Why and When
Jay-jay's POV
"Ahhh!" Ci-N screamed. "What's wrong with your eyes?"
I touched the area under my eyes. My eyebags had eyebags of their own. So annoying!
Percy never replied after his last message. I practically begged David to let me borrow his phone, but he refused to help anymore. He even insisted on walking me home. I couldn't do anything but cry. He ended up buying food for Ci-N too, though she didn't eat it since she was already asleep when I arrived.
"I didn't sleep well," I replied and headed straight to the bathroom.
I really didn't sleep.
I tried to close my eyes and count sheep, goats, horses, frogs, water buffalo, and dogs in my head, but nothing worked. My head was pounding, and my body felt heavy.
What I still didn't get was why Percy sent that kind of message. Was it a wrong send? But that's impossible. He mentioned Yuri and a ring. Could it be that he knows about the engagement? But how would he know?
Ugh! There it goes again!
My head started hurting again. I quickly washed my face and brushed my teeth. I tied my hair into a bun.
When I came out of the bathroom, I saw Ci-N looking for something. She had even flipped her mattress, but still looked confused.
"What are you looking for?" I asked.
"That thing that's ringing."
As soon as she said that, my eyes searched for my phone. That was my ringtone!
I flipped my bed too, but no luck. Then I glanced at the trash bin.
Crap!
Right, I threw my phone away in frustration. I was feeling so hopeless last night, I thought the phone was useless, so I dumped it in the trash. I quickly picked it up and checked who was calling.
King Ulupong Calling...
I glanced at Ci-N before answering.
"Hello," I said after picking up.
"Kindly explain why you're not answering any of my phone calls and text messages," he said authoritatively.
"H-huh? W-well... Uh... I..." That's all I managed to say while scratching the back of my neck.
He actually called last night, but I didn't answer because I was too busy begging David and crying.
"Tss."
I froze. For some reason, that "tss" felt different. Or maybe... I just missed hearing it.
"Are you going with Eman to the grocery?"
Oh, right! I checked the wall clock. Thank goodness, it was still early.
"Y-yes... I'm coming. Why?"
"Let's meet after," he said, and the call ended just like that.
Rude?!
This jerk! Annoying me so early in the day! I turned to Ci-N to remind her we were going grocery shopping—she said she'd come with me yesterday.
But she was seriously staring at her phone.
"Hey... What's wrong?" I asked.
"I won't be able to go with you guys."
I looked at her, confused. "Hm?"
"I'm meeting Rakki and... Ate."
I just nodded. Even though I wanted to ask what it was about, I decided to stay quiet. I had a strong feeling it was something serious.
She went to wash her face, and I changed my clothes.
When she came out of the bathroom, I invited her to have breakfast. We even passed Aries in the hallway, who—as usual—gave us a dirty look.
While eating, I couldn't help but feel awkward. Ci-N was too quiet.
"What time are you coming home? Will you be out late?" I broke the silence.
"I'm not sure. But I'll call you right away," she replied formally and forced a smile.
I didn't respond and just continued eating. She finished first and went back to my room.
Why though?!
When I got back, she was already dressing up. Wow! All dressed up! When she dressed like this, she didn't look like a kid at all.
I quickly showered and dressed.
We left the house together, but only Ci-N got in a ride. I was left standing on the corner, waiting for my pickup.
While waiting, I noticed a group of men smoking on the other corner.
Here we go again!
They were staring at me and whispering. But before they could make a move, a loud car horn pierced through my ears.
Damn! It was Eman!
"Get in!" Eman shouted.
I grumpily got into the passenger seat. I already knew someone was in the shotgun seat. Who else but someone who deserved to be shot with a shotgun.
Blaster?!
"What are you doing here?!" I asked in shock.
I expected Eren, Rory, or Kit—any of the usual troublemakers.
"Nothing to do at home," he answered, staring out the window.
"You had enemies, huh?" Eman joked, pointing to the group of guys.
"Should I call backup?" Blaster asked.
I shook my head. "No... They didn't actually do anything."
Looking for trouble this early? These guys are something else.
Eman shrugged and started driving. We headed to the nearest mall. After parking, we went straight to the supermarket. Just the three of us, so it wasn't too chaotic.
Eman held the shopping list, while Blaster and I pushed the cart.
While shopping, I glanced at Blaster's phone.
His wallpaper was a picture of a pretty girl.
I nudged him. "Who's that?"
"H-huh? Uh... My best friend," he said.
Best friend?
"The... the girlfriend of Kei-"
"Yes," he interrupted me and walked away.
No wonder Keigan's so protective. She really is pretty. Best friend, huh? Sure...
We kept shopping. It went fast because Eman only grabbed what we needed.
Not like before when everyone argued over everything.
We picked out snacks too. I stopped in front of the candy section.
I saw a jar of lollipops.
Lollipop. Lollipop. Lolli. Lolli. Lollipop.
I suddenly remembered the King of Snakes. When I first saw him, he had a lollipop in his mouth.
Then I remembered—we're supposed to meet later. An idea popped into my head. I grabbed the jar of lollipops.
"You're paying for that," Eman said.
"Yeah, yeah... It's for me anyway."
We finished shopping. Once Eman confirmed we had everything, we went to the cashier.
The line was so long.
"This will take a while..." Blaster said and turned to me. "Come with me. I just need to buy something from one of the stalls."
I looked at the line—it was long and the person in front had a ton of stuff.
I nodded. "Sure... This will take forever."
"You're leaving me?!" Eman said, annoyed.
"Then come with us... Let's go!" Blaster offered.
Eman just shot him a dirty look. We said goodbye and went further into the mall.
Looking at Eman, you wouldn't think he was hot-headed like the others. He was more mature. He just had a wild streak when he felt like teasing people.
"There," Blaster pointed at a perfume store.
While he was browsing, I looked at the fast food place across from us.
I thought I saw Ci-N. I looked closer—it was her. Sitting with... her brother?!
I thought she was meeting with her sister and Rakki?
But it seemed true, because at the opposite seat sat Rakki and a woman who looked like a mix of Ci-N and her brother—gorgeous and sophisticated.
I wasn't sure how long they had been talking or how long I had been staring, but they all looked very serious.
Suddenly, Ci-N stood up and walked toward Rakki. I thought she was just going to say something, but she bent forward and kissed him on the lips.
"Ohhh... Ohhh..." I called my companion.
I forgot Blaster's name for a moment. Even the saleslady he was talking to looked at me.
"What's wrong, Jay?" Blaster asked. I couldn't speak—I just pointed at Ci-N and Rakki.
"Nice! The youngest from Section E is growing up," he said, quickly pulling out his phone to take a picture.
That little brat!
"Let's go before they see us," Blaster said, grabbing what he needed from the shop. But I couldn't move—I wanted to see what happened next.
Maybe they'll kiss again!
Damn! I'm squealing for them! Seriously! Even Ci-N is starting to bloom.
"Let's go!" Blaster shouted, so I had no choice but to follow him. But as we walked away, I couldn't stop smiling.
I mean—gahhh! Ahihihi...
"You look crazy, Jay..." Blaster commented, making me stop. "You're smiling to yourself. People will think you're insane."
I just rolled my eyes. Who cares? That scene just made my day.
When we got back to the supermarket, Eman was up next at the cashier. We went over to him.
"Emaaaan..." I called out, still giddy.
"What's up with you?" he asked.
"Because we saw Rakki and Ci-N—"
"They kissed," Blaster cut me off.
Attention-seeker!
I gave him a death glare. That was my news to tell. This bomb-dropper is so annoying.
"Nice!" Eman commented.
"Lucky Ci-N got to score. Meanwhile, someone here is still stuck holding hands with his girlfriend," Blaster teased.
There were only three of us there, so obviously he wasn't referring to me—I didn't even have a girlfriend. And he wasn't talking about the cashier either—we didn't even know her.
I looked at Eman, who was now glaring at Blaster.
"Cut it out," Eman ordered sternly.
Blaster just laughed. Looked like tension was building. But that wasn't what I was worried about.
I kept wondering...
What's the status between Rakki and Ci-N now?