Jay-jay's POV
"Come closer!" I shouted. Let's see how brave you are now!
These damn guys are pissing me off first thing in the morning! 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.
"Fvck! Nobody told us this girl knows how to fight!" one of them said.
"How the hell was I supposed to know?!"
"What do we do now? How are we gonna take her?"
Take me?! Again?!
"What do you mean 'take'?!" I snapped 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 immediately kicked him in the face so he'd let go.
Knock out!
"You're gonna take me?! Why?! To use me against Keifer?!" I asked, fuming.
No one answered. They just looked at each other like they were waiting for someone else
to speak.
"Well?! No one's gonna say anything?!" I shouted and stepped on the face of one of their companions.
His face looked like a dirty floor rag anyway!
"Fine! Yes! We were going to use you to get revenge on Keifer! You're his girlfriend—"
I immediately cut him off.
"I'm not! We were never even together!"
They looked at me in confusion. I know they don't believe me because they're idiots. Everyone who heard that rumor never believed me.
This is so annoying! Here we go again...
Why am I always the one, their enemies come after? Damn it all!
I have a strong feeling this won't be the last enemy of his that will use me. Probably even those guys on motorcycles before were his enemies too.
Damn you, King of the Demonic Vipers! I curse you!
May your butt seal shut!
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 trying to fool 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 knuckles hurt and my hand was shaking, but I tried to hide it from these bastards. There were only four of them left, but I didn't know if I could still handle it.
I have to handle it!
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 probably isn't even worried. I'm already super late to our meeting place and he hasn't shown up. Meanwhile yesterday he went all the way to my school looking for me when I was just a little late.
I glared hard at the remaining thugs. How long has it been since I last fought like this?! I was already dead 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 handling anyone who messed with me. Now I'm the one struggling.
I need to train myself again to fight alone, like back in my old school when it was just me against everyone. Because they won't come anymore. I'm not asking them for help ever again.
Out of nowhere, one of them shifted into a fighting stance. I thought he was about to charge, but he didn't. I froze for a split second—and that's when an arm suddenly wrapped around my neck from behind. His grip was tight, choking me hard.
"I got her! I got her!" the guy holding me shouted.
The others started moving toward meI would be cornered and they'd be able to do whatever they wanted, so I had to move 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 back and forth several times.
"Aagghhh!!" I roared as I landed the final punch.
They were all down. As I looked at them, I felt like my own body was about to collapse, too. I was completely exhausted, gasping for air.
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 there?!" I snapped.
"A bit, a bit." he answered as he walked toward me.
"Your face, a bit, a bit!"
"A bit handsome and a bit extremely handsome?" he asked, pretending to be amazed.
The nerve of this guy!
"A bit stupid! And a bit dumbass!" 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 how much my body hurt. Honestly, my body probably missed this kind of thing.
"You don't act like a girl…" Percy said from behind me. "...you fight like crazy."
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..."
"Then where do you wanna go?"
"The Amusement Park!" he said enthusiastically.
"Your face is an Amusement Park!" I said in annoyance and started walking ahead of him.
I thought he was about to throw another comeback, so even though I was walking ahead, I kept listening for him. When I realized it had gone completely quiet behind me, I turned around.
Percy had stopped dead in his tracks and was staring across the street. I followed his gaze, and my stomach dropped at what I saw: Freya and Ella, both looking straight at us.
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 obvious she wasn't happy to see him.
"Let's talk... please," he pleaded.
"We already talked, didn't we? What more do you want?" Freya replied lifelessly.
"You sent me away last time."
"Because there's nothing left to talk about!"
"Freya..."
"Please, Percy. Enough already!"
"Come on… this is the last time. I won't approach you again after this. Just let's talk properly," Percy begged. I could see tears welling up in his eyes.
Freya took a deep, frustrated breath and shook her head.
"Fine. This is really the last one. No more after this," she snapped.
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 had no idea where they were headed, but I followed anyway.
I didn't even know Freya and Percy had started talking again. He never mentioned anything to me, but judging by the way he looked right now, their last conversation clearly hadn't gone 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.
Probably the same thing Felix felt when they ran into 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 don't really have a problem with her. It's just that my inner bitch is coming out extra strong right now—especially when she's around. It feels like it was only yesterday when she finally told the truth.
When she admitted that Yuri was the one she loved all along!
That revelation caused so much huge mess. And somehow I got dragged into it—I even ended up being used by the King to get his revenge. He was absolutely 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 and charge at me so all my teasing would finally pay off.
Ella! Irritated! Irritated!
I turned my attention back to Freya and the others; they had their backs to us. I had no choice but to look for an empty bench and sit down. What I didn't understand was why Ella followed me and sat beside me.
"Who told you to sit next to me?" I asked irritably.
"No one. Do I need permission?" she shot back.
I swear, I'm going to punch her!
"Go away! I don't want you sitting besides me," I tried to shoo her off.
"I don't want to sit next to you either. You leave."
Son of a smoked fish! This one really wants to get hurt at the worst possible time.
"I got here first, so you leave!" I said angrily and gave her a slight push.
"You leave!" 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.
"Fuc—"
"Go ahead! Curse at me!" she dared, pointing a finger at me.
"Drink TANG, not MILO!" I blurted out, immediately clamping my mouth shut.
I'm not scared of her! I'm just being careful! Who knows what she might do to me. So freaking annoying!
She rolled her eyes at me and straightened up in her seat. Then she pulled out a book and started reading. Good—that way she'll finally stop paying attention to me.
Why the hell is this witch even here anyway? She and Freya were together and both in uniform. They didn't go to class. Tsk! Such good students.
Just like me!
Waiting was really boring. I was forced to take my phone out of my bag. 68 messages and 32 missed calls greeted me. Ever since the day I learned the truth, my inbox and missed calls have always looked like this. Sometimes even worse, or with more missed calls than messages.
I opened my inbox and read Ci-N's message first.
From: Ci-N
Message:I miss you so much... 😢😢 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 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 water droplets on my phone screen. That's when I realized they were coming from me. I was crying without even noticing.
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's hurting you this much, why don't you just talk to them?" Ella said, still looking at her book. "…Instead of sitting here crying every time you read their texts."
I frowned at what she said. This girl's such a gossip. How the hell did she know it was them texting me?
"Mind your own business!" I snapped and focused on my phone again.
This time, I opened Yuri's messages. Out of everyone, he had sent the most.
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 in another direction. That question had never even crossed my mind. Especially after I admitted to myself that the one I truly loved…is the King of the Demonic Vipers.
"I-I don't know," I whispered, barely audible.
"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. 'm still affected, even if I deny it. It still hurts.
"…I'm not taking their side or anything. But I wish you'd at least hear their explanation. Especially Yuri…" Her voice sounded almost pleading. "...I believe he could never do something like that."
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.
"Listen first," she said calmly but firmly.
"Why are you even doing this? We're not friends for you to be this 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."them… They are not the same Section E that I knew."
"...Although they really started changing when you came along."
"What exactly are you trying to say?" I asked calmly.
"I'll admit it—I was jealous of you. Maybe I still am..." She glanced briefly at Percy before facing me again. "…The Section E I knew were a bunch of real troublemakers. They'd fight even inside the classroom. But when you came…" She lowered her head. "…Without a second thought, they all 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 smile while walking home, like normal friends—something I'd never seen them do before." She forced a small smile. "…I was so jealous of you. Their attention used to be on me, but I could never make them change like that. Then you… in such a short time—
—you had such a big effect on them."
Now I get it. That's why she did what she did to Ci-N. That's why she set things up so she would be the one blamed—she knew it would affect me and that I might actually do something about it.
Damn, she's smart. Next-level smart.
"But now… they're not like that anymore." Our eyes finally met. "…They've lost their spark again. They're constantly fighting and arguing inside the classroom. Three teachers have already refused to teach them because they keep bickering even during lessons."
"A-and what exactly do you want me to do?" My voice carried obvious irritation. "…Just walk back in and pretend everything's fine? 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 involuntarily. Why is she so dead-set on pushing Yuri toward me? Did that red-haired nerd put her up to this?
"I thought you still loved Yuri? Why are you pushing him toward me?"
"I was wrong," she answered quickly, surprising me. "...I thought it was still 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 she never mentioned anything about it to Auntie Gema or the others. I haven't seen them either, so I had no news. All I knew was that when Aries was in the hospital, Ella was there too. So when exactly did they break up?
"It's too late for me and Aries now. It hurts, but that's just how it is…" She wiped her cheek. "…I hope you don't end up like me. He had to leave me before I finally realized I truly loved him." She gave me a smile that wasn't fake at all. "…Yuri deserves to be happy too, after everything we've all been through."
Then she slowly turned and walked away. I stood there, speechless, watching her go. My words and courage disappeared just like that.
Even though I was still annoyed with her, I couldn't help feeling sorry for her. At first I really thought she still loved Yuri because of the way she confessed back then. And in the end, it turns out it was Aries—the walking horoscope—who actually owned her heart.
I looked at Ella again and saw she was already with Freya. That meant they were done talking. I immediately looked for my crazy stepbrother. And of course, I found him—walking toward me with his head down. He looked like the sky fell on him and someone rubbed his face into the ground. His shoulders were slumped, and he looked like he was one second away from crying loudly in front of me.
"Y-you want to go to Kingsground, right?" he asked without looking at me.
Yes, I did, but it feels like you need it way more!
"Y-yeah," I answered hesitantly.
"Okay. Let's go," he said in a lifeless voice.
I had a feeling I was going to need that bottle of liquor I drank before. But this time not for me—looks like the guy beside me is the one who needs it.