Jay-jay's POV
It's official! The wedding's off. I wanted to jump for joy and celebrate all night if only Kuya weren't throwing a fit outside my room.
"Angelo! That's enough!" Tita Gema tried to stop him. "...You've been drinking! Go get some rest!"
"No! I just want to talk to them!" Kuya Angelo insisted.
I felt bad for him in a way I couldn't even explain. This was the first time I saw him this drunk. The price of my agreement with Yuri was their company pulling out from helping Kuya.
"Tomorrow! It's already late!" Tita Gema shouted.
"Now! We need to talk about it now!"
I slightly opened my room door and peeked at them. Tita was having a hard time getting Kuya into his room. Two maids were helping her too.
I glanced at Aries' room. His door was also a little open, and he was peeking out in the exact same position as me. We looked like nosy neighbors watching someone throwing a tantrum.
"Ma!" Kuya cried out desperately. "...I failed you again."
Ouch!
It was like getting hit in the face with a rock. The truth is, it wasn't even his fault. But he acted like he was carrying the weight of the world.
"No son. You didn't fail me." Tita answered gently. "...please, get some rest."
It was as if Kuya's body finally gave up the resistance. He no longer struggled as they guided him into the room to lie down. It took a while before the two maids came back out.
Tita followed after. Before she could even close the door, I was about to walk up to her—but Aries beat me to it.
This Horoscope guy just loves attention!
"Ma… What now?" Aries asked.
Tita Gema smiled at him and gently held his cheek.
"Go to sleep. Don't worry about it."
Aries hugged Tita and kissed her on the cheek.
"You too, Ma."
I wonder—if Mama hadn't put him up for adoption, would he be like this with our real mom too? Would he also be obedient and affectionate? Or maybe even more bizarre than he already is?
Let's go with more bizarre.
Tita pulled away from the hug and turned around with a smile to head to her room. Aries was walking back when he saw me and stopped.
"A-Aries..." I called out. "...A-are Tita and Kuya okay?"
He approached me with furrowed brows and grabbed me by the elbow. Ouch!
"Do you have no brain?!" he asked angrily. "...Obviously not! Now tell me, is this your fault?!"
I couldn't answer. I kept trying to pull my elbow away, but he just gripped tighter.
"Did you have something to do with the Hanamitchis backing out?!" he shouted right in my face.
Dang it! He even spat a little.
"Let me go! I'll punch you!" I threatened.
He let go, but forcefully—causing my back to hit the door. I glared at him.
"I really hope you had nothing to do with it. Otherwise, Kuya's gonna come down hard on you." He said that and walked straight to his room.
He slammed the door shut. I was left standing there, stunned. This is the result of the freedom I asked for. I knew this was one of the possible outcomes, but I didn't expect it to be this bad.
I went back into my room and lay down on the bed. So annoying! I didn't even know how to face Kuya Angelo. I was ashamed. We hadn't even had a proper conversation since I last yelled at him—and now this.
For a moment, my phone stole my attention. It rang, but when I picked it up, the call suddenly disappeared. When I checked, there was a missed call from GagongBaliw.
What's his problem now? Suddenly calling out of the blue.
I wasn't planning on replying to him, but I don't know... something pushed me to waste some load on this guy.
To: GagongBaliw
Message: Crazy!
I thought he wouldn't reply. It took him a few minutes before he answered.
From: GagongBaliw
Message: Me? Of course!
This guy's really out of his mind. Who could this person possibly be? I suddenly had the urge to borrow David's social instincts just to figure out who he was.
To: GagongBaliw
Message: Who even are you? You're so weird! If you're just messing around, leave me out of it, okay? I already have so many problems, I don't even know which one to deal with first. Just stay out of it.
I stared at my phone as I hit send. I didn't take my eyes off it while waiting for his reply. I even played games and opened Facebook, but still, no reply from him.
Maybe he gave up...
I let out a deep sigh. It was like my chest felt even heavier when he didn't respond.
I ended up throwing my phone at Snorlax out of frustration. I was about to turn around and sleep when it suddenly rang. Someone was calling.
I grabbed it—and to my surprise, it was GagongBaliw calling again. I didn't want to answer, but my hand moved on its own and pressed the green phone icon on the screen.
I placed it on my ear and waited for him to speak, but I didn't hear anything.
"H-hello?" I said, but still nothing.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" Still no voice. "…An animal? An alien? A fairy? A demon?"
Still no answer. "…A jerk maybe? An idiot?"
I looked at the screen, thinking maybe the call had been dropped—but it was still ongoing. I placed it back on my ear.
"If you're not gonna talk, I'm hanging up." I warned—and then I heard a deep sigh.
So there is someone on the other line?!
I started to get annoyed at how he was acting. He was making me feel stupid. I sat up straight on the bed.
"Hey! Can you stop already? Don't give me that mysterious act! It's not funny! It's annoying! You're just adding to everything I'm already dealing with!", I snapped—and then the call suddenly ended.
This Gagong really has no manners!
A text message came in from him again. Even though I was irritated, I still opened it.
From: GagongBaliw
Message: I can't talk but I can listen. Tell me ur problem. At least it might lessen the heaviness of what u feel if u say it to me.
I paused. He had a point, honestly. I was still thinking of what to reply when he called again. I answered it and put it to my ear.
Still, he didn't speak. This time, I was the one who sighed. I didn't know who he was, I had no idea what kind of person he might be.
But right now, he's the only one I have who's willing to listen.
"Gagong baliw..." I began. "...it's because I don't even know you. That's why I named you that."
It was like he smirked from the other end of the line. I didn't see it, but I felt it through the faint chuckle I heard.
I continued speaking. "...I seriously don't get what your deal is. You could just introduce yourself, but no—you have to be like this. Maybe you did something really bad to me—so bad your face can't even face me anymore." I lay back down on the bed and hugged Snorlax. "... I've got so many problems. Family, home, school, my classmates, and that damn love-life crap. And those thugs who seem to really have it out for me."
["Hhmm..."] he answered, like he was telling me to keep going.
" I don't know if you know everything about me…. I'm from a broken family. My mom? She's been married to different men. My dad? I'm not allowed to be with him. It's like I'm the one carrying all the burden they left behind." I stared at Snorlax and imagined he was the one I was talking to on the other end.
"...At home, I'm just staying with relatives, but they treat me like family—well, most of the time. But then they tried to arrange my marriage to my classmate, the son of their business partner. They tried to force me into it—though they eventually backed out, but it cost them their company's downfall."
I turned around and changed positions. I was still hugging Snorlax and now playing with his ear.
"... My school problems are probably every student's problem. Graduation is taking forever!" I said, slightly annoyed, and I think I heard him laugh.
"...My classmates, though..." I fell silent as all the happy memories came rushing back. "...They made me believe I was one of them. I thought I belonged. Turns out I was just a toy to them—something they made a bet on, something they ganged up on, like everything we'd been through together meant nothing."
I could feel tears starting to well up again, so I took a few deep breaths.
" And the person I love? What a mess! I wanna slap him back and forth. He's playing with me—do I look like Barbie to him? He's out of his mind. He's probably gay!" I heard him clear his throat like he wanted to speak. "...He's gay! Do you know Mark Keifer Watson? He's gay! GAY!"
Totally gay for you...
I don't know why, but I suddenly l burst into laughter at what I just said. If that Snake King was in front of me right now, I bet he'd have already burned a hole through me with one glare, with his brows furrowing like thunderclouds.
["Tss..."] I heard him mutter.
Suddenly, a wave of nervousness hit me. I stared at my phone. It was like—No! No way it's Keifer. Or Yuri. Lots of people say that when they're annoyed.
It can't be him… He wouldn't waste his time texting like this.
I was about to say something again when the call suddenly ended. I waited to see if he would call again, but he didn't. I even tried calling him back, but he wouldn't answer.
So I typed a message for him instead.
To: GagongBaliw
Message: I wasn't done talking yet... I thought you were going to listen?
I stared intently at my phone's screen. I waited for several minutes before I received his reply.
From: GagongBaliw
Message: sory, i hve to go.
I slammed my phone into the pillow in frustration. I don't even know why I got so annoyed. There's just something really different about this person.
It's like he's one of the Snakes. But how would that be possible? No one among them knows my new number. I only gave it to Percy. And to Rakki, because of Ci-N's birthday. I'm not sure about David though.
Damn it! Who the heck is this really?
My phone rang again. I picked it up, irritated, and saw another text message from him.
From: GagongBaliw
Message: it ws nice hearing ur voice again. 😊
I ended up biting my lip without meaning to. My irritation suddenly vanished, even though it really shouldn't have. Ugh, seriously! That emoji was the culprit.
I'm not feeling giddy! I'm not! No, I'm really not! Enebe?!
I ended up squishing Snorlax because of how suddenly I flopped on the bed. So annoying! I picked up my phone and typed a message.
To: GagongBaliw
Message: I don't know you, Goodnight already!
I didn't really want to say goodbye. But he said "I have to go," so I had no choice. I was actually enjoying texting this lunatic. My phone rang again because of his reply.
From: GagongBaliw
Message: Gudnyt... I hope you'll hve sweetdreams. 😚😚😚
Tsk! Ene be yen?! And with those emojis too! My hands were shaking as I replied to him. I wanted to say 'yes, I'll have sweet dreams because of you', but of course I had to play it cool.
To: GagongBaliw
Message: You too. Sweetdreams too. 😊😊😊
That idiot replied so quickly. I hadn't even read the message yet and I was already tossing and turning on the bed because of these feelings I couldn't understand.
It's not like I'm feeling giddy, okay?!
I immediately read his reply.
From: GagongBaliw
Message: nah! But wet dreams will do!
What the heck, this guy!
Whatever I was feeling vanished instantly. The irritation came back full force, and I seriously wanted to slam my phone against the wall. I'd forgotten I was texting Barabas, after all.
I slammed the keys hard as I typed my reply, just to let the anger out. What a pest!
To: GagongBaliw
Message: You're a Queen! Don't text me anymore! You're so good at making me give in!
Out of sheer frustration, I ended up strangling Snorlax. That fool! I was smiling already because I felt like the weight in my chest was lifting... but thanks to him, it all came back!
My phone chimed again. I didn't really want to check it, but something pushed me to read the message.
From: GagongBaliw
Message: I more like it when u talk to me like that..
I cringed. This one's seriously crazy. Totally out of his mind. He actually wants me to curse him over text? This one's brain is absolutely scrambled.
To: GagongBaliw
Message: You're really crazy! Your name suits you...GagongBaliw!
He replied quickly.
From: GagongBaliw
Message: Crazy and Fool also. How rude.
Rude, huh? Look who's talking. That name suits him perfectly. He's really pushing my buttons. Total nuisance! I replied again right away.
To: GagongBaliw
Message: I don't care! Don't bother me! I thought you had to go? Then why are you still replying?!
I was super annoyed while hitting the send button. I stared at our conversation for several minutes, but no reply came. Maybe he had already fallen asleep… or maybe what I said hit him hard.
I placed my cellphone on the bedside table and shifted to lie down and sleep. But for some unknown reason, sleep refused to come.
I turned over, trying to find a more comfortable position. I closed my eyes, but my mind was wide awake. I even covered myself with a blanket, but it didn't help.
I lay on my stomach, on my back, on my side—heck, I even tumbled around the bed—but still nothing. I was still awake! When you don't want to sleep, you're sleepy. But when you want to sleep, you're wide awake!
I glanced at my phone and checked the time. That only pissed me off more when I saw what time it was. 2:26 AM!
Dang it! How long have we been texting?! And on top of that, the time we spent on the phone—well, it was mostly just me talking anyway, he didn't even speak.
GagongBaliw came to mind again. Who the heck is he, really? I want to meet him just so I can slap him. The kind that's back to back—for maximum impact.
My phone rang. Even though I was confused, I picked it up and checked.
Speak of the devil. That nuisance sent a message.
From: GagongBaliw
Message: stop thinking of me. I can't sleep.
Oh wow! So now he's accusing me of thinking about him?
I quickly replied.
To: GagongBaliw
Message: You have a thick face! How can you say that I'm thinking of you? YOU'RE SO FULL OF YOURSELF!
That guy! I'm the one who can't sleep here. Obviously, it's him who's thinking of me. I'm not assuming anything—it's just so obvious. Why else would I be the first person he texts when he can't sleep?
I looked at my phone again when it rang. I immediately read the jerk's message.
From: GagongBaliw
Message: how do I know? Because you're the only person that I'm talking to since earlier.
Oh wow, Mr. Conyo now, huh?! I typed my reply.
To: GagongBaliw
Message: don't me! Donnat blaming me!
I jabbed the send button with extra force. I didn't even bother checking my grammar because I was so irritated.
I didn't take the phone off my face. I was really waiting for a reply from this Barabas. But since he was taking forever to respond, I texted him again.
To: GagongBaliw
Message: You are the one thinking! Because I am the one who can't sleep!
Right after I sent that, his reply to my previous message came in.
From: GagongBaliw
Message: hahaha... What's with ur english?
Like you should care about my English! I was about to reply again when another message came in.
From: GagongBaliw
Message: yes, i am thinking of you. Here in my bed, naked... 😎😉
Steam practically came out of my nose. This guy is too much! What a perv! I furiously typed my reply.
To: GagongBaliw
Message: You jerk! Don't you show your face to me, or you'll go home with every bone in your body broken! Annoying! You're such a creep! You deserve to be castrated so you'll learn your lesson! You should be targets for Tokhang!
I had so much more I wanted to say to him, but there probably wouldn't be enough space, so I hit send right away. I started typing another message for him, but then his reply suddenly came in.
From: GagongBaliw
Message: i'm just kidding. Yes, I'm thinking of you—but not like that. I'm thinking of you wearing a wedding gown and walking on the red carpet, smiling at me, so happy.
Suddenly, my mind was filled with confusion. What is this guy even saying? Is he dreaming of marrying me? The feeling instantly turned weird.
I frowned as I typed my reply, but I was only halfway through when another message from him came in.
From: GagongBaliw
Message: and of course... The honeymoon!
Unbelievable!
I was so furious I threw my phone onto the bed, and it bounced all the way to the floor.
I started stomping on the bed in sheer annoyance. Even poor Snorlax wasn't spared—I ended up wrestling him too.
"Perv! Perv! Perv!" I growled while punching the pillows.
With all my tossing and kicking, I didn't even notice that I was already at the edge of the bed—until I suddenly fell off. Headfirst!
If I ever get my hands on you... you're done for!