Jay Jay's pov
SLAP.
The sound echoed in the living room.
Mom's hand was still mid-air.
Aries stood frozen, his face turned slightly from the impact.
For a second, nobody breathed.
Tita Jema rushed forward, grabbing Mom's shoulders. "Jenna, calm down."
Kuya Angelo stood behind her, jaw tight, eyes dark.
Yuri stood near the corner, looking guilty like he did something wrong even though he hadn't. Maybe blaming himself.
"You don't get to talk to me like that!" Mom yelled, her voice shaking.
Aries didn't move.
"How am I supposed to stay calm," Mom continued, tears falling freely now, "when my son speaks to me like this? I gave him to you so he could be happy. So he could live like other children."
Her voice cracked.
Aries laughed once.
It wasn't a happy laugh.
"After you left me like I was nothing," he shouted, his own tears spilling now. "You said you'd come back. I waited. I kept believing maybe you cared. But it was all a lie."
"Aries—" Tita tried.
"You always cared more about marrying another man!" he roared. "I thought at least you cared about Jay, but no you just—"
SLAP.
This time it wasn't Mom.
It was Angelo.
The room went silent again.
Flashback
After getting flushed by the king, we went back to the classroom.
Keifer pushed the door open.
The moment it opened, we froze.
The classroom looked like a complete mess. Desks were pushed out of place, chairs were lying on the floor, and books were scattered everywhere.
And in the middle of it all
Mayo and Blaster were fighting.
Both of them had each other by the collar.
"Hey! Why are you guys fighting?" I shouted.
No answer.
Keifer walked straight toward them and grabbed Mayo's arm, trying to pull him back.
It didn't work.
Blaster shoved forward again.
"Stop," I said.
They ignored me.
"STOP!"
That finally got their attention.
They both looked at us, but neither of them let go.
Mayo was still holding Blaster's collar, and Blaster was gripping Mayo's shirt just as tightly.
"Why are you fighting?" Keifer asked, clearly annoyed.
Silence.
"Answer," Keifer said, looking directly at Blaster.
Blaster scoffed. "Ask them."
"I said answer," Keifer replied sharply.
Blaster glared at him. "They started it. So ask them, not me."
Mayo gave a dry laugh. "We didn't start anything. You walked in here acting like you own the whole school."
Blaster's jaw tightened.
"Oh really? Acting like I didn't exist, looking at me like I did something terrible and you say I'm the one acting like I own the school?"
Mayo rolled his eyes.
"Your mind is just delusional. That's why you think everyone's staring at you like you're some celebrity. And look at your character stealing someone else's girlfriend."
Blaster suddenly grabbed Mayo by the neck, furious.
"Don't talk about my character like that! I didn't steal anyone's girlfriend. Keigan was the one trapping Elixera and scaring her. He is a—"
"Enough!"
Keifer shouted.
Mayo slapped Blaster's hand away from his neck.
Keifer looked at Blaster, his anger clearly rising.
"And don't you dare talk about Keigan like that."
Blaster wiped the blood from his lip and laughed bitterly.
"Why? Because he's your brother? Come on. Even you know he's a psychopath. A Watson becoming a—"
Before he could finish, Keifer punched him in the face.
Blaster wiped the blood from his lips again.
"He's a monster. A beast—"
Keifer punched him again.
"Keifer!" I called, but he didn't respond.
This time Blaster punched him back.
"You're a Watson," Blaster said angrily. "And you're becoming a beast too—"
Keifer punched him again.
No one in the class tried to stop them. Everyone looked too scared to step in.
Blaster spoke again.
"You and your brother are both beasts."
Keifer punched him harder this time, and Blaster almost lost his balance.
They kept fighting.
"Keifer!"
"Keifer, stop!"
He didn't listen.
"Watsons are cursed," Blaster said.
He is getting on my nerves.
Before Keifer could punch him again, I grabbed Keifer and pulled him back.
Then I stepped forward and punched Blaster.
Hard.
Then again.
He fell to the ground.
When I turned around to look for Keifer, he was gone.
He wasn't in the classroom anymore.
I ran outside and saw him walking quickly across the yard, heading out of the building.
"Keifer!" I called after him.
I started running.
But he didn't respond.
-----
While following him, I ended up in the old building of Section E.
The place was quiet. Too quiet.
By the time I got there, I had already lost sight of him. I didn't even know which room he had gone into.
I started checking the rooms one by one.
"Keifer?"
No answer.
I opened another door.
"Keifer."
Still nothing.
After searching all the rooms on the ground floor and not finding him anywhere, I headed upstairs.
"Keifer?" I called again.
My voice echoed through the empty hallway.
Then I walked into the room where I used to eat when I first came to HVIS.
And there he was.
Keifer was sitting at one of the desks, his head bowed, his hands resting on the table.
"Keifer."
He didn't look up.
I walked closer and sat down in the chair in front of him. Slowly, I reached out and held his hand.
The moment I did, he suddenly pulled me into a hug.
I froze for a second, then I saw his face.
His eyes were red.
I hugged him back.
His hair brushed against my neck as he leaned into me. He pulled me closer and buried his face deeper against my shoulder, holding me tightly like he didn't want to let go.
He kept holding me tightly, his face still buried against my neck. I could feel his breathing, uneven and heavy.
Then he spoke.
"Jay... I promise I won't become a beast."
His voice was low, almost a whisper.
"I won't. I won't become like my father."
His words broke at the end.
I pulled back a little so I could see his face.
"Keifer," I said softly, "I know you won't become a beast. You're not like your father. You never were, and you never will be."
He shook his head slightly, still holding on to me.
"I promise, Jay," he said, his voice trembling. "I will never hurt you like my father did. Never."
His tears slipped down silently, soaking into my neck as he held me.
I gently ran my hand through his hair, trying to calm him.
"I believe you, Keifer," I said quietly. "I know you'll never be like him."
I paused for a moment before adding softly,
"Do you really think I would believe in some Watson curse more than I believe in you?"
My hand kept moving slowly through his hair as he held on to me.
After a while, Keifer's crying finally stopped. I gently placed a kiss on his head.
He shifted slightly, and I placed another kiss but this time, it landed just above his ear.
Before I could react, Keifer leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss just under my neck.
"Aren't you getting a too obsessed with my neck?" I asked, trying to sound stern but failing.
"I'm obsessed with every part of you," he said softly, then looked up at me with those intense eyes.
I rolled my eyes, trying not to smile.
"Wanna test?" he whispered, leaning closer.
"Test... what?" I asked, even though I kind of already knew.
He just smirked, that mischievous glint in his eyes making my stomach twist. Slowly, deliberately, he leaned closer.
I could feel his breath against my neck, and a shiver ran down my spine.
"See if I'm really obsessed," he whispered, almost teasing, almost serious.
I rolled my eyes again, though my hands betrayed me, tightening slightly in his shirt.
Before I could react, he pressed his lips softly to my neck not harsh, not rushed but just enough to make me fell thousand no infinity butterflies.🦋
"Keifer!" I gasped, half-annoyed, half... not really sure what.
He pulled back just a little, eyes locked on mine, teasing, daring.
"I'm serious, darling."he said quietly, voice low and rough. "Everything about you... I'm obsessed."
DARLING ?
I laughed, nervous and breathless, and swatted lightly at his chest.
Keifer's lips hovered near my ear. "You know," he whispered, "I could do this all day."
"Do what?" I asked, trying to sound casual, but my voice trembled a little.
"This," he said, pressing another soft kiss to the side of my neck. I shivered.
I could feel him leaning closer, his breath warm against my lips. My heart was hammering so fast I was sure he could hear it.
Then, finally... his lips brushed mine. Soft at first, testing, like he was asking permission without words.
I didn't pull back. Not even an inch. My hands tangled in his hair, holding him close as his lips moved with mine, gentle but insistent.
One kiss turned into another. And another. Each one teasing, lingering, electric.
He pulled back slightly, just to look at me, smirking. "You taste like trouble," he whispered, then captured my lips again, deeper this time.
I gasped into the kiss, letting him pull me closer. His hands rested lightly on my waist, steadying me, but his hold wasn't tight he wanted me to lean into him, to trust him.
Another kiss. My hands moved from his hair to the nape of his neck, pulling him impossibly closer.
Then he tilted his head, and our lips collided again, soft, urgent, teasing, like we were both discovering just how much we'd missed each other.
"Keifer..." I breathed against him, my forehead resting against his.
He smiled against my lips before pressing another soft, lingering kiss to my mouth. "Jay... I could kiss you forever." he whispered.
-----
We were setting there for few moment or maybe hours.
Then we heard some footsteps.
"Jay!"
"Keifer!"
Finally, they found us.
"Where have you guys been? We've been looking for you for hours!" Calix exclaimed.
We were near the door when everyone started leaving.
But then... Blaster got caught by Ci‑N.David behind him.
"Say it," Ci-n whispered to him.
Blaster didn't open his mouth.
Ci‑N tilted her head,dramatically. "If you don't open your mouth... I'll kiss you."
That was all it took. Blaster's eyes widened, and he finally blurted out, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I—"
Ci‑N pushed him lightly, and he tumbled onto the floor.
Then, in the most dramatic move possible, he grabbed Keifer's legs and said, "Please... forgive me!"
Keifer looked down at him,trying to make his feet free like a koala.
"Leave my legs," he said shout, "or I will kill you"
-----
After school, I came home, completely drained.
I changed quickly and went downstairs, hoping for something to eat.
In the living room, Yuri was sitting there, pale and weak. No wonder he hadn't been at school today.
Mama and Tita came in with soup. Tita said sharply, "Feed him. I'll get the water."
Mama sat beside Yuri, spoon ready, about to help him eat.
"Tita, you don't need to do so much. I can eat by myself," Yuri said quietly, trying to refuse.
But Mama ignored him and started feeding him anyway.
I went into the kitchen, grabbed something for myself, and sat at the dining table, eating silently.
That's when Aries came down the stairs. His eyes scanned the room, landing on Mama and Yuri. Then he walked over to the table and poured himself a glass of water, his movements deliberate, cold.
"Some people don't even know how to take care of anyone," he said, voice cutting through the quiet like a knife.
"Aries... he's sick," Mama said softly, trying to explain.
"Doesn't matter," Aries shot back, his tone harsh, biting. "Didn't know you actually knew how to take care of sick people. Guess I was wrong."
"Aries, don't talk like that," Mama said, her voice sharp but controlled.
"Like what?" he snapped, eyes flashing.
"Talk... with respect," she said, trying to keep calm.
"So now calling people out for who they really are is disrespect?" he shot back, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Is that what you learned all these years? Disrespecting your own mother?" Mama's voice trembled with anger as she stood up, towering over him.
Aries didn't flinch. He looked at her, eyes burning with something fierce and bitter.
"Don't think of you as my mother," he spat. "You just gave me birth that's all. Nothing more. You're nothing to me."
Mama's hands shook. "Nothing to you? After everything I've done for you? After all the sacrifices I made so you could live a normal life?"
"Normal life?" he laughed bitterly, stepping closer. "Do you even know what that means?"