown envelope I was holding.
You got this, Jay!
It's just a quick signature. Then I can leave. Fast, no trouble.
I knocked on the door. It opened, and the Guidance Counselor was the first thing I saw.
Miss you, Ma'am! Hehehe.
"Ms. Mariano? Right?" she asked.
"Y-yes."
My heart did a little flip. She remembered me! Well, I did spend almost every day in the Guidance Office, so of course, she wouldn't forget me.
"Do you need something?"
"Hmmm... I just need this signed, please." I said, handing her the brown envelope.
She chuckled slightly, making me wonder why.
Did I say something funny?
She took the envelope and looked through it.
"You're so polite now... Back then, you used to yell at me like we were the same age." she said with an annoyingly teasing smile.
Oh, sht!*
So she remembered that too. How embarrassing!
I scratched the back of my head, forcing a smile, but it ended up looking more like a grimace.
After reading through the papers, she handed them back to me.
"Let's talk about this. Come inside my office and wait for me. I just need to speak with someone."
I did as she said.
The Guidance Office had two rooms—one for her actual office and another for counseling sessions with students or parents.
Nothing has changed.
That thought made me smile. I had memorized every corner of this place.
But the moment I stepped into Ma'am's office, my smile instantly disappeared.
Because of the person I found inside.
"What the..." I mumbled.
He was looking straight at me.
"Nice to see you here." A slow smile formed on his lips.
"...Jay-jay."
"C-Cyrus."