JayJay POV
"...Aries?"
No way! Aries the Horoscope? It didn't seem real. It was hard to believe.
"He's the one who talked to the Principal. He also convinced the Board Members." Rakki explained.
Was it really him?
I was touched. My brother was really kind, even if sometimes it seemed like he left his brain somewhere. I love that guy!
"Did he really do that?" I asked in disbelief.
"If you don't believe it, then maybe you should just ask him yourself." Ella said.
That was probably the best thing to do so I could understand his reason. I took my phone from my bag and typed a message. While I was sending it, Rakki and the others said goodbye since they had a class to attend.
I thanked them again and kept my eyes on them until they were out of sight.
"Take care, Baby!" Calix said as he walked Mica to the door.
I grimaced while looking at him. Just in time, he looked back at me too, raising an eyebrow.
"What?" he asked.
"You're so flirty." I commented, and his brows immediately furrowed.
"You're just jealous because you don't have a love life."
"I can't survive on a love life alone."
He smirked slightly. "Just get yourself a boyfriend already so you stop acting like this."
Oh, this idiot!
I immediately feigned a punch at him, but he quickly dodged and ran off. I could only point at him threateningly as I watched him walk away.
I glanced at my phone, hoping for a reply from fate—err, I mean, my brother. But there was no response from him.
I looked for a place to sit. I wanted to sit by the window, but most of them had already taken those spots. I didn't even get to choose!
"Jay-jay!" Kit called out to me, waving. "...Come sit here." He pointed to the seat beside him, near the window.
I was about to walk over when Mayo suddenly sat there. Kit and I both frowned at what he did.
"Get up! That's Jay-jay's seat!" Kit shooed him away.
"No way!" Mayo said stubbornly, then flashed a sweet smile. "...so I can hug you more often." Then he suddenly hugged Kit.
Kit immediately shoved him so hard he almost fell off his seat. The other Ulupong just shook their heads at him.
"A little consideration, please!"
"There are innocent minds here! Don't corrupt them!"
"Idiot! What's innocent about you? Your toenails?"
That made us all laugh, even if just for a moment.
I was forced to look for another seat again, and it seemed I'd be stuck once more with the two people I always copied answers from during quizzes.
Though, most of the time, I was the only one copying.
"Jay-jay!" Ci greeted me with a smile.
"Same as always." David said as he adjusted the chair beside him.
And just like that, I ended up seated between them again. The three of us were back in our little world—especially when I had food.
I wouldn't deny it, I missed this!
The idiots all looked happy. I glanced towards the back, where the others were. I saw Yuri in his usual seat, and for some reason, I thought I saw the King sitting next to the empty seat beside him.
My smile faded, and I turned my gaze back to the front. I lowered my head as my vision blurred.
Damn it!
I discreetly wiped my eyes. I didn't want to ruin our happiness. This was the first good thing that happened after all the chaos we had been through.
"Quiet! Quiet!" someone suddenly shouted while banging on a desk.
We all looked toward the back where the noise was coming from. It seemed like Denzel was the one who did it, but he quickly sat down when Yuri stood up.
"I know everyone is excited and happy about our new classroom. But we need to be careful—we don't know what the consequences of this might be." he said while looking at all of us.
I slowly stood up to oppose him. "I don't think it's like that. Aries was the one who requested this room for us."
"But Yuri has a point." Rory interjected. "...We know that you and your brother are okay now, but don't forget that he's still mad at us."
"That's right! That's right!" the others agreed.
"We haven't forgotten that because of your brother, we were stuck in the old building." Drew said.
"He was also the one who ordered for our building to be filled with garbage." Blaster added.
"And he made sure that Section E was banned from the cafeteria." Eren chimed in.
I raised an eyebrow at everything they were saying. I knew about the cafeteria issue, but the first two accusations—I was just hearing about them now.
"Wait a minute! Why are you blaming all these things on my brother?" I asked, annoyed.
"It's not just blame. Those things really happened." Eman said.
My tongue felt tied.
I was about to defend my brother, but I didn't know what to say. I wasn't sure if they were lying, but judging by their expressions—and the fact that they were once enemies with that Horoscope—it seemed true.
Shit! This is tough.
"M-maybe... But I know he won't do something like that again." I said, even though I wasn't really sure.
"How can you say that?" Josh asked.
"Because I'll make sure of it."
They all looked at each other, as if my words were enough assurance for them.
"We trust you, Jay." Mayo said. "...even if you don't trust us."
Oh, this bastard!
I scratched the back of my head. That was a pretty good comeback from Mayo.
"I think Jay-jay has something she wants to say to all of you." Yuri said with a smile.
Oh, right! How was I supposed to tell them that?
They all turned their attention to me, waiting for me to speak. I swallowed hard. I suddenly felt nervous for no reason.
"W-well... It's just that... I think—."
I stopped when my phone suddenly rang. I quickly grabbed it, but it stopped ringing just as fast. Someone had just given me a missed call. When I checked... it was Aries? There was also a text message from him.
From: Horoscope...
Message: Meet me outside the school. Right now!
"What were you going to say?" C-in asked me.
"Maybe later. Aries wants to meet me." I said and started walking out.
I heard them calling my name, but I ignored it. I rushed down the stairs, knowing how impatient that guy was. He was always in a hurry.
It was good that we'd be able to talk right away. Especially about what the Ulupong had said. I also needed to make sure he had good intentions with what he did.
I trusted him, but I still needed to hear it from him.
When I reached the ground floor, I ran straight to the gate. I was only a few steps away—almost there—when I suddenly bumped into someone and fell to the ground.
"Ouch!" I cried out.
"OW! What the hell?! So stupid!" the person I bumped into shrieked dramatically.
I stood up while dusting off my clothes. When I looked at the person in front of me, I suddenly felt like bumping into them again.
Of all the people I could have run into, why did it have to be Freya?
"What's your problem?! Could you be any dumber?!" she shouted while shaking off her skirt, which seemed to have caught on something.
"Sorry." I said, about to walk past her, but she quickly blocked my way.
Oh, for crying out loud, here we go again.
"Where do you think you're going? Are you planning to ditch class?"
I shook my head. "I'm going to—."
"Jay-jay? Freya?" A familiar voice called out.
We both turned toward the source of the voice. It was Rakki, walking toward us.
"Jay? Why are you here? Your class is about to start." he said.
I pointed at the gate to show that I was meeting Aries, but of course, this nosy Freya had to butt in.
"SHe's planning to cut class." she said in an exaggerated tone.
I rolled my eyes. I didn't want to waste my energy on her right now—I had somewhere to be, and I needed to face him. That guy had a short temper, and he'd definitely pick a fight with me if I made him wait too long.
"Is that true?" Rakki asked, sounding concerned.
I shook my head. "Don't believe her. Her brain got rattled when I bumped into her."
SHe nodded, accepting my answer.
"I have to go now. He might get mad—"
"Hey! You!" A familiar voice shouted.
Oh, for the love of—Great! I turned to see Honey approaching, frowning. Let me guess—this was about Percing again. My goodness! What exactly was that guy doing to this girl?
"Oh?" I replied, bored.
"Where on earth is your f*cking stepbrother?" she demanded as soon as she reached me.
Knew it!
"I dunno." I answered, which only irritated her more.
I glanced at Freya, who was standing right next to her. She had one eyebrow raised as she looked at Honey from head to toe. She was probably shocked to see someone even worse than her.
And then, an idea popped into my head.
"Maybe Freya knows where Percy is." I said, nodding toward Freya.
The witch immediately shot me a glare. Honey quickly turned to face her. Oh, here we go! It looked like a catfight was about to start. I was betting on the one with red lipstick... Freya. Honey's lips were pink.
"And who the f*ck are you?" Honey asked with attitude.
Of course, Freya wasn't going to back down.
"Wrong question. It should be, 'Who the fcking btch are you?'" she fired back.
Oh boy, here we go! They were really going to fight!
"Jay... Who is that?" Rakki whispered to me.
"She says she's Percy's future." I replied.
"What a b*tch! I don't have time for you." Honey scoffed before turning back to me. "You're coming with me." she said, grabbing me and dragging me along.
But before she could drag me out of the gate, Freya and Rakki blocked our way. Rakki immediately pulled me away from her, while Freya faced her with fierce defiance and attitude.
"How dare you? You have no right to just drag a student away like that!" Freya said boldly.
Honey stepped closer until their faces were almost touching. "Look, I don't give a shit about every word you're saying."
Freya crossed her arms. "Guess what? You have to give a shit because you're in my territory, and I'm the queen here."
Honey eyed her from head to toe. "A queen? More like a queen wannabe."
I was expecting them to start pulling each other's hair, but they just exchanged deadly glares. Then, I noticed Mica and Ella approaching us.
"What's going on here?" Ella asked, glancing at Honey. "...Honey? What are you doing here?"
They know each other? Oh, right. She was the ex of whatshisname.
Honey raised an eyebrow at her. It seemed like they weren't on good terms. Not surprising—after all, they were both equally feisty.
"Jay-jay..." Mica called me. "...What are you doing here?"
And that's when I suddenly remembered—I was supposed to meet my fate—I mean, my brother.
"Aries! We were supposed to meet! He's probably mad by now. He's been texting and calling me!" I said, reaching for my phone in my pocket.
But I couldn't feel anything there. Did I just... lose my phone?
Damn it!
Mica and Ella suddenly exchanged glances, as if something about what I said was suspicious.
"How is that possible? He's been missing his phone since earlier." Ella said.
I was stunned. If Aries didn't have his phone, then who texted me?
Maybe it was another number, and I just didn't notice. But that couldn't be—I knew it was his number that replied to me.
But who the hell—shit!
I immediately looked around. I had a bad feeling about this, thanks to the socialite instincts I seemed to have inherited from Dabid. Kidding!
"What's wrong, Jay? Is there a problem?" Mica asked worriedly.
"C-can we talk inside instead?" I answered, still scanning my surroundings.
"No! You have to come with me." Honey demanded and tried to grab me again.
Rakki quickly stopped her hand. They exchanged sharp glares. Ugh, can we just argue inside?!
"Seriously?! What the hell is wrong with you people?" Honey snapped, glaring at us.
"Just leave already." Freya muttered.
Honey immediately turned to her, looking like she was ready to pounce. Ella and Mica quickly stepped in between them to break up the fight. Rakki finally let go of me when he noticed that things were about to turn violent.
I also stepped in to stop them, but honestly, I was kind of disappointed. I thought I was about to witness a catfight between two feisty girls.
"Shut your filthy mouth!"
"Leave! You're a slut!"
"Compared to you, b*tch!"
"Enough! Stop it, Freya!"
"People are staring! Get your act together!"
With all the chaos, I didn't even realize we were already outside the gate. I also didn't notice the black van pulling up near us.
Just as I turned to look at it, something black was suddenly thrown over my head, and hands grabbed both of my arms.
"What the hell?! Let me go!" I screamed as they started dragging me away.
I heard Ella screaming loudly, followed by Freya and Honey cursing.
They kept pushing me into what I assumed was a car. Something thin and tight was wrapped around my wrists. I tried kicking at them, but I had no idea if I was actually hitting anyone.
I knew it!
Another kidnapping?! Seriously?! I'm getting tired of this. I keep getting kidnapped—aren't they getting sick of it too?
Author, aren't you tired of this? Can we do something else? No more kidnappings?
"What the hell?! Don't f*cking touch me!" Freya's voice screamed, getting closer to where I was.
"Freya?" I called out.
"The hell! Where are you? What the hell is this on my head? It stinks!" she complained dramatically.
Then, I heard Mica's voice. "Please, don't! Have mercy on us!"
"This is so wrong! If my uncle finds out about this, you're all dead!" That was Honey, who I assumed was behind me.
"Take this thing off me!" Ella's voice wasn't too far from where I was seated.
"What's happening? Who are you people?" Rakki demanded.
I couldn't understand. I was sure they were only after me, so why did they take Mica and the others too?
There was only one person I could think of who would do this to me—the one who had been threatening my life for a while now.
Sato.
The one who kept sending me pictures of myself with letters on the back. The one who had been texting me besides Yuri and GagongBaliw. The one who was Yuri's enemy but, for some reason, had dragged me into this mess too.
I heard the loud slam of the vehicle's door. I also heard some of them whispering to each other. Honey and the others kept shouting. Mica sounded like she was crying from the way she was sobbing between her words.
I was on the verge of tears from fear, but now was not the time to break down. I needed to stay strong. I had no idea what would happen next.
"SILENCE!" a man shouted, causing my companions to fall quiet.
I took the opportunity to speak. "Did Sato order this?"
"Don't answer." One of them said from behind.
"Why did you have to involve my friends—?"
"OMG! We're not friends!" Freya interrupted. Of all times, she really chose now to insist on that.
"B!tch! She wasn't talking about you!" Honey yelled at her.
"Shut up!"
And just like that, they started arguing again, exchanging insults and curses. If I could, I would have slapped my own face out of sheer frustration.
"Will you shut up, or do I have to make you?" a man, who seemed to be in front of me, said.
Annoying!
I couldn't see anything because of whatever was covering my face. And honestly, it did smell strange—like stale sweat. The two were forced to quiet down.
With every passing second inside the vehicle, my breathing felt more restricted. My heart was pounding way too fast, refusing to calm down no matter how much I tried to steady myself.
Then, the car stopped, and I heard the doors open again.
"Don't touch me!" Freya's scream rang out.
Right after that, someone yanked me out of the vehicle. I almost fell forward, unable to see where I was stepping.
"Move it!" the person holding me ordered, trying to force me to stand properly.
"How about you take this thing off my head so I can actually see where I'm going?" I snapped in annoyance, but they ignored me.
As we walked, I could tell the others were right behind me. Freya and Honey were still bickering non-stop, Ella and Rakki were complaining, and Mica was sobbing softly.
After a short distance, we came to a stop. I heard the sound of a door opening, followed by someone shoving me down onto a seat.
"Ouch! What the hell!" Rakki complained, sounding like he was right beside me.
"Remove it." A man's voice commanded.
And with that, they pulled off whatever had been covering my head.
Damn...
I instinctively shut my eyes from the sudden brightness—it felt like my eyeballs had dried up.
Once my eyes adjusted, I finally managed to open them properly.
The first thing I saw was a man wearing a white sleeveless shirt. It was obvious he wasn't Filipino. His arms and neck were covered in tattoos. He actually had good looks—someone who could probably compete with Yuri in terms of handsomeness, if not for the fact that he looked like a sketchy street thug.
To top it off, he had piercings on his nose and lips. How was he not on some police watchlist yet?
"And who the hell are you?" I asked, though I already had a pretty good idea.
He smirked at me mischievously. "Me?"
Oh no, not you. I was obviously talking to the guy next to you.
He stepped closer, leaning down. Then, he grabbed a fistful of my hair, forcing me to tilt my head up and look at him.
"I am your grim reaper."