JAY'S POV
It's been a while since Keifer's birthday.
Ever since then, I've been keeping myself busy all the time — studying, spending time with Section E, hanging out with my brothers, eating literally anything I can find — just so I don't think about Keifer.
Because even thinking about him… hurts.
And lately, I've been thinking that maybe I should meet Kuya Angelo.
Aries told me that he feels guilty for everything he did and that he genuinely wants to apologize. Maybe I should give him a chance. After all, he took care of me for years.
So I planned to go to the Fernandez mansion after school. What? It's still the Fernandez mansion. Just because I'm willing to give them another chance doesn't mean I've forgotten everything.
I was starving, so I decided to stop by the mini mart. The moment I entered, I saw Mica, Ella, Grace, Rakki, and Freya already sitting together, eating and talking.
Mica was the first one to notice me.
"Jay!" she called excitedly.
"Hi, Mica," I replied with a small smile.
"Come join us!"
Really? Join them? Was she out of her mind? Freya already had that annoying plastic expression on her face, and Ella— God. Sometimes I seriously wanted to punch her just so she'd stop rolling her eyes every five seconds.
I was about to refuse, but Rakki and Grace also insisted, so apparently I had no choice. Reluctantly, I sat down. After a while, Mica smiled at me.
"So, Jay Jay… how's everything going?"
"Everything's fine," I answered shortly.
Rakki sighed softly.
"I must say… you really have a big heart. Since the day you forgave Section E, it finally feels like they're back to being themselves again. The past month felt like they completely lost themselves."
I didn't know what to say to that, so I simply nodded.Then suddenly, my phone buzzed.
Yuri.
I quickly answered the call.
"Jay! Where are you?!" he asked, almost panicking.
"Hey, calm down. I'm at the mini mart. What happened?"
"N-Nothing. You just disappeared suddenly. I thought you were in danger."
My chest tightened slightly. I knew exactly why he was panicking. Sato was still out there. Still waiting for the perfect moment to kidnap me again.
"You don't need to worry," I told him softly. "I'm safe. I'll be back soon."
"Yeah… okay. Just be careful."
"I will. Bye."
I ended the call and placed my phone back on the table. I was still lost in thought when Freya suddenly spoke.
"You know, Jay Jay… people call me a whore, a slut, a flirt… but honestly? You're no different from me."
My eyes snapped toward her.
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
Freya smirked.
"What? I'm right. Maybe you're even worse than me. Always sticking around boys — Keifer, Yuri, the whole Section E. Who knows how many more there are?"
"Shut the fuck up, Freya," I hissed coldly. "Don't you dare compare me to you."
"The truth hurts, doesn't it?" she mocked. "You must feel so proud getting attention from all those losers."
"Enough, Freya!" Mica snapped.
"Freya, shut up," Grace added angrily.
Rakki glared at her. "You're crossing the line."
Freya scoffed. "Why are all of you freaking out? She's the real whore here, isn't she?"
Something inside me snapped. I slammed my fist hard against the table, making everyone flinch.
"So you're calling me a slut," I said dangerously, "when you're the one losing your sanity over someone who doesn't give a single fuck about you?"
(JAY JAY ALREDY KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT YURI AND FREYA)
I stood up immediately and walked straight toward the exit. But the moment I stepped outside, Freya grabbed my wrist and forced me to face her. The others followed behind her.
"Don't you dare talk about me like that when you know nothing," she spat.
I let out a bitter laugh.
"That's exactly what I'm trying to put into your thick skull, Freya. Don't speak about things you know nothing about."
I stepped closer.
"Because if you were in my place… you wouldn't have survived this long."
"Stop exaggerating," she scoffed. "It's not like you've been dealing with some tragic love-life mess since childhood. Stop being dramatic."
My patience finally broke.
"Exaggerating?" I laughed coldly. "Tell me, Freya… how would you feel growing up without a father?"
Her expression faltered.
"How would you feel if your own mother didn't give a damn about you?"
Everyone went silent.
"How would you feel when the people you called family betrayed you behind your back?"
I could feel my voice shaking with anger.
"And tell me… how would you feel when the person you loved the most admitted he only used you for revenge? Like your feelings meant absolutely nothing to him? And after suffering through all of that," I continued harshly, "people still blame you for everything. Like it's somehow your fault."
My breathing turned uneven.
"Tell me, Freya," I whispered furiously. "How would that feel?"
Freya went completely silent.
Even Mica, Grace, Rakki, and Ella looked stunned by my words.
"And you know what?" I said coldly. "That's not even half of my story."
I yanked my wrist away from her grip.
"So don't you ever compare me to yourself again. Because we are not the same."
I was boiling with anger as I stormed away from them. But before I could even take another proper step— Something hard slammed against me. Metal. My vision blurred instantly.
What the hell—
No.
No way.
Am I getting kidnapped again?!
Seriously?!
I'm so damn tired of this.
The last thing I remembered was rough hands grabbing my arms and dragging me inside a van before everything went black.