Jay-jay's POV
This guy must be messing with me.
We had already arrived at school, but he still hadn't finished explaining why his name was Ci-N.
I wasn't really listening, so I didn't understand anything. His story was so long. Maybe I should give him some paper, a pen, and an envelope so he could just mail his story to Ate Charo.
I lost track of where we were because of how long his story was. I wasn't even sure if the details he was sharing were still relevant.
"And that's why… they decided on Ci-N," he finally concluded.
Finally!
"Wow… What an amazing story," I said, flashing him a fake smile.
I just hoped he didn't catch my sarcasm.
But it seemed like he didn't—he smiled again. He looked like a kid when he smiled. Talkative too, like he never ran out of stories to tell.
"Can I ask you for a favor?"
I just looked at him, waiting for him to speak.
"Can you buy me food from the cafeteria at lunchtime?"
Ah! That reminded me of what I wanted to ask Kuya Angelo earlier. Good thing I ran into this guy—I could just ask him instead.
"Why can't you guys go to the cafeteria yourselves?"
He smiled at me again. "No reason… We're just lazy."
Should I stab his gums and see if he can still smile?
"Tsk! Whatever! I'm not buying for you later!" I snapped.
I sped up my pace to leave him behind, but he still ran after me.
"W-wait…" I looked at him. "...If I tell you, promise you won't tell Keifer it came from me?"
"Yeah… Promise, hope you die," I said, raising my right hand.
"It's 'hope TO die' actually…" he corrected, scratching his head.
Maybe he had lice?
"Yeah, yeah! Whatever."
"It's not that we can't go… We can, but Keifer and Yuri's group forbade us."
I frowned at him. "I was told you weren't allowed there…"
"Yeah! Because THEY were the ones who banned us."
I shot him a glare. He was starting to get annoying to talk to.
"Why did Keifer and Yuri ban you guys?"
He glanced around first. We were nearing our building, and there weren't many students around. I think only Section E used this area.
Once he was sure no one was nearby, he finally spoke.
"Because of a girl… We had a female classmate before you. She stayed in our section longer than the others.
She and Keifer got together, but rumours said she only used him to get into a higher section—even though the periodical exams were already over."
I got even more confused. He was telling me so many things, but they weren't answering my question.
A girl?
Could it be Ella Dianne?
"Wait! I thought teachers were the ones who decided on transfers? That's why Ma'am Zaragosa let me pick a section."
"Because… It really depends on your average. But if you have a backer, it's a sure deal!"
Ahh… My grades and records from my previous school weren't good. That meant I was being transferred because of a backer.
But who?
"Continue the story…" I ordered him.
"Alright… So yeah, she was the reason. When she got into a higher section, she changed. She ignored us and was embarrassed to be associated with our section. Then one day, Keifer caught her kissing another guy in the cafeteria. That idiot lost it and almost killed the guy."
Pfffttt… Girl?! That was kinda… gay?
"Then it happened again, two or three more times. The principal got mad and was about to expel Keifer, but his backer was strong. So instead, they just banned him from going to the cafeteria or getting near that girl and the guy he beat up."
His explanation was so long it almost gave me a headache. In the end, that fool just got into a fight in the cafeteria.
But there was still something bothering me. How did that girl use Keifer to get into a higher section? Because of her backer? Tsk! What about Yuri?
"And what about Yuri? Why was he banned too?"
He didn't answer.
I stopped walking when I saw that we were near our classroom. He walked a few more steps ahead before stopping and turning to face me.
He was smiling. Smiling again?!
"My question…" I reminded him.
"That girl was Yuri's chick too… He also beat up the guy in the cafeteria—multiple times. The principal got mad and tried to expel him too, but—"
"He had a backer," I finished for him.
He smiled again and continued walking.
What a shocking revelation. So it was just a love triangle?
I wonder who the girl was… and the guy Keifer and Yuri beat up. That girl must have had such strong charm…
What shampoo was she using?
But then again, I didn't really care anymore. I didn't even want to know who she was—there was no reason to.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Aries's POV
My older brother had been calling me for a while now. I knew he was already back in the country, and I also knew he was planning to make me return home.
Not gonna happen.
"Hey, dude!" Kiko greeted me.
"What's up, dude?!" I greeted back.
He sat beside me on the bench.
"I saw your cousin…"
I looked at Kiko.
"…She's pretty. Totally different from how you described her—as someone always looking for a fight."
I chuckled.
"Are you really just judging by her looks?"
He chuckled too.
"Sometimes… For your cousin? Maybe, yeah."
I let out a short laugh while shaking my head.
"Stop it, Kiko. You might regret it when you find out she almost killed someone."
"You're kidding… right?"
I shook my head. Now he was looking at me seriously.
"H-how?"
"My grandma had a heart attack because of what she did."
Kiko looked relieved for some reason. Did he really like Jay-jay?
No fvcking way!
"I thought you meant with her own hands…" he said before walking away.
I wasn't trying to badmouth Jay-jay, but that was the truth. And it wasn't just Grandma—she wasn't the only one who almost died because of Jay-jay.
I placed a hand on the lower part of my chest. The pain… I still remembered how it felt. That day, her violence changed everything between us.
That was also the day I saw her fight someone bigger than her. She had no fear and didn't seem to hear anything. Her hands were covered in blood, and her eyes were lifeless. From that moment on, my perception of her changed.
And even now, it's still the same.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Keifer's POV
"What are we going to do about her?" Felix whispered to me while looking straight ahead.
"Up to you guys... I can't think of anything," I whispered back.
I saw Jay-jay glance at Ci-N. Someone also told me they came in together. Looks like she found a friend.
Ci-N is friendly but childish. He also talks too much. Even so, that was never a problem when it came to fighting. He could take on five people alone.
I don't know how they started talking, but I don't really care.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jay-jay's POV
Damn it! In my eagerness to get answers to my questions, I let myself get tricked by that annoying Ci-N.
And now, here I am, stepping into the lair of these pests just to buy food for that idiot of a guy. I even brought my own food so I wouldn't have to come here.
Ugh! Here I go!
As soon as I stepped through the door, everyone turned to look at me. They stopped whatever they were doing just to stare, and in no time, they started whispering. Loudly—like they had microphones in their throats.
"Is that her?"
"I heard she's from Section E..."
"The only girl there."
"She's leaving that section soon."
"When?"
I walked over to the vendor. There was no line, so I told her Ci-N's order. She was already preparing his special request—something totally bizarre—because it included green mangoes with shrimp paste, puto, and dinuguan.
"Hi, Jay-jay!" Rakki stood beside me and waved.
I waved back but kept my eyes on the vendor. I wasn't in the mood for small talk. Do whatever you want!
"How's Section E?"
"It's fine..." I answered flatly.
She looked at me, pouting. "Are you mad at me?"
Not really… Just a little.
"Huh? No, I'm not..."
"Oh, I thought—"
She didn't get to finish her sentence because a group of students suddenly walked in, laughing and making noise.
Both Rakki and I turned toward the door and saw Aries. He had his arm around a girl. The girl with him was gorgeous—she looked Korean, had long hair, pale skin—glutathione? Her lips were so red, and her eyelashes were long. She looked like a celebrity.
"Here comes Section A," Rakki whispered.
So Aries is from Section A. I wonder if the girl with him is in A too?
I noticed they were heading straight toward where we were, so I quickly turned back to the vendor. Their voices grew louder. They were getting closer.
Why is this taking so long?!
"Hi, Rakki..." A girl greeted him, but I didn't turn around.
Then, as they finally reached us, someone even bumped into me without apologizing! Wow, nice manners!
"Hey, Rakki Babe!"
"Fvck off!" Rakki snapped at the person who called her "Babe."
"You're so mean—wait! Is that the new girl?" the guy said.
Damn it! I was just minding my own business! The guy moved closer and tapped me.
"Hi! I'm Kiko, and you're Jay-jay, right?"
Wow! That was fast! I'm famous already?
I didn't really want to face him, but it would be rude to ignore him when he was introducing himself. At the very least, I could manage a forced smile.
I turned to look at him—and holy crap! This guy is ridiculously handsome!
Why is he this good-looking?! So annoying!