Jay-jay's POV
Sunday turned out to be in my favor. No one was home except for Tita's maids. Even Mama and annoying Andy weren't there. I spent the whole day eating and sleeping—no bath!
That's fine! Don't judge me!
But it seems like only Sunday favored me because it's Monday now. Monday na Monday! And what greeted me on this Monday morning? My brother's nagging.
I was already ready for my daily routine with Percy. I'd pretend to go to school, but we'd actually meet at the Mini Mart—you know the drill! But apparently, Kuya was still at home, and there it was.
Sermon all the way!
"I let you off easy at first! You're really pushing my patience to the limit!"he shouted.
I just kept my eyes closed while listening. I felt like with every word he said, there was an object ready to fly at me. That's how powerful his nagging was.
"That's enough, Angelo. I'm sure she'll go to school today." Tita Gema tried to calm him down and then turned to me. "...You're going to school now, right?"
I looked up at her like a little kid. I gave her a small nod because, to be honest, I had no intention of going today. I had no intention of going forever.
"You really think I'll believe you?!" Kuya said angrily and poked my forehead. "...You think I don't know how your mind works?!"
Haaahhh! Can Kuya read minds now?!
"And no, I can't read minds, if that's what you're thinking!" he added.
Oowwwsss?!
"I-I'm really going to class. You can even take me there so you'll be sure," I said, still looking down.
"Oh, you're really going! And to make sure you actually reach your classroom…"
He'll take me!
"…I'll have someone take you!"
Whaaaaaaat?!
By who?! Aries the Horoscope?! Seriously, I wouldn't even make it to the school gate before he'd drop me off. We don't even have a driver to take me. Andy the Annoying can't take me either because he's going home—he says he has tons of work to finish!
"Who?" Aunt Gema asked.
"Him." Kuya quickly answered, pointing at the door.
Aunt Gema and I both turned to look. There he was, smirking and waving at us. I can only say one thing.
Monday is definitely not in my favor!
"G-good morning po," Yuri greeted.
"Kuya!" I called my brother in frustration.
"He'll be the one who'll drop you off AND pick you up," he emphasized the word "AND." "...I'll also be updated every hour, just to make sure you don't skip class."
Wow! Wow, really! A wow-worthy wow! WOW!
Kuya gave me a smug smile, like he was saying, "You won't win against me." Damn it! I really have no chance.
I couldn't do anything anymore. If I fought back, Kuya would just tighten his grip even more. I just wanted to bang my head against the wall because of this.
"Go on… get to school!" Kuya ordered.
Here we go! Here it comes! As if!
Even though I hated it, I started walking out. I passed Yuri, who was looking at me, and he quickly followed, getting ahead of me and opening the backseat door of his car.
I got in with a slam, and only after the door closed did I notice that someone was already sitting in the passenger seat. Maybe Monday really isn't in my favor after all. Just when I'm not ready to see him…
Now, of all times?! What is this?! Are they messing with me?!
To be fair, they're REALLY good at it. I was about to lose it! Just one more thing and I swear my fist would meet their faces.
"Jay… Sorry. I didn't tell you that Kei was coming with us—"
I immediately cut Yuri off. I glared at him, the kind of look that could just pierce bone. Or maybe I should just break his bones.
"Yuri. Please. For the love of God! Just drive." I said, trying to sound somewhat calm.
I am calm... Promise!
Yuri had no choice but to start driving. As for the guy next to him, he was just staring out the window. Acting like a total tourist!
I feel like stabbing him in the back!
I quickly looked away when he slightly turned toward me. I pretended to be a tourist too and stared out the window. My mistake was sitting behind Yuri. I should've sat behind him, so I could stab him easily.
King of the Demonic Vipers!
A few moments later, the smell of cigarettes filled the air. I started coughing because the air conditioning spread the scent around. When I looked up front, that damned jerk was puffing smoke like some dragon.
Shutanginames, seriously!
"What the heck?! You're smoking inside the car?!" I said in irritation and opened the window.
All I heard was him laughing. I had a strong feeling he was just teasing me. It looked like he really wasn't satisfied with what he did to me, and now he was provoking me again.
"Gago," I whispered.
I endured the smell of cigarette smoke. My lungs might as well have dried up because of it. When we got to school, Yuri hadn't even parked yet when I already got out and slammed the door shut.
I couldn't take it anymore!
I headed straight to the restroom and stayed there for a while. I tried to get rid of the cigarette smell that had clung to my clothes and fixed myself up. I didn't want anyone to notice how miserable I felt.
The bell rang, so I had no choice but to leave the restroom. Each step toward our classroom felt heavy. I really wasn't ready, but as Kuya said, he'd be "updated."
I took several deep breaths. Fear was eating me up even though it shouldn't. They should be the ones afraid of me!
I was already close to the classroom door when I suddenly stepped back. I don't think I can do this—my knees are shaking. I feel like going home already. But if I don't face them, this cowardice of mine will never end.
A little courage, please!
I shouldn't be the one who's scared. Why? Was I the one who did something wrong? Was I the one who cheated and made a bet? Was I the one who lied and led someone on?
That would be embarrassing! I'm the one who was wronged, yet I'm the one who's afraid.
I took a deep breath, the kind that feels like you're dragging out every bit of air from your lungs. I also slapped my face with both hands to wake myself up—ouch, that hurt!
I walked normally, like it was just an ordinary day. Like I was entering a normal class, in a normal school, with normal classmates.
The moment I stepped through the door, it was as if an angel had passed by— here comes the barracuda. Everyone gradually fell silent while staring at me. Some stopped what they were doing and turned to face me.
"It's Jay-jay."
"She came in."
"Do you think she's okay now?"
"I think she's still mad!"
"What matters is she came to school!"
"Jay-jay!" Ci-N shouted loudly with a smile.
But I still couldn't bring myself to return that smile. I looked at my old seat between the two idiot best friends. It was still empty, like it was really reserved for me. The piece of cloth from my skirt was still stuck to the chair.
But I'm not sitting there anymore!
I looked at the seat nearest to the door — the one right up front, with no one beside it. Everyone else was either behind me or on the sides.
I dropped my bag on the table, brushed off the chair, and sat down, resting my chin on my hand like nothing was wrong. At least this way, I didn't have to see their faces. I didn't care what they did behind me anymore.
"So you're finally back."
I turned to see who spoke — it was David, the guy with those high-class instincts. I gave him a bored look.
"No. I'm just a hologram."
He let out a small laugh, shaking his head as he walked into the room.
"Why is she talking to David first?"
"Do you think there's something between them?"
"That's so unfair."
Is it annoying when people have conversations like that on purpose so you can hear them? I don't know if they're doing it intentionally or what. I just feel like punching something.
I looked at the desk beside mine because it was moving closer to me. I glared at the idiot who was pushing it toward me.
Ci-N!
He even fixed the chair and wiped it before sitting down. His smile was wide, and his eyes were round as he stared at me.
"We're seatmates!" he said joyfully.
I checked how close his desk and chair were to mine. His wasn't in the proper line anymore. The space between our tables was gone.
"I noticed," I replied sarcastically.
I looked around and searched for a place I could move to. I didn't want to sit next to anyone. That's exactly why I changed seats in the first place, and now he was sitting beside me. But before I could move, Sir Alvin arrived.
"Good morning… Sorry I'm late," he said, shuffling through his papers.
He glanced at me and smiled. "Good thing you came to class. Angelo kept asking about you."
Sure, Sir. Thanks for the reminder!
I gave him an awkward smile mixed with a grimace. He started discussing whatever the lesson was. I felt like I'd chosen the wrong seat because we were now way too much at the front. The teacher could clearly see my every move.
"Jay-jay," Ci whispered to me.
Just ignore.
"Jay-jay."
You hear nothing!
"Psst! Jay."
Lalalalalalala...
"Jay-jay... Barracuda."
You little—!
"Why aren't you answering? You didn't brush your teeth, did you?"
Oh, great!
I wanted to bang my head on the table — hard enough that I'd pass out.
I didn't want to yell at Ci-N. I was upset with him, but that wasn't a reason to take it out on him. David already explained that Ci was forced to do it.
I just can't help feeling hurt. We've been together for so long. He even stayed over at our house and shared my room. He endured not speaking to me for that long.
It's frustrating…
Our subject with Sir Alvin ended, but the person beside me still wasn't done bugging me.
"Look at this," he said with a smile, showing me a plastic toy labeled 'surprise egg.' "...Look! Look!"
He opened the egg, and like a child, he clapped his hands with joy. The crazy guy was amused by the toy he got from inside.
"Surprise!" he said, absolutely delighted.
I secretly smiled at how he looked. I kind of missed it. I missed our playful banter too. But things aren't the same as before anymore.
The next subjects felt pretty normal again. As long as there's no group work!
I'm not grouping with those Demonic Vipers.
The bell rang, signaling lunchtime. Uh-oh! I forgot to bring food. I glanced back and saw Eman already packing up. Looks like he cooked something today.
"Come on… let's eat," Ci invited me.
I stood up and walked, but not toward the back where the food was. I headed straight outside. I could hear Ci-N calling my name, but I just ignored him.
Where was I going? I didn't know. I tried heading to the back of the canteen. I wanted to see if I could buy something from my vendor friend.
"Ate…" I called to her from the window at the back. "…can I buy something?"
"A miracle! You came back here," she said, looking around behind her. "…so what are you buying?"
"The combo-whatever-you-call-it," I answered, and she suddenly laughed.
"Combo-whatever, huh?" she teased before walking away.
I waited for her for a few minutes until the door opened. I thought it was her, so I approached right away, but I wasn't expecting who I'd come face to face with.
Aries the Horoscope!
"J-Jay…" Ate the vendor called out to me hesitantly.
Aries was holding the food I ordered, and his expression was anything but friendly.
"Do this one more time, and you're fired," he told the vendor without looking away from me.
"Y-Yes… I'm sorry," Ate replied and left.
Aries stepped out, without breaking eye contact with me. I felt like I was about to melt right in front of him, like ice cream.
"How long have you been doing this?" he asked lifelessly.
"Just today again," I murmured.
He gave a slight laugh and held the food I ordered toward me. I thought he was handing it to me, so I reached out, but before I could touch it, he let it drop.
"You chose your section… so suffer hunger with them," he sneered before stomping on the food on the floor and walking away.
He even flashed me a mocking grin before disappearing. I was left staring at the ground. There was nothing left I could use except the bottle of water. I slowly sat down and picked it up.
I chose them… but they also chose to deceive me.
I didn't know I'd regret choosing them. I was so proud back then, bragging to Aries about how solid we were as a section.
#SectionGoals. But it turns out only they had goals—I was never really part of it.
I stood up and walked away. Maybe I'd just fill up on water. I might as well eat the bottle too, just to be sure. This is what happens when you're stubborn—you end up starving.
I'm going to curse Aries's asshole too.
I finished the water. I was about to eat the bottle when a group of guys suddenly ran past me. They brushed against it, and the bottle fell.
It's gone... I can't eat it anymore.
I was about to pick up the bottle to throw it away when I looked at the floor. A pack of cigarettes and a lighter were lying a short distance away. It looked like they'd fallen from those guys who were running.
I picked them up and looked around. Almost unconsciously, I headed back to our building while holding it. I took out one stick and toyed with it between my fingers.
Hunger does weird things.
Instead of heading back to the room, I went to the second floor, where the fresh air greeted me. There was no one else around — just me.
I looked again at the cigarette I was holding. I really hate the smell of it. I only tried smoking once, and the taste was truly awful. Then Cyrus caught me, and we ended up fighting over it.
Before I realized it, I'd brought the stick to my lips. People say smoking looks bad on women — why? Does it make men more attractive?
The lighter was already moving closer, but before I could light the stick, a hand suddenly snatched it from my mouth.
"Damn it!" I cursed at the jerk who did it.
"What the hell?! What are you doing?!" Yuri asked me angrily.
In my frustration with him, I threw the pack of cigarettes at his face, followed by the lighter. He dodged them, but he was still glaring at me.
"What's it to you?!" I shouted at him.
"Don't you see what you're doing to yourself?! You're changing!"
"Of course I don't! There's no mirror here! Idiot!"
Yuri grabbed his own hair in frustration. "See?! Even the way you talk!"
"Eeooowssss ppooeeeh!"
"JAY!" he shouted at me, sounding just like Kuya Angelo. "...get a hold of yourself!"
He was really planning to lecture me. I had no intention of listening. I was already fed up with lectures at home — I didn't need more.
"Jay-jay, please…" he said, sounding tired. "…I know you're going through a lot, but don't do this."
"What do you want me to do?! Pretend I'm okay? Act like nothing happened? Damn it! I'm already broken!" I pointed to my heart. "…I'm drained!" I pointed to my head. "…and my body's exhausted! And you want me to pull myself together?! Seriously?!"
"And this is your solution?!" He pointed at the pack of cigarettes on the floor. "...You're going back to who you used to be! The old you that you left behind in the province!"
"So what? What's it to you if I go back to who I was?!" I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head. "…You afraid you won't marry me if I'm like this? Is that it?"
He didn't answer.
"…Then Don't marry me. Is that a problem? You're the only one who wants this marriage anyways!"
I walked toward the stairs behind him. I didn't want to talk anymore.
"Go enjoy your stupid best friend, Gago!" I said as I passed him.
As I reached the last step, I froze. The entire Section E was there, some looking up, clearly having listened to everything.
I pretended not to care and walked past them back to the room.
Looks like school's not going to get any easier for me.