Jay-jay's POV
"Come closer!" I shouted. Let's see how brave you are now!
These guys are so annoying! It's so early in the morning, and they're already pissing me off. They just suddenly blocked my way while I was walking to the Mini Mart. This is Percy's fault! If he had just picked me up in front of the house, this wouldn't have happened. I wouldn't have run into these ugly faces.
"Damn it! Nobody told us this girl knows how to fight!" one of them said. "How would I know?!" "What now? How are we gonna take her?"
Take me?! Again?!
"Take me for what?!" I asked irritably.
I looked down when I felt a hand grab my leg. It was one of the guys I had already knocked down earlier. I quickly kicked him in the face to make him let go.
Knock out!
"You're gonna take me?! Why?! So you can use me against Keifer?!" I asked angrily.
No one answered. They just looked at each other like they were waiting for someone to speak.
"What?! No one's gonna say anything?!" I shouted and stomped on one of their faces.
He looked like a damn rag!
"Okay, fine! We're gonna use you to get back at Keifer! You're his girlfriend—"
I immediately cut him off.
"I'm not! We were never even together!"
They stared at me, clearly not believing me. I knew they wouldn't — these idiots. Everyone who heard that stupid rumor never believed me.
Damn it! Here we go again...
Why am I always the one their enemies come after? Damn it! I have a strong feeling this won't be the last time his enemies try to use me. Even those guys on motorcycles before were probably his enemies, too.
Damn you, King of the Serpents! I curse you!
May your butt close up!
I am Barakuda! Hhhaaaaahhhh!!
"Hey! Miss! We're not stupid!" one of them shouted. "...You can't fool us!"
"Hey! Mister! You ARE stupid!" I mimicked him. "...And I'm NOT fooling you!"
I could see some of them struggling to hold back their anger. They didn't dare rush me because they knew what would happen. I had already taken down four of their buddies.
My fists hurt, and my hands were trembling, but I did my best to hide it from these fools. There were only four of them left, but I didn't know if I could still handle it.
I had to!
Suddenly, one of them charged at me. I was caught off guard and couldn't react right away, but I managed to dodge him. I hit him back with a strong punch to the gut.
He fell to his knees, coughing like his guts were about to spill out. Only three left, and I felt like I could still take them.
Where the hell is Percy?!
That idiot didn't seem worried at all even though I hadn't shown up at our meeting place yet. Yesterday, he was so concerned — he even went to my school to look for me.
I glared at the remaining guys. How long has it been since I last fought?! It felt like I was already so tired even though they were only coming at me one by one.
Damn it! I got used to them protecting me. I got used to them getting revenge when someone hurt me. Now I'm the one struggling.
I need to get used to fighting for myself again. Just like at my old school — when I was the only one standing up for myself. They're not coming anymore. I won't ask for their help again.
One of them suddenly got into a stance. I thought he was going to attack, but he didn't.
Before I could move, an arm wrapped tightly around my neck. He held me so tight I was nearly choking.
"I got her! I got her!" the guy holding me shouted.
The others started moving toward me. I was about to be surrounded, and they were going to do whatever they wanted — unless I acted fast.
Even though I was struggling to breathe, I fought back. I elbowed him hard in the side. He didn't react much at first, so I hit him even harder. On my final elbow strike, he let out a loud groan of pain.
His grip loosened just enough, and I took the chance to break free. I immediately followed up with a punch to his face, and he fell to the ground.
I didn't waste any more time. Everything happened so fast that it felt like my body was moving on its own. I charged at the remaining guys, and we exchanged blows.
"Aagghhh!!" I screamed, throwing my final punch.
They were all down. As I looked at them, I felt like my own body was about to collapse, too. I was so exhausted and out of breath.
I leaned against the wall for support.
"Nice..."
Nice, your face!
I glared at the person who spoke. Who else could it be? Of course, it was my stupid stepbrother.
"Damn you! How long have you been standing there?!" I asked angrily.
"For a while, a while," he answered, walking toward me.
"Your face is a while, a while!"
"A while handsome and a while incredibly handsome?" he asked, pretending to admire himself.
Ugh, so full of himself!
"A while stupid and a while idiot!" I shouted before storming off.
All I could hear behind me was his laughter. That idiot seriously had something wrong with his brain. His craziness must've gotten worse.
My movements were slow because of the pain in my body. Honestly, it's like my body was looking for this kind of feeling.
"You don't seem like a girl..." Percy said from behind me. "...You fight too fiercely."
I rolled my eyes at his comment. It's honestly embarrassing—he's a guy, and yet he didn't even help me. He could've at least backed me up in case I couldn't handle the fight.
But instead, he just watched.
"You're such a kind stepbrother... you know that?" I said sarcastically.
"Of course! That's me!" he bragged.
He really knows how to ruin my mood. I swear, I'd love to knock his head against a wall. Maybe if I did, his craziness would disappear?
"Where are we going, then?" he asked.
I stopped walking and looked at him. Honestly, I had no idea where to go. I was planning to go to the Mini Mart, but it feels awkward going there now—what if the crew thinks we're turning their store into our hangout spot?
"Let's just go to Kingsground," I suggested.
He immediately frowned. "Stop! There you go again..."
"Well, where else do you want to go?"
"The Amusement Park!" he said enthusiastically.
"You look like an amusement park!" I snapped and walked ahead.
I expected him to say something back, so even as I walked ahead, I kept trying to feel if he was following me. When I realized I didn't hear him, I turned around.
Percy had stopped walking and was staring at the other side of the street. I looked over too—and saw something I never expected. Freya was there, looking in our direction, with Ella beside her.
What are they doing here?!
I was ready to exchange glares with them, but Freya avoided my eyes and started walking away.
"Freya!" Percy called out and crossed the street. "...Wait!"
I had no choice but to follow him. He caught up to Freya, but it was clear she wasn't happy to see him.
"Let's talk... please," he begged.
"We already talked, didn't we? What else is there to say?" Freya replied lifelessly.
"You pushed me away last time."
"Because there's nothing left to discuss!"
"Freya..."
"Please, Percy. Enough already!"
"Come on... this is the last time. I won't bother you again after this. Just give me one proper conversation," he pleaded, and I could see the tears starting to form in his eyes.
Freya took a deep breath, shaking her head. "Fine. This is the last one. After this, no more."
I glanced at Ella and noticed she was looking at me too. She had no expression—like she was reading my thoughts through my body language. But then she also looked away and followed Freya and Percy.
I didn't know where they were going, but I decided to follow them too. I had no idea Percy and Freya were talking again. He never mentioned it to me, but judging by their expressions, their last conversation didn't go well. Percy's eyes were filled with sadness, while Freya still looked full of resentment. I felt like Percy still had feelings for her, while Freya only seemed to feel anger. Kind of like how Felix felt when they saw each other.
We arrived at a park. Percy and Freya sat on a bench, while Ella and I stood not too far away. We couldn't hear what they were talking about.
"I heard you haven't been attending school," Ella said, making me look at her.
"Why do you care?" I answered, bored.
I had no issue with her, but my bad attitude just seemed to come out naturally when she was around. It wasn't that long ago when she told the truth. When she admitted that Yuri was the one she really loved.
That caused a massive mess—and I got dragged into it too. It even reached a point where I was used just to get back at the King. He was furious with Aries.
"I'm trying to be nice here," she said sharply.
"Try harder," I shot back.
She glared at me, clearly getting annoyed. I was just waiting for her to snap so I could justify teasing her even more.
Ella! So easy to provoke!
I turned my attention back to Freya and Percy. Their backs were facing us, so I decided to look for an empty bench and sit down. What I didn't expect was for Ella to follow me and sit beside me.
"Who told you to sit next to me?" I asked irritably.
"No one. Do I need permission?" she shot back.
I'm gonna punch her.
"Go away! I don't want you sitting next to me," I tried to shoo her off.
"I don't want to sit next to you either. You move."
Oh, for crying out loud! This girl really wanted a fight.
"I got here first, so you move!" I said, pushing her slightly.
"No, you move!" she snapped back, shoving me harder.
I nearly fell flat on my face, but thankfully, I managed to steady myself. I glared at her, and she glared right back.
"You—"
"Go ahead! Swear!" she dared, pointing a finger at me.
"Drink TANG, not MILO!" I blurted out, quickly covering my mouth.
I wasn't scared of her! I was just being careful! Who knows what she'd do to me?
She rolled her eyes and adjusted her seat, pulling out a book and starting to read.
Good. At least that'll keep her from talking to me.
But why was this little demon even here? She and Freya were both in uniform—they must've skipped school. Tsk. Such model students.
Just like me!
Waiting is really boring. I was forced to take my cellphone out of my bag.
68 messages and 32 missed calls greeted me. Ever since the day I found out the truth, this has always been my inbox and missed call count. Sometimes it's even more, or there are more missed calls than messages.
I opened my inbox and read Ci-N's message first.
From: Ci-N Message: I miss you... 😢😢 I miss my partner!
From: Ci-N Message: They're bullying me... I have no one to defend me.
From: Ci-N Message: Jay-jay! Come back to school! Rakki said she'd date me if you come back! I'm not ready yet... I'm still innocent!
From: Ci-N Message: eEoWw ppFfoOowWwsss!
From: Ci-N Message: I have chocolate! I'll give you some if you come back to school.
From: Ci-N Message: Is Percy your new love now? What about us?
From: Ci-N Message: Jay...
I stopped reading when I noticed drops of water on my phone screen. That's when I realized they were my own tears. I hadn't even noticed I was crying.
This must be one of the things I have to sacrifice. Just to end the pain they caused, I have to endure this.
"If it hurts you this much, why don't you just talk to them?" Ella said while still looking at her book. "...Instead of crying every time you read their texts."
I frowned at what she said. This girl's such a gossip. How does she even know who's texting me?
"Mind your own business!" I snapped and focused on my phone again.
This time, I opened Yuri's messages. He had the most texts among all of them.
From: Yuri Message: Let's talk... Please.
From: Yuri Message: Jay-jay... I need to talk to you.
From: Yuri Message: I miss you.
From: Yuri Message: Aishiteru
I didn't finish reading. Ella suddenly slammed her book shut, making a loud noise. I looked at her, confused, but she just stared blankly into space.
"Tell me..." she began without looking at me, "...Does Yuri still have a chance with you?"
A chance?
I looked away. I hadn't even thought about that question—especially after I admitted to myself that the one I truly loved was the King of Demonic Snakes.
"I... I don't know," I whispered.
"I know what happened... I heard about what they did to you."
I still didn't look at her. Everything's still too fresh to talk about right now. It still hurts, even if I try to deny it.
"I'm not taking their side. But I think you should hear them out. Especially Yuri..." Her voice almost sounded like she was pleading. "...I really believe he couldn't do that to you."
I want to believe that, too!
I really do—but how? How can I when they've already proven to me that they could? I don't want to talk about this anymore. I stood up, planning to call Percy, but Ella quickly blocked my way.
"Just listen first," she said calmly but firmly.
"Why are you even doing this? We're not even friends, so why are you so concerned about me?!"
"I'm not concerned about you. I'm concerned about them. I see them... They're not the same Section E I knew." Her words made me pause.
"...Although they really started changing when you came along."
"What exactly are you trying to say?" I asked softly.
"I'll admit it—I was jealous of you. Maybe I still am..." She glanced briefly at Percy before facing me again. "...Section E has always been known as a group of troublemakers. They'd even fight among themselves in the classroom. But when you came along..." She looked down. "...Without hesitation, they defended you. Something they never did for me. They suddenly started getting along, and fights became rare."
So that's why they once mentioned how they never acted like that when Ella was still with them. I felt a strange tug at my heart, but it quickly disappeared when I remembered—it was all part of their act.
"They even smiled when walking home together, like a normal group of friends. I never saw them like that before." She forced a smile. "...I was so jealous of you. I used to have their attention, but I could never bring them together like you did."
Now I understand. That's why she did that to Ci-N. That's why she set things up to make herself the scapegoat—because she knew I was affected and would react.
Clever. Really clever.
"But now... They're not like that anymore." Our eyes met. "...They've lost their spark again. They're always fighting in class. Three teachers have already refused to handle them because they fight even during lessons."
"A-and what do you expect me to do?" I asked, frustration slipping into my voice. "...Just show up and pretend everything's okay? Do you want me to forgive them—just like that?"
"Go back and at least listen to their explanations." She took a deep breath. "...Give Yuri a chance, too."
I gasped. Why was she pushing so hard for Yuri? Did that red-haired nerd ask her to say all this?
"I thought you still loved Yuri? Why are you pushing him toward me?"
"I was wrong," she answered quickly, surprising me.
"...I thought I still loved him, but..." A tear slipped from one of her eyes. "...When Aries left me, that's when I realized everything."
W-wait—they broke up?
But he never mentioned it to Aunt Gema. And I haven't seen them around, so I had no idea. But I know that when Aries was hospitalized, Ella was there. When did they break up?
"It's too late for me and Aries. It hurts, but that's how it is..." She wiped her cheek. "...Don't let the same thing happen to you. Don't wait for Yuri to leave before you realize how much he means to you." She smiled at me, genuinely this time.
Then she slowly turned and walked away. I stood there, speechless, watching her go. My words and courage disappeared just like that.
Despite my annoyance toward her, I still felt sorry for her. I really thought she still loved Yuri because of her confession. But in the end, it turns out Aries the Horoscope King had taken over her heart.
Serves them right—staying up for those midnight conversations! Hah!
I looked at Ella again and saw her standing next to Freya. That meant their conversation was over. I quickly searched for my crazy stepbrother.
I didn't have to look far—he was walking toward me with his head down, looking like the sky had fallen on him. His shoulders sagged, and it looked like he was about to burst into tears at any moment.
"D-didn't you want to go to Kingsground?" he asked without looking at me.
I did, but I think you need it more right now.
"Y-yeah," I answered awkwardly.
"Alright. Let's go," he said lifelessly.
I had a feeling we were going to need the same kind of alcohol I drank last time. But not for me—this time, it looked like my companion would need it more.