Jay-jay's POV
Password Incorrect!
This app is driving me crazy. I can't figure out its purpose. I barely slept because of it, and I've hardly put my phone down just to keep checking that damn app.
"Are you even listening?"
I looked up at my brother. He was starting one of his sermons again while we waited for my ride.
"Obviously not," Aries butted in.
I immediately glared at him and quickly hid my phone because my brother was already shooting daggers at it.
"I'll ask you again… Why didn't you ride with Yuri yesterday?" my brother asked.
"I had somewhere to go," I answered quickly.
"Where?"
"At—"
I didn't get to finish my sentence when we heard a car honk. A few moments later, Yuri entered the house and greeted everyone with a good morning.
"Talk to them later, or you'll be late," Aunt Gema said to my brother.
He just nodded and motioned for me to leave. I stood up and walked out, brushing past Yuri, but before I could reach his car, I suddenly stopped.
What if that idiot's in the car again?
I lowered myself and practically crawled toward the car. I must've looked ridiculous, sneaking around and peeking through the windows from the back. But since I was at the rear, I couldn't see who was inside.
Damn it! What if he's in there again? I'd be so embarrassed. I mean, the guy has plenty of cars—why does he always have to ride with us? What is this, some kind of financial crisis?
"What are you doing?"
My body froze when I heard that voice. I swear, I almost pressed my face against the car's glass just to avoid facing him.
I knew it!
"Again… What are you doing?" Keifer repeated.
Kissing the car!
I slowly turned to face him, my head down. I probably looked like a kid being scolded by their parents. I cleared my throat, trying to calm my nerves.
"N-none of your business," I answered, pretending to be indifferent.
I tried to open the backseat door, but Keifer blocked me with his arm, resting his palm against the car window. I went around to the other side, but he did the same thing.
He had me trapped.
"W-what's your problem?!" I snapped, still avoiding his eyes.
I felt a little safer not meeting his gaze. I needed to stay strong in front of him. I had to show I wasn't affected by him anymore, no matter what he did.
"Look at me," he ordered, but I didn't budge. "Look. At. Me."
Don't look at him…
"Look…" He tilted my chin up, forcing our eyes to meet. "…At…" his voice softened as his face got closer. "…Me."
I swore under my breath. My hands and knees started to shake the moment I saw his eyes. His face was so close to mine.
His eyes…
I hate this. I hate how he can still affect me like this. I swallowed hard, and in desperation, I did the only thing I could think of to break eye contact.
I crossed my eyes. On purpose.
It hurt like hell, but hey, at least his face was a blurry double mess now. Better two fuzzy versions of him than one dangerously clear one.
"What the hell," he muttered.
I didn't care if he laughed at me. Let him! As long as I kept myself from falling into those damn eyes again, it was worth it.
But man, my eyes were killing me.
I had to close them and rub them with both hands. I heard Keifer snicker.
"Serves you right," he said.
I took a moment to recover, and when I opened my eyes, I glared at him. His arms were still trapping me against the car.
"Leave already!" I shouted at him, but he didn't move. "Damn it! I said leave!"
He's so good at getting on my nerves!
A corner of his lips slowly lifted into a smirk, his eyes challenging me.
"Keifer."
I turned to see who called him. It was Yuri. I think this is the first time I was ever grateful for his sudden appearance.
"...Let's go." Yuri's voice was lifeless.
But the smirk on this King's face in front of me didn't disappear. I wanted to punch him just to wipe that expression off.
"Leave!" I yelled at him again.
Instead of listening, he leaned closer to me, which irritated me even more. I pressed my head against the car's window to put some distance between us, but it was useless. I turned my face away, which only made his lips come closer to my ear.
"Profanity," he whispered, and then he left a kiss on my neck before finally walking away and getting into Yuri's car.
My heart did a full-on somersault. It felt like there was a surprise party happening inside my body. All that was missing was the confetti.
Surprise!!! Your insides just exploded!
Why am I like this? I shouldn't be getting affected anymore. This shouldn't happen!
But my body won't cooperate. It reacts on its own.
"Jay-jay..." Yuri called me softly.
Slowly, I looked at him. He had no expression on his face, but his hand was outstretched toward me.
"I-I'm not coming with you," I said.
"You have to. Angelo might get mad."
I glanced at the car's interior. That devilish King was sitting there, all relaxed.
"I don't want to ride with him."
Yuri let out a deep sigh. "Keifer can't drive yet. His wound was deep, and he says his whole arm hurts when he moves it."
So now I'm the one who has to adjust?!
"Ugh! So annoying!" I said and stomped toward the backseat door.
I got in with a huff. I didn't even glance at the Animal King sitting there. I just kept my eyes on the window.
Yuri's words replayed in my head. His whole arm hurts when he moves it? Then what was he doing earlier when he blocked my way? He moved his whole arm!
I smell something fishy!
This demon's at it again, pulling his sneaky tricks. So irritating!
When we arrived at the school's parking lot, I got out of the car immediately. I didn't wait for them and walked quickly to the classroom. Some of my classmates greeted me, but I ignored them.
"Good morning," Ci-N greeted as I sat down.
I ignored him too and just buried my face on my desk. I could feel the presence of those snakes passing by in front of me. I didn't know if they were doing it on purpose or not.
"Jay-jay..." Ci called, nudging me. "...Hey."
I lifted my head and glared at him. He just smiled and held out a chocolate bar toward me.
"I don't want it," I said and went back to my desk. But he nudged me again.
"Come on. Take it before they grab it," he insisted.
Ugh! So persistent!
"I said I don't want it. Just hide it if you don't want them to take it," I replied irritably.
I was about to bury my face again, but there he was, nudging me again. My patience was starting to wear thin.
"It's for you," he said softly, almost pleading.
"I said no! What part of 'no' do you not understand?!" I snapped at him.
I saw the fear and sadness in his eyes, but he forced a sweet smile.
"Okay, I'll just keep it then. We can eat it later," he said quietly, putting the chocolate back into his bag.
I glanced toward the snakes who were now watching us. They quickly looked away and pretended to be busy. My eyes met Keifer's.
Look at what you've caused!
I glared at him and turned to face the door. I felt so heavy inside. Sure, I yell at Ci-N sometimes, but not like this. I took a deep breath and pulled my headset and phone from my bag.
I was planning to listen to music when my eyes fell on the OTJ101 App. I still couldn't uninstall this cursed thing.
I looked around for Edrix and, sure enough, there he was, feet up on the chair, playing on his phone. I stood up and walked toward him.
I could feel their eyes following me, as if they needed to know my every move.
"Edrix," I called out to him.
He hurriedly stopped playing on his phone and placed his feet back on the ground. His face was full of confusion, but I thought I also saw a hint of excitement.
"W-why?" he asked.
I showed him my phone. "Do you know what this is?"
Before he even got a good look, he quickly turned his attention back to his phone and shook his head.
"I-I don't know that."
You didn't even look at it properly!
My brows furrowed at his reaction. It felt like he was deliberately avoiding my phone. I placed it firmly on his desk.
"You're good with gadgets and computers, right? Uninstall that app from my phone, or just format it altogether," I ordered, irritation creeping into my voice.
Edrix bit his lower lip and wiped his palm on his thigh. My suspicion grew stronger. His behavior was too strange — too obvious, like he was hiding something from me.
I'm not an investigator, but I won't let this go!
"B-because... Jay-jay," he started hesitantly, "...I-I can't."
One of my eyebrows shot up so high it could've touched the ceiling.
"You can't?" I asked sarcastically. "Who are you fooling? Yourself?"
Edrix glanced briefly at Keifer. That glance only strengthened my suspicion. My blood started to boil.
I grabbed my phone and shoved it toward him again.
"Look at it!" I commanded, frustration building. "I'll ask you one more time — do you know what this app is?!"
He couldn't answer. His mouth would open like he was about to speak, but then he'd close it again. He was squirming in his seat, rubbing the back of his neck.
I KNEW IT!
I slammed my phone down on his desk, making a loud noise that captured everyone's attention.
"Answer me! I'm starting to lose my patience!" I yelled.
He shut his eyes tightly and bit his lip again. It was obvious now — they were definitely keeping something from me. They'd done something behind my back again.
I punched his desk in frustration. I'd had enough! I wouldn't let them make a fool of me anymore.
"Jay-jay," someone called my name, but my focus remained on Edrix.
He swallowed hard and took a deep breath before finally facing me again.
He took my phone, and I was shocked when he unlocked it without even asking for my password.
He tapped on the app, and when it asked for a password, he entered it himself. The app opened, and he turned the phone toward me.
He was the one who installed it on my phone.
"OTJ101 stands for Operation Tracking Jay-jay Version 10.1," he explained, placing the phone back on the desk. "I-I programmed that app to track your phone's location. It uses signal tracking, making it more efficient than the ones used by the police or regular people."
So that's why! That's why they always knew where I was going. That's why, whenever I was in trouble or in the middle of a fight, they always managed to help me.
"S-so this is the reason," I whispered in disbelief.
"B-but aside from that," Edrix added hesitantly, "...this app is linked to another phone." He glanced at Keifer again, and I followed his gaze.
Keifer showed no reaction. He was just listening like everyone else. But I couldn't stop myself from glaring at him.
"All your text messages and phone calls are also routed to that app," Edrix continued. "So the linked phone can read your messages and listen to your calls."
It felt like I had been doused with ice-cold water. Shock and rage surged through me. I felt completely violated, like a prisoner under constant surveillance.
They had taken away my privacy.
"W-why did you put that on my phone?" I asked, struggling to keep my voice steady.
Edrix bowed his head. "B-because of your meeting with P-percy before."
Fvcking shit!
I ran my hands down my face in frustration. I couldn't believe this. I couldn't believe they had done this to me.
"Whose phone is this linked to?" I demanded.
"K-Keifer's," Edrix answered.
Without thinking, I grabbed my phone from the desk and threw it at Keifer with all my strength. I hoped it would hit his face, but he dodged it with just a tilt of his head to the right.
My phone shattered on the floor.
I couldn't hold back my anger anymore. I wanted to wipe that indifferent expression off his face. I wanted to fight them — all of them. I couldn't believe they had gone this far.
"You're unbelievable!" I spat at Keifer. "You really have no limits!"
He remained expressionless, just looking at me like none of this mattered.
"You're so determined to execute your plans, huh?! Even my private matters — you just had to interfere!" I screamed. "...Are you really this cruel?!"
Instead of responding, he just rolled his eyes at me, which only made my anger explode.
I stormed toward him, ready to punch him in the face, but someone grabbed me from behind. Arms wrapped around my waist and lifted me away from him.
"Let go of me!" I shouted while struggling.
"Enough! Stop it!" Yuri's voice.
I'm the one who has to stop?! He took me out of the room. Only when we were a good distance away did he finally put me down. I glared at him and pushed him away from me.
"Jay..."
"You and your best friend are something else, huh?! You're both solid idiots!" I said angrily. "...Go on, take all my anger! Maybe there's something else I don't know—why don't you just tell me everything!"
My breathing was heavy, as if I'd been doing so much. The longer I stayed with these snakes, the heavier my chest felt. I just wanted to rip my heart out so the pain would go away.
"Jay... please."
I ran my hand through my hair, trying to hold back my tears, but they came out on their own because of my rage. I told myself I wouldn't cry anymore, but here I was again. My tears were racing each other like there was some kind of competition.
"Can't you stop already?! I'm struggling so much..." I clutched my chest. "...Just leave me alone."
I used to think I was the problem. I thought I was wrong because I almost juggled the two of them. I thought I was the one at fault because I gave Yuri false hope.
I nearly lost my self-respect because I felt like I was being seen as someone cheap—like those women lining up in the plaza waiting for customers.
A flirt, in other words!
My hair must be so long for two guys to like me this much. I could barely sleep thinking about them. Thinking that whatever move I made, someone would get hurt. Guilt ate me up, but I kept hiding it behind my smile when I was with the one I loved.
Turns out, I was the one being played. I was the one being strung along for nothing. If I thought I was a flirt before, now I just felt stupid. So stupid I might as well build a monument of myself.
The National Fool of the Philippines!
"Jay..." Yuri called me softly. "...I'm sorry."
"Did your sorry change what you did?"
He didn't speak anymore, but his warm embrace answered my question. His hug was tight.
I was too weak to fight him off. My body was exhausted. My mind was giving up, and my heart was nearly broken from the pain.
I wanted to give up.
And it seemed like my whole body agreed. My knees slowly lost strength, and I felt my body weaken. The last thing I remembered was the world getting darker while I faintly heard Yuri's voice.
"Jay-jay!"