The Prince
Aries's POV
"...Get out! Leave!" The teacher shooed Keifer and his classmates away. "...These kids! Always looking for trouble!"
Section E left, but Keifer shot me a nasty glare before he did. They interrupted our class just to humiliate Jay-jay. How stupid!
Our teacher stepped out. I was sure he was heading straight to the guidance office to report what had happened. The rest of us were left just staring at the door.
"You didn't have to say those words, Aries!" Ella said angrily.
I ignored her. We weren't even okay yet, but the way she talked to me made it seem like she was the one in charge.
"Poor Jay-jay."
"It's obvious she's in pain."
I overheard my classmates whispering. I noticed it too—the way Keifer held her… It was like she was already in so much pain. I ignored it because I didn't want to show any sympathy.
"Hey... Aries. Why did you do that to your cousin?" France—one of my classmates—asked like a child. "...I saw what happened earlier. She crashed into the truck."
She crashed into the truck? She was the one who crashed into the truck?
"If you're going to spread news, at least get it right." Mykel said, laughing at him.
"No! The truck was already stopped, but she kept going on her bike, and then—boom! Booogggghhh!"
Is that why she looked like that? Is that why she seemed like she was in so much pain? What the hell, Jay?!
"You should check on your cousin." Ella ordered while standing beside Mica, who was also looking at me.
"Don't order me around." I replied with authority.
I felt the whole class staring at me. This was the first time they'd heard me speak to Ella like that. No one knew we had fought—or more accurately, that we had broken up.
After all this time. Still him...
"Ella is right." Freya suddenly said while filing her nails. "...I heard there's chaos in their section. They rushed Harington to the hospital."
Seriously? What is wrong with their section? Was Keifer having another outburst? Why wasn't... why wasn't Yuri doing anything?
I let out a deep sigh. I walked out of the room and headed straight for the stairs. I had no plans of checking on Jay-jay.
Why should I?
Yeah... Why should I?
I went straight to the rooftop, where I could easily see their building and classroom. Some students were outside, while it seemed like there was a fight happening inside the room.
I looked around near their classroom. I couldn't see Jay-jay's bike—in fact, I couldn't see her at all.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed my brother's number.
["Is anything wrong?"] He greeted me.
"None."
["I thought something bad happened to you."] I could hear the worry in his tone.
I couldn't blame him; I insisted on leaving the hospital. I didn't want to stay there! Being in a hospital reminded me of too many things—lying on a hospital bed with an IV drip attached to me.
"Nothing bad happened." I said, emphasizing the word bad. "...I just want to know if Jay-jay is there."
["If the 'there' you're talking about is our house... I don't know. I'm not at home."]
Tsk!
"Okay... Thanks." I said, about to end the call when I heard him speak again.
["Wait... Isn't Jay-jay there at school?"]
"She is... I just don't know if she went home. She wasn't feeling well." I lied.
I wasn't covering for Jay-jay. I just didn't want my brother to ask me more questions. The conversation would only drag on and lead back to the past again.
["I see... I'll text Mom to confirm. Thanks."]
I didn't answer. I hung up while still looking at Section E's classroom. They were such a headache. Even though many of them were rich, the head teachers and board members didn't want to deal with them.
Because money wasn't the only thing that mattered in this school. I guess they were telling the truth. Keifer and Yuri were richer than me, yet they still chose to obey me.
Because of Michael Angelo Fernandez.
The King that was once on the throne. Everything became easy for me because of his name. They even gave me a title... The Prince—but I never let them call me that.
At first glance, I looked like a prince because my brother was the King. But that's not how I saw it!
They called me Prince because I would never be the King on the throne. I would never be a man like my brother. And they would never give me that title.
Because someone else had already taken it.
I hate myself for being like this. I have always been second.
Second to Percy because he makes people happier.
Second to Yuri because he's smarter.
Second to Keifer because he's better.
And most of all, second to Jay-jay in the family because she is the priority.
I smiled bitterly as I remembered her—how I used to pick her up from her house to play, how I used to comfort her when she cried, how I made her feel that her brother loved her so much.
But it will never happen again. I will never do it again.
Everything that's happening to me is her fault.
It's her fault that I got sick. It's her fault that we got into that accident that night and that I lost my friends.
This is all your fault!
I have no reason to show you sympathy.
Jay-jay's POV
"Please don't tell them." I pleaded with Grandma while pressing the ice bag against my shoulder.
Grandma looked at me with concern. She was the only one home when I arrived. Mom and Andy had already left, as well as Aunt Gema and Uncle Julz. My brother was at his company or whatever.
"I can't just not tell them... Look at yourself." She pointed at the scrapes I had gotten.
"They'll heal quickly."
She let out a deep sigh. She always did that whenever I came home with bruises and wounds. Too exhausted from fighting, I just chose to turn away from her.
"You're so stubborn! Did you go to the hospital?"
I nodded before taking out the X-ray and check-up results. I opened them and showed her the results. She looked at me first before taking the papers and reading them.
There was no fracture in my bones. It was just my muscles that took the hit, which is why the doctor prescribed me a ton of pain relievers. He also advised me to use a cold compress on the bruised and sore areas.
"Oh, Jay! I let you stay here because I thought you'd behave properly under your Kuya Angelo's care... But here you are, coming home with body aches again." Grandma scolded me as she placed the results beside me.
I could only lower my head in response. I had no right to talk back. Yes, sometimes her nagging could get tiring, but if I hadn't done anything wrong, she wouldn't be mad or lecturing me in the first place.
"I'm sorry." I murmured almost inaudibly.
Grandma slowly took the cold compress and helped me lie down.
"Get some sleep first... You need that more than my sermon." She said, forcing a smile.
I smiled back at her. She adjusted my blanket and kissed my forehead before walking away and closing the door. I looked at the time on the wall clock. It was just after lunch, but drowsiness was already pulling me in. Probably because of exhaustion.
I yawned repeatedly. Staring at the ceiling, I kept replaying everything that had happened in my mind—the people on motorcycles and the things Keifer said.
My body hurt, but his words hurt even more.
It felt like my heart was being punched with no way to fight back. I never expected Keifer to be capable of this just because of jealousy.
I turned to my side and hugged Snorlax tightly. I used to think that love was something easy and effortless. My first boyfriend didn't really hurt me. I was only mad because he turned out to be gay and had only used me to keep the whole school from finding out.
Damn him! In the end, he even turned out prettier than me.
I didn't feel any pain with Cyrus either. I never took him seriously because I knew he felt the same way. I was just scared because I hurt him so easily.
But now! Now, for the first time in my damn life, I was feeling this way—all because of the words he threw at me.
I never thought that words could actually cut like a knife.
Sure, I had been hurt before by things people said about me and Mom, but his words were different.
Maybe because the person saying them matters to you.
I tightened my hug around Snorlax. If this thing could talk, it would have cursed me by now. It was always the one getting squished whenever I felt this way.
I shut my eyes, trying to fall asleep completely. I just wanted to rest my mind and body. Luckily, I did.
I woke up to a dimly lit room. I shifted slightly, feeling a headache creeping in. I wasn't sure if it was from too much sleep or not enough.
Loud laughter echoed from the living room—it was Mom and the others.
I sat up and checked the time on the wall clock. 6:42 PM. I also grabbed my phone to check if I had any messages from him.
Nothing.
There were messages from Yuri and the Ulupong checking up on me, but I didn't feel like replying to any of them. I got up and headed to the bathroom to freshen up.
Hunger finally kicked in, so I quickly made my way downstairs.
I saw Mom and Aunt Gema in the living room, along with Uncle Julz and Andy. Grandma was also there, talking to Kuya Angelo.
They all turned to look at me.
Mom, who was smiling, was the first to catch my attention. Her smile was different—almost too happy.
"Are you feeling okay now, Jay?" She asked while scanning me from head to toe. "...Come here and join us."
Huh?!
I raised an eyebrow. What's up with her? I ignored her and went straight to the kitchen. I just really wanted to eat.
"Let him be... He might still be feeling unwell." I heard Auntie say.
I grabbed some food from the fridge. I picked up everything I could eat quickly. I didn't care if I got scolded later.
I was in the middle of eating when I heard Aries' car honk. I didn't bother getting up to check on him.
What for?
Nothing would change. He was mad at me, and he didn't want to see me. He didn't accept me. I understood him, though. Who would want someone like me as family?
I continued eating. Then, I heard what sounded like an argument coming from the living room. I wasn't sure, but Mom's voice stood out the most.
Even though I wasn't done eating, I decided to go check on them.
I hadn't even gotten close yet, but I could already hear their words clearly.
"...Don't talk back to me like that!" Mom yelled.
"Get out of our house! I don't want to live with you here!" Aries responded.
What the hell?
I reached the living room, where everyone's attention was on Mom and Aries. Andy was holding Mom back while Aunt Gema stood between them.
"Aries! Stop it!" Kuya shouted, but Aries didn't seem to care.
"Hey! You ungrateful brat!" Mom yelled again.
"Ungrateful?! Why?! What did you even do for me?! You gave birth to me and then threw me away like trash!" Aries snapped.
Wait! Gave birth and then threw away?!
I was confused about what they were fighting about and what Aries was saying. I couldn't understand why he was so angry at Mom. I couldn't remember them ever having a fight before.
"Gema!" Mom called out to Auntie. "...Is this what you've been teaching my kids here?!"
My kids?!
"At least they're learning something! Unlike you!" Aries shot back before Aunt Gema could even speak.
"If I had known you'd turn out like this, I would have never given you up for adoption!"
HOLY. SHIT.
It felt like my heart stopped beating. My hair stood on end, followed by a chilling numbness in my hands.
"Jay-jay?" Grandma called out when she saw me.
Their attention immediately shifted to me. The anger on Mom's face was replaced with embarrassment. Aunt Gema and Grandma quickly approached me.
"Jay... A-uh..." Auntie started, but I could tell she didn't know the right words to say.
"What is this? He still doesn't know?" Mom asked angrily, glaring at Aries. "...And you really had no plans of telling him?"
"Tsk! How was I supposed to tell him? You already did!" Aries snapped back.
"ARIES!" Kuya roared in anger. "...Go to your room. Now!"
Aries rolled his eyes at me before storming off.
I remained frozen, staring blankly into nothing. Aunt Gema and Grandma were saying something to me, but I couldn't hear anything.
I used to always say that I wanted to have an older brother when I was little. I was jealous of Aries because he had Kuya Angelo.
When my relatives told me that I had a brother, I dreamed of meeting him.
But not even once did it cross my mind that the boy who always invited me to play, the boy who taught me how to ride a bike, the boy I knew as my cousin—was actually the brother I had been wishing for.
Damn it! Am I being played with?!
"I-I'll just go to my room." That was all I could say.
No one stopped me. They just let me walk away like I wasn't even in my right mind. This is so messed up.
Jay... You've been face-to-face with your brother all along. —Percy (Chapter 97)
So that's why he said that. He knew the truth. He knew that Aries was my brother.
Amazing! Just amazing!
I looked like an idiot, constantly thinking about his situation, wondering if he was happy with the family he knew. If he had a sibling there, too.
A fvcking nice question, yet the answer was right in front of me all along. Shit! I can't even begin to imagine how stupid I am.
"You now know the truth, but that doesn't change anything between us." Aries suddenly said. I didn't even realize he was already in front of me.
I frowned at his words. "Oh?"
"Don't expect me----."
"I don't expect you to do anything. I already know... You didn't even want me as a cousin, let alone a brother." I cut him off.
"Good. At least you know." He said before walking away.
I rolled my eyes in frustration. I just went straight to my room and shut the door behind me.
As soon as I did, my knees gave out, and I sank to the floor, still holding onto the door. I don't know... I suddenly felt so weak, and before I knew it, I was crying.
I tried to keep myself from screaming so they wouldn't hear me, but I felt like I was about to explode at any moment.
The things I had imagined doing when I finally met my brother—I realized I couldn't do them. The conversation I had hoped for between us—it would never happen.
Damn it! They gave me a brother, and it had to be someone as messed up as me?!
This is so unfair. So damn unfair.
I clutched my chest as I continued crying.
Why him?
Why did it have to be him?