Jay-jay's POV
Ci-N yawned as we walked.
"I'm still sleepy."
"Me too… This is your fault! You're so annoying," I told him, irritated.
"If only you had told me right away who your love-you-han is, we could've slept early."
I immediately glared at him. His mouth was too loud. We were like this the whole night—I didn't even know what time we fell asleep.
"Can you shut up! You're so annoying! That's why I didn't want to tell you!"
He rolled her eyes at me.
"I'll tell Keifer about this."
Hahaha. Go ahead, tattletale.
We kept walking. When we arrived at school, a huge tarpaulin greeted us at the front of the main building. It was the schedule of upcoming school events. Valentine's Day was coming up. But before that, our retreat would be held. Why so early?
"Pfftt… Retreat's too early. Lame!" Ci commented and kept walking. I followed behind him and we bumped into Calix, who seemed to have just dropped Mica off at her room.
"What happened to your eyes?" he asked us.
This brat immediately pointed at me.
"Her fault!"
"Me?! You're the annoying one!"
"No, you are!"
"You are!"
"You!"
"Hey! You're seriously going to fight here?" Calix scolded us, so we stopped.
"You two are ridiculous."
Ci and I exchanged looks again. I glared at him multiple times. We were repeating the same thing we did last night. We reached the room, but before I could step in, I stopped walking.
"Why?" they both asked.
I shook my head.
"You guys go ahead… I just need to check something."
They both nodded and went in. The truth was—I wasn't ready to see Yuri yet. I was embarrassed.
Really embarrassed.
I didn't know if I should tell him the truth or not. I didn't want to hurt him, but I also didn't want to lead him on. But if I didn't say anything, that would still hurt him, wouldn't it? Maybe it's better to just be honest with him. The only problem is… I don't know how.
I'll think about it more. I don't want to drop it on him suddenly. I already know what the outcome will be anyway:
He'll still get hurt.
I finally entered the room. As usual, it was chaotic—teasing, laughing, ignoring each other—nothing new.
Yuri was already in his seat. He smiled at me when he saw me. I smiled back.
"Why did Angelo call me last night?" he asked right away.
"H-huh? T-that's... um..." I stammered. He was clearly waiting for an answer.
"H-he just didn't see me right away. He thought we were still together."
He simply nodded as if accepting my answer. Whew!
How should I tell him?
I glanced over at the king's seat. As usual, he wasn't there yet. Of course. He's worse than the school staff when it comes to arriving late. Even the teachers come earlier. But I couldn't really blame him. Maybe he was still taking care of Keigan and Keiren before coming to school.
What I still couldn't figure out was how he managed to kick his dad out of their house. That's just weird. I've never seen or heard of a kid doing that to their own father.
How'd he even do that?
I also remembered the things he said about Yuri. I looked at Yuri again. He was reading his notes and marking important details in the lesson.
Was he jealous of Yuri? Or just envious? Maybe it's because Yuri has a complete family, unlike him. He gets jealous because no one checks up on him—but I get why.
He looks so tough. People tend to worry about the ones who look weak or who always need help.
That's probably why most people think he doesn't need to be looked after. I thought the same.
Sigh...
The king of the ylupong has a soft spot after all.
Sir Alvin arrived. Class was about to start. I looked toward the door because I knew that brat would come in soon.
I don't know how long I stared at it. But I didn't even see his shadow.
Where is he?
"He's not coming in," Yuri suddenly said.
I looked at him, confused.
"Huh?"
"Keifer's not coming today, if that's who you're waiting for. His dad came home, and now he's dealing with a big problem again," he explained.
He went home? Since when? He didn't tell me anything last night. Wait!
"W-what do I care… I'm not waiting for Keifer anyway," I denied.
I didn't want him to suspect anything. I wasn't ready to tell him yet. I hadn't even figured out the right words to say.
But why isn't that brat coming in? I can't help but worry. Ugh, annoying!
Class with Sir Alvin ended, and it really looked like he wasn't coming in. He hadn't even texted me. Not even during our next subjects.
I tried texting him, but I didn't get any reply.
"You seem quiet..." Eren commented.
"Huh?"
"You're out of it," added Felix. I gave him a glare.
"Maybe she just misses Keifer," Drew teased, followed by loud cheers from the group.
I glanced at Yuri, who was still looking at his notes. I knew he was listening.
"Maybe it's not Keifer she's missing," Ci-N chimed in. "Maybe it's the--"
"HEH! ZIP YOUR MOUTH!" I cut him off before he could say it.
Everyone looked at me because of my yelling. Ci-N just gave me a mischievous look.
"Why are you so defensive?" He teased.
"Whatever!"
"Aww, just admit it alrea--"
"Ci!" I snapped.
I was starting to get really annoyed. He was exposing me in front of the whole class. And worse, Yuri was right there. If he finds out, it's game over.
Suddenly, a cat meowed near the door. Ci-N quickly turned to look.
It was Edy!
He ran toward the cat faster than Sonic, but it got away.
"I'm going to kill you, Edy!" He yelled.
He still hadn't moved on.
"His name's not Edy!" Josh shouted as he ran after Ci and the cat.
Fine! Go chase that cat.
It reminded me of Cecilio Susuman. I have a cat!
"What was Ci-N talking about?" Felix asked.
"Nothing... We were just teasing each other at home."
"How is Ci-N at your house?" Eren asked.
"He's okay… Just messy."
"You two sleep next to each other?" Drew asked.
For some reason, I suddenly felt heavy, like a weird aura took over me.
Even though Yuri wasn't speaking and was pretending to focus on his notes—I just knew. He and Keifer were so alike.
"N-no... he has his own mattress on the floor," I quickly replied, and the weird feeling went away.
"But she sees you naked?" Drew asked again.
Felix hit him on the head.
"You idiot."
"Ouch! That hurt!" Drew complained.
If I were the one next to him, I wouldn't have just hit him—I might've punched him.
Our next teacher arrived, so they went back to their seats. Josh returned at the same time, dragging Ci-N by the back of her shirt.
The king never showed up. He also didn't reply to any of my texts.
Tsk! So annoying!
Even until dismissal, he was all I could think about. I didn't understand a single lesson—not that it was anything new—but my mind was filled with thoughts of him.
I couldn't even eat dinner properly. I just played with my food on my plate.
"What's wrong, Jay?" Ci-N asked as we got back to our room.
I shook my head.
"It's nothing."
"You sure? You're acting different," he said.
"Just ignore me," I replied.
I grabbed my phone and walked out of the room. I tried calling him, but he didn't pick up.
What's going on with you?
I ended up crying for no clear reason. I was a mix of angry and worried. What if his dad already did something to him? Or their house is in chaos again?
Ugh! My imagination is going wild.
"You okay, Jay?" Kuya asked.
Just as I stepped out, Aries came out of his room too and looked at me. I quickly wiped my tears.
"I-it's nothing... I just got something in my eye."
Kuya and Aries exchanged looks, clearly not buying my excuse.
I didn't wait for their reply. I returned to the room and went straight to the bathroom. Cleaned myself up and changed.
I didn't want to think anymore. I just wanted to sleep. Good thing my body cooperated.
Maybe it was the exhaustion, but I drifted off quickly. In the middle of my rest and a sweet dream about an ice cream island, a phone call woke me up.
King Ulupong Calling…
I DIDN'T WANT TO ANSWER! But I accidentally hit the green button. Ugh!
"Wha—"
"I miss you..." he said.
Oh no!
I looked at Ci-N who was still snoring. She might hear me again.
"What happened to you? Why are you only calling now?" I asked him.
Why beat around the bush? I wanted to know if he was okay.
"Long story… You? How are you? Did Yuri make any moves while I was gone?"
"You jerk… I was worried about you and that's what you're thinking?"
He laughed a little.
"I didn't mean that. I really had a lot going on, and I don't even know when I'll be back."
"What are you doing?"
"Family problem."
"Not even a single text?"
Suddenly, there was silence on the other end. I thought the call dropped, so I looked at my phone—but it was still connected.
"Hey… What happened?"
"You're cute, you know? When you're like that."
What?
"Huh?"
"When you're pouting. I wish I could see your face right now."
"Should I send you a picture?" I offered with a laugh. My annoyance disappeared. Damn him! Couldn't stay mad.
"Sure… Nude photo please."
The nerve!
"Should I end this call now and never speak to you again?" I snapped. If I were alone in the room, I'd have screamed at him.
"I'm just kidding. But seriously, what are you wearing right now?" he asked, still laughing.
I glanced at my clothes. Thankfully, there was some light from the lamp near Ci's bed.
"A Superman t-shirt, why?"
"Aahh… I'm just wearing boxers. My favorite reindeer boxers," he bragged.
Ugh! Now he's putting ideas in my head!
"Whatever… I'm going to sleep."
"Okay… Good night, my life. I hope you'll have a very sweet dream. I love you to infinity and beyond."
If only I could scream out loud. Damnnn! Aaaaaghhhh!!!
"Good night and sweet dreams too... love."
I glanced at Ci. She was already awake, staring at me.
"...Me?"