JAY-JAY POV
We were in the principal's office.
I was glaring at the four of them—Keifer, Aries, Yuri, Percy—because of them I was dragged into this mess.
My stomach twisted, my pulse pounding.
"Would you like to explain yourself?" the principal asked, his voice clipped, eyes narrowing at me.
Before I could speak, Keifer scoffed. "Tss, why is Jay involved in this? This happened between us four."
The other three nodded, silent but agreeing.
The principal's glare sharpened, his tone heavy. "Mr. Watson, she was there when the fight happened. Now tell me what happened."
Keifer's jaw tightened, his fists clenching against his knees. "We fought. That's it."
"Not good enough," the principal snapped, his gaze sweeping across all of us.
"I want details. Who started it? Why did it escalate? And why exactly was a twenty‑year‑old boy on school property?" He jabbed a finger at Percy.
Aries straightened, his jaw tight. "They started a fight. Keifer hit Yuri, and Percy joined in. They hit me, and I joined the fight. Jay was trying to stop it."
The principal just sighed, rubbing his temples. "I'm telling you—this is your last warning. Keifer, Yuri, Aries… next time you will be expelled or suspended. And you—" he said, pointing at Percy, "don't come to this school if you're going to start a fight."
The room went still.
"Now go to your class," he ordered.
The moment we stepped outside, the silence shattered.
All four of them—Keifer, Aries, Yuri, Percy—burst into laughter. Loud, manic, echoing down the hallway like hyenas set loose.
I froze, glaring at them. "Why the hell are you guys laughing like this?"
Keifer doubled over, clutching his stomach, blood still dripping from his lip. "Because
we fought like maniacs and still walked out free!"
Aries slammed his fist against the wall, laughing so hard it echoed like thunder. "Principal thinks he scared us—he has no idea we're just getting started!"
Yuri's laugh was sharp, almost unhinged. "Expelled? Suspended? He should've done it already. Instead, he gave us another chance to burn this place down."
Percy wiped the blood from his lip, smirking. "Oh please, the principal just let me go because I was handsome."
That just made things worse—because the three burst out laughing even harder, their voices echoing down the hallway like a pack of lunatics.
I clenched my fists, glaring at them. "You know what? You guys are assholes. That's exactly why you're friends."
"Jay, let's go," Percy said, his hand already reaching for my arm.
Aries snapped instantly, his voice sharp as a blade. "Where are you taking her?"
"I'm taking my baby sister to a café," Percy said, his tone smug, daring Aries to challenge him.
"I'm coming too," Keifer cut in, his voice low, steady.
Percy smirked, shaking his head. "Actually, it's a brother‑and‑sister day out. Only us two."
"Please, Keifer," I said, my voice soft, pleading.
Keifer's jaw tightened, but he finally exhaled. "Fine. But I'm taking you out tomorrow."
I nodded, relief flickering—until I caught Yuri.
His fists were clenched, knuckles white, his glare locked on Keifer like he wanted to tear him apart for that sentence
Percy's smirk deepened, his grip tightening on my arm. "Let's go, Jay."
I nodded. "Let's go, Percy."
We walked to the car, and the moment we got in, I smacked Percy on the head.
"Oww! What was that for, baby sistah?" Percy yelped, rubbing his head with a pout.
"Idiot!" I snapped, my voice rising. "Why did you get into a fight? Because of you, Aries and Keifer also got hurt!"
Percy leaned back in the seat, smirk tugging at his bruised lip. "They were already itching for a fight. I just gave them a reason."
"Jay, I have a bruise—OMG!" Percy gasped, clutching his face like he'd just been shot. "How will girls look at my handsome face now?" He twisted the rearview mirror toward himself, tilting his head dramatically, checking every angle.
I groaned and smacked his hand away from the mirror. "Percy, for the hundredth time—you're not handsome."
He shot me a smug grin. "You're just jealous of my natural charm."
"Just drive," I muttered.
He nodded, started the engine—and then my nightmare began.
God.
I wanted to crawl out of the car, because he immediately blasted music and started singing.
Off‑key.
Loud.
The kind of ugly singing that made me question why I hadn't disowned him yet.
By the time we reached the café, I was honestly surprised my ears hadn't bled from his screeching.
"Let's go," Percy said, hopping out of the car like he was some rockstar arriving at his concert.
We walked inside, and of course, Percy didn't just order like a normal human being.
No.
He went full chaos.
Milkshakes. Brownies. Cakes. Cupcakes. Macarons. Croissants. Muffins. And then more things.
I didn't even catch because he was rattling them off like he was reading a grocery list for a royal feast.
The cashier blinked at him, stunned. "Sir… are you sure?"
Percy grinned, flashing his bruised jaw like it was a badge of honor. "Of course. My baby sister deserves the entire menu."
I smiled at him—for once, I was actually happy he was feeding me.
Normally, Percy would devour everything himself and leave me with crumbs, bragging about how "sharing is overrated."
But today was different.
Instead of hoarding everything like he usually did, Percy slid the plates toward me first, stacking them in front of me like I was royalty.
For once, he wasn't the greedy older brother devouring everything before I got a bite—he was actually feeding me.
"Eat, baby sistah," he said, grinning through his bruised jaw like he was proud of himself.
I raised an eyebrow. "What's the catch?"
Percy leaned back in his chair, sipping his milkshake with exaggerated slurps. "No catch. Just me being the best brother in the world."
I nodded and started to eat, finally letting myself enjoy the mountain of sugar he'd piled in front of me.
While we were eating, Percy's tone shifted. "Did you talk to Raffy?" he asked.
I nodded. "He wants me to come to NYC before his birthday."
Percy's eyes softened, though his grin stayed. "Come on, Jay. He misses his big sister. I mean, think about it—the last time you guys actually met was four years ago, and it was the day—"
"The day everything was ruined," I finished, my voice low, heavy.
The words hung between us, sharper than any knife.
Percy's smirk faltered, his fingers tightening around the straw of his milkshake. For once, he didn't have a joke ready. He just stared at me, eyes dark, jaw clenched against the bruise.
The café noise buzzed around us—clinking cups, laughter, chatter—but at our table, silence pressed down like a weight.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to meet his gaze. "You don't have to say it, Percy. We both know."
He leaned forward, voice dropping to a whisper. "He really misses you."
"I know," I said, my throat tightening.
"Have you told anyone about Raffy? Or your inheritance?" Percy asked, his eyes sharp now, cutting through the sugar‑sweet chaos of the café.
"Not yet," I admitted, staring down at the untouched cupcake in front of me.
Percy sighed, tapping his fingers against the table. "Jay, it would be better if they hear it from you—not from someone else. Especially about your past… before your mother took you in."
My jaw snapped tight. "Stop calling her my mother," I hissed. "My mother's name is Reycee Mariano."
The words came out sharper than I intended, but I didn't regret them.
Percy nodded slowly, his grin gone, replaced by something heavier. "Fair enough. But you can't keep running from it. The past doesn't disappear just because you refuse to name it."
I clenched my fists under the table, the weight of his words pressing down on me.
The café noise blurred into static, the laughter and clinking cups fading away.
Because Percy wasn't teasing anymore.
He was reminding me of the storm I'd tried to bury.
And I knew—sooner or later, I'd have to face it.
"My inheritance is another big thing I have to worry about," I muttered, stabbing my fork into the brownie like it was the problem itself.
Percy leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "Exactly. That's why you can't keep it a secret forever. Others will find out sooner or later. And when they do, you better be the one telling the story, not them."
I shook my head, frustration boiling. "You don't get it, Percy. It's not just money—it's everything tied to it. The past. The name. The people I don't want to remember."
Percy's jaw tightened, his bruised face suddenly serious. "Jay, you can't erase where you came from. You can't erase Mama. And you can't erase what happened four years ago."
His words cut through me like glass.
"At least tell Keifer," Percy pressed, leaning forward. "Think about it—you have to. He needs to know, because whether you like it or not, you're tied to her somehow or other."
I froze, fork halfway to my mouth.
I froze, fork hovering halfway to my mouth.
"I know… but first I need to crack the code she gave me," I said quietly.
Percy frowned. "You've been working on that thing for four years?"
"No," I corrected. "Jenna gave it back to me last week, trying to get on my good side."
He nodded slowly. "Do you think Jenna knows what it really is?"
I shook my head. "No. We're the only ones who know the necklace is a code."
"How long until you figure it out?" Percy pressed.
"Soon," I muttered.
"Why not ask Section E for help? They're good at this kind of thing."
I snapped, sharper than I meant. "Percy, we've been through this. It's not safe. I won't drag Section E into danger because of me."
He raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, chill. Forget it."
Then his grin returned, sly and teasing. "So… you and Keifer. You're dating."
My cheeks burned as I nodded.
"Since when?" he asked.
"Since last night," I admitted.
"Wow. Did he kiss you?" Percy leaned in, eyes gleaming.
I groaned. "Are you even my brother?"
"Why would you ask that?" he shot back, feigning innocence.
"Because no sane brother would ask his sister something like that," I said, glaring.
Percy smirked, wagging his eyebrows. "Correction: no boring brother would ask. I'm just making sure Keifer's not a bad kisser."
I groaned, covering my face. "God, take me now."
Percy grinned, sipping his milkshake with exaggerated slurps. "Nope. You're stuck with me. Forever. Chaos included."
"You done?" he asked, eyebrow raised.
I nodded, defeated.
"Good. Let me drop you home," he said, already standing like he was the responsible one.
I nodded again, and we headed to the car.
The ride was… loud.
Percy kept bouncing from topic to topic—random nonsense about food, music, and why he thought he'd make a great movie star.
I mostly rolled my eyes, but somehow, it felt normal.
Finally, he pulled up in front of my house.
"Alright, baby sistah," he said, leaning over the wheel with a grin. "Don't miss me too much."
I snorted. "Trust me, I won't."
He clutched his chest dramatically. "Ouch. My heart. Broken. Shattered. Destroyed."
"Bye, Percy," I said firmly, opening the door.
"Bit bye!" he called after me, waving like a maniac as I walked inside.
And even though he drove me crazy, I couldn't help but smile.
Because chaos or not—he was my brother.
I went inside the house.
Aries was there, leaning against the wall like he'd been waiting.
"Did you have fun?" he asked.
"Yeah, we went to a café, ate way too much, and talked about nonsense," I said.
He nodded, satisfied, and headed upstairs.
Kuya was next, appearing like a guard at the door. "Jay, where were you?"
"I was with Percy," I answered.
"Just come home early next time," he said, his tone firm but gentle.
I nodded, slipping past him, finally making it to my room—only to stop dead in my tracks.
Yuri was there, fingers hovering over the album I'd shoved aside earlier.
Shit.
I forgot to put it away.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
📖✨ Author's Note ✨📖
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