Jay-jay's POV
I couldn't stop myself from crying. With every movement I made, my tears threatened to fall even more. I couldn't understand anything anymore.
I stepped out of my room, just as Aries was stepping out of his. I looked at him when I noticed that he wasn't moving.
He had forced his way home from the hospital last night. No wonder Tita was panicking—because the doctor didn't want to let him go. But of course, he was stubborn and insisted on coming home.
"Is your mother really going to stay here? What does she think our house is, a hotel?!" he asked irritably.
I didn't want to argue. I had bigger problems right now. I needed to find Keifer.
"They'll be leaving soon," I answered lifelessly.
I walked past him and headed straight to the living room. The first person I saw was Grandma, reading a newspaper. She smiled at me, but it quickly disappeared when she noticed I was already in my uniform.
"You haven't eaten yet. Are you leaving already?" she asked, immediately approaching me.
"I'll just eat at school. I still have something I need to do," I told her, hugging her tightly.
I felt like I needed a longer hug from Grandma. With everything that happened last night, I just wanted to cry and cry beside her.
We were in that position when I heard Mama and Andy laughing. It was as if they were the only ones in the house with the way they were acting. Don't these two know how to feel embarrassed?
I pulled away from Grandma and glared at Mama as she approached us.
"Are you going to school now, Jay?" Mama greeted when she saw me. "...Eat first. Your Uncle Andy cooked."
"No... I have something to do," I answered without any enthusiasm.
And I don't want to see you two either.
I didn't wait for whatever else they had to say. I quickly left the house and grabbed my bike. I pedaled fast just to get away from them.
I didn't really have anything to do. I just wanted to get out of the house right away. I didn't want to eat with them either. Everything becomes even harder for me when I see them.
I have such a bad attitude. I just can't seem to be fair to them. How can I, when I myself have never experienced fairness in life? It's so easy to blame others for what's happening to me, but the truth is, there's no one to blame. Maybe I was just born to be like this.
Unlucky in so many ways.
Last night, I almost broke my phone trying to call Keifer, but he just turned it off. I even called their house, but they said he hadn't come home yet.
Kuya Angelo talked to me last night, but I didn't really understand anything he said. The only thing on my mind was the King.
What would happen to us now?
I stopped in front of the Mini Mart. Before going in, I wiped my cheeks because I had started crying again. I quickly grabbed the things I needed to buy.
I couldn't buy from the school cafeteria, so this was always where I ended up. I only bought pre-heated food. I also picked out some juice and water. I forced myself to eat for a while, even though my body was rejecting food.
You need to eat, Jay!
I checked my phone, hoping he had replied.
Just like the past few days, there was no response.
I was so happy last night when I saw him outside the house. I missed the hug he greeted me with so much. Even though they almost got into a fight last night, I was happy that he showed up for me.
But it was only temporary.
I was so angry at David. I thought I couldn't be mad at him since I didn't know his reasons, but I just couldn't hold it in, especially when everything from last night flashed back in my head. If he hadn't shown up and kissed me, none of this would've happened. He didn't even talk to me for almost three days after that incident with Yuri. What more now?
He might not talk to me ever again.
I finished eating and threw away all my trash. I got back on my bike and pedaled toward school. As I kept riding, I felt something strange. It was as if someone was following me.
I stopped for a moment and looked behind me, but there weren't any other vehicles. I looked forward again just as a loud motorcycle exhaust roared.
A big bike! The kind used for racing. It was red and branded with a Ducati logo. The driver wore a black helmet, and even though I couldn't see his face, I could feel him looking at me and smirking.
I glared at him and immediately pedaled away. But it seemed like the guy on the motorcycle was doing it on purpose. He kept matching the speed of my bike. I stopped, and he did the same.
I shot him a dirty look. I was about to curse at him when another motorcycle pulled up beside me. This one was white and blue, also a Ducati.
Shit! What's their problem?!
I quickly started pedaling again, going even faster. But how could a bike compete with a motorcycle? My heart was pounding hard. I felt a mix of anxiety and fear. I had no idea what these guys wanted.
I got even more scared when I noticed that it wasn't just the two of them. There were more riders following us. I pedaled even faster.
Race mode, man! Race mode!
Instead of heading straight to school, I changed my route. I planned to go straight to the police station to scare them off. But before we even reached the crossing, they suddenly stopped.
I looked at them, and when I turned my eyes back to the road—my fingers nearly crushed the handbrakes.
THERE'S A TRUCK IN FRONT OF ME!
I tilted my bike to the side, but it kept sliding straight toward the truck.
I shut my eyes tightly and braced for impact. I even held my breath.
Shit!
A loud crash rang in my ears as my body slammed against something. I tumbled onto the ground, my bike falling with me.
I wanted to scream from the pain of the impact. My whole body shook from the force.
"Miss! Are you okay?!" a man shouted. He looked like the truck driver.
I forced myself to stand and looked at the bikers. They were laughing and fist-bumping each other.
Bastards!
"Miss! Where does it hurt?! We'll take you to the hospital!" another man who had seen what happened said.
I shook my head. "I-I'm okay. I can still manage."
A few more people approached me, looking me over. Others were just watching out of curiosity.
"Why did you go straight into the truck?"
"We should take you to the hospital!"
"I saw those bikers following her!"
"Call the police!"
I carefully checked myself, just in case I had any wounds I hadn't noticed. But it seemed like I had only suffered body aches. Luckily, the truck had stopped just as I hit it. The impact was strong, but at least it wasn't worse.
I limped toward my bike. The bikers were gone.
I picked up my bike and examined it. It didn't seem to have any visible damage. I moved to the side of the road to rest for a bit. The people were still watching me, still talking about what had happened.
"Are you really sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" an elderly woman asked me.
I smiled at her. "No need, ma'am. I just need to rest."
I stayed there for a while longer. Then, I checked the time on my phone—almost slapping myself when I saw that I had already missed my first subject.
Damn those bikers!
Even though I could barely move properly, I forced myself to get on my bike and pedal. Every push was a curse, as pain shot through my thighs and legs.
By the time I arrived at school, I was drenched in sweat. I cursed those bikers with every fiber of my being. If they dared to show up in front of me, I'd kick them right in the face!—once the pain in my legs was gone.
Shit! It really hurts!
There were no more students hanging around outside. I was that late. It seemed like I was the only one who hadn't entered yet. I got off my bike and decided to just push it instead.
As I stepped into our building, I noticed something. There was a commotion—it was loud and chaotic. A bad feeling settled in my gut. Were they fighting again?
I picked up my pace, nearly throwing my bike aside. When I reached the front of our classroom, I let go of my bike.
It was a fight!
The first person I saw was Mayo. Drew and Josh were holding him back.
"Stop it!" Mayo shouted.
I pushed my way to the middle, and when I saw what was happening, my hands flew to my mouth.
Keifer was relentlessly punching Kit. His face was covered in blood, and he wasn't even moving anymore.
Keifer was furious. No one could stop him. I looked around for Eren, but even he was being held back by Rory and Edrix.
"Stop it! Keifer! Have mercy on Kit!" Mayo yelled again.
Terrifying.
He was like this last night with David too. No matter how many times I saw it, it still scared me. But seeing it up close like this made it even worse.
Kit might not make it.
Even though I was shaking in fear and my body was aching all over, I gathered all my courage and shoved Keifer with all my strength.
"ENOUGH!" I screamed as I pushed him.
He barely budged, but it was enough to make him stop. I seized the moment and immediately checked on Kit.
Shit! Is he even alive?!
His condition was horrifying. His swollen eyes were practically shut, and blood was still pouring from his nose and mouth. Mayo and Eren rushed over to us.
"K-Kit…" Mayo stammered, his voice trembling. "...C-can you hear us?"
"Bro… S-say something, please." Eren pleaded.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched them. Mayo's hands were shaking as he reached for Kit's neck to check his pulse.
Before I could even hear his response, a strong hand suddenly grabbed my arm. I was yanked to my feet and forced to face him, sending a sharp pain through my leg.
"Move away." Keifer commanded with authority.
I struggled to pull my arm free, but his grip was too tight, and it was starting to hurt.
"Y-you're hurting me."
"Of course, you're going to get hurt!" he shouted.
"Keifer!" Yuri called out, trying to stop him.
But even he couldn't bring himself to intervene. Were they all afraid of him? Was there really no one who could stop him? No one who could stand up to him?
"W-what is your problem?" I asked, forcing myself to suppress the fear rising inside me.
I was already on the verge of tears from the pain. Moving like this was agonizing. I hadn't even gotten over what happened with those bikers yet.
"When I tell you to do something, DO IT!" he yelled at me.
Why? What happened this time? Was this because of last night? Why did he have to be like this?
"W-what are you—?"
"Did he kiss you?!" he cut me off, pointing at Kit's unconscious body.
No!
He didn't get to do it!
No voice came out of my mouth. It felt like even the rest of my body was scared of him.
All I could do was shake my head in response.
Keifer let go of me, but suddenly, he kicked one of the tables. The loud crash echoed in the silence, but no one made a sound.
It sent shivers down my spine. The only thing I could hear was the pounding of my own heart. And because it was so loud, it felt like it was hooked up to speakers and a megaphone inside me.
Calm down, heart!
"Mayo..." Keifer called.
I saw the shock and fear on Mayo's face. Even Eren tensed up at the way Keifer said his name.
"...Repeat everything that you said earlier." he ordered.
I didn't understand what he was referring to. But I clearly saw Mayo bite his lip and lower his head. He didn't want to do it, but he had no choice.
"I-I asked K-Kit… i-if he liked Jay-jay." He took a deep breath, and his tears fell. "...b-because he tried to k-kiss her."
I froze.
That incident… we had buried it. It was supposed to be a secret.
How? How did it get out? How did Keifer hear about it?
Shit! No wonder Kit ended up like this.
"If I hadn't caught you fighting, I wouldn't have known." Keifer said as he paced in front of us.
We all flinched when he suddenly grabbed a nearby chair and hurled it across the room.
I could only cover my mouth in shock. I looked around the room. We were all here, but not a single person could do anything. Everyone had their heads down, cowering in the corners.
Then I noticed David—his lips were bruised, one eye was shut, and a bandage was stuck to the side of his face.
"WHO ELSE?!" Keifer roared as he continued pacing.
"WHO THE FVCKING ELSE?!"
Everyone kept their heads down—except Yuri.
He was looking at me, his eyes filled with concern. I wanted to run to him. I wanted to cling to him because of how scared I was. But I didn't want him to end up like Kit and David.
"You!" Keifer barked, pointing at Ci-N. "...Maybe you did something to Jay-jay that I don't know about!"
Not Ci-N! He doesn't stand a chance against you!
Ci-N was shaking, frantically shaking his head. I could tell he was on the verge of tears from fear.
"Are you sure?! Maybe you did something—or the both of you did?!" Keifer stepped closer, grabbing him by the collar. "...Maybe something already happened between you two?!"
"Keifer!" I snapped, but he ignored me.
"N-no… W-we would never d-do that." Ci-N stammered, trembling as Keifer finally let him go.
Keifer's gaze swept across the room until it landed on Calix. The moment he took a step closer, Calix instinctively stepped back.
"Is it really just Mica?! Or do you like Jay-jay too?!"
"It's just Mica." Calix answered firmly.
Keifer resumed his pacing, but this time, he stopped in front of Yuri.
Then, out of nowhere, he laughed. But it wasn't out of amusement. It was like he had just realized something.
Stop it, Keifer!
"Of course, you… It's impossible for you not to be involved. That's what you do, right? Taking what's mine?" Keifer said. Yuri averted his gaze. "...First Freya, then Ella. And now, Jay-jay!"
"I didn't take anything from you." Yuri replied seriously. "You had all of them while I also wanted to be with them."
Their stare-down was deadly. Everyone was watching them. Waiting for what would happen next.
Our attention shifted to Kit when he groaned and slightly raised his hand. He was conscious—we needed to take him to the hospital.
I was about to step forward to approach him, but a body blocked my way.
"Don't even try."
I looked at him, disheartened."K-Kit needs to be taken to the hospital."
He leaned his face closer to mine. I swallowed hard when our eyes met. He looked like a different person. His gaze was cold but filled with rage.
"Is that really all?" he whispered. "...Or is there something else?"
I shook my head."W-what are you talking about?"
He looked at me from head to toe, as if he was thinking about something.
I stepped back when he moved even closer, but that was a huge mistake. My thigh hit the table, and I gasped in pain.
It hurts! Damn it!
I lost my balance and was about to fall to the ground. I didn't get the chance to grab onto anything to stop myself. I closed my eyes, but someone caught me just in time.
"Are you okay?"Eman asked.
He helped me stand up, but at the same time, Keifer's fist flew straight to his face.
What the hell?! Damn it!
"Keifer!" I shouted as I grabbed his arm.
He glared at me furiously and pointed a finger at me. "You! Is that what you want?!"
I let go of him and matched his furious gaze. He needed to stop. His anger and jealousy were completely out of hand.
"...You really enjoy being flirted with by these guys, don't you?!"
You bastard!
I slapped him for what he said. I had been putting up with his anger and insults for a while now, but this was too much. Fear was creeping into me, but if he didn't stop, this would turn into a real fight. Even if I ended up like Kit.
"Why? Isn't it true?!" he asked angrily. "...That's why you're not doing anything! Maybe that's really your plan—to let the whole Section E flirt with you!"
That's enough!
I slapped him again with my left hand, but he caught it, so I punched him with my right instead. He fell to the ground but quickly got back up, laughing.
"You really punch hard." he commented, wiping his lips with his palm.
"Don't talk to me like that! If you want to say something, say it properly, and don't insult me." I said with authority, but my tears started to fall along with my words.
Way to ruin the moment! Damn it!
"You feel insulted? But what you did to me... wasn't that insulting too?" he said calmly.
I closed my eyes slowly. Every word he said hurt. I knew he was upset about what happened last night, but I never intended for it to happen.
"Or maybe you're up to something?" he suddenly said, changing the atmosphere in the room. "...Maybe you're planning to seduce the whole Section E just to destroy us?"
"I would never do that! They're my friends. I'm part of Section E too—"
"Oh no, you're not." he cut me off. "...You don't belong to us."
It felt like a knife was stabbed into my heart the moment he said that. I—I don't belong? I was confused.
Suddenly, he grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the room.
I was almost begging him to stop because of the pain in my body, but all I could do was cry.
It hurts! Stop it!
"Keifer! Where are you taking Jay-jay?!" I heard Yuri shout.
When I looked back, the others were following us, their faces filled with worry.
I tried to free my hand from Keifer's grip, but he was holding on too tightly.
"Keifer! Have mercy on Jay-jay!" Ci-N shouted.
I glanced around as we entered the Main Building. A bad feeling settled in my chest.
We headed straight for the stairs leading to the second floor, but I barely made it up the first step before I cried out.
"Argh!" I screamed, collapsing onto the step. "...Keifer! Please."
He didn't respond. Instead, he suddenly lifted me into a bridal carry. His grip was rough, making me sob even more.
Damn it! Stop it!
"Keifer."I pleaded.
He didn't react. He only put me down when we reached the second floor. I took the chance to get away from him, but he caught my hand again and pulled me along.
We were getting closer to Section A's room, and I struggled harder. Even though my body was in pain and my legs were stiff, I forced myself to fight back. But Keifer seemed completely numb to everything.
What the hell is wrong with you?!
He pushed the door open. The teacher stopped mid-lecture, and Aries immediately stood up in alarm.
Keifer yanked me forward and shoved me toward Aries. But my wonderful cousin—being the idiot that he was—pushed me back, sending me straight to the floor.
You're so kind, cousin.
"You belong to him..." Keifer said, and I looked up at him. "...You belong to your stupid, fucking, asshole—"
"Mr. Watson... What do you think you're doing here?!" the teacher interrupted.
"—cousin. Who's so good at hiding under his brother's shadow."
"What the hell are you doing here, Keifer?!" Aries asked angrily.
I forced myself to stand, but my legs stiffened completely from the pain. A hand touched my arm. I looked up and saw Mica, her face filled with concern.
Keifer didn't answer Aries. His eyes stayed locked on me.
"L-let's just leave. We're only disrupting the class." I said as Mica helped me up.
"No. You're not leaving. You'll stay here because you don't belong to us. You're not part of our Section."
I couldn't stop my tears from falling. I tried not to react to his words, but I was already humiliated in front of Section A.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Yuri and the others arrive at the door.
"She doesn't belong here either! That's why she ended up in your Section—because her life is just as worthless as yours!" Aries continued mercilessly.
It felt like another weight was added to my chest. Worthless? He sounded like he was talking about a stranger. Like I wasn't even his family.
What do you expect, Jay?!
Oh, right! He doesn't want me to be his blood relative.
"She doesn't belong in your section, but she sure fits sticking to you because you're exactly the same!" Keifer said angrily, clenching his fists. "...The best thing you should do?! Stick her to your crotch or connect your navels together!"
"Enough, Keifer." I said lifelessly, but he ignored me.
"What the hell?! Last time I checked, you're her knight and shining asshole! Now you're dumping her?" Aries responded, smiling and shaking his head. "...You might as well go back to your classroom. Your effort dragging her here was wasted."
From the way they talked, I felt like such a worthless person. Like an old piece of clothing being passed around. I looked at Mica when I noticed she was signaling me.
I followed the direction she was looking at. I saw Calix and the others at the door, watching the two of them.
"Talking like you don't care about her." Keifer said.
Aries smirked arrogantly. "Because I really don't... Even if you drag her around, involve her in every mess, or throw her away, I don't fvcking care!"
"Aries!" Ella scolded.
I felt like I was about to explode at any moment. I couldn't bear to hear another word from him.
I held onto Mica's hand to remove it. She looked at me in confusion but let me go. Even though it hurt so much, I forced myself to walk normally. With every step I took, my tears fell.
I saw Yuri about to approach me, but I signaled him not to. Both Section A and Section E stared at me as I walked away.
Because I really don't belong with them.
I passed by C-in, who was looking at me. David, who clearly wanted to come closer. Mayo, Josh, and Eren weren't there, probably staying behind to help Kit.
It was a good thing classes were still ongoing, or else I would've died from embarrassment if they all saw me like this. My thighs and legs hurt so much, especially when I went down the stairs.
The pain was unbearable!
I didn't know how long I had been walking, but not a single one of them followed me. It's not that I was expecting it—but I really was! I was hoping that even just one of them would follow me and explain what was happening. I was hoping that one of them would apologize to me.
I was hoping it would be Keifer.
When I stepped out of the main building, I saw Josh. He was holding his bag and my bike. I looked at him in confusion, but his face was serious.
"They already took Kit to the hospital. Let's follow them." He said as he waited for me to come closer.
"I-I don't think it's a good idea for me to go."
"It's not for Kit. It's for you."
I didn't get what he meant, but when I looked down, I noticed the scrapes on my legs. The bruises were starting to form. Even my arms were aching now.
I forced a smile. "O-okay."