Jay-Jay POV:
My beauty sleep was once again disturbed by my horoscope-obsessed brother .
Grumbling softly, I went through my usual morning routine—showering, getting dressed, and eating breakfast—before we headed out for school.
Since today was Friday, our weekend review sessions for Saturday and Sunday were scheduled to be held at my house.
When I stepped into the classroom, CiN immediately wrapped me in a tight hug.
I hugged him back, realizing how much I’d missed his goofy presence, before greeting everyone else.
I took my usual seat between David and CiN.
Since we had no afternoon classes today, I walked down to the school grounds after the morning sessions wrapped up.
I was minding my own business when Rakki ran up to me, out of breath.
Rakki: “Jay, someone is looking for you at the school gate.”
Confused and not expecting anyone, I decided to go check it out.
As I approached the front gate, I spotted a strange man dressed entirely in black, wearing a matching black hat and cap.
I approached him cautiously.
Without a word, he handed me a photograph.
Before I could process what I was looking at, he caught sight of Keifer walking toward us, that man snatched the photo back, and sprinted away into the crowd.
My heart plummeted.
I knew who that man was, but why on earth did he show me that picture🥺?
The past was clawing its way back to me, and the contents of that photo left me utterly shaken😫.
Keifer POV:
I couldn’t find Jay anywhere on the grounds.
Spotting Rakki, I hurried over.
Keifer: “Rakki, have you seen Jay?”
Rakki nodded.
“Yeah, someone wanted to meet her.
She went to the school gate.”
A wave of worry hit me instantly 😨.
I broke into a run toward the gate🏃🏻♀️.
When I arrived, I saw Jay standing next to a guy completely covered in black—mask, hat, the whole deal.
“Jay!” I called out, but she didn’t react.
She was frozen, staring blankly at a photo in her hand.
The moment the man spotted me approaching, he yanked the picture out of her hand and fled.
I rushed over and pulled Jay into my arms🫂.
Keifer (worried): “Jay, do you have any idea how risky that was?!”
She didn’t reply.
Instead, she burst into tears, trembling with fear 😭.
I held her close, trying my best to soothe her.
Aries rushed over a moment later.
The second Jay saw him, she pulled away from me and clung to Aries tightly.
Aries (shouting): “What did you do, Keifer?!
Why is my sister crying?!”
I quickly explained what I had just witnessed.
Aries softened, thanked me, and took Jay by the arm.
Even though I went home afterward, I couldn’t stop obsessing over what could have frightened her so badly.
Jay-Jay POV:
That man in black…
he told me he was Clyde Watson, Keifer’s cousin.
He claimed he was trying to save me.
He showed me a photo of a girl, saying, “This was my girlfriend.”
Then he handed me another photo—a gruesome scene showing Yuri holding a gun surrounded by blood.
He told me the recent car crash was orchestrated by the Watsons, and that Yuri was in on it, trying to kill me just like they killed his girlfriend.
When Keifer appeared, Clyde panicked and ran.
My mind was in complete turmoil.
I was terrified of Yuri, and horrified by the thought that Aries could have died in that crash because of me😰.
Keifer had held me while I cried and tried to process everything.
Then Aries arrived, took me home, and by 6:00 PM I was in my room.
I forced myself to study for three hours before collapsing onto my bed😵💫.
Sometime in the middle of the night, I woke up in a cold sweat to muffled voices🗣️.
In the dim shadows of my room, I saw Yuri standing near the doorway, speaking to someone hidden in the dark.
Slowly, Yuri turned toward me.
A sinister smile spread across his face as he raised a gleaming knife and stepped closer.
I screamed for help at the top of my lungs, but no sound came out.😨😭
Suddenly, I was shaken violently awake.
I gasped, sitting up to find Kuya Angelo sitting beside my bed, looking terrified.
Tita rushed in and handed me a glass of water, which I chugged instantly.
Angelo: “Jay!
What did you see?
What was that nightmare about?”
Panicking and needing a believable cover story to hide the truth about Yuri and Clyde, I made up a lie on the spot.
Jay (shaking): “I…
I saw my own death.
I was lying on the floor, shot by a gun…
and I died.”
Angelo pulled me into a comforting hug, assuring me that nothing would happen to me.🫂
Once everyone calmed down and began leaving the room, I called out to Aries before he could walk out.
He sat beside me, and I pulled him into a hug.
“Stay with me tonight,” I whispered.
He agreed and lay down beside me.
Aries: “Jay…
who was that man you met at the gate this morning?”
Jay: “I don’t know his name, Aries…
but he told me Yuri was behind your car crash.”
Aries (eyes widening): “What?!”
I nodded slowly.
Aries threw off the blanket, his face red with rage.
“I’m going to kill that rooster right now!”
Jay: “Aries, stop!
We don’t have any proof yet.
We can’t do anything reckless.”
He grunted and reluctantly sat back down.
He asked,”Did you tell Kuya about the hit list?”
“Yes,” I lied, nodding.
We both lay back down, but sleep was impossible.
“Aries…
go downstairs and get us some icecream 🍨,” I begged softly.
He agreed, came back with two tubs, and we ate in silence until we finally drifted off around 6:00 AM😋.
The next morning, I woke up with a burning fever 🤒.
I forced myself to shower and take some medicine before heading downstairs.
Suddenly, Percy burst through the front door in a panic and threw his arms around me.
Jay: “Percy?
What are you doing here so early?”
Percy: “Angelo told me what happened last night!
It’s already 7:45 AM, and the review class starts at 8:00 AM at your house.
Everyone is going to arrive any minute.”
Just then, Felix walked in.
I looked at him weakly.
Jay :”Felix…
I won’t be attending today’s session.”
Felix (confused): “Why?”
Percy stepped in, placing a hand on my forehead.
“She’s burning up with a fever.”
He turned to me, and said ,”Come on, let’s get you back to your room.”
Before we could take two steps, CiN burst through the door with his usual hyper energy and tackled me into a hug.
My weak legs gave out under the sudden weight, and we both crashed onto the floor.
Percy instantly yanked CiN off me and helped me up, carrying me back upstairs to my bedroom.
The rest of Section E gathered at the bottom of the stairs, buzzing with confusion as Felix explained the situation.
Inside my room, Aries was already awake.
Percy set me on the bed just as Keifer slammed the door open, his face pale with panic.
He rushed over and pulled me into a tight embrace.
Keifer: “Jay!
Are you okay?!”
Jay: “I’m okay, Keifer…
I’ll give you those kisses I promised, but first you have to go downstairs and attend the review session.”
I couldn’t talk to Percy and Aries about Clyde and Yuri with Keifer in the room.
Keifer blushed, looking at me reluctantly, but realizing I wasn’t going to negotiate, he slowly nodded and headed back downstairs to join the class.
As I watched his back disappear down the hallway, a heavy knot tightened in my stomach.
Getting Keifer out of the room was only half the battle.
Now, I was left alone with Percy and Aries—two ticking time bombs, both fuming with unanswered questions and raw anger.