Operation: Win It Back 2.0
Jay-jay's POV
"Start cooking rice already!" Felix yelled as he walked toward us, carrying a big bucket of rice. They had reclaimed it too.
Nice! Rice!
Now there was only one problem left: Section A. They had spiked our cooler with alcohol. I hope Ci-N's plan works on them too.
David and the others took a short break. They looked tired from going back and forth.
"Let's head to Section A next," Ci-N said, looking hyper again.
"Hold on a sec!" Calix complained.
"Rest first, Ci-N! You're way too excited about your plan," Eman scolded him.
Ci-N sat beside me, pouting. I couldn't help but laugh a little—he was so worked up about it.
"Didn't you notice my Snorlax?" I asked him.
He shook his head. "Who in their right mind would want to cuddle a stuffed toy in a place like this?" he said sarcastically.
My eyes narrowed at him. I was the one who wanted to. That's why I brought it—for cuddles! Embarrassing!
David stood up and fixed the fishing rod. The others started getting up too. I slowly stood and joined them.
"I'm coming," I said, and they looked at me.
"No. Stay here and rest," Keifer ordered.
"But I already rested earlier."
"Still, Jay… What happened to you wasn't minor. You need to rest," Yuri insisted.
"But—"
"Jay," Keifer said firmly, calling my name. "Don't argue."
"But my Snorlax! I need to get it back… please," I pleaded.
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Fine."
YES!!
"…but I'm coming too," he added, glaring at the others. "The rest of you, stay. We'll go."
Everyone nodded in agreement. So it was me, Ci-N, David, Felix, Yuri, and Keifer who walked toward Section A's campsite.
We took the forest route. Even though my body ached, I endured everything just to find my Snorlax.
We hid in the bushes. Ci-N climbed a tree and positioned himself on a sturdy branch. David handed him the fishing rod—with Bestie attached.
"Go over there, Keifer," David pointed to a spot a bit away. "You'll be our backup. In case we get caught."
"Tss," he replied, bored.
Seriously? Answer properly, please.
Keifer walked off to where David pointed. He was now closer to the cooler.
"You stay here," Felix told Yuri. "…watch over Jay-jay."
Yuri nodded, looked at me, and smiled.
"Let's go," David said to Felix.
They walked toward the cooler, and Felix picked up some leaves to use as cover.
My eyes scanned for Snorlax—and there! My eyes widened when I saw Ella hugging it.
Hey! That's my Snorlax!
"My Snorlax," I said, pointing at Ella.
"I'll get it," Yuri said and started walking toward her.
I looked at David and the others—they seemed to be waiting for Ci-N. They signaled to each other, then began the plan. Ci-N cast the fishing rod like he was fishing. The snake (fake, of course) dropped right into the group of girls chatting.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" they all screamed, led by—who else?—Freyal.
Panic broke out. Even the guys didn't know what to do. Especially when Ci-N wiggled the rod, making the snake's head lift like it was ready to strike.
While everyone was distracted by the "snake," David and Felix seized the opportunity. They quickly dragged the cooler. Keifer followed right away to help.
They returned to our hiding spot, panting. I think they were exhausted from dragging the heavy cooler.
I looked for Yuri and saw him slowly retrieving Snorlax from the grass. Looks like Ella had thrown it in shock.
Once he got it, Yuri was about to run back, but—he got caught. Ella saw him! It looked like they spoke briefly, then Yuri nodded and ran back.
What did they talk about?
"Got it," he said, handing me Snorlax.
"My Snorlax!" I squealed, hugging it tightly.
Suddenly, Ci-N rushed to us, looking sweaty and pale.
"Let's go now!" he said.
We all looked at the fishing rod. The snake was gone. Only the head was left—still attached to Bestie.
My best friend!
"We'll talk later! Let's go!" David said.
We left quickly, using the same forest path. It was pretty dark, honestly. Thank goodness for the moonlight—it helped us see a little.
We couldn't use flashlights. We might get caught.
"What happened? Why is only the snake's head left?" I asked.
Ci-N chuckled. "Your cousin, the crazy one, suddenly sliced off the snake's head with a knife! I panicked and yanked it back!"
We froze in shock. What if they saw? Shit! We might get caught!
"Don't worry!" he said, raising both hands. "They all think the head flew off somewhere!"
"You sure?" Felix asked.
"Of course!" he answered smugly.
"Then throw that thing away!" Keifer snapped, pointing at the snake's head.
"You sure? Jay-jay will lose her bestie's remembrance," Ci-N guilt-tripped.
Yuri laughed and looked at me. I glared at Ci-N, making them laugh harder.
We went back to our campsite. Ci-N didn't throw the head away. He hung it near the bonfire.
"Nice! I've been thirsty for ages!"
"Pass it around!"
"Why is there San Mig here?!"
Everyone started crowding around the cooler. I sat by my tent, tightly hugging Snorlax.
"Later! Let's eat first!" Eman called out.
I saw the rice was ready. Dinner was set—HAM!
HAMmered eggplant with bagoong! LOL.
I felt bad I couldn't help Eman prepare our food. I was still useless.
My mood lightened a bit when I saw Josh helping him.
Weird.
If Josh used to be creepy, now he was just annoying. Ever since we had that falling-out, he always gave me this look like, "This is all your fault!"
I still couldn't bring myself to talk to him. What if we just end up fighting again?
Then someone handed me a plate of food. I looked up to see whose hand it was.
Keifer. That jerk.
"Eat," he ordered.
Even though I didn't feel like it, I took it. He'd just argue if I didn't.
He sat beside me, holding his own plate.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, confused. He frowned at me.
"You're seriously asking me what I'm doing here?"
I slowly nodded. I must've said something wrong.
"Am I not allowed to eat beside you?" he asked sarcastically.
Oooohh... So that's it!
"N-not what I meant…" I replied quickly and glanced at Yuri.
He was lying in the hammock they'd set up, watching us.
Then he looked away and closed his eyes, arm draped over his forehead.
"If you don't want me here, just say so," Keifer said.
That hurt. It's not like that. When he tried to leave, I grabbed his arm.
"N-no… What are you even saying? Let's just eat! Quit being dramatic."
He didn't react, just ate. I ate with him, even though I felt awkward. People were staring.
It was like I committed a crime—eating with the King of the Jerks. Every bite felt like punishment. The side of my lip still hurt. My throat too.
At least I could eat now. Back when Section D ganged up on me, even my own saliva made me nauseous.
"Hey, uglies!" Felix shouted, but no one responded—except me.
Did he mean me?!
"Uglies!!" he shouted again.
"You're the only ugly one here!" Ci-N yelled back.
"Handsome people!" Felix called out. This time, a bunch of people answered.
Unbelievable!
"You thick-faced liars!" Felix snapped. "Some tents are broken, so we'll have to share!"
"Oh yeah!"
"Let's share!"
"I'll share with you!"
"I'll cuddle you if we share!"
"Gross! You're gay!"
Everyone laughed. I wanted to laugh too, but couldn't. My eyes automatically went to Kit. He looked sad while eating.
What he cried about… the others turned into a joke. It felt heavy.
"Jay!" Ci-N called. "I'm sharing with you!"
"Go ahead…" I replied, bored.
"No," Keifer said sternly.
We all fell silent. Even the others stopped laughing. Yuri opened his eyes and looked at us.
"I-it's fine with me. Ci-N and I shared a room before," I explained.
"Jay… your room is big. Your tent is not," Keifer said seriously. "You're a girl. Ci-N is still a guy."
Dirty mind alert. Clean it, please!
"So what? Ci-N's not some stranger to me." My voice was a bit sharp.
Truth is, I missed our night talks. I wanted to hear more about his place.
"No. No one's sharing a tent with you… except me, of course."
Ugh.
The nerve of this guy! "No one will share" but he can?
"Excuse me," Yuri said, sitting up in his hammock. "Just because you and Jay are in a relationship doesn't mean you can sleep in the same tent."
He stood and walked toward us. "It's not right for a boy and a girl to share a tent."
What the—
Keifer stood, giving Yuri a challenging look. Uh-oh. I thought they were okay now?
"Fine. Jay-jay will sleep alone in her tent," Keifer said seriously.
"Why don't you just let Jay-jay decide?" David suggested. They all looked at me.
Why me?!
If I say the wrong thing, they'll probably brawl.
I looked at Keifer and Yuri. Then at the others.
"Ci-N, I guess…" I said softly. "…if it's okay."
Keifer took a deep breath. "Fine. If that's what you want."
"It's fine," Yuri said.
I didn't really want to, but… Ci-N looked so pitiful. He had no one to share with. His tent was ruined too.
After eating, they cleaned up. Calix and Eren did the dishes. Since the bathroom was far, most just brushed their teeth and went to sleep.
I decided to go to the bathroom. I wanted to check my face in the mirror too. I asked Ci-N to come with me. He was busy playing with rocks.
"Can you stop?" I scolded him when he almost hit me with one.
"Why?"
"Why there?"
He ignored me and kept walking. Others from different sections were there too, chatting in groups.
"Wow, there were snakes here?"
"Yeah! One came to our site too!"
"Same here!"
"Not us."
Ci-N and I looked at each other, trying not to laugh.
If only you knew!
"Rakki!" Ci-N yelled, waving. "…my loooove!"
Rakki frowned and playfully threatened to smack him. Everyone stared because of his shouting.
"You're so loud!" Rakki said, annoyed. Ci just laughed.
He looked at me and I smiled. "Hi."
He studied my face. "Is that a bruise?"
I turned slightly to hide it. The lighting wasn't great, so I knew he couldn't see clearly.
Rakki glared at Ci-N. "Did you guys hurt Jay-jay?"
"No way! She's the one who hurts us!" Ci-N defended.
"If I find out you hurt her, you're all dead!" he warned, then smiled at me. "Let's go to the restroom together."
I nodded slowly. A certain little gremlin can't come inside with me anyway. Ci signaled he'd wait.
Water from the showers echoed in the restroom. So did laughter and chitchat from other girls.
They were talking about my best friend!
"Did a snake come to your site too? Ours didn't."
"There was one," I whispered. It did appear at our site. We just used it. Hehe.
I looked in the mirror and saw the bruise on my lip. The mark on my neck from when Cyrus choked me—still there.
"I knew it. That's a bruise," Rakki said, staring at my face. "Did someone hurt you?"
I shook my head. "N-no… I got hit during the snake chaos."
He clearly didn't buy it. But he didn't push either—just nodded and brushed his teeth.
I looked at the other girls showering. They were so loud, chatting endlessly. As much as I wanted to yell at them, I held back. I brushed my teeth.
We waited a while for a free shower. The girls inside took forever, all dramatic.
I rushed through mine once I got in—Ci-N was waiting.
Outside, I overheard voices.
"Thank goodness Aries is so quick with his knife."
The voice was familiar. I wasn't sure—but I felt like—
"Your towel fell, Mica!"
Ella's voice!
Why do I always recognize her voice? Maybe I just hate her that much.
They kept talking. I kept showering.
Then I felt it—something was off.
"Are you sure? Won't Aries get mad?" Mica asked.
"I don't know. But I'm sure he'll understand."
"But… that's in the past. You shouldn't bring it up anymore."
Ella sighed. "Yuri deserves to know the truth."
Yuri? Truth?
"When will you meet?"
"I'm not sure. But I told him to wait."
They're talking? What truth? Why meet? I'm so confused.
They stopped talking. I peeked out. No one by the sink anymore.
I got out quickly. Rakki came out of his stall too and stared at me.
"Hey! Why is your neck red?" he asked, worried.
People looked our way. I quickly covered my neck with a towel.
"I-it's nothing," I said, walking out.
He followed and once we were far enough, he grabbed my arm and faced me.
His eyes were angry. "It was Keifer, wasn't it?!"
"No!" I replied quickly.
"Jay… You don't have to hide it. I know you two are a thing… so if he hurt you, tell me."
"It wasn't Keifer. Yes, someone did hurt me—but it wasn't him." I scratched my head. "Why would you think he did?"
He sighed. "Because he's done it before. That psycho's jealous as hell."
My heart suddenly pounded. I wasn't sure if it was fear.
"H-he did? To who?"
He looked away. Didn't want to say it. But like Ci-N, I knew he couldn't resist.
"F-Freya."
Freya?
Shit. I forgot they used to date. Still hard to believe Keifer could really do something like that.
I was silent for a moment. I remembered how he grabbed my face when Yuri kissed me. I got scared—thought he might hurt me. Maybe he could.
Still… it's hard to believe.
"She was acting up too much. Maybe that's why Keifer snapped," he added.
Even so—it's not a valid excuse. Even if Freya looked like a coloring book, she's still a girl (even if her face looked like a foot).
"Hey! You're back!" Ci-N yelled, running over.
I forgot about him.
"I've been waiting forever," he panted.
"No, you weren't," Rakki snapped.
"You just didn't see me—blinded by love!"
"You're tiny. Hard to spot."
Ci glared. "I'll grow tall! And when I do, we're getting married!"
Their banter made me forget my thoughts for a moment. It was really dark now, and the organizers were calling out.
"Let's go, Ci. Continue your wedding talk tomorrow," I said.
"Yeah, but before that… I will kiss the bride!" he said, then kissed Rakki on the lips.
Wha—!
If it were brighter, I'd have seen Rakki's blush. He froze. Ci ran before he could react.
"You little rascal!" Rakki yelled.
I just laughed and shook my head. "We're heading back. Good night!"
"Night. Smack Ci-N for me, will you?"
We walked in opposite directions. I saw Ci hiding behind a tree, clearly thrilled.
"Idiot."