Jay-jay's POV
"Oh! Put it on your head!" Keifer ordered angrily.
I took the ice bag and placed it on my head. But honestly, my legs and body hurt even more. I had forgotten how high our position was.
I believe I can fly!
Three people caught me—Kiko, Keifer, and Yuri. But even so, the impact still hurt.
"Are you okay, Jay?" Kiko asked, handing me a bottled water.
"Yeah... Thanks."
"Don't do that again, Jay. You scared us." Yuri said.
"Sorry... I just wanted to get away from Ram."
I did get away, but it caused chaos. Ram's group immediately charged at us. Good thing we were many—well, they were.
I glanced at David. He was staring at me intently. I suddenly remembered the fight between him and Kiko.
"Uhmmm... Kiko. Can I talk to you?" I said.
He smiled and nodded. I looked at Keifer and Yuri, silently telling them to leave us alone. They got the message and walked away. David and the others did the same. Once I was sure we were alone, I finally spoke to Kiko.
"Kiko—"
"Whatever David told you, believe me, that wasn't my intention." Kiko cut me off.
I paused for a moment. Why so defensive? I hadn't even said anything yet, and he was already acting ahead.
"Kiko... I'll be straight with you. I don't want to entertain suitors right now. It's not that I don't like you or anything. I just don't want to, at least for now. I hope you understand."
Kiko lowered his head. Was I too quick? Did I hurt his feelings? Damn! That wasn't my intention at all.
"I understand. But I won't distance myself from you. I'll always be here for you." He said, forcing a smile.
"Thank you, Kiko. I'm sorry."
"It's okay... Uhmmm... I have to go, Jay. My friends are looking for me." He said before turning to leave.
I was going to let him go, but then I suddenly remembered something. "Kiko! Wait!" I called, rushing toward him. "...Can I ask you a favor?"
"What is it?"
"Please don't fight with David again. Just this once." I pleaded.
"I can't promise, but I'll try." He replied before walking away.
As soon as he disappeared from my sight, my nosy friends immediately surrounded me. No doubt they were going to interrogate me.
"So? Did you reject him?" Ci-N asked.
I nodded. Keifer was still glaring at me, while Yuri remained expressionless.
"You should go home, Jay... It's getting dark. You might get into trouble." Yuri said.
I grabbed my bag and dusted it off. I looked at them one by one. I didn't know why, but I felt annoyed.
"I'll walk you home, Jay." David volunteered.
"No need. I can handle it." I answered and walked away.
Even without looking, I knew they were all watching me. And even if he didn't say anything, I could tell David was following me.
I just felt it. Maybe I had a special ability I wasn't aware of yet.
"Jay..." David called. I didn't turn around and just kept walking. "...I know you're upset about what we did."
"Oh, and?" I asked indifferently.
"Jay. I'm sorry. We just didn't want you to get hurt."
"I understand that part. But at least tell me the truth. And keep me informed about what's happening. I don't understand anything!" I explained.
"You already know our story, so what else should I tell you?" He asked.
I just wanted to know what really happened between him and Kiko. Sure, I knew they fought, but that was all I knew.
I stopped walking and faced him. "The fight between you and Kiko... I know you had one, but why?"
"Okay... I'll explain everything to you."
David's POV
Flashback...
"Keifer!" I called out to him.
He was out of it. Maybe he really was crazy, just like everyone said.
"Stay out of this!" He snapped.
Yuri grabbed my arm. "Let him be for now." I didn't want to, but Yuri knew Keifer better than I did. He understood what needed to be done.
I nodded at Yuri. I understood that Keifer was heartbroken. But he shouldn't forget that we were still at school. His actions were only adding to Section E's already bad reputation.
I went back inside the room and looked at them. The whole Section E was affected. Why did Keifer have to involve everyone?
"David..." Yuri called me. "...Make the announcement now."
I nodded. "Guys! The rule that Keifer and Yuri enforced on us is now official!" I announced.
Everyone immediately reacted, so Yuri stepped in to explain. I was supposed to be the one making the rules in Section E, but what could I do?
Even though I was the president, Keifer still held more power than me. I wasn't bothered by it—people still followed me, and I still had the authority to keep things under control. Even though I'm the president, Keifer still appears to have more power than me. I'm not bothered because they follow me, and I still have the power to control them.
After a year...
After enforcing the rule "No Section E in the Cafeteria," most of them no longer had the interest to follow me.
They kept asking why I allowed Keifer and the others to impose such a rule. They thought I agreed because Keifer could command me, but that wasn't the reason. I agreed because Section A was planning to retaliate against us.
They weren't the type to back down easily. Keifer confronted Aries—I thought Yuri would stop him, but instead, he joined in on the chaos.
"How long is this rule going to last? I'm starving." Ci-N complained.
I felt bad for him. I had started bringing extra food sometimes, but it was never enough for me and the others. Yuri also brought food, but there were times he didn't show up. The rest refused to bring their own meals, saying there was no one to prepare them.
"David!" Someone suddenly shouted.
I immediately stepped out of the room to check. Denzel was running toward us.
"What is it?!"
"It's Kit and Eren!" Denzel answered.
I didn't wait for him to explain further—I ran straight to the main building. But instead of inside, I found them at the front of the cafeteria. Other students had gathered around. Kiko and Mykel were holding the two of them down.
"David!" Kit called out as soon as he saw me.
"Looks like your president is finally here!" Mykel mocked.
Eren's arms were locked behind his back, while Kit was in a headlock by Kiko.
"You guys sure have the nerve to show your faces here at the cafeteria!" Kiko sneered. "...What should we do with you?"
"Let them go, Kiko!" I ordered.
Kiko chuckled. "And if I don't?"
"Look, Kiko... I don't want any trouble. Just let them go!"
Mykel and Kiko laughed.
"Coward! You're probably the only one in your section who refuses to fight! How the hell did you even end up in Section E?!" Kiko taunted.
"I just don't want trouble!"
"Nah, you're just scared!" Mykel mocked.
"If you can't handle this, why don't you just call Keifer?!" Kit shouted.
Call Keifer? No. I wasn't going to call them. I should be the one handling this problem.
"I'll face them myself!" I answered Kit, then turned to Kiko. "...Let them go, and I'll take you on!"
Kiko smirked and released Kit. Mykel did the same to Eren. They quickly walked away. I turned to Kiko. He was still wearing that usual smirk. He shoved his hands into his pockets before speaking.
"Where do you want to do this? Here in school?" he teased.
"Where do you want it?" I countered.
Mykel whispered something to him. They exchanged glances for a moment before facing me again.
"The old factory. After school. One-on-one. That's the rule." Kiko said before walking away.
The other students stared at me, but I didn't care. I never wanted to fight, but I had no choice—I had to face Kiko Evans. When I returned to the classroom, everyone was waiting for an update. They all looked at me expectantly.
"Should we call Keifer now?" someone asked.
I shook my head. "Everything's settled... I already talked to them."
"What do you mean, talked?!" Kit demanded.
"That's between me and them," I replied and started heading to my seat.
"You didn't beg them, did you?" Kit asked again. "...Because, you know, that's what you're good at—begging." His voice was laced with irritation.
I stared at him but said nothing. I hated conflict, no matter what others said. They could call me a coward or say I was only good at negotiating—I didn't care.
"Why aren't you answering?!" Kit yelled. "Because it's true!"
"Did you really end up in this section because you got into a fight?! It looks like you were just dumped here because you're useless!"
"Ever since the last president left, all you've done is stop us from fighting or drag us away from trouble!" he continued. "...I've never even seen you throw a punch! We're troublemakers! That's the reputation of Section E! So stop trying to negotiate with everyone—"
"F*!"** I snapped, slamming my chair against the floor. I couldn't hold back anymore. There were times when I just had enough.
"I'm the president! I make the rules! That's the rule Section E follows!" I reminded them.
How ironic. In a group like ours, rules never really applied, yet they were forced to follow them. I knew Kit was upset. I couldn't blame him. The problem was already huge, and Keifer only made it worse.
Years had passed, but he still couldn't accept that Ella had left him for someone else.