Jay-jay's POV
I don't want to drink right now. I have no appetite for it, and I'd rather think carefully about what Ella told me earlier.
She made a mistake...
Because of that mistake, she lost the person she truly loves. She lost Aries forever because she thought it was still Yuri she loved.
I didn't even want to listen to what she was saying. What does it have to do with her, and what do I care about her? Yet here I am, way too affected by what she said about Section E.
Haaizztt!! It's annoying!
"One more!" Percy shouted to the bartender. "...Brring… out… all the… beeesst… drrinksss!"
I could only shake my head at the sight of him. He said he would drink "just a little."
This is his "little"—and he's already drunk.
"That's enough," I said, reaching for his glass, but he quickly pulled it away.
"No!... Don't... This one's mine! You get yours." He pointed at the bottles on the shelf.
I shook my head at the bartender to let him know I wasn't ordering anything.
I had a feeling he recognized me—he kept glancing my way. Well, it hasn't been that many nights since my last visit here. The only reason I came back tonight was because of this crazy guy I'm with.
"Loved… Got hurt… Drrrank…" he mumbled as his head fell forward.
That's it… He's mumbling now.
I'm starting to feel embarrassed with all the people staring at us. Not only is he being loud as hell, but he's also making a total mess of the seat he's in.
"Jay..." He called out to me. "...Have you ever fallen in love?"
As if he doesn't already know the answer.
I didn't reply. I just let him keep talking. It looked like he was finally about to let out everything he'd been holding inside.
"I thought... she would still accept me," he said, tears starting to roll down his cheeks. "...She doesn't want me anymore."
I grabbed a tissue from the stack nearby and handed it to him. He took it and wiped his tears and snot.
He signaled the bartender for another drink. The bartender poured one more into his glass.
"That's the last one. No more ordering," I said, and he smiled at me.
"My sister is concerned about me." he teased.
No I'm not!I just don't want to carry a drunk guy home.
I rolled my eyes at him and glanced toward the dance floor for a moment. As always, it was packed—people dancing to the loud music.
When I looked back at Percy, he was staring intently at the glass in his hand.
"She's so beautiful..." he said seriously. "...so, so beautiful."
Was he talking about me?
"...The first time I saw her, I told myself, 'She's going to be mine.'
And I wasn't wrong..." He smiled like the person he was talking about was right in front of him. "...They were practicing a dance, and her hair clip came loose. It flew off and landed right at my feet. I was planning to keep it, but then she saw me."
Looks like he's completely hung up on Freya.
"...Her voice was so beautiful when she spoke to me..." He downed the entire glass in one go. "...I watched her for so long. I even stalked her for a few weeks before I finally got the courage to approach her." He let out a small laugh. "...That's when I found out a lot of guys were into her too."
Yeah, I heard she's basically the town's fantasy girl.
He finished the last of his glass. He signaled to the bartender again, but I immediately stopped him. I shook my head at the bartender to say "no more."
"Let's go home..." I told him.
"Later... It's still early," he pleaded.
I got up from the stool and walked toward him. I held his arm to guide him. He was so drunk he couldn't even resist anymore.
I turned to the bartender first. "H-how much do we owe?"
He shook his head. "You forgot already? You and Boss drink here for free." He pointed toward Tiger's office.
Free?! Fucking hell! Why didn't you say that sooner?!
Shutanginames! I should've taken full advantage of that free booze. They never made it clear it was a permanent thing—I thought it was just for that one night last time.
I just smiled at him and said thanks. Then I started helping Percy walk. As we made our way through the crowd, this crazy stepbrother of mine kept swaying and wiggling around like he was dancing. It was making everything ten times harder!
"Stop moving so much!" I yelled at him.
I was already struggling to keep him steady with all the people around, and now he's squirming like an eel. I swear I wanted to smack him upside the head.
We finally made it out the door. I was gasping for air because of him.
"Damn you! You're such a pain, you animal!" I shouted at him.
Suddenly he raised one finger in the air and started singing: "🎶…Just like animals, animals… Awwwoooohhhh!🎶"
That's it. He's gone. Completely gone.
I looked around for a moment. There was no taxi passing by. It was already dark, and by my estimate it was around 10 p.m. I'm so dead when Kuya Angelo finds out.
Percy didn't even bring his car because he was too eager to get here—he just randomly hailed a cab on the way earlier.
I leaned him against the wall first and checked the road again. It looked like I had no choice but to call someone to pick us up. I reached into Percy's pocket to get his phone.
"What are you doing down there?!" he shouted.
Oh, putarages—!
I immediately smacked the back of his head because he was being so loud. What if someone heard him? They might think I'm some pervert—and this idiot acting like crazy.
"I'm getting your phone! You jerk… your mouth is so damn loud!" I said in irritation.
He just pouted while rubbing the back of his head. Out of frustration, I pulled out my own phone from my bag instead. I just hope I still have enough load to make a call.
While I was tapping on my phone, Percy kept poking me.
"What?!" I said, annoyed. "…I swear I'm gonna kick you."
"I have a joke, listen." he said, laughing. "...What do you call a mother banana?"
"Huh?!"
"Wrong!" he said and burst into laughter. "...Bananay!"
Facepalm.
I can do this! I can handle this! I've been through so much already, so I know I'll get past this too. Even if it's corny as hell, I'll survive!
I acted like I couldn't hear anything and sped up scrolling through my contacts to find someone I could call. David was the first person who came to mind, but when I tried calling him, the call got cut off after just one ring.
Maybe he's busy?
If he's not available, then who? I don't know anyone else. I don't even know the people he lives with, and I don't have their numbers.
What about Felix?
Tsk! It's not that I'm being stubborn or anything, but it feels like he won't be able to help me right now either. Then this crazy person with me poked me again.
"What now?!" I said irritably.
"What do you call the test for eggs?" he asked while laughing.
Here he goes again!
"Tsk!"
"An Egg-xam!" he answered, laughing by himself.
I can do this! I can handle this! Goodness! Just a little more and I might start banging my head on the wall because of this one.
Out of sheer irritation, I didn't realize I had already pressed 'Call' beside Felix's name. It was too late to cancel because he had already answered.
["Hello? Jay?"] Felix's voice came through.
I glared at Percy, who was still laughing. This was all his fault. I had no choice now but to talk to Felix. My load would be wasted if I didn't say anything.
"F-Felix."
["Jay-jay... What's wrong? Everything okay?"]
"We just wanted to ask if you could pick us up here at Kingsground."
A brief silence followed before he spoke again. ["Okay. We're on our way."]
I was about to ask who he meant by "we," but he ended the call right away. I just shrugged.
I slipped my phone back into my bag. I was about to lean against the wall next to Percy when three guys suddenly walked up to us.
"Hi Miss!" greeted the tallest one. "…What's a pretty girl like you doing out here?"
Sleeping!
I was about to open my mouth to answer and tell them to leave, but this crazy Percy beat me to it.
"This one's pretty?" he asked the men while pointing at me. "...You're all fooled!"
We all just stared at him in confusion. He was obviously too drunk to stand straight.
"You're drunk, bro…" one of the guys told Percy.
"Me?! Drrrunk?! No way!" he replied arrogantly.
I just shook my head, covering my face in embarrassment. He was making a scene.
"Miss… Is he your boyfriend?" the man in front of me asked.
I quickly shook my head. "He's my stepbrother."
"Miss? Who's Miss?" Percy said as he stepped between me and the man I was talking to. "...Her? Miss? She's no Miss! She's a Mister!"
Damn it! Now he's calling me a man.
The men burst out laughing, even though it was obvious they didn't believe him.
"Transginger, bro! Transginger!" Percy added, making their laughter even louder.
I give up!
I was seriously about to slam my head against the wall. I can't take this level of craziness anymore. I thought I could handle his corny jokes, but this is on another planet.
"Damn… Looks like you really need to take your friend home," one of the men told me.
I nodded in agreement. "Sorry about him."
"It's fine… He made us laugh anyway," said the man in front of me. "...Alright? We need to go inside now. If you need help with your friend, just call us inside."
As if I could find you guys easily in there?
"Alright… Thanks."
They smiled and walked off. Only after they were far away did Percy finally notice they were gone.
"Hey! Where'd they go?! I still have my killer joke to tell them!" he whined, looking all around.
I yanked him back and shoved him against the wall again. "They're gone! They left because they knew you were corny!"
He hung his head and pouted. "Aww…"
If this crazy guy keeps acting like this, I'm never letting him drink this much again. Or maybe I just won't go with him next time. His corny jokes might drive me crazy early.
"I'll just tell my joke to you then!" he said excitedly.
No, please don't!
"Just keep quiet already!"
Of course, he ignored me. He started laughing by himself again.
"What do you call a horse with wings?" he said, laughing again.
"Tsk!"
"Stupid! That's a Pegasus…" he said, laughing even harder.
Please stop… I'm begging you.
I silently prayed for our ride to arrive soon. With his nonstop corny jokes, I might just collapse.
"Here's another one! Here's another one!" he said, struggling to contain his laughter. "…What do you call a flying ant?"
He leaned his face close to mine, clearly waiting for my response to his stupid joke. I just wanted this to end, so I played along.
"What?" I asked, bored.
"I don't know… That's why I'm asking you!"
Damn it! I really give up!
Maybe I should just leave him here. I honestly couldn't take his corny jokes anymore. They were more exhausting than everything I'd been through.
"Haha… My jokes are really funny. It's because I'm so handsome," he said, winking at me.
Out of nowhere, I burst into loud laughter. "Hahahahaha… Of all your jokes, that one's the best."
I was laughing so hard I started hitting my thigh. It took me a while to calm down, and that's when I noticed he had gone quiet, now staring at me seriously.
"There was no joke in what I just said."
"There was… The part where you said you're 'handsome'! Damn! That really got me!" I replied and laughed again.
He rolled his eyes at me and crossed his arms. "I'm not talking to you anymore. You're bullying me!"
I just shook my head at how he looked. Finally! His corny streak was over. I thought I'd have to run away because of him.
Hahahaha… So he gets sulky too!
We heard a car honk. We both turned at the same time and saw an SUV stop in front of us. The passenger door opened, and Felix stepped out.
I stood up straight and was about to help Percy get into the car when I froze at the sight of the person getting out of the driver's seat.
So that's why he said "we"—he brought this idiot with him!
"Jay-jay," Yuri called out to me.
I just stared at him in response. He must've noticed I wasn't happy to see him here because he lowered his head a bit, avoiding my gaze.
"Hey! Stick!" Percy suddenly shouted, making us all look at him. "...What are you doing here?!"
He was looking directly at Yuri while saying that. He tried to approach him, but because he was so drunk, he nearly fell over. He quickly clung to me for support.
"S-stand up straight! You're heavy!" I said, struggling to keep him upright.
Felix stepped closer to help me support him.
"Bring me closer to Stick! I'm gonna hit him!" Percy demanded, trying to walk forward.
Stick?!
"Cut it out already!" Felix snapped.
Percy whipped his head toward him. "You're siding with him now too?! Even you're on his side?!"
"You're drunk, Kuya! Just come with us first!" Felix tried to change the subject.
"I asked you a question! Are you team jerk now?!" Percy shouted, and all of us stopped dead in our tracks.
There was something different in the way he shouted this time. It wasn't just drunk anger; there was real, deep-seated rage behind it. I glanced at Yuri, but his face stayed blank, no reaction at all.
"Percy…That's enough," I said, trying to pull him back, but he wouldn't budge. "...Percy."
"Is it everything?! Are you going to take everything from me?!" Percy shouted again.
He forced himself forward toward Yuri. No matter how hard Felix and I tried to hold him back, he kept pushing, and all we could do was keep him from falling flat on his face. Before he even got close enough, his hand shot out and grabbed Yuri's collar.
"Stop it, Percy!" I shouted, trying to pull him off.
Yuri didn't fight back. He didn't step away, didn't push Percy off; he just let it happen, standing there watching us. Percy's grip tightened instantly.
"What?! Where's all that arrogance now?! Coward Yuri!" Percy screamed right in his face.
Felix and I struggled to pull Percy's hands away. His grip was too tight, and he kept shaking Yuri by the collar.
"That's enough, Kuya!" Felix yelled, but Percy wasn't listening to anyone anymore.
"Are you happy now?! Huh?! You already took everything that was supposed to be mine! Keifer's trust! My brother! And Freya!" Percy roared, and his words hit me like a truck.
I couldn't make sense of it. He was saying Yuri had stolen things that belonged to him.
"I never took anything from you," Yuri answered calmly. "…I just tried to protect everything you left behind."
"BULLSHIT! Protect?! Is that what you call what you did to Freya?!"
So he knows about that too.
"I… I never meant for it to happen," Yuri said quietly.
Suddenly Percy threw a punch straight into Yuri's face. I panicked, totally frozen, not knowing what to do. I wasn't drunk, but it felt like I was also completely out of it.
Yuri fell to the ground. Percy was about to land another punch, but Felix stepped between them. Percy's body finally gave out, likely from exhaustion and the alcohol, and he collapsed.
Yuri stood up slowly, wiping the blood from his split lip. He looked at me for a second, then lowered his head. I don't know… he didn't feel like the same Yuri I once knew, the one I used to crush on, the one who asked me to marry him.
He felt like a completely different person.
And I don't regret that things had come to this. If we're being honest, it's their fault—him and his best friend—that things turned out like this. So, if anyone should feel this way—it shouldn't be me. It should be him.
I helped Percy to his feet. I just wanted to go home—far away from them.
"Let's go home," Felix said.
"No! I'm not done with that Stick yet!" Percy yelled, struggling against us.
I pulled him toward the car with all my strength. Felix did the same, and despite his resistance, we managed to get him inside. I sat beside Percy in the backseat, with Felix in the passenger seat and Yuri driving.
"Freya…" Percy whispered, and his head suddenly dropped onto my shoulder. "…she doesn't want me anymore."
I glanced up at the rearview mirror and saw Yuri looking at me through it. I rolled my eyes at him and turned my attention back to Percy.
The rest of the ride was quiet—except, of course, for Percy, who kept challenging Yuri to a fight. At one point his hand flew out and nearly hit me.
Damn it— One more time and I swear I'm punching him myself!
When we reached Felix's house, their mom was already waiting at the gate, like she'd been expecting us the whole time.
"Mama…" Felix greeted as he got out.
They talked for a moment while the three of us stayed inside the car. Every now and then Yuri would glance at me again, but I chose to ignore him.
Felix and his mom came over to the back door where we were. They opened it and together pulled Percy out. The second he saw who was dragging him, he got up on his own.
"Mama!" Percy yelled, throwing his arms around his stepmother. "…I missed you so much, Mama!"
Felix's mom let out a small laugh. "We literally saw each other just a week ago."
"To me it felt like a whole year," Percy replied, laughing too. "…Let's all sleep together again, you, me, and Felix."
"I don't want to sleep beside you!" Felix immediately protested.
I smiled at the sight of the three of them. Even though Percy wasn't related to them by blood, they never treated him like an outsider. Especially Felix—he didn't have to say anything, but I could feel he was happy to see his brother.
Their mom guided Percy inside the house. Felix turned to us and thanked us. We waited for him to get inside before we finally left.
This is the super awkward part. This is it.
Dead silence ruled the car. Sometimes we'd sneak glances at each other, then instantly look away. We looked like complete idiots. Why am I even doing this?
He stopped right in front of our house. I didn't wait for him to come around and open my door; even though he got out quickly to do it, I was already stepping out on my own.
"T-thank you," I said and started walking away.
"Jay-jay," he called out, so I stopped and looked back at him. "...Uh... I umm..."
My eyes drifted to the side of his lip— It was already swelling red and starting to bruise. I glanced at the house; most of the lights were off. Everyone must be asleep.
"Come inside first," I said.
I didn't wait for his reply. I walked straight in, and after a second he followed. I headed to the kitchen, turned on the light, and started looking for the ice bag.
Once I found it, I grabbed some ice cubes, tossed them inside, and walked over to where he was sitting. I pressed the ice bag gently against his face.
He let me do it at first, but then he suddenly looked straight at me and placed his hand over mine, the one holding the ice bag.
I tried to pull away, but his grip tightened.
"M-my hand…," I said.
He didn't answer. He just stared at me while still holding my hand. I was starting to get annoyed.
"Yuri, my—"
"I miss you," he cut me off.
I yanked my hand away with all my strength, causing the ice bag to fall to the floor. I glared at him.
"You can leave now," I said.
He didn't move. His eyes stayed on me, almost pleading. I shouldn't have let him in. I let my stupid soft heart take over again.
"Jay… please," he said, stepping closer. "…Let me expla—"
"Yuri!," I cut him off. "I just want to rest."
He reached for my hand again. I didn't even have the energy to fight anymore. This only makes everything harder.
"Let's talk, please," he begged.
I don't know if I'm ready to hear whatever he has to say.
I shook my head. I was about to lash out and tell him everything when Aries suddenly walked into the kitchen, glaring daggers at us.
"What are you doing here?" Aries asked seriously.
I instantly pulled my hand away from Yuri's. I couldn't even look at either of them. I had a feeling another fight was about to start, so I moved fast. I picked the ice bag up off the floor and tossed it beside the sink.
"I'll just walk Yuri out," I said lifelessly, pulling Yuri toward the door.
When we reached the gate, I stopped and watched him step outside. His eyes looked sad as he stared at me. I didn't give him the chance to say anything.
I—I'm not ready.
I shut the gate immediately and went back inside the house. I went straight to my room and collapsed onto my bed. I didn't like being rude to Yuri, but I couldn't help it.
Why you gotta be so rude? Don't you know I'm human too…