JAY-JAY'S POV
What happens when you don't get enough sleep? You feel sluggish. What do you call someone who doesn't sleep well?
A zombie.
What do people who don't sleep well do? Nothing productive.
"What did you do last night that kept you up so late?" Percy asked as he took a sip of my coffee.
Yes, my coffee.
The audacity of this blue-eyed guy! I brewed that coffee for myself, yet he drank it like it was his. I glanced at Felix, who had just finished preparing their juice. Meanwhile, Ci-N was still rummaging through the refrigerator, looking for something to eat.
"Got pinched," I absentmindedly replied.
It was already three in the morning. I thought I could finally get some rest since it was the weekend, and there was no school. But of course, these two troublemakers had to show up uninvited.
"Here it is—cake!" Ci-N announced, pulling out a boxed cake.
Just then, Auntie entered the kitchen and immediately noticed what Ci-N was holding.
"You've already chosen that? Do you want some carbonara? I can cook it for you," she offered, stepping closer to him.
I saw the way their eyes sparkled—especially a certain someone.
No, not me.
"W-We don't want to trouble you, Auntie," Percy replied, flashing a polite smile.
But Auntie was already gathering ingredients and pasta.
"It's no trouble at all! You haven't visited in a while, so I'd love for you to stay and chat for a bit," she said warmly. "We also have some chicken. Would you like fried chicken?"
Ci-N's grin widened, and he nodded enthusiastically—like a broken toy. Even Felix's small smile didn't go unnoticed. Auntie still hadn't seen their reactions since she was busy searching for more ingredients in the fridge.
"Have you had breakfast yet, Jay? There's bacon and ham here. I can cook some for you too," she offered.
I stretched a little. "I was just about to—"
Auntie suddenly turned to me with a look of pure horror, as if I had just committed a crime.
That stare stung.
"I-I think the boys will be fine, Manang," she said, quickly calling one of the housemaids.
The maids took everything they needed and headed toward the dirty kitchen. As soon as they were out of sight, Ci-N turned to me with an accusatory look.
"They still haven't moved on from what you did," he said.
Felix and Percy both stared at me, confused. I simply pointed toward the brand-new stove in the kitchen—one that had never been used. It was a high-end model, boasting four burners and an oven. But now, it was nothing more than a display piece in the kitchen.
Because of me.
The marks of my past mistake still lingered—stains of soot on the walls and a faint, charred spot on the cupboard.
"You burned it?" Felix asked.
I scoffed. "I didn't mean to."
Percy let out a teasing laugh, making me want to dump his coffee all over him.
"Looks like your only role in the kitchen is as a food critic," he teased, making my irritation grow.
"I said it wasn't intentional! That one over there—" I glared at Ci-N. "He was supposed to be watching over it! If he had just done his part, this wouldn't have happened!"
Ci-N shrugged. "You followed along anyway."
"You should be ashamed—"
"What the hell?" A voice interrupted, making us freeze.
We turned to see Kuya Angelo standing by the kitchen door.
"Good morning, Kuya," I greeted him.
"Boss," Percy said, nodding.
"Good morning," Felix added politely.
"Brother!" Ci-N said excitedly.
"Morning," Kuya Angelo replied in his usual serious tone. "You guys are making too much noise. Have you eaten yet?"
"Auntie is cooking," I answered.
Kuya opened the fridge, pulled out two Chucky chocolate drinks, then shut it again. As he walked past, he patted Percy's shoulder before leaving the kitchen without another word.
The room fell into complete silence. For some reason, no one dared to speak. It really felt like an angel had passed by—except he looked more like a demon.
Just kidding. Kuya is my favorite.
I honestly still didn't know why these three were here. Kuya woke me up earlier and told me I had visitors. I didn't want to get up since Aries and I had stayed up late, but I also didn't want to make Kuya mad, so I went to see them.
At first, I only saw Felix and Percy. But when we got to the kitchen, I found Batang Kumag already digging through the fridge, casually chatting with Auntie Gema. And here we are—three freeloaders, raiding the kitchen like we own the place.
"Why are you guys here?" I finally broke the silence.
Ci-N was the first to answer. "Felix texted me."
Percy immediately turned to them. "I'm telling you, why did you text that? It wasn't necessary."
Batang Kumag snorted in annoyance. "Please! I was worried."
"I'm with Jay-jay. Why?"
"Worried? Grow up first, shorty!"
"Shut up, bag!" someone retorted.
Percy quickly stood up. I thought he was going to attack Ci, so I grabbed his shirt. But then I noticed he was taking off his belt. I quickly covered my eyes.
"You're ugly! I'll show you!" he shouted as I heard the sound of his belt's steel buckle.
"Stop it!" Felix yelled.
"Jay? How much—SUSMARYOSEP!" Aunt Gema screamed, making me lower my hands to look.
"S-Sorry, Aunt! I didn't mean to!" Percy stammered, hastily putting his belt back.
"You idiot! Serves you right!" Ci said angrily.
"You wouldn't stop, so you got what you deserved," Felix added, shaking his head.
Aunt turned and walked back to the dirty kitchen. I quickly smacked Percy. He shot me a glare, but I just shook my head.
"I didn't mean it. I knew she was coming in," he explained. "At least now you know I'm not a bag, and I have something to be proud of."
"We didn't see anything," Ci retorted.
"Aunt did. She was so amazed she couldn't help but call the Holy Family," my arrogant stepbrother replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Unbelievable," Batang Kumag muttered before walking toward the dirty kitchen.
"Hey! Hey! Wait here! You'll find out soon enough," Felix called after him.
That left just the two of us in silence. I was about to lecture Percy for what he did, but suddenly, his expression turned serious.
"When Angelo contacted me this morning, I got scared and worried. I thought something bad had happened to you," he said, considering lacing his voice.
"W-Why did Kuya call you?"
I think I already knew the answer.
Why did he have to call Percy? Couldn't we have just left it at that? It's not like my stepbrother could do anything about what I dreamed of.
"Please tell me. If you can't tell them, at least try to tell me. You trust me, right?" He reached out to hold my hand, but I quickly pulled away.
I shook my head. "I don't want to remember."
"Jay, I know you're scared—"
"Don't force me," I interrupted, my eyes welling up with tears. "That's enough. I don't want to think about it."
He quickly hugged me as my tears fell. I cried quietly in his arms.
"Sshh... I won't force you anymore. It's okay."
"I don't want to remember. It's scary," I whispered.
"We're just worried. It's not good for you to keep everything bottled up," he explained.
I don't know how much Percy knows about my past, but I'm not surprised he knows something. However he found out it doesn't matter—I just hope he doesn't bring up anything else yet. I tried to pull myself together. Percy slowly let go and helped wipe my tears.
"I'll let it go for now, but I hope you tell me next time," he said.
I didn't reply and just continued fixing myself. We remained silent until Felix and Ci-N returned with food. I arranged the seating to make sure they wouldn't notice anything was wrong.
"It's ready!" Ci announced, carrying the fried chicken. Felix placed a plate of ham and bacon in front of me.
"Wow, fancy bacon strips," Percy commented, sniffing the food. "Idiot! Idiot!" He was about to grab some but suddenly stopped as if he had a thought. "Do you have sliced bread?"
I nodded. "Take it from the cupboard next to the fridge," I told Felix.
As soon as Felix turned around, Percy grabbed my hand. He smiled as if to say, everything is okay, and I'm here. I smiled back and nodded.
Felix returned with a bag of sliced bread. Aunt followed with a container of carbonara. Ci clapped excitedly.
"It's ready," Aunt said with a smile, setting the container down. "Eat up. Let me know if you need anything else."
She was about to head back to the kitchen when she noticed Percy. She walked up to him and pinched his cheek.
"Ouch! Aunt, that hurts!"
"You're still as mischievous as ever. You haven't changed a bit," she scolded before finally letting him go.
I smiled at Percy being scolded like a little puppy. He rubbed his cheek before taking a big bite of his ham and bacon sandwich. Ci and Felix laughed. We turned toward the door when one of the maids entered.
"Miss Jay, your classmate is here. I let him in," she announced.
David walked in with two plastic bags.
"David!" Ci greeted him excitedly, immediately taking what he brought. "Ice cream!"
"What the hell are you doing here?" Percy asked irritably.
"I came to visit Jay. Ci-N messaged me," David replied casually before greeting Aunt.
Wow, respect.
"Good morning," he said politely.
"Good morning to you too. Sit down and eat with them. Let me know if you need anything," Aunt replied warmly.
I noticed Percy frowning as David smiled at Aunt before sitting beside him. Aunt fetched plates and ice cream cups for us.
"Help yourself," Felix said as he served the carbonara.
David nodded before turning to me.
"Something bad happened," Ci said. "So I bought ice cream—your comfort food." He held out a plastic bag containing 1.5 liters of ice cream.
"Nice! It looks delicious."
"Thank you—"
"Miss Jay?" Another maid called, different from the one who had delivered David. "There's someone outside looking for you."
We all looked at each other, puzzled. There was no clue as to who might be looking for me. I stood up and followed the maid to the gate. Outside stood two men, each carrying a bilao wrapped in cellophane.
"Edrix? Rory?" The two of them turned to me simultaneously and grinned.
"For you!" Rory said, holding out a bilao.
"Here, dusty," Edrix added with a smirk.
I looked at them both. "What are you doing here?"
Rory scowled. "Ci-N sent a message in the group chat. He said something bad happened, so we brought food for you."
Group chat? Son of—
"Thank you. Come in, Ci-N is here." I gestured for them to enter, and they walked ahead of me.
Just as I was about to follow them inside, the doorbell rang again. Someone called my name. I opened the gate to find Mayo, Kit, and Eren standing there, their left cheeks swollen and black eyes forming on the right. Each of them carried a bag and a container. I didn't say anything, just stepped aside to let them in.
"In the kitchen—" I started to say, but they moved toward the dining room instead.
They still leaned on each other for support. David and Percy were the last to enter, playfully jabbing each other's sides.
"Forming you? Forming you? You were told not to get involved," Percy whispered harshly.
David grimaced but didn't respond—my stubborn stepbrother refused to back down.
"Let's go to the dining room. We can't fit in the kitchen anymore," Ci said, holding a container of fried chicken.
I nodded and followed them. Eren placed their food on the table, adding to what had already been brought. There was even a pitcher of juice now.
"What happened? Why did Ci-N send an emergency message?" Kit asked while opening the container Mayo had carried.
Percy shrugged. "It was just a nightmare. That kid is really just overreacting."
I let out a small sigh of relief. I still couldn't think of an answer to their question.
"You're crazy! I thought something serious had happened," Mayo said, annoyed but already grabbing a piece of fried chicken.
"Of course, I was still worried."
"You're here too?" someone asked.
I turned around to see Yuri standing at the door, holding two large paper bags. Sushi! Before I could say anything, Mica and Calix entered, each carrying something as well.
"Hello, Jay. How are you? Are you okay?" Mica asked.
"I'm fine. Ci is just overreacting," I replied, scratching the back of my neck.
Since most of them were already here, I had a strong hunch more were coming. I wasn't wrong. A few minutes later, Blaster and Josh arrived—of course, they brought food too. I just scratched my head. If Aries wakes up, he's going to be furious seeing almost all the Snakes gathered here. He might even storm in.
I kept thinking about what Ci had written in the group chat that made everyone rush over so quickly. They were all talking animatedly, easily getting along. Even Percy was joining in as if he had been their friend for years.
"Eat now," Yuri urged, placing a plate of sushi in front of me.
I glanced at his face. His dark eye bags and pale complexion worried me.
What happened to him?
I reached out to touch his face, checking if he was sick, but he quickly pulled away.
"Did you wash your hands?" he asked, making me frown—until he smiled. "Just kidding."
I huffed and crossed my arms. "Tch! Just eat."
Suddenly, Aunt Gema entered with another batch of food. The Snakes immediately swarmed around, still hungry.
"You didn't wait for us," Denzel said as he walked in.
I was surprised to see who was with him.
"Canvas-2?" I blurted out.
"Why do you look like that?" She asked, rubbing her belly.
"Your face looks bigger," I added without thinking.
Denzel shot me a warning look, signaling me to stop talking. It was true—Canvas-2 had gained weight with the pregnancy. But even so, she didn't seem to be struggling. In fact, she looked radiant.
"I'm embarrassed," she muttered before setting down the food she had brought next to Eren's. I noticed Denzel watching her closely.
"Are you guarding her?" I teased, nudging him.
He scratched the back of his neck. "It's not like that. I'm just worried."
I nodded in understanding. Who wouldn't be worried about their pregnant wife? I glanced at the table—it was overflowing with food. They had brought so much, it looked like a fiesta.
But I was only worried about one thing. Eman's food. It was guaranteed to be amazing since he hadn't cooked for us in a long time. And sure enough, he arrived carrying a whole lechon into the kitchen.
I just held my forehead. I can't handle all this food. Am I going to hang myself tomorrow? Should I consume this much? But I can't help but smile. It's good to watch them laugh. Mistakes that no one cares about. I just held my breath. We are almost complete.
Except for him.
"There, Jay! You have many choices. Choose now!" Kit said.
"You can't be hanged. We've brought a lot," Blaster added, holding a plate.
"Maybe… Jay," Denzel said with a smile. "You can forgive us all for what we did—"
I didn't let him finish. "I forgive you. It's been a long time."
I saw their faces light up. They almost cheered in unison.
I turned to Yuri, who was smiling at me. "I thought you told them."
"That should come from you," he replied.
They continued celebrating when Kuya Angelo suddenly walked in. The room fell silent, almost eerily so. Kuya obviously didn't know what to say. Before, there were only a few of us, but now, there were many.
"Eat, Kuya," Ci said, pulling him further inside.
Are you close?
Kuya waved and took a seat. The Ulupongs immediately took care of him, offering him food. I just laughed because he couldn't say no. Plus, it seemed like Kuya Angelo was getting close to the horns.
I watched them as Aries entered next. I even stood up at the intensity of his gaze. He didn't curse out loud, but I could tell he wanted to.
"Don't talk. Just sit down and eat," Kuya warned, leaving Aries speechless.
Percy immediately approached him. "You're here, baby," he teased.
Aries threatened to punch him, but Percy just laughed. Aries was annoyed at first, but eventually, he sat down and joined in. The celebration continued—the noise, the chaos, the mess—but there was also joy in seeing my friends and the people close to me here.
We were complete. Except for him.
I didn't want to think about him because he was guilty of hurting me, but I couldn't help it. You're a man… You're good at breaking hearts.
"Hey! Keifer! Video call!" Edrix shouted, grabbing my attention.
He held up the phone to make sure we could all be seen. A wave of nervousness washed over me. I looked at Aries, who was also staring at me.
"Keifeerrrr!" They all shouted in unison.
I hesitated, then looked at the screen—and nearly cried when I saw him. He was lying there, still wearing a hospital gown.
["Hey, what's the gathering for?"]
"For Jay-Jay. We were worried about her, and she forgave us," Edrix answered, holding the phone.
["So, she forgave you… I wish she could do the same for me."]
The others let out a teasing oohhh.
"Get well and come home. He's being trained here," Percy joked, making me glare at him.
You're an animal, Blue Eyes.
["Who are you?"] Keifer asked, making Felix and Ci-N burst into laughter.
"I'm so handsome you didn't recognize me?"
["Oh, so full of yourself. Definitely Percy."]
Felix's laughter grew even louder, joined by the others. They talked for a few more minutes, covering random topics.
I had to admit—I wanted to hear him say he was looking for me. But until the end of the call, he never did.
I felt Yuri holding my hand. He smiled at me, as if to say everything would be okay.
I hope so.