Jay-jay's POV
It's Saturday. No school, which means no one should be waking me up early. But for some reason, my bedroom door suddenly slammed open, making me wake up instantly.
I squinted at the culprit—whoever had the audacity to barge into my room like that. The doorknob was broken, so it was easy to push the door open.
It was Aries. Of course.
"Get up and eat breakfast," he said irritably before storming out.
"Abnormal," I muttered into my pillow.
I forced myself out of bed, even though I just wanted to stay buried under the covers. I had so many plans for today—like sleeping, sleeping, sleeping, and more sleeping.
After freshening up and changing, I headed to the dining room. Everyone was already there—including my older brother, Angelo.
I'm doomed.
He was giving me a hard stare. I knew he must've heard about me skipping school for an entire week. Solid. Which meant my punishment would be solid, too.
"Jay," Mom called my attention as I sat down. "Come with us and your Uncle Andy. We're going to check out the house we're moving into."
"Can't you go without me?" I asked, bored.
"Jay!" Angelo snapped.
Is there no one on my side in this house? I thought maybe Aunt Gema, but she wouldn't go against Mom. Grandma might have taken my side, but she already went back to the province.
I was all alone…
I just kept my head down and ate quietly. I knew there was no way out of this. Looks like I really was going on this trip with my mom and her new husband. Surely, nothing could make this situation worse.
"Aries, you're coming too," Mom added.
Whaaaaat?!
"No way," Aries replied immediately. Me neither!
"You're coming, Aries," Angelo said firmly. "Unless you want me to take back your car."
I could practically see Aries clenching his teeth to stop himself from lashing out. I wanted to burst out laughing. There was something so satisfying about not being the only one getting scolded for once.
But honestly? I really didn't want him to come with me.
"So he's coming along—maybe I don't have to come anymore?" I asked, and my brother's eyebrows immediately furrowed.
"You're coming," he ordered.
I waited to see if there was going to be some kind of threat, like with Aries, but there was nothing. He couldn't take away a car because I didn't have one. He couldn't cut my allowance because I was getting money from Percy—yes, I was asking him for money!—and my brother barely even came home, so there was nothing else he could really do.
"What if I don't?" I challenged.
My brother gave me a sharp look, clearly understanding that I was provoking him.
"If you don't come…" he started, and then his eyes narrowed mischievously. "…you'll sleep in Aries' room."
WHAAAAAAAT?! NO! NO! NO!
"Fine, I'm coming," I quickly said and turned my attention back to my food.
No one spoke after that. After eating, I went back to my room to shower and get ready. I had no idea where we were going, but I brought some money—just in case I got fed up and decided to leave them behind.
Aries and I left our rooms at almost the same time. He didn't even glance at me and just kept walking ahead. I knew he didn't want to be around me. Well, the feeling was mutual.
"Are you guys ready?" Andy asked excitedly.
"Yes… I'm ready," Mom answered cheerfully, even clapping her hands.
Neither Aries nor I answered. We both looked bored and obviously annoyed.
Nice! At least we had that in common.
"Take care on the road," Auntie said and kissed Aries on the cheek.
She hugged me, and I almost didn't hug her back. I wasn't mad at her—just a bit hurt by everything that had happened—but I didn't want to push her away. She was my only ally at this point.
We got into Andy's SUV. Aries and I sat in the back seat, sitting far apart and pressed against our respective doors. We looked like we had some contagious disease and were trying to avoid each other.
Well, I guess he really does have a sickness—he's a pain in the brain. The guy's seriously messed up sometimes.
As the car drove off, Mom and Andy kept chatting nonstop—mostly about their upcoming wedding. I was starting to lose my mind, so I grabbed my headphones and jammed them into my ears, turning the volume all the way up.
I needed some solid, head-banging music.
The drive took three hours, thanks to traffic—wow, great!
We finally arrived at an exclusive subdivision and stopped in front of a simple but beautiful two-story house. At first glance, it looked perfect for newlyweds. Not too big, not too small—just right.
I pulled out my headphones and got out of the car. Aries followed behind me, still looking like he wanted to punch someone.
"Isn't it nice?" Mom asked, smiling. "Your Uncle Andy designed it!"
Wait—what? He designed this house?
"Is he an architect?" Aries asked.
So he really is a house designer!
"Yes… I'm currently managing our own firm," Andy answered.
"What's an architect?" I asked absentmindedly.
Andy was about to answer when Aries, being his usual annoying self, chimed in.
"Someone who designs brains for idiots like you!" he snapped.
My eyebrows shot up. I was just asking a question because I wasn't sure—but that didn't mean I was an idiot.
"Oh, really?" I said sarcastically. "Well, since you're so smart, why don't you tell me my fortune for today?"
"Fortune?" he asked, confused.
"Aren't you Horoscope?"
He obviously got what I was implying, and his irritation flared up. He raised a hand, probably about to smack me, but before he could, Mom threw her arms around both of us.
"Picture time!" she announced, and I heard the camera click.
Ugh, great! Just perfect.
God, what did I even look like in that photo? I probably looked like a total idiot. I was about to grab Andy's phone to delete the picture when he opened the gate and walked into the yard.
"Come on! Let's go!" Mom called excitedly.
Mom followed Andy inside, and Aries and I were left standing at the gate. I glared at him—this was his fault! Because of him, I looked like an idiot in that photo.
"Jerk," I muttered, but it looked like he heard me.
"You're an even bigger jerk!" he shot back.
"Horoscope!"
"Tomboy!"
"Gay!"
"Ugly!"
"You're even uglier!"
"When are you two going to stop?" Mom suddenly cut in, looking completely irritated.
I didn't answer. I just stormed ahead into the yard. The space was pretty big, and there was a garage area, though it still needed some work.
Andy was waiting at the door when we arrived. I crossed my arms and waited for Mom and Aries to catch up.
Why did I even agree to come on this trip? We weren't even doing anything useful.
My brother Angelo was so annoying sometimes. I couldn't tell if he was just getting revenge or if this was some weird punishment. Either way, it was ruining my mood.
"Hon!" Andy called out to Mom, handing her the house key.
Mom took the key eagerly, beaming like a model on a commercial. I only just realized that Andy was taking photos of her.
Ugh! A door model. Seriously.
"Okay, here we go… We're about to enter our future home," Mom announced dramatically as she slowly opened the door. "Tada!"
I peeked inside. Mom was the first one in, followed by Andy. I slowly followed behind them.
The house already had some furniture—like a sofa set still wrapped in plastic, a dining table, and a refrigerator. Andy flipped the light switch, and the lights came on perfectly.
It just needed people to live in it.
"Let's go check out the second floor," Mom said, leading the way.
SHe went up the stairs first. I followed, and just my luck, I ended up walking alongside Aries on the stairs.
"I went first," I said irritably.
"So what?" he shot back.
"It's Saturday... idiot!"
"Moron!"
Before I could respond, he had already reached the top of the stairs. I quickly chased after him, but his strides were too long.
When we reached the second floor, I saw another sofa set and a flat-screen TV mounted on the wall. There were three doors that looked like bedrooms and one door leading to the terrace.
Mom grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the first door.
"This is your room," she said as she opened it.
It wasn't as big as my room at Aunt Gema's house, but it was enough for me. There was a cabinet, a study table, a bed frame, and a mattress still wrapped in plastic.
"And this one's for Aries," Andy said, opening the door across from mine.
It was the same as my room, but Aries didn't seem pleased. He crossed his arms and looked annoyed.
"Why do I have a room here?" he asked seriously.
"Well, when we move in----"
"Wait a minute!" Aries cut off Mom. "...Are you saying we're going to live here too?"
Oh right… I hadn't even thought of that. Mom had mentioned I'd live with them for a while—at least before I got married. But with everything I'd learned, that didn't seem likely anymore.
"Yes... but only for a little while. Just during your school breaks," Mom replied.
"No! That's never gonna happen," Aries said, shaking his head.
"Aries... I just want----"
"There you go again! What you want... what about what we want?" he snapped, cutting her off again.
"Aries," Andy said calmly, trying to stop him.
He glared at Mom before briefly looking at me and then stormed downstairs. The three of us just stood there, watching him leave.
I understood Aries. It felt like she was making decisions without asking for our opinion again. As much as I wanted to protest like my horoscope-obsessed brother did, I held back.
I knew Mom already realized what we were feeling.
Mom looked at me, and before she could speak, I turned my back on her. I went to the terrace and quietly took in the surroundings.
The feeling was oddly familiar.
I saw Aries outside, seemingly talking to someone on his phone. He was pacing back and forth, and even though I couldn't hear what he was saying, he looked really frustrated.
He suddenly glanced in my direction, so I quickly looked away, pretending to focus on something else. But all I saw were rooftops and power lines.
The view sucked.
I went back inside. Mom and Andy were gone, but I could hear their voices coming from downstairs. I went back to my room and just kept looking around, even though there wasn't anything interesting.
When I finally got bored, I went down. I found Mom and Andy in the kitchen, talking. They both looked at me when I entered.
"Jay... What do you guys want to eat? Your Uncle Andy's going out to buy some food," Mom asked with a smile.
"I'll ask Aries," I said flatly.
I went outside to find Aries. It wasn't hard because he was still in the same spot where I had seen him earlier, still on his phone.
"What do you want to eat? They're going out to buy food."
"Whatever... as long as it helps fill your empty head!" he snapped.
Ugh, this guy is the worst!
"Then don't eat! Starve to death for all I care!" I shouted and stomped back inside.
Andy was already standing by the door, car keys in hand, waiting for my answer. Aries didn't give me any real response—just insults.
"He wants pizza and a bucket of chicken," I said.
He said as long as my brain got some substance… so I figured that'd be good enough. At least my stomach and brain would be happy.
Andy the killjoy left to get food, leaving the three of us alone in the house. Mom and I sat at the dining table while waiting. Aries eventually finished his call and joined us.
We sat there awkwardly, waiting for the food. I swear I'd given every single ant that passed by its own dialogue out of sheer boredom.
"It's just like old times, right, Aries?" Mom said, and I looked at them.
I couldn't remember a time when we'd all sat together at a dining table like this. I was only three years old when Aries was sent to live with Auntie, so my memories were fuzzy.
Aries lowered his head, one hand resting on the table. "Y-yeah..."
"You still remember?" Mom added, forcing a smile.
I couldn't relate.
"Of course, I remember..." Aries said, looking at Mom. "...I also remember how you used to hit me when I didn't follow you. I remember how you'd curse at me whenever I made a mistake."
Slowly, his eyes changed. I saw anger building in him. I wanted to interrupt and ask questions, but I was afraid he'd lash out at me instead.
"...I remembered it. I remember how you hit me with slippers, belts, or hangers. I remember how you called me 'useless,' 'stupid,' and 'thoughtless.' Well, let me tell you—I do have a brain because I remember everything you did!" he accused.
Mom couldn't respond. Even I was stunned by what I was hearing.
I had no idea about any of this.
"...and you know what I remembered the most? When you made me sleep outside just because I left Jay-jay alone in the house!" A tear fell from one of his eyes. "...But do you even know the reason? Do you know why I went out and left Jay-jay alone?! Because I went out to buy her food! Because you weren't there to cook for her!"
He took a deep breath. "I did what you were supposed to do, but in the end, I was still the bad one!"
Mom took a deep breath, and that's when I realized she was already crying. She held Aries's hand tightly.
"I was just carried away by my anger... I didn't mean it." She said while continuing to cry. "...Please forgive me. I was still very young back then---"
"That's not an excuse!" Aries shouted. "...Jay-jay was the only one important to you! Why?! Because his dad is rich while mine was just a jobless bum?!"
Shit! I'm getting confused!
I know Aries and I have different fathers, but I had no idea about everything he was saying. I didn't know he went through all that with Mom.
Aries tried to pull his hand away from Mom's grip. He finally succeeded because of her weakness. Mom kept crying, and honestly, it hurt me even though it shouldn't.
"That's probably why you gave me up for adoption." Aries added.
Please stop... Please.
The heaviness of this conversation was too much. I stared into the distance and took a deep breath.
"Stop it, Aries." I said, and he turned his angry gaze toward me.
"...Just stop."
"Aries..." Mom called him. "...I didn't want to give you up for adoption. I just had to, so I could take better care of Jay-jay. Your sister was sickly; she needed me more."
Please listen to Mom...
"And I didn't?!" Aries's voice was filled with resentment. "I didn't need a mother?! Is that it?!"
"Enough." I tried to stop them.
"I know you needed me... But please try to understand."
"It's always about understanding you! What about us trying to understand you all the time?!"
"Just stop it, Aries."
I felt like I was about to lose it from their endless back-and-forth. My head hurt, and my chest felt so heavy. I expected there would be some arguments, but not this kind of painful blaming while digging up the past.
"I was useless to you! That's why you gave me up!"
I slammed my hand hard on the table. "STOP IT ALREADY!" I shouted, glaring at Aries. "...FOR GOODNESS' SAKE!"
Even Mom stopped speaking. She wiped her face, which was soaked with tears. I heard her take deep breaths several times.
"Stop blaming Mom for everything she lacked! Maybe you're forgetting you've made mistakes too!" I said. "...The way you're talking! You should be embarrassed!"
From where he sat across from me, Aries grabbed my shirt collar. I stood up as he pulled my face closer to his. His eyes looked like they wanted to kill me.
"You don't know the things I went through----"
I cut him off. "And you don't know the things I went through either!" A tear fell from one of my eyes. "...I may not remember everything yet, but I know! I know it was hell!" But were you even there to protect me?!
Even if I didn't say the words I wanted to, I knew he understood what I meant.
Slowly, he let go of me. But we still didn't take our eyes off each other.
"Mom..." I called without looking away from him. "...Stop crying, and if you could just..."
"Don't even hope that we'll ever make peace." Aries cut me off.
Silence filled the room between the three of us. I didn't know how long we stayed like that until Andy finally arrived with the food.
"D-did something happen while I was gone?" Andy asked Mom.
Mom just answered with a smile. If only you'd arrived earlier, you could've caught the whole drama.
You might've even bought popcorn while watching.