Jay-jay's POV
"Where have you been?" Kuya Angelo asked, eyeing me from head to toe.
My clothes were completely soaked, making it obvious that we had gone swimming or at least gotten wet. He looked at my companions as well.
"W-we went swimming—"
"Where?" He interrupted me.
Oh, right. Kuya knew about the small falls nearby. He used to pick me up there whenever he told me to come home.
"At the fishpond." C-in answered, making all of us turn to look at him.
"Excuse me? The fishpond?" Sir Alvin clarified.
We all absentmindedly nodded at him. Better that than admitting we swam at the small falls and river—we'd definitely get in trouble.
"Do you know how dirty the water in that fishpond is?!" There was irritation in Kuya's voice.
"It was hot... We didn't have anywhere else to go, so we just went there." David replied.
"Clean yourselves now!" Kuya ordered, and we immediately ran back to our site to grab fresh clothes.
"Why are you all in such a hurry?" Yuri asked while trying to light the gathered branches.
"Jay-jay's grumpy brother is here!" C-in said.
Yuri and Keifer exchanged glances for a moment before looking at me. I didn't say anything. I just grabbed what I needed and ran to the restroom.
Since there weren't many people, I didn't have to wait in line for the shower. I quickly washed up and changed. Kuya might snap and start scolding me at any moment.
I rushed back to our campsite to drop off my things.
"Why are you so panicked?" Felix asked me.
I stopped in my tracks. "I feel like something happened. Kuya wouldn't come here for no reason."
A huge part of me was telling me that. He could've just called me on my phone. But the signal here was weak.
"Think positive, Jay. Maybe your Kuya just wanted to check on you." David said.
But that didn't ease my uneasiness. I really had a bad feeling.
"Go on… Go see your Kuya." Yuri said with a smile.
I returned the smile before walking back to the hall where I had left Kuya Angelo talking to Sir Alvin.
They were still there, but now Aries was with them. The moment he saw me, he shot me a nasty glare.
I hope you go cross-eyed!
Kuya Angelo whispered something to Sir, who nodded and walked away. He even smiled at me as he passed by.
Once he was out of sight, I finally stepped closer to Kuya Angelo.
"W-why are you here?" I asked nervously.
Kuya crossed his arms and gave me a sharp look.
"Cyrus' parents called me." He said.
I'm doomed!
"...He was brought to the hospital along with his friends."
I averted my gaze. I knew it! Kuya wouldn't come here unless something happened. Tsk! This is annoying!
"Do you have anything to do with this?" Kuya asked bluntly.
His voice was starting to rise again. My heart felt like it was screaming along with him, pounding so loudly.
"B-because..."
"Damn it!" Kuya suddenly shouted, making me tremble in fear. "...What the hell happened?!"
My tongue wouldn't cooperate. It was like my mouth had frozen in fear. I wanted to explain everything, but I just couldn't.
"Did your madness take over again?" Aries asked sarcastically.
Madness?
Was he calling me crazy? For some reason, even though I knew it wasn't true, I felt insulted.
"I am not crazy." I said firmly.
He just smirked and shoved his hands into his pockets. It was as if he was challenging me. If that was really his intention, then I wouldn't hesitate to fight back.
"Then what do you call what's happening to you? You're changing into someone else. Hurting people nonstop. You don't even listen to anyone."
What was it, really?
I lowered my head. Because I didn't know the answer. Because no matter what I did, I couldn't find an answer. Maybe… Maybe I really was crazy.
"I-I d-don't… know."
Aries let out a short laugh. "So, you really are crazy."
"Enough!" Kuya's voice boomed.
It was as loud as thunder. All that was missing was for the sky to light up with lightning. Maybe Kuya would make a great referee for fights with how powerful his voice was.
Kuya looked at me. "Did you do it?!"
I slowly shook my head. "N-no----"
"I did." Someone cut in before I could finish.
Who? Who else could it be? The King of Ulupong himself. We all turned to look at him. His hands were in his pockets, and he gazed at us with a bored expression.
"Excuse me?" Kuya snapped at him irritably.
"That thing that happened to—what's his name again?" He asked me innocently.
Seriously? After all that jealousy, he couldn't even remember the name? Ridiculous!
"Cyrus." I answered.
"Yeah. That thing that happened to Cyrus. It was me and not Jay-jay."
Kuya Angelo furrowed his brows and looked at me before turning back to Keifer.
"Tell me exactly what happened." Kuya ordered.
"I don't know." The annoying King quickly replied.
This shameless guy is messing around!
"What do you mean 'you don't know'?" Kuya asked irritably.
This jerk! He's trying to piss Kuya off before actually giving him an answer.
"Tss."
Shutanginames!
Kuya rubbed his temples. He was getting annoyed too, but he was trying to stay calm. He probably knew what kind of person this guy was.
"If you're not going to say anything useful, you might as well leave!" Aries angrily told Keifer.
The two of them locked eyes. All that was missing were lasers shooting out of them to make their staring contest worthwhile.
One of them just needed to melt.
"Keifer… I don't have time for your jokes." Kuya said calmly, but his authority was clear.
I looked at the annoying King with a pleading expression. If he wasn't planning on being serious, then he should at least stop causing trouble. Kuya was already grilling me.
"I don't know what happened." He finally spoke and let out a sigh. "...But when we arrived, they were hurting Jay."
Suddenly, he grabbed my chin, turning my face toward Kuya to show him the bruise on my lip. Then, he exposed my neck, revealing the mark left by Cyrus' grip.
Kuya Angelo and Aries had the same reaction. Keifer let go of my chin and faced them again.
"...So I did what I could. I took down that Cyrus."
"And what were you doing at Holy Saints? I know Jay-jay had something to do there. But you?" Kuya asked.
"Sightseeing." He answered quickly.
Nice!
What a great answer! I was amazed. This guy really loved to push buttons. I swear, I wanted to smack him.
I glanced at Aries. I could see his fists clenching. Between him and Kuya, he was the one who got pissed off more quickly.
"Seriously?" Kuya asked sarcastically. "...Keifer----"
"You're so stupid." Keifer said bluntly, making Aries grab his shirt.
"What did you say?!" Aries snapped angrily. "...What did you call my brother?!"
"Stupid." Keifer repeated.
Oh, come on!!!
"Aries." Kuya called. "...Let him go." He ordered, but Aries didn't seem willing to listen. "...Now!"
The moment he heard that shout, he immediately let go. Keifer adjusted his shirt and faced Kuya again.
"You're so stupid." He repeated once more. "...Isn't it obvious to you?! I don't know anyone at Holy Saints. Of course, I went there with Jay-jay."
Kuya didn't react, but his gaze shifted to me. A chill ran down my spine at that look.
"Why did Cyrus hurt you?"
Because he's gay and jealous of how pretty I am!
Maybe the King was right. Maybe he really was stupid. Had he forgotten my history with Cyrus? Sometimes, Kuya really had a few screws loose. Just like Aries. And like Keifer and Yuri, and even Percy.
All of them inherited it!
"Didn't I already tell you? The… thing I did to him before." I sighed. "...He said he was getting revenge."
I heard Kuya take a sharp breath. I couldn't tell if he was angry or what. Aries didn't react either, but his fists were still tightly clenched.
"And Cyrus' friends… Was that your doing too?" Kuya asked Keifer.
"No. It was our classmates." He answered while looking at me.
"Thanks for clarifying that. You can go now." Kuya dismissed the two of us.
I nodded and started walking away. My steps were slow. I felt so heavy. I could also sense the King walking behind me.
We were almost at our site when I stopped. He stopped too, and even though he didn't say anything, I knew he wanted to.
"Jay." He called me.
I turned to look at him. I couldn't tell if he was just bored with this place or bored of facing me.
"Spill it out." He took a deep breath. "...I know you have something to say or ask."
I didn't know if I was just that obvious or if he had known from the start. Either way, I didn't care anymore. I had so many questions for him. About what Freya told me.
"I have a lot of questions for you. But I want you to promise that you will answer all of them." My voice had a hint of pleading.
He lowered his head. "I can't promise."
I felt weak at his response. What if he didn't answer any of my questions? But that worry disappeared when he took my hand.
"...But I will try my best." He added with a smile.
I couldn't return that smile, but I squeezed his hand in return.
"D-did you really hurt Freya?" I asked, looking straight into his eyes.
He didn't look away. "I did."
It felt like my chest tightened, and I couldn't understand why. He was capable of hurting a woman. Why? Had he not learned his lesson from what happened to his mother?
"W-why? Why did you do that?"
I couldn't stop my voice from rising. I felt anger over what he did. I couldn't even understand what he did to me, let alone what he did to Freya.
We weren't friends, but even so, we were both women. That was reason enough for me to have the right to be angry about what happened to her.
"Freya is my first in everything." He let go of my hand, and I had to admit that something pinched my heart. "...But I'm not hers."
Freya had told me that.
"I accepted her. Everything about her. But finding out that it was still Yuri... That was something I couldn't accept."
So that's why he was so angry back then. The first person he loved still wanted Yuri. No wonder he was so hurt and so full of resentment.
My tongue felt tied, and I couldn't bring myself to ask the rest of my questions.
"...I'm sure you won't understand how it hurt me and my ego. It was painful... especially when I realized that Yuri was the one on her mind while we were together." He took a deep breath. "...Jealousy and fear consumed me. We kept fighting until I finally lost control... Until----"
"You hurt her." I finished his sentence. "...But that's not enough of a reason. Freya is a woman."
He looked away. Maybe I really didn't understand the pain he felt. How his pride was crushed. And how much it hurt to know that Freya was thinking of someone else while she was with him.
"I don't know... Maybe I'm like Dad." He said, lowering his head.
I felt the sadness in his voice when he said that. I suddenly felt ashamed for accusing him so harshly.
I stepped closer and hugged him.
"No. You're not the same." I said.
I felt his arms wrap around me as well. "Believe me. I was shocked by what I did. I made sure I would never do it again."
But you almost did it to me.
His embrace tightened even more, as if he had read my thoughts.
"...But I almost did it to you. Because Yuri was involved again."
So that was why he was so angry. His reaction back then had been too extreme for it to be just jealousy.
I slowly pulled away from him. I could see the sadness in his eyes. The heaviness in my chest grew. This was my fault. I wanted to know the truth, but it felt like I had judged him from the very start.
I didn't mean to.
"Sorry. I understand you. I just… I just really couldn't believe you would do something like that." I said.
He forced a smile. "Do you still have questions?"
A lot.
"I-I do... But maybe next time----"
"It's okay. You can still ask me." He cut me off.
But I wasn't sure if I should. It felt like I had already asked him too much.
He looked at me as if he was waiting for my next question. So even though I was hesitant...
"F-Freya told me something else." I took a deep breath. "...She said you restricted her like a prisoner."
He suddenly burst out laughing. His reaction annoyed me, but somehow, it made me feel a bit lighter.
"That thing is actually normal."
Normal?! To him, that was normal?!
"Normal?"
He nodded at me. "She was starting to act out back then. I kept seeing her with different people."
"How did you two break up?" I continued asking.
His smile disappeared, and he slightly lowered his head. "Because of Aries."
What the fudgie bar oh bar, that's crazy!
I blinked several times. I couldn't process what he just said. Aries? How did that idiot get involved again?
"A-Aries? H-how...?"
"Remember Mykel Mitchell?" He asked, and I nodded.
"...He told me that Aries and Freya were already in a relationship. He even showed up a few pictures of them... making out."
"W-what did you do?"
Why did that story sound familiar to me?
"Nothing. She was already breaking up with me at that time—I was the only one who didn't want it. Then, when Mykel told me about them, I just thought that maybe she really didn't want to be with me anymore." He forced a smile. "...So I let her go."
A MIRACLE?!
He didn't even charge at Aries or punch him? This was a miracle! Maybe an angel passed by at that moment. Or maybe that Mykel guy actually talked some sense into him.
"No way."
He looked at me, confused. "What?"
"You really didn't go after Aries?" I asked, and he nodded. "...That's hard to believe."
"Yeah... I didn't go after him. It was Mykel that I made pay for everything." He said, then laughed loudly.
There it is! He finally admitted it!
There was no way he wouldn't get back at someone. This was Keifer Watson, after all!
I smacked his arm to make him stop laughing. He did and looked at me, then took my hand.
"Still have questions?" He asked.
"I do. Freya said that Yuri just took what he wanted from her and then left. Is that true?" There was a hint of concern in my tone.
"That one... I don't know." I looked at him in surprise. "...I never really tried to find out what happened between them—what I do know is that they did things together, which I accepted."
Pffttt...
Why didn't he know? He should've known that too. How lame! All my questions were about that already.
"It's just hard to believe that Yuri would do something like that." I said, almost in a whisper.
"I doubt that Yuri did that kind of thing." He said, looking as if he was deep in thought. "...Even when we were together, he would still ask me how Freya was doing."
That means he still cared about Freya.
"...There were even times when he showed that he still had feelings for her. That's why I got so jealous."
It felt like a thorn had been pulled from my chest. Yuri really couldn't do something like that. If he had only been after her body, he wouldn't have cared about her at all.
But then, I remembered the look on Freya's face when she told me that. I saw how deeply hurt she was. That meant she couldn't be lying.
What was the truth?
"Do you still have more questions?"
I glanced at Keifer and scratched the back of my neck. I had been thinking so deeply that I forgot we were together.
"We need to go back to the site. It's already dark!" He said, pointing at the sky.
Oh, right! Our conversation had been so long that night had already fallen.
"Alright. Let's head back." I said.
Before I could take a step, he grabbed my arm. I looked at his hand before meeting his gaze. He was smiling, raising his eyebrows.
I think I know where this is going.
He pouted, confirming my suspicion. This idiot was asking for a kiss!
"No." I quickly answered. "...Tomorrow. It's already late."
He immediately pouted in disappointment and gave me an annoyed look. His expressions changed so fast.
"My brother is around, right? What if he suddenly shows up here…? We'll get caught." I reasoned.
"Fine." He answered irritably and walked ahead of me.
I just laughed. He needed to be controlled—too much, and we might end up repeating what happened on New Year's.
At least, for now, I had fewer worries about him and Freya. Some of my questions had been answered. The only thing left was Yuri.
I knew he had an explanation, too.
And I was ready to hear it.
Even from afar, I could already see the bonfire's glow and hear the noise of the others.
As we got closer, I saw that the guys were drinking. They were laughing and teasing each other. Meanwhile, C-in was the loudest among them, telling stories animatedly.
The life of the party!
"Jay-jay!" Eman called out to me and approached. "...For you." He said, handing me a bottle of alcohol.
Though confused, I took it and looked around at them. I had no idea they brought alcohol—wait!
This isn't even ours! This is from Section A. Tsk! These guys are really something.
"Eat first, Jay! Or your stomach won't handle that." David said, handing me a plate full of—this is just bar food!
"Hey! Don't get her drunk!" Edrix shouted with concern. "...She might summon demons in the fire again!"
Everyone burst into laughter while looking at me. These idiots! They're really laughing at me?! I just rolled my eyes at them and looked for a place to sit. I just hope I don't get drunk.
Because if I do…
You're all in trouble.