Jayjay'sPOV
Aries, Percy, and Yuri were walking a few paces ahead of us, their shoulders bumping as they talked. Seeing the three of them bonding again made my heart feel light. Keifer walked right beside me, his long strides perfectly matched to my shorter ones.
"Keifer, why were you hugging Aries?" I asked suddenly, unable to let the video scene go.
He went stiff for a second. "Umm... do you and Aries have the same lotion?" he asked, avoiding my eyes.
"No," I said, confused.
"Do you both use the same perfume?"
"No! Just tell me," I insisted.
"When I was sleeping, I thought it was you on the bed," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck, his ears turning pink. "His hair smelled exactly like you. Just like vanilla like you"
"That horoscope!" I fumed. "He used my conditioner! My favorite vanilla one!"
The sweet moment was instantly replaced by a need for sibling revenge. I'd definitely be having a word with Aries once the others were gone. Before I knew it, we were standing at the entrance of the mini-market. I was still plotting how to get back at the "horoscope" for stealing my scent, but for now, I had a much more urgent mission: snacks.
I grabbed an armful of snacks while the boys headed for the drinks. When they came back, they handed me a soda. Seriously? Like what the hell? They are still terrified of that one "Barracuda" incident.
After buying everything we needed for our hoard, we started our walk back home. The mood was light until I saw it: a black bike, identical to the one Jason has. Someone was leaning against it, but I couldn't see his face because of the solid black helmet. Even so, I could feel his gaze locked directly on me.
Who is this jerk?
Without even thinking, I clutched Keifer's arm with one hand and Aries—who had moved to my other side—with the other.
"What happened, Jay?" Keifer asked, his voice instantly dropping into that protective tone.
"Jayjay, is everything alright?" Aries added.
I didn't take my eyes off the figure. I just pointed toward the bike. Both of them stopped in their tracks, their bodies tensing as they stared the rider down. Then, as if he had seen enough, the stranger hopped on the bike and sped away.
"He looked like Jason... and the bike was just like his, too," I whispered, my heart still racing.
They exchanged a quick, serious look before turning back to me.
"Hey, hey, it's alright. Nothing is happening," Keifer assured me, squeezing my hand. I gave a small nod, trying to shake the feeling.
"And nothing is going to happen, so relax," Aries added firmly. A small, relieved smile finally touched my lips.
By the time we got back to the house, we realized Yuri and Percy had somehow beaten us home. I don't know how they moved so fast, but they were already gone—probably retreated to their own corners of the house.
"Where are the other two?" Aries asked, looking around the empty living room.
"We were with you, how should we know?" I replied, shrugging.
"They're probably in their room fighting," Keifer guessed. We both nodded; that was usually a safe bet with those two.
"Guys, let's watch a movie!" Percy shouted, suddenly appearing at the top of the stairs. Yuri was right behind him, wearing a massive, suspicious grin.
"Yeah! We bought the snacks, set them on a tray, and the drinks are ready," Yuri added.
We all headed to the massive couch in front of the TV. It was big enough for all five of us to fit comfortably. We started watching "Minamahal: 100 bulaklak para kay Luna". It's such an emotional movie that I was completely glued to the screen. Halfway through, Percy and Yuri slipped away again. We waited for a few minutes, but when they didn't return, we just hit play.
By the end of the movie, my eyes were watery and my heart was aching because Luna and Raffy didn't end up together. Just as the credits started to roll, the two vanishers finally returned.
"The movie is over. No point in coming now," I said, wiping a stray tear.
"Go to your room," Percy said, his grin widening even more. Yuri nodded right along with him, looking just as mischievous.
"I'm not going back to that smelly room!" I yelled, snatching a cushion and throwing it at them with full force. "And why are you both grinning like that?!"
"Just go, Jay!" Yuri insisted. I sighed and finally gave in, trudging upstairs with all four boys following behind me like a royal guard.
When I reached my door, I reached out and carefully pinched my nose before pushing it open. I waited for the usual "smelly room" scent to hit me, but it never came. Instead, the air was filled with a beautiful, fresh rose fragrance.
"Wow," I whispered, letting go of my nose. I turned to Yuri and Percy, who were both beaming with pride. I didn't even hesitate—I ran over and pulled them into a big trio hug. "Thank you."
"Our responsibility," they said in unison, sounding totally satisfied with themselves.
"Come on, let's go eat something real," I suggested.
"You just ate an entire mountain of snacks!" Aries pointed out.
"So what? It's her life and her choice how much she wants to eat," Keifer shot back immediately.
"Oh, so now you're going to tell me what to do?" Aries challenged.
"Yes," Keifer replied coolly. They locked eyes, and I could practically see the sparks flying. Before a full-blown war could break out in my newly scented room, I stepped right between them.
"Stop fighting! I'm hungry, and my hunger is more important than your egos," I declared.
Keifer grabbed my arm. "Fine. Let's go eat."
"Wait for my brother," I said. He paused, and I leaned over to whisper to Aries. "Dude, I am starving. Please stop fighting so we can just go?" He gave a reluctant nod.
The five of us headed down to eat, but halfway through my meal, reality hit me. I hadn't looked at a single book all day. As soon as we finished, I rounded them all up—even Percy, who didn't even have exams. I dragged them all back to my room.
"Why are we here again?" Aries asked.
"Exams. We need to study," I said firmly. Percy didn't even argue; he just face-planted onto my bed.
"You guys study. I'm not in your school, and I don't have an exam. I'm sleeping," he mumbled into the pillow and went dead to the world.
"I don't want to study either," Yuri groaned. Keifer, Aries, and I all turned to look at him with identical "don't even try it" expressions. He held up his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine! Let's study."
We spread the books out across the floor and dove in. We studied for at least three or four hours, mostly because Aries—the human textbook—wouldn't let anyone quit until the entire syllabus was finished. Finally, we closed the last book.
We all turned our heads at the same time to look at Percy, who was still sleeping peacefully on the bed. A slow smirk spread across Keifer's and Aries' faces, while Yuri and I broke into matching devious grins.
"Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?" I whispered.
They all nodded in perfect synchronization.
Aries and Yuri grabbed Percy's legs while Keifer and I took his arms. We lifted him as carefully as possible, like a sleeping log, and carried him into the bathroom. We lowered him into the dry bathtub.
Now for the masterpiece. We didn't turn the water on yet; instead, we stretched a layer of transparent plastic wrap tightly over the top of the tub. We poured just a tiny bit of water on top of the sheet so that, in the dim light, it looked like the tub was filled to the brim.
The stage was set. Aries stood by the faucet, Yuri stood at the foot of the tub, and Keifer and I hovered by the doorway. We killed the lights in both the bedroom and the bathroom, plunging everything into darkness.
Then, Aries cranked the showerhead on.
The water slammed directly onto Percy. He jolted awake, gasping and splashing, but Aries killed the water just as quickly. In the pitch black, Percy panicked. He tried to scramble out, but his hands hit the plastic sheet. To his half-asleep brain, it felt like he was trapped under the surface of the water!
He finally managed to rip through the sheet and tumble out of the tub, dripping wet and breathless. But Yuri was waiting. Just as Percy's feet hit the floor, Yuri let out a low, guttural snarl and gave him a sharp, sudden push.
Percy's scream echoed off the tiles.
He bolted for the exit, but Keifer and I were ready at the door. We started flicking the light switch—on, off, on, off—strobe-lighting the room so he couldn't get his bearings. He let out one last high-pitched yell and scrambled past us, flying out into the hallway as fast as his legs could carry him.
The four of us collapsed against the walls, finally letting out the silent laughter we'd been choking back.
We quickly smeared black paint on our cheeks and white on our noses and chins, giving us a haunting, ghostly look. We grabbed our phones, turned on the flashlights, and held them under our chins to cast terrifying shadows across our faces.
We crept back into the room. Percy was a shivering lump under the blankets, completely covered from head to toe. Following our plan, we surrounded him. Aries stood on the left, Yuri on the right, and Keifer and I took the foot of the bed.
"Percyyyyyyyyyy..." we moaned in a low, synchronized whisper.
Our voices were so deep and eerie that I could see the blanket tremble. We were biting our insides to keep from laughing. Slowly, cautiously, Percy peeked out from under the covers. The second he saw our glowing, painted faces, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
He let out a blood-curdling scream and immediately went limp, falling back onto the mattress. We all panicked. The prank had worked a little too well. Someone—either Aries or Yuri—hit the light switch. I rushed over and cradled Percy's head in my hands, patting his cheek frantically.
"Percy? Percy, wake up!"
His eyes fluttered open. He took one look at our painted faces hovering over him and screamed again—"AHHHHHHHHH!"—before fainting for the second time.
Keifer grabbed a glass of water, but Yuri and Aries snatched it from him and immediately started scrubbing the paint off their faces.
"Hey! I brought that for Percy!" Keifer complained.
"If he sees us like this one more time..." Aries started.
"He'll actually die," Yuri finished.
Keifer and I shared a look, our mouths forming a perfect 'O' shape. We quickly wiped our faces clean too. Before any of us could suggest a gentle way to wake him, Keifer took a full glass of water and poured it directly onto Percy's face.
"KEIFER!" Aries, Yuri, and I yelled in unison.
"What? It's the fastest way," Keifer said, totally unfazed.
Percy sputtered and sat up, gasping for air. "Fastest way to give me a heart attack, you mean!"
"My bed is wet!" I cried, looking at the soaked mattress. I pointed a finger at Keifer. "Now dry it!"
Keifer rubbed the back of his neck, looking around the room. "How?"
"I don't know!" I snapped. "But you're the one who turned my bed into a swimming pool!"
"I don't have any dry clothes here. What am I supposed to wear?" Percy asked, shivering.
"You were soaking wet this morning, too," I reminded him, crossing my arms. I knew exactly what the answer was, but I wanted to hear him say it. "Whose clothes did you wear then?"
"Aries'..." he muttered.
"Well, there you go. You're wearing his clothes again," I said, pointing toward the door. Percy grumbled but trudged off toward Aries' room. I turned my attention to Keifer, giving him my most royal look.
"Dry my bed," I commanded, then turned on my heel and walked out.
Keifer'sPOV
"Dry my bed," Jayjay said, and then she just... left.
I stood there for a second, completely stunned. God, I love her. The way she takes charge—I'm falling for my queen more and more every single day, even when she's bossing me around about a wet mattress.
"Dude, handle this. I'm out," Yuri said, stifling a yawn as he headed for the door.
"Bro, she loves her bed more than anything," Aries said, stepping up to pat my shoulder with a look of mock pity. "You're in big trouble if you don't get this bone-dry. Best of luck."
He started to walk away, but I wasn't about to let him off that easy. "Hey! Hey, Horoscope!" I called out.
Aries stopped and turned, his eyes narrowing. "Only Jayjay is allowed to call me that."
"Whatever. Look, this isn't my house, so I don't know where the supplies are," I said, gesturing to the lake on the mattress. "Help me with this. This is your house, so you know what to do."
Aries let out a long, dramatic sigh, but he didn't leave. "Fine. But you're doing the heavy lifting."
The two of us—the King of Ulupongs and the "Horoscope" brother—grabbed every towel we could find and a hairdryer, and started the long, ridiculous process of saving Jayjay's bed.
The End 🌸
enjoying the book?