Jay-jay's POV
It's hard to be accused. I know because I've experienced it. But that's a different accusation and not an accusation of stealing.
Of all the accusations, this one is the one that ruins people's lives. Even though the truth has come out, the name of the person who will be associated with this word is ruined. Thief. "Kid! Give me my girlfriend's money!" The guy said.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about..." Ci-N replied to her.
The man grabbed Ci-N's collar, which alarmed me.
"Hey! Hey! Let go of Ci-N!" I said and immediately pushed the man away from Ci.
"Don't interfere with this, Miss! That man stole my money!" The woman glared.
"Are you sure?! Do you have proof?!" I challenged.
"He just touched my bag! You were there when I took it from him, right?!"
"Yes.. but he just handed him your bag!"
"Liar!"
What? Did he call me a liar? Wow! This woman is a liar!
"You're a liar! I'll punch your mouth!" I threatened the woman.
She glared at me. "You're a liar!" She replied arrogantly.
Oh really!
I was about to approach him to carry out my threat but Ci-N grabbed me.
"Jay... Don't hit her!"
"Let go of me... You should be here, I'm going to slap you! Damn it!" I said while trying to reach the girl.
The other one didn't want to come closer. She was probably scared too, pretending to be brave.
"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!"Aries shouted from the group of students.
I knew it was him! Just the voice.
"This guy is so big.. He stole my money from my bag. He doesn't want to---"
"He didn't steal anything!" I cut him off.
"Why, did you see it?!" The girl asked me in a daze.
"You, did you see it?!" I glared back at her.
You really cursed at me. This is so impressive.
"Oh my... Ci-N, you did it again?"
Shit! Why did this woman appear now? This Freya really likes to ruin lives. I glared at her.
"W-I didn't do anything..." Ci-N replied to her.
I hid Ci behind me. Even though I couldn't see him, I knew he was scared.
"You stole from our Section once before. Did you do it again?" Freya added.
Stop it! Don't talk! You're not helping!
"You're really a thief!" The man who grabbed Ci-N earlier shouted.
I was about to answer him but a hand grabbed his collar. Eren's hand.
"You open your mouth again! I'll rip your throat out!" Eren threatened the man.
I also felt someone else behind and beside me. I won't say anything, I can feel their presence. They're the only ones who have it.
"Ci! Is that true?!" Yuri asked authoritatively.
"H-no..."
"Ci-N didn't steal anything. He didn't need to steal either." Yuri said to the woman.
"He was the one who touched my bag! There's money in it, only me and my boyfriend know about it!" The woman insisted.
"Maybe your boyfriend took it?!" Kit said.
Maybe.
The man Eren was holding immediately glared at Kit. It turned out to be the boyfriend.
"Impossible! It's him and I know it's him!" She still insisted.
I'm really getting tired of this woman. Just slap her! Just one!
"This conversation is going to be long. How much did you lose, miss?" Mykel suddenly interrupted the conversation.
"20,000." The woman replied.
Why is this woman carrying such a big bag?
Mykel took his wallet and grabbed some money. He handed it to the woman.
"That's 25,000... I've added it, Danios, for the inconvenience." said Mykel.
The woman accepted it and left with her dirty boyfriend.
Mykel faced us and looked at Ci-N, who was behind me.
"If you need money, ask your mom. Don't steal."
"You jerk!" I was about to charge at him when someone hugged me from behind and dragged me back to our classroom.
"Let me go! I just need to punch him!" I struggled.
When we got to the room, the person who grabbed me finally let go. It was Yuri. I immediately ran toward the door, but they blocked it.
"Stop it, Jay!" Yuri shouted at me.
I couldn't do anything. I couldn't get past the people blocking the door. So frustrating! Argh!
Out of frustration, I kicked one of the tables and turned to Ci-N.
"Why didn't you tell me?!" I asked angrily.
Ci-N just kept her head down and didn't say anything. Keifer spoke up for him.
"Ci-N had nothing to tell you because he didn't steal anything!"
"That's not it!" I snapped back at him before turning to Ci-N again. "Why didn't you tell me that you were accused of stealing and that's why you got transferred to Section E?" I sighed deeply.
"You told me there was chaos, and since it started with you, they transferred you to Section E. Why did you have to lie?"
"B-because... I-I was afraid that you'd see me differently," Ci-N answered.
"Did you ever think that I'd see you even more differently if—"
"Jay!" Yuri called out.
"—you didn't tell me the truth? You practically—"
"Jay!" Yuri shouted again.
"—confirmed what they were saying about you—"
"JAY!" Yuri yelled angrily.
I stopped and furrowed my brows at him. He didn't say anything, but his eyes kept shifting between me and Ci-N.
I didn't get what he meant, but I still turned to look at Ci-N. He was wiping his eyes and trying to hide his face.
He was crying.
My anger disappeared instantly. I regretted everything I had just said. I always blurt out things when I'm mad.
I stepped closer to Ci-N and hugged him. "Sorry… I didn't mean to say those things. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
Ci-N hugged me back and suddenly burst into loud sobs, like a child who had just been bullied by playmates.
"Just let it all out. I'm here," I said, rubbing his back.
"...We're here," Keifer corrected.
"I-I didn't do it... P-please believe me," Ci-N whispered through his tears.
"I believe you… I know you wouldn't do something like that."
I wasn't used to seeing Ci-N like this. He was one of the people who brought life to our classroom.
"It's best if you take Ci home. We'll handle talking to the teachers," Keifer said.
I nodded in agreement.
Ci-N tried to compose himself. I grabbed both our bags and held his arm.
As we walked toward the main building, I noticed he was looking down.
I lifted his chin gently.
"Don't lower your head. You didn't do anything wrong, so you have nothing to be ashamed of," I told him.
"O-okay…" he replied.
With confidence, we walked past the students toward the gate.
People were staring at Ci-N and whispering.
"I used to have a crush on her. Turns out he's a thief."
"Wow! he's so young, yet he's already doing things like that."
"Shameful."
"Next time, keep a close eye on your bags."
I bit my lower lip. If I didn't hold myself back, I might have snapped at them. People who don't even know what really happened love to judge so much.
So annoying! Ugh!
"J-Jay… y-you're hurting me," Ci-N said.
I looked down at my hand gripping her arm. I didn't realize I was holding on too tightly, channeling my anger through him.
"S-sorry…" I let go of his arm.
As soon as we stepped outside the gate, we hailed a taxi. Ci-N gave the driver his address. We arrived at a subdivision. We stopped in front of a huge house. Damn… This boy is rich too.
"Jay, please don't tell my parents what happened," he pleaded before we entered the gate.
"Okay."
His house was even bigger than Aries' place. The front yard had a vast garden and garage, plus a mini playground. As we entered, a grand staircase greeted us. A woman was coming down while talking on the phone.
"Ma!" Ci-N called out.
So this was his mom. She looked young and respectable. His mom raised a finger, signaling for him to wait. She seemed busy with her call. Once she hung up, she finally turned to us.
"Ci, sweetheart! Why are you home so early?" she asked before kissing Ci-N on the cheek.
"Ma… because—" Ci-N didn't get to finish his sentence because her mom's phone rang again, and she answered it.
Ci-N just looked at me and forced a smile. Judging from her mom's demeanor, she seemed to be always busy with other things.
"Ci! I have to go. There's an emergency at the hospital. Take care of yourself!" her mom said before quickly walking out.
Did I not exist? She didn't even acknowledge me.
"Sorry, Jay… I didn't get to introduce you," Ci-N apologized.
"It's fine… Your mom seems busy. What does she do?"
"She's a doctor… Both she and my dad are."
I just nodded. Suddenly, a loud car horn blared from outside, louder than a ten-wheeler truck.
"WHERE'S CI-N?" a man's voice shouted.
Ci-N visibly tensed up upon hearing that voice.
"Who's tha—"
"CI-N!" the man yelled again.
We turned to the door, where a man stood—an older version of Ci-N. He was tall, well-built, had slight stubble, and wore glasses.
He quickly approached Ci-N and grabbed him by the collar.
"Mykel called me! What the hell did you do at school?" he demanded angrily.
"K-Kuya… y-you're hurting me," Ci-N whimpered.
Kuya? No wonder he looked like his older version.
"You're damn right I'm hurting you!" he threatened.
I stepped in and tried to pry his hand off her collar.
"And who the hell are you?!" he asked me.
"C-classmate… I'm Jay-jay…" Ci-N introduced me.
He looked at me from head to toe, scrutinizing me. His phone rang, and he quickly answered. He spoke briefly before turning back to us.
"We're not done yet… I'll deal with you later!" he warned Ci-N, pointing at him. He stormed out in a hurry.
Damn! Everyone in this house is so busy.
"Is your brother always like that?" I asked.
"Sometimes… Good thing my sister isn't here. You'd go deaf from her nagging if she were."
He has a sister too? Nice!
"Come on, let's go to my room."