Keifer's POV
Damn you, Percy!
Why did you have to come back now? Why did he take Jay-jay? Where did he bring her?
"Rory!" I shouted. "Find him! Find Percy now!"
"I'm doing it!" He replied, holding his phone.
"Edrix! Any updates?!"
"I'm having a hard time tracking his car! Didn't anyone see the license plate?!" He asked, typing away on his laptop.
"Now you're scared. After hurting Jay-jay and letting her run away, you're searching for her like a madman." David's words irritated me.
I immediately grabbed his shirt. "Shut that mouth of yours, or I'll make that bruise of yours worse."
"Even if Keifer did that, it doesn't mean he's going to leave Jay-jay." Yuri intervened, pulling my hand off David's shirt. "...We don't know what Percy plans to do with her. Unless you want to tell us."
David dusted off his shirt. "Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have anything to say. Not everything Percy tells me."
I wanted to squeeze him for information, but it would just be a waste of energy. Like he said, he didn't know anything, and I knew he wasn't lying.
My phone suddenly rang. I pulled it out of my pocket.
Demon calling…
It was Angelo. I already knew why he was calling.
I stepped away from them before answering the call.
"Angelo…" I said, pressing the answer button.
["What have you done, Keifer?"] he asked calmly.
His calmness only made me more anxious. It felt like a storm was coming, but I could only feel the faint winds now.
"I followed your advice."
I heard him sigh. ["Let's talk about it. Same place."]
He ended the call, and I put my phone back in my pocket. I needed to find Jay-jay. What if Percy took her and hid her away from us for good?
I'll hunt you down, Percy, even if it's in the afterlife. I'll bring you back to your grave if I have to.
"I found it!" Edrix shouted, and we all walked over to him. "They left the town. The CCTV footage cut off once they reached the highway."
"You did great," I said, patting his shoulder.
"Sorry, Keifer. Percy didn't leave any trace. He probably knows you're looking for him." Rory added.
"Fvck! Fvck you, Percy!" I shouted, almost punching the wall.
Percy knows exactly how I act. It's probably because of David. Damn it! I can't believe they used someone I didn't expect to follow him.
David has that Boss instinct and attitude, so it was hard to imagine him following someone else. I still needed to beat him to get him to obey me.
I noticed Felix standing in the corner, silent for nearly an hour now. He probably couldn't believe his brother showed up.
"We can't just sit here and wait for nothing." Yuri said.
I knew he was just as worried as I was.
I looked at him. "Search near the last CCTV footage. Use my car and the others at home if you have to."
"Won't you come with us?" Eman asked.
"I'll talk to someone who can help us find her." I said, and they all nodded. They gathered their things and walked out of the room. I asked Calix to head to the Faculty and talk to Sir Alvin. The teachers might start looking for us soon, although most of them wouldn't care.
They took my car and left. I waited for a taxi outside the school gate, but a car stopped in front of me.
Yuri…
"Hop in. I'll take you to him."
I didn't say a word. I got in, and he drove like he knew exactly where to go.
While looking out the window, my mind kept circling around her. I couldn't believe I did that. I hurt her in front of everyone, and I stayed calm during that time.
No excuses.
I didn't even know how I said those words. I'd thought so many times not to go through with it, but I couldn't stop. I almost stopped myself from speaking, but Jay-jay insisted on hearing my answer. Those words… I used you. It felt like I stabbed myself when I said that. But what hurt me the most was seeing her cry…
…And I couldn't do anything about it because I was the one who caused her tears.
I wanted to hug her so badly right then. I wanted to apologize over and over and tell her I'd already stopped with my plans. I wanted to shout to her how much I loved her.
I really wanted to… But I couldn't.
It was the first time I'd ever seen her cry like that. It felt like I'd done something far worse than I thought. My conscience kept knocking me down. Maybe I should've done things differently. Maybe I should've just broken up with her like a normal couple.
But that's bullshit. Definitely bullshit! We didn't even have an official label. Besides, that wouldn't work on me because I'm sure I wouldn't be able to stand being away from her.
Too much pain is the best way to push someone away, and I had the perfect ingredients.
"We're here." Yuri announced as he parked the car.
I immediately got out, and he followed. I turned to him before entering Kingsground's door.
"I think you should search with them. I'll talk to Angelo." I said, and was about to walk off when he stopped me.
"Why, Keifer? Why do you always try to carry your problems alone? When will you stop being like this? We're friends—no, we're best friends. Maybe we're rivals in some things, but we're still best friends." He said, sounding so worried.
I wanted to tell him, but it was better not to. I didn't want to drag him into the burden I was carrying. Right now, it's him and our friends that I can rely on.
Telling him my plan might ruin everything.
"Search for Jay-jay." was all I said before leaving him behind. Yuri is the one I want to help Jay-jay.
Despite being my rival, he still tries his best to understand me. And if Jay-jay chooses him because of my actions, I'm sure Yuri will take care of her.
But of course, I'll make sure that doesn't happen.
I headed straight to Tiger's office. Angelo was on the phone with someone. He hung up when he saw me.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked bluntly.
"What?"
"Someone saw Percy… alive and driving a car." He said.
He was obviously overthinking. It seemed like Percy made sure to show up at the right time. He's been in contact with Jay-jay for a long time, but we never had any leads on him. Now, he didn't care if people recognized him.
"Because we're not sure why he's coming back." He pointed his finger at me. "You should know why! What if he drags Jay-jay into this again?"
"They're together." I almost whispered.
He looked at me in shock. "What?!"
"They were seen by Yuri—"
He cut me off by punching me in the face.
I fell to the floor. Honestly, it was strange to be hit by him.
"Look at what you've done? You've dragged her into your mess again!"
I wiped the blood from my lips. "Tss… Maybe you've forgotten that Aries was the reason for the accident. So if you're looking for someone to blame, it's not me."
He didn't say anything, but his look made it clear he was blaming me.
"…It wasn't my mess that dragged Jay-jay into this. It was her brother's mess."
His expression changed in an instant. He looked at me in horror. He couldn't believe I knew that. "H-how…?"
"I'm being clever as fvck. Thanks to you."
He raised his hands in surrender. "You really learned a lot from me." He smirked. "…But you're still weak."
"Just wait… One of these days, I'll be stronger than you."
He gave me a challenging look. "I'll surely wait, Keifer. I will."
He didn't wait for me to say anything else. He walked off, turning his back on me. My fist clenched. I was planning to ask him for help in finding Jay-jay, but that wasn't going to happen now.
"Damn you!" I shouted in frustration.
My mind was all over the place. I didn't know what to do anymore. What if Percy goes through with his plans? What if he takes Jay-jay?
I need to act fast. I pulled out my phone and dialed Rory's number.
["Keifer… It's not—"] I cut him off.
"I want you to check all the airport scheduled flights. Percy might be trying to take Jay-jay out of the country."
["What? That's impossible."]
"You're disappointing me, Rory."
["You don't understand, Keifer. The security on those flights is tight. Even Edrix can't—"]
I'm desperate.
"Rory… Please." I said, almost begging.
I heard him sigh. ["Let me see what I can do."]
"Thank you."
["But I can't promise."] He ended the call.
I know he can do this. He's Rory Abejar, and they own a private investigation company. Even he's starting to become part of it, so I know he can handle it.
I decided to leave Tiger's office and head straight to Kingsground's exit.
"You're leaving?" Tiger said.
"Sorry. I'm in a hurry." I answered.
I didn't wait for him to say anything else and walked out. Taxis aren't common in this area. It's known for being a hangout for drug addicts and thieves. I had no choice but to walk to the main road.
I quickly called for a taxi and got in. I had to go home, take one of my cars, and drive off. I needed to search, and I couldn't just sit around.
Jay-jay is really mad at me. I just broke her heart. She might do something she'll regret, especially with Percy by her side.
Dammit!
I couldn't help but pound the steering wheel. So many thoughts were running through my head, especially now that they were together. Jealousy was boiling my blood.
Try to hold Jay-jay, Percy. I'll send you back to your coffin!
I don't understand his plan. Why only show up to Jay-jay? It's very suspicious.
Revenge is the first thing that crosses my mind. But if that was his plan, he should've shown himself sooner, before everything became complicated.
I must have been driving for hours when I heard my phone ring. It was Yuri.
I answered. "Yuri…"
["I received a text from Angelo. Someone saw Percy and Jay-jay at a fast food restaurant."]
It seems like he's searching for his cousin too. He probably can't stand the idea of them being together.
"Good. Let's meet at Angelo's house."
I ended the call and drove as fast as I could to Angelo's house. I knew I wasn't welcome there, but I was willing to take the risk. I just need to make sure Percy hasn't done anything to Jay-jay.
When I arrived, some of our friends were already there. I parked my car and got out. Rory was the first to speak.
"Sorry, Keifer. Someone blocked me from seeing the flight schedules. I think it's airline security." He explained.
"It's okay. You tried your best." I said, walking towards Yuri.
I noticed the way Rory and Edrix looked at each other. I could tell he hadn't done what I asked. Maybe he's mad at me. They probably wanted to remind me or make me think about it.
"Keifer…" Yuri started. "…It seems like Percy didn't do anything to Jay-jay."
"How sure are you?"
He didn't answer. I chose to enter Angelo's house. He was in the living room, talking on the phone.
Beside him was his mother, who was also on a call.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Aries snapped at me angrily.
He grabbed me by the collar and pushed me outside.
"What did you do to Jay-jay?" he demanded.
"I thought you didn't care about your cousin—oh wait! Your sister? Why are you angry now?"
Fear and shock washed over his face.
"H-how the hell…"
I shoved his hand away and left him speechless. I walked back into the house, and it was Angelo's mom who greeted me.
"Keifer… Do you have any news about Jay-jay?" she asked.
"I'm sorry, but I don't," I replied.
"I see. Please, have a seat. Angelo already asked people to search for her," she said, pointing to the couch.
I did as she said, and Yuri followed right behind me. I sat on their couch. From time to time, Angelo looked my way, but we didn't exchange a single word.
"We should call the police already," said Jay-jay's grandmother who had just arrived.
"We have to wait 24 hours before reporting a missing person," Angelo responded.
"What exactly is that child doing?" That was Jay-jay's mother.
Not long after, everyone who lived in that house arrived—including her new stepdad.
Aries was still giving me that look like he was ready to kill me.
I chose to ignore him.
After a few hours of waiting, I heard someone talking outside.
It didn't take long before that someone entered the door. It was Jay-jay.
You make me so damn worried.
Her grandmother, aunt, and mother immediately rushed toward her.
She looked exhausted and cried out, completely drained. Her eyes were lifeless.
"Where did you go?" her grandmother asked.
"Your classmates have been looking for you for hours," her aunt added.
"What happened? Why did you suddenly leave your school?" her mother asked.
She didn't answer them. She looked around until our eyes met.
It broke me—seeing her like this, seeing her suffer because of me, and seeing her avoid me.
"Ma…" she finally spoke. "…Am I an illegitimate child?"
And at that moment, I realized Jay-jay will suffer more than I expected.