Ang Mutya Ng Section E (Book - 2) English

Jay-Jay's POV

"AaaaaAaaaAaallllllaaaAaaayyyyyyy!!!" I screamed as Kuya Angelo pulled my ear.

It hurt even more because, from the Fer Corp building to the parking lot, he kept holding my poor little ear. I felt like it was about to explode.

Let go, please!!

"You're so stubborn! When is your final exam again?" he scolded.

"It hurts, Big Brother!" I cried, complaining.

We stopped in front of his car, but he still didn't let go. I quickly touched my ear, which had gone numb from the pain.

He opened his car door. "Get in!" he ordered.

"Just wait!" I protested.

My ear hurt! I hadn't even heard his full lecture yet, and I knew it would hurt even more once he started talking. Kuya must have noticed that I was about to cry. He took a deep breath, crossed his arms, and leaned against his car.

"Who told you..." he said more calmly. "...that Keifer was coming?"

I shook my head while wiping my eyes. "No one. I didn't even know he was coming."

"Then what were you doing here?"

"Honey brought me here. Then I found out that he's the investor or whatever from the UK." I looked at him, sulking. "...And you? Why didn't you tell me Keifer was the investor?"

"He's not the investor. He's just a representative. He's not even 21 yet, and he hasn't graduated. He can't run a company."

"Even so! You still didn't tell me he was coming!"

He suddenly reached out to pat my back, but I quickly crossed my arms and moved away.

"This is a business matter! You don't work for the company, so why would I tell you?"

I snorted. Talking to Kuya was pointless. No one knew what had happened in my life, so he couldn't understand what I wanted to say.

"Get in the car." He pointed to the open door. "...I'll take you to school."

I climbed into his car, my eyebrows furrowing so much that there was barely any space between them.

Kuya was so annoying. I wasn't even going to school anymore, and now he was taking me there? What for? So I could step inside the gate and immediately walk back out?

No one spoke after the car started. He focused on the road, while I focused on the Animal King. That idiot! Next time, I'm really going to hit him. I can't believe that jerk! He really doesn't care whether we see each other or not.

Fine! Stay in space, then! Live with the aliens! So annoying! Go be with E.T.!

That one month felt like a decade. I cried out of sheer frustration. Keifer, you're insane! Seriously!

He didn't even check if I was okay. He didn't even know if I was eating properly. He had no clue what was happening in our section. He didn't even bother to find out if I got into trouble again.

That idiot knows NOTHING—!

"How are you?" Kuya said the reason for me to look at him. "...how did Keifer say hello to you."

"Go ahead!" None of my own answers.

Kuya immediately gave me a bad look. "Did you curse me?"

I quickly shook my head. "N-not you! I meant Keifer."

He looked back at the road and kept driving. I sat up straight and cleared my throat. If I heard correctly, that traitor actually greeted me.

"W-what did he say?"

"He asked, 'How are you?' That's it."

I blinked. That's it? THAT'S IT?! That's all he said?! I was actually excited for nothing! Unbelievable! The King of Serpents is truly a fool.

"W-no more?"

Kuya glanced at me briefly before turning back to the road.

"No more. Why? Should there be?"

I wanted to slam my head against the car window. That Judas really made my blood boil. Damn it! Damn it!

Soon, we arrived in front of the school. The car stopped, but before I could get out, Kuya said something that made me freeze.

"Do you really love Keifer?"

I bit my lower lip. I wanted to say yes, but I knew he would be angry if he heard my answer. He seemed to notice my hesitation.

"I'm not forbidding you from loving someone. But maybe... not Keifer."

I looked at him in confusion. I understood why he stopped us before—because I was engaged to Yuri. But now? Why?

"Loving a Watson is hard. The cost is high."

How much, I'll save.

"Are you trying to scare me?"

"No. I'm telling you the truth."

I simply nodded, accepting his words. Without another word, I opened the car door and stepped out. He waited until I entered the school gates before driving away.

And that was the signal for my tears to finally fall.

It's unfair! Why does it feel like I'm the only one suffering because we can't be together? Why am I the only one hurting? And why do I still have hope for that traitor?

"Jay-Jay?"

A familiar voice called out.

I looked up and saw Yuri approaching me. I quickly wiped my tears and forced a smile. But before I could say a word, he pulled me into a tight embrace.

His hug was warm, comforting—just what I needed. I couldn't stop myself anymore. My tears started falling like a waterfall.

"Cry as much as you need. I'll be your handkerchief."

His words only made me sob harder.

"I-I saw h-him." My voice trembled, and his arms tightened around me. "W-why does it feel like I'm the only one suffering?"

"You know him," he said with a bitter chuckle. "He acts like he doesn't care, but deep down, he's a mess."

I let out a small laugh, but it wasn't enough to stop my tears. I buried my face in his chest.

"Jay..." he called softly. "I'll wipe your tears, but please... not my shirt too."

Oh, no!

I quickly pulled away, horrified to see the wet stain on his white polo.

Taking a deep breath, I wiped my eyes. "Sorry."

He smiled. "It's okay. It's just a shirt."

He stepped closer and held my hand. His smile was there, but his eyes held sadness.

"Did you two talk?"

I shook my head. "I was afraid to face him."

"Why?"

"Because I don't trust myself. If I saw him... I might not be able to stop myself. I might end up punching him. He deserves it, though."

Yuri chuckled softly. I pulled him into another tight hug. But this time, his embrace felt different—filled with fear, hesitation. I knew I was the reason. I wasn't numb. I could feel how much he cared. I knew he was giving me everything he could.

But I chose not to say anything. I didn't want to ruin what we had left. I was happy with what we had now. Unlike before, he wasn't forcing anything. There were no expectations, no pressure.

Yuri was my comfort zone.

"You do know that PDA isn't allowed here, right?"

A familiar voice interrupted us.

Yuri and I quickly stepped apart and turned to see Aries standing there, arms crossed, one brow raised.

"Where are you coming from?" he asked.

"F-from Fer Corp."

His expression changed for a split second, but he quickly masked it.

"Did you see him?" His voice was calm, but I knew exactly what he meant. He already knew the answer.

And just like that, that strange feeling returned—the feeling of being shattered all over again.

I simply nodded.

"What did he say to you?"

I'd better not answer his question.

"Aries... Maybe we can talk later. We're going back to class."

I didn't wait for his response. I started walking toward the auditorium. It wasn't long before I felt Yuri following obediently. We were close to Ulupong when he grabbed my arm and stopped me.

"Jay... What's wrong?"

I turned to face him, looking him directly in the eyes. "Do you know too?"

He seemed surprised at first, but understanding quickly dawned on him. He let go of my arm.

"Do you know too?" I repeated. "...Do you also know that he's coming?"

He quickly looked away. I already knew the answer. He knows. He knows very well!

I don't want to be angry with him, but I can't help but feel betrayed. What they did wasn't just thoughtless—it was emotional. I walked toward the Snakes again.

I didn't see any teachers. It looked like they hadn't shown up for class again today. Ci saw me and immediately greeted me.

"Jay... What happened? Where did Honey take you?"

Instead of answering, I looked him straight in the eye. "Do you know too?"

He gave me a confused look. "Know what?"

"That he's coming?"

His brow furrowed in surprise. He didn't seem to understand what I meant.

"Who's coming?"

He really doesn't know anything. I took a deep breath.

"Keifer has arrived," I whispered.

Shock flashed across his face. He quickly pulled his phone from his pocket and opened his messages.

"What? He hasn't messaged me since yesterday," he said, showing me his inbox.

It seemed like Keifer intentionally didn't tell Ci-N.

"Let it go. We didn't even talk," I said, feeling drained, and walked toward Kit.

They were still sitting apart, but Eren and Josh were with them. I slumped into the seat next to Kit with a sigh. My deep breath caught the attention of the four.

"Hey. What happened? Where did Honey take you?" Eren asked.

Another group of Ulupong members approached us, eager to hear my response. Except for Drew and Yuri, who chose to watch from afar.

"K-Kila Felix. We were looking for Percy."

Felix gave me a puzzled look. "What's wrong with Brother? Why were you looking for him?"

I stared at him curiously. Did he know something about them?

"That's the wrong question. You should be asking what's wrong between you and Honey?"

"Us?" he asked, pointing at himself. "...N-nothing. I used to just annoy her, Manang. But when she came back from the US, she started hating me. Her whole appearance even changed."

I raised an eyebrow. "That's not what she told me."

The Serpents all turned to Felix at the same time and shouted in unison, "Ayyiieeeehhhh!!"

"Haha… There's something going on!"

"What kind of magic is this?"

"Spill it! Spill it! Say more!"

Felix immediately turned defensive, trying to escape their teasing. He looked like he was about to collapse from embarrassment.

"Nothing! What the hell!" he snapped.

The idiots would've continued teasing him, but he just turned and walked away. He kept his back to us so we couldn't see his reaction.

But I noticed—his ears were red.

"Jay..." Ci-N called me, concerned. "...Are you okay?"

I nodded. "I'm just upset because I didn't get to talk to him."

"Who?" Denzel asked. "...Who didn't you get to talk to?"

Ci looked at me as if asking for permission. I gave him a modest nod. I don't know if they are just acting ignorant or if they truly don't know.

"Keifer. He's back," Ci-N said.

Their reactions were mixed.

"Why doesn't he show himself?"

"So, where is he?"

"Does he know anything about what's happening here?"

"No more! Keifer has left us hanging!" Blaster said in annoyance, causing us to look at him.

"What are you talking about?" Eman asked.

"Don't you realize? He planned to leave even when we were still talking!" he said, then turned to the other Ulupong. "...After all, it's everyone's fault! He's the reason Jay-Jay is mad at us. So what did he do? He left!"

"Blaster is right!" Drew added fuel to the fire. "...We're the ones struggling to apologize to Jay-Jay, when he was the one who started it all!"

"Stop it!" Rory protested.

"What they said is true!" Mayo interjected.

Kit immediately stopped him. "Don't get involved with them!"

Mayo simply looked at Kit and then continued speaking. "Most of us just followed what he said! And now we're the ones paying for everything! What about Keifer? Where is he?! He's in another country and he—"

"STOP!" Yuri shouted, making him fall silent. "...Don't you dare say anything against him!"

Mayo furrowed his brows. He, Drew, and Denzel seemed furious at Yuri's words.

"Let's not play around here! You're mad at him, aren't you? He's your rival!" Drew accused.

We thought they were going to fight, so we became alarmed. Yuri looked Drew straight in the eyes.

"Yes! We are rivals, but don't forget that he's also my friend! You don't know what he's going through right now, so don't talk as if he's the bad guy!" he said angrily before pushing Drew away.

I looked at him for a moment, trying to calm myself down. He turned his back on us and walked away. We were left standing there, just watching him go.

Among all of us, only Yuri knows what Keifer is really facing. Despite the misunderstandings, he still considers him a friend.

I wish I could do what he does.

I like to believe that, despite everything, they are still my friends. But I'm afraid… What if they don't see me the same way?

I looked at them all. We have been through so much together. I have cried in front of them, and they have cried in front of me. We have faced problems and shared moments of joy together.

Everything fell apart when they lied to me.

Blaster and Drew have a point. I don't want to admit they are right because, in truth, we are all wrong.

I was wrong for tolerating them when I shouldn't have. It has been months since the truth came out. Maybe they have suffered enough.

Maybe… I can forgive them.