Jay-jay's POV
"Shit!" one of them shouted after I punched him.
I forced myself to fight—wrong!—I tried to fight, even though, in reality, my body was in no condition to do so.
There were only five of them, but I had been struggling to keep up. I didn't know why, but it felt like I was no longer the Jay-jay who could fight anytime, anywhere.
Facing Cyrus now made my whole body weak. He was just standing there, looking at me, but it felt like every glance of his was draining my strength.
What the hell do they want?
"Still the same... You still punch hard." one of them said while wiping the blood from his lip.
Students were already watching us. Even worse, the teachers were just standing there, spectating like the rest.
They really dragged me all the way to the field. For what? To humiliate me? What exactly do they want?
Damn it!
"Cyrus... Please... I don't want trouble." I pleaded, but he just kept staring at me. "...What do you want?"
He crossed his arms and let out a small laugh. "It's simple, Jay. I just want you to experience the same suffering I did."
I was about to open my mouth to respond when, out of nowhere, something hard struck the back of my thigh.
"Ugh!" I cried out as my body collapsed to the ground.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I clutched my leg. I turned to see one of Cyrus's friends holding a thick wooden plank.
Shit! This feels worse than hazing!
"Hurts, doesn'nt it?" Cyrus asked with a smirk. "...That's not enough."
Another blow landed—this time on my arm. I gasped in pain. I couldn't stop the tears from falling anymore.
"Jay looks so pitiful!"
"Serves them right!"
"Cyrus is such an asshole!"
"Someone help Jay!"
Mixed reactions from the crowd. But no one was going to help me—I knew that.
Who would even want to help someone like me?
I was starting to regret not texting or calling Keifer or anyone else. But even if I had, they wouldn't know how to get here.
And I didn't want to add more trouble to our section.
Whatever. Batman, take the wheel.
I forced myself to stand up, clutching my arm where they had struck me. I could feel the tremors in my muscles.
"Damn! She can still stand!" one of them said, laughing.
"Leave Jay-jay alone." A voice called out from a short distance.
Shit! Manong, stay out of this!
"Want us to hit you with this instead?" one of them threatened.
Manong didn't flinch. He looked at me with sympathy. I shook my head at him, silently telling him not to interfere.
I turned to Cyrus, and he was smiling at me.
Another hit landed on my other thigh. This time, my knees finally gave out, and I fell.
The students erupted into shouts.
Damn it!
Why can't I fight back? Why do I feel like a coward? And why now, of all times?!
I tried to stand up, but then I saw someone approaching me. He stopped right in front of me while I was still crouched down. Suddenly, he stomped on my hand, which was pressed against the grass.
I bit my lip to keep from screaming in pain. I refused to give him what he wanted—to see me suffer. If I did, it would be like admitting defeat, like surrendering to him.
I won't do that!
"Still tough, huh! You really won't give up!" Cyrus sneered, and his friends laughed along with him.
Out of nowhere, a kick landed on my stomach, sending me flat on my back. I curled up in pain.
"C-Cy..." I whispered, looking up at him and his group of laughing friends.
Did I really hurt him so badly that he had to do this to me?
He was hospitalized, sure, but...
Wrong question! What I should be asking is—was there really no forgiveness for what I did?
But then again, Cyrus never knew how to forgive. No matter how many times I apologized, it would never mean anything to him.
"Argh!" I screamed as two more kicks hit my stomach.
I don't think I can take this anymore. My whole body was trembling from the pain. I couldn't even move.
Please... someone help me.
"Cry all you want. No one will help you," Cyrus taunted with a grin.
Please...
"Should we just finish her off?" one of his friends asked.
"Not yet... I'm still enjoying this," Cyrus replied and suddenly he kicked my leg again.
It wasn't as hard as the previous hits, but I still gasped in pain.
Keifer!
"Get her up," he ordered his friends.
They grabbed me by the arms and forced me to stand. My body refused to cooperate, so they had to bear my full weight. Tears kept falling from my eyes—not just from the pain but from the sheer helplessness I felt.
He slapped me hard across the face. My body was already in so much pain that I barely even registered the sting.
"So tough!" one of them holding me commented.
What's your definition of 'tough'?
I was weak—completely drained, like a wilted vegetable. Was that what they called 'tough'?
I saw Cyrus clench his fist, readying it for a punch. I closed my eyes and braced myself for the impact.
Seconds passed, but the punch never came. Maybe my body had gone completely numb from the beating.
I slowly opened my eyes—and then I saw the real reason why I didn't feel his punch.
It never landed.
Someone had stopped him!
I blinked, wondering if I was just seeing things.
How...
Someone was holding onto Cy's fist—and that hand belonged to... Keifer?
There was also another hand gripping his collar—that one belonged to... Yuri?
I blinked multiple times, making sure I wasn't just imagining things. But no, it was really them! And it seemed like they weren't alone either. I noticed the Ulupong surrounding us.
The ones holding me suddenly let go. Since my knees were still weak and I couldn't stand properly, I was about to collapse—but before that could happen, David caught me and helped me stay upright.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
I only gave him a small nod in response before shifting my gaze back to Cyrus.
"Let me go!" Cyrus shouted, but neither Yuri nor Keifer budged.
"Cyrus Velasco?" Yuri asked.
"What do you want?!" Cyrus snapped in annoyance.
Yuri smiled. He smiled? But why?
There was nothing strange about his smile—it was just his usual, natural smile, the same one he always gave to others... and to me.
"We've finally met," Yuri said.
I turned to David, completely confused.
"W-what's happening? H-how did you guys get here?" I asked him.
David smiled at me. "Ask your little friend here."
And right on cue, Ci-N suddenly appeared from behind him.
"Hi, Jay! Sorry we took so long!" he greeted me with a bright smile.
I don't know why, but he seemed extra hyper right now. He was grinning from ear to ear, fidgeting nonstop. He only acted like this when he was about to do something exciting.
"Ci... H-how did you—how did you get here?"
"We just asked Sir, then we asked the staff at Camp is Rock how to get here."
I nodded, finally understanding what he meant.
"Let go of me! What the fvck do you want from me?! And who the fvcking hell are you?!" Cyrus yelled, struggling against Keifer and Yuri's grip.
"I'm Yuri Hanamitchi!" Yuri introduced himself with a grin.
"Mark Keifer Watson," Keifer said seriously. "...And we're just here to make you pay for what you did to Jay-jay!"
Without warning, he punched Cyrus hard in the stomach. The impact was so strong that Cy's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Before he could collapse onto the grass, Yuri grabbed him and forced him to stand.
"Nice to fvcking meet you," Yuri added before punching Cyrus in the stomach as well.
This time, they let him fall to the ground, writhing in pain.
"Who the hell are those guys?!"
"Shit! They're so handsome!"
"I think they know Jay!"
"They're so good-looking!"
"The one with red hair is so hot!"
"The little one is adorable!"
"Who's the guy holding Jay?"
"Aaaayyy... I wish I were Jay!"
"Do you want to get beaten up by Cyrus too?"
"Idiot! I just want to be surrounded by handsome guys!"
It was only then that I remembered—we still had an entire audience watching us. I quickly scanned the area for Cyrus's four friends from earlier.
Felix, Kit, Edrix, and Denzel had already taken care of them. The whole group was here.
Wait a minute!
If they were all here, then who was left at our campsite?
Oh no! What if the organizer comes looking for us? This is bad!
"W-we need to go back now," I told David.
I looked around the grass field. My things weren't here. It seemed like I had left them somewhere else.
"...M-my stuff!"
Ci-N and David also scanned the area, but they wouldn't be able to find it. I remembered that by the time I reached the field, I wasn't holding my things anymore.
"We'll have someone look for it," David said.
We then spotted Calix and Eren waving at the girls like celebrities.
Should I tell Mica about this?
"Ci-N! Do me a favor. Go smack those two," David ordered.
Ci-N immediately walked over to them and carried out David's command, giving both of them a hard slap on the back of their heads.
The two glared at him in unison, but Ci quickly pointed at David. And what did David do? He simply raised his index finger and pointed at me instead.
Nice... Blame-passing at its finest.
"What was that for?!" Eren asked me irritably.
No time to explain. Let them be mad at me. Even though I wasn't the one who told Ci to do it.
"M-my things... Please f-find them," I instructed.
"That's all?" Calix said. "...Let's go!"
The two immediately left. But how were they planning to find my stuff without even asking me where I last had it? Whatever. Let them figure it out.
"FVCKING ASSHOLE!" Keifer suddenly shouted.
We all turned to look at him. He was gripping Cyrus by the collar. I saw Yuri sitting on the grass, wiping his lip.
"W-what happened?" I asked worriedly.
"That bastard managed to land a punch! Yuri was the closest to him, so he took the hit!" Drew explained.
"Beat him up!" Ci-N shouted excitedly.
"Ci-N!" I scolded him.
"Who even are you guys to Jay-jay?! What business do you have with what I do to her?!" Cyrus asked angrily as he struggled to pry Keifer's hands off him.
"She's our classmate," Mayo answered without hesitation.
"She's our friend," Kit added.
"She is part of our family," Ci-N said, smiling at me.
I couldn't help but smile, too. It felt so good to hear those words. I had thought I was the only one who saw it that way, but they did too.
"She belongs to Section E," Yuri said as he stood up.
"And she is mine," Keifer added.
I instantly smacked my forehead. Why did he have to add that? He's insane! Annoying!
"Jay's boyfriend!"
Someone from the crowd blurted out.
He is NOT my boyfriend! What the heck?!
"You're the guy Jay-jay replaced me with?!" Cyrus asked Keifer with a mocking laugh.
That clearly insulted Keifer. I wanted to tell Cyrus to stop talking before Keifer got provoked. He had a terrible temper when angry.
"...You let yourself get fooled by that girl too?!" Cyrus added, making Keifer's brows furrow even deeper.
Before I could react, Keifer suddenly punched Cyrus so hard that he was thrown a fair distance away.
Blood instantly trickled from Cy's nose and mouth.
I thought that was it, but Keifer immediately closed the distance and started punching him over and over again.
Shit! He just got out of the hospital!
"Yuri!" I shouted, and he turned to look at me. "...S-stop Keifer! Something might happen to Cyrus!"
"Sorry, Jay! But I can't stop Keifer anymore!" he replied.
"Keifer has reached his limit," David said.
"He got provoked. It's over. No one can stop him now," Ci-N added, sounding almost disappointed.
It seemed like none of them had any intention of stopping him. Even the crowd watching started to back away in fear.
"Keifer!" I called out. "...Keifer! Please! That's enough!"
Even though it was obvious he didn't want to, Keifer finally stopped and turned to face me. He was panting heavily as he slowly walked toward me.
"Why?"
"He just got out of the hospital. Something bad might happen to him," I answered.
"Then let's send him back to the hospital he came from. We'll tell them their treatment wasn't good enough," Ci-N said, making some of the others laugh.
But I wasn't amused. I was grateful that they had come to help me, but seeing the state Cyrus was in now, I wasn't sure if I should really be thankful.
"What should we do with these guys?" Felix asked, tightening his grip on Cyrus' friends.
"Do whatever you want," Keifer replied indifferently.
Ci-N suddenly clapped excitedly. "I get to punch them first!" he said, beaming.
Now I understood. That's why he seemed so hyper—because he was getting to take part in the fight.
Tsk! So troublesome!
Without warning, Keifer lifted me up in a bridal carry. I was startled for a moment, completely forgetting that we had a whole crowd watching us.
I also forgot about Yuri. When I glanced at him, I saw that he was already busy messing around with Ci-N and the others.
"Jay..." Keifer called my name. "...I forgot something."
And just like that, he suddenly kissed me on the lips.
I heard people squealing in excitement. Stunned, I looked at this crazy guy.
"W-what was that for?"
"You owe me a kiss. You cursed last time while eating chocolate," he replied with a smile.
He still remembered that?! Seriously?! There was no escaping this guy.
Just then, I saw Calix and Eren approaching, carrying my things.
"Keifer... Let's leave this place," I whispered to him.
He nodded. "Let's go!"
Ci-N seemed a little unsatisfied with how things ended. He was pouting as he walked.
We were finally leaving this school.
If possible, I never wanted to come back here. I didn't want to relive what had happened.
I glanced at Cyrus, who was now surrounded by his classmates.
I hope... this is the last time.