Jay-jay's POV
I wanted to install lasers in my eyes so I could melt this sibling of mine, who must be the child of the Habagat winds.
"Speak already." I ordered, irritated.
"Make me." he replied, taunting.
This guy!
I had been wanting to curse at him for a while now. If only Keifer weren't here in front of me, I probably would've been swearing nonstop.
"Percy!" I snapped.
"Jay-jay!" he mimicked.
"Stop your childish games, Percy. Just answer Jay." Keifer commanded.
He laughed for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh.
"Why am I even being interrogated here?" he asked, scratching his head. "I only found out later that they were talking."
I glared at him. "That's it?"
"That's really it." he clarified.
So Aries got scared over nothing. He probably thought this annoying stepbrother of mine would rat him out to me. But he doesn't know anything either, since it seems Papa didn't tell him.
My trip here was a waste. I pouted and slumped to the floor. I felt like crying again out of frustration.
I was upset because Aries lied to me. I would've understood if we were still fighting—that would explain why he hid it—but we're okay now. He was the one who said he'd make it up to me, so what's with all this secrecy?
"Percy…" I called him, my voice almost breaking. "I want to see Papa."
"Don't beg me." he mimicked my tone.
Annoying.
"Let's just keep it a secret. No one else has to know."
"Sure. And my death at Angelo's hands will also be a secret. This time, it'll be for real."
I frowned slightly. He really is that scared of Kuya Angelo.
And so am I.
"What should I do?" My voice had a hint of pleading.
"Talk to your mom." Percy answered quickly. "Convince her."
I shook my head. How, exactly? My mom is furious and refuses budge. Even if I threw a fit in front of her, she still wouldn't agree.
"What am I even supposed to say?"
"Tell her she's still Dad's labs." (Labs = love)
I wanted to cry out loud. I'm already out of ideas, and I still can't get a decent answer.
Talking to my stepbrother is exhausting.
"I want to punch you." I said, and he answered with a sweet smile.
Keifer approached me and helped me stand up.
"Best to convince your mom, Jay. If you go against her decision, you might never see your dad again." He said.
I sighed heavily. It's not like I had any other choice. Trying to convince Mama is like punching the moon. She might just punch me back.
"What else can I do? Let Batman handle it."
Keifer smiled at me and held my cheek. I leaned my forehead against his chest.
"I'm so, so tired."
"I know. You can rest, but don't give up."
I nodded slightly. He combed his fingers through my hair and kissed the top of my head.
"What's with the flirting?" Percy commented, so I glared at him, and Keifer flipped him off with a middle finger in return.
Percy winced immediately.
My eyes shifted to the house door when I saw Honey walking in.
She looked at all of us. "What's going on?"
Percy glanced at her and immediately crossed his two index fingers in an X-shape.
Honey rolled her eyes before sashaying over to Keifer. She held out her phone in front of him.
"Answer your cousins' call. They need your approval."
I looked at the phone she was holding and then at Keifer. "I-I think I need to leave."
But the king quickly disagreed. "You don't have to. I can talk to them later."
"What do you mean later? They keep pestering me, which is why I rushed here. Answer it already." Honey said, annoyed.
I stepped aside a bit to give him space to take the call freely. He looked at me like he was silently apologizing.
He took the phone and answered the call. I just watched him, but I couldn't miss Honey raising her eyebrow at me. She immediately approached me.
"Don't be sad. He's just talking on the phone; he's not leaving." She teased.
"I'm not sad." I answered.
She laughed a little and made a face, as if she didn't believe me.
Suddenly, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me away. When I looked, it was Percy's scowling face that greeted me.
"Stop brainwashing Jay-jay," he said, shielding me behind him.
Honey rolled her eyes so hard I thought they'd get stuck. "I'm doing nothing."
"Oh please, it's you we're talking about."
Honey smirked playfully at him. "What about you? Want me to brainwash you instead?" She hooked a finger into Percy's belt and tugged.
My stepbrother let out a high-pitched scream and swatted her hand away. He quickly stepped back and hid behind me.
"Stay away from me!"
"Don't you want to try? I'm great at brainwashing… from head… to toe," she teased, winking.
What exactly would she brainwash down below?
Percy stomped his foot like a child and squealed in disgust.
"Stop it!" he snapped before turning to me. "Jay-jay, make her stop!"
I brushed his hand away. "You deal with it."
"Such a drama queen! As if you didn't moan when—"
Percy suddenly screamed so loudly that Honey couldn't even finish her sentence. I jumped away from him in shock.
"What the fvck is wrong with you?" Keifer asked angrily when Percy finally stopped screaming. "Stop messing with him!" he added, turning to Honey, who was grinning mischievously.
"It's just a joke. Besides, I already have a boyfriend," Honey said, which surprised me.
She got a boyfriend that fast? It felt like just yesterday she was crying over Percy running away from her, and now she already had someone new.
"I'm leaving!" Percy huffed, but I quickly stopped him.
"I'll go with you."
"I'll take you home," the King interjected immediately. "It's dangerous for you."
"Maybe Percy can take me home,"
"Yeah, I'll do it," my brother agreed. "And tie that woman up—she's too wild," he added, pointing at Honey.
"It's better if I—"
Keifer started, but I cut him off. "No need. Don't worry, I'll be fine."
He clearly didn't want to agree, but I wasn't going to let him insist either. I'm the one who came to his house in the first place, so why should he need to drive me back home? He'd go out just to drop me off and then have to return.
I smiled at him. "I got here safely, didn't I?"
He nodded and approached to hug me. It was brief because Percy had already started walking away, and I hurried to follow him.
I grabbed my bike first to put it in the car's compartment. Percy struggled to fit it in, even though it was clear it wouldn't fit.
Keifer walked me to the car door and helped me in. After closing the door, he asked me to roll down the window, so I did.
"Please text me when you get home," he said, and I winced.
"I-I'll try."
I didn't even have my cellphone. It was still in Kuya Angelo's hands.
The King quickly kissed my forehead. I looked up at him.
"Take care."
I just nodded and turned to Percy, signaling him to start driving. He drove off, and I rolled the window up.
During the ride, my brother kept muttering things I couldn't quite hear. Since we were in the car, he took the highway. It made the trip a bit longer, but it was fine.
We stopped briefly because of traffic.
"Who would even go for that woman?" he muttered, looking out the window.
"What?"
"Do you even know Honey's boyfriend?" he asked, and I shook my head.
"Someone actually went for her?" he asked in disbelief. "What kind of miracle did she pull off?"
"Why would a guy even go for her?"
"Maybe she trapped him into it."
I winced. He was being so harsh—it was obvious he still hadn't accepted that Honey had a new boyfriend.
But I couldn't really blame her for getting tired of chasing him. Percy acted so high and mighty when it was clear he liked her attention.
He was just playing hard to get.
He kept going on like that for almost the entire ride. When the car was about to turn onto the street toward our house, I quickly told him to stop.
"Why?"
"They can't see you dropping me off—Kuya might think I went to see Papa," I explained, and he nodded.
"You're right, sis. That would cause chaos."
He turned off the engine and got out. I followed to grab my bike from the compartment.
We quickly said our goodbyes before going our separate ways. I biked home, while he started the car and drove off.
When I reached our gate, my nerves spiked. I didn't tell anyone and just left. I was sure I was about to get an earful.
I slowly wheeled my bike inside and parked it in the corner. Truthfully, my knee still ached, but after everything that happened, I barely felt the pain anymore. I peeked through the door before slowly stepping inside.
"Jay-jay!" Mama's voice rang out as she rushed to hug me.
Behind her was Tita Gema, clutching her cellphone.
"Where have you been? You made us so worried," she said, turning to the phone. "I'll tell Aries and Angelo to come back."
Mama pulled away and held me by both shoulders.
"Why did you just leave like that?"
"I just wanted to," I answered, and her brows instantly furrowed.
She hit my arm. "What's wrong with you? We were so worried. I got even more scared when your brother said someone's threatening your life."
"So what? I wanted to go out, so I did."
"You can't just do whatever you want!"
"And you? Don't you just do whatever you want too? Why can't I?"
She glared at me sharply. "What exactly are you trying to say now?"
"I'm right, aren't I? You refuse to let me see Papa—that's what you want, and that's what happened. Why am I the only one who can't do what I want?"
She sighed deeply and ran a hand over her face. She turned her back on me, probably trying to calm herself down.
When she faced me again, her voice was firm. "Go upstairs. Rest. I'll talk to your Kuya Angelo myself."
I stomped away from her and headed to my room. I slammed the door so hard that it bounced back toward me. Before I knew it, the door hit me squarely in the face.
The door just broke my face.
I quickly grabbed my forehead and sank to the floor.
"Damn you, door!" I shouted in frustration. "Fck you! Fck you!"
I slowly stood up and brushed off my clothes before slamming the door shut again. Thankfully, this time it finally closed properly.
Good. Or I would've replaced you.
I flopped face down on the bed and started kicking my legs in frustration. I wanted to completely destroy that door, and go berserk because of my situation.
Why does Mama have to be so stubborn about this? This isn't just about her. This is about me too and about Aries stealing Dad.
I curled up and thrashed around, seething with anger. I didn't know how to make this resentment go away.
I kept kicking several more times until, without realizing it, I fell asleep.
I woke up the next day with my stomach aching from hunger. My sleep had been so long that I'd missed dinner. Now my insides were practically rioting.
I practically crawled to the bathroom, weak from hunger. My eyes widened when I saw myself in the mirror. I had only missed one meal, and I already looked thinner.
What kind of magic is this?
I went straight to showering since I hadn't washed up before sleeping. It felt a bit strange because I usually skip bathing on weekends unless I have plans.
After getting dressed and tidying up, I walked to the kitchen. I could already hear my mom's loud voice from the stairs. It seemed like she had yet another enemy.
When I reached the living room, I was greeted by massive bouquets of flowers—different colors and arrangements. They clearly came from various shops since some even had store names on them.
I glanced at the door when I heard my mom's sharp curses. I peeked and was shocked to see another batch of bouquets arriving.
"Take those back where they came from! I don't need them!" Mom shouted angrily.
"S-sorry, ma'am. We can't. This address was the only recipient listed," the delivery boy said, scratching his head awkwardly.
"Can we know who sent them?" Tita Gema asked, standing beside Mama.
"Mr. Mariano, ma'am."
"Oh, fvck!" Mom shrieked, making the delivery boy jump back, startled.
Why did that curse sound like my own voice? Was my conscience whispering to me now, scolding me for how often I cursed?
Is that you, conscience?
I turned my back on them and headed to the kitchen. At least Mama gets flowers from Papa. Mama also has flowers for herself—flowery curses, that is. Meanwhile, I had none—just a measly island.
While busy looking for food, Kuya walked into the kitchen and went straight to the refrigerator. I stepped aside to let him through. He grabbed a box of chocolate milk, shook it, stuck in a straw, and started sipping while also searching for something to eat.
"Kuya," I called, and he glanced at me slightly.
"My cellphone."
He rolled his eyes. "I threw it away."
"What?!" I gasped.
"It was too noisy. It annoyed me."
My jaw dropped in disbelief.
"Kuuuuyyyyyaaaaaaaa!!!"
I stomped my feet in frustration. It's rare for me to have a good phone, and now it was gone.
I heard him chuckle softly. I shot him a glare, realizing he was messing with me.
"It's a joke. Your phone's in my room."
"Can I get it now?"
"No."
I stomped again. "Come on, Kuya!"
"Yesterday you left without telling anyone. This is your punishment."
"But—! Try to understand me! I just wanted to see Papa, but Mama keeps stopping me!" I said, exasperated.
"Still. You seem to forget your life is in danger."
I kept stomping and was nearly in tears from frustration. "You should understand me. You don't have a dad either—"
I immediately covered my mouth as soon as I realized what I had just said. Yes, we were in the same situation, but my dad was alive and around, while his… no one really knew.
"S-sorry."
"I understand you, but I have someone I call dad—his name's Julz," he said, almost like he was rubbing it in.
"Fine, you win!" I grabbed the sleeve of his shirt. "Kuya, come on, give me my phone back."
I shook him hard enough that his chocolate milk almost spilled, and his V-neck shirt nearly tore.
"L-let go."
"My phone!"
"Enough. You're practically stripping me."
I ignored him and kept tugging at his shirt. It seemed to get pissed when he slammed his drink down on the counter.
"I said enough!" His voice echoed through the entire house.
I immediately let go and backed away. He adjusted his clothes, keeping his eyes on me the whole time. Then he picked up his chocolate milk again.
"I'll think about whether I'll give your phone back," he said, then walked away.
I pouted. I hoped he'd give it back soon. I wanted to text Keifer since I hadn't been able to yesterday—he was probably worried by now.
Wow, like we're a couple?
Damn that guy. He said we didn't need labels, and then the next day he asked me to be his girlfriend. What an idiot!
I turned my attention back to the fridge, looking for something to eat. I settled on some leftovers from last night and heated them up in the microwave.
While I was eating, Mom and Tita Gema entered the kitchen. Tita Gema was giggling nonstop, while Mom looked absolutely pissed.
"Just talk to him already," Tita Gema teased.
"Get away from me, or I'll slap you," Mama threatened, but Tita Gema only laughed harder.
They both turned to look at me when they noticed I was there.
"Is that all you're eating? Do you want me to cook something? I can call—"
"This is fine," I quickly cut Aunt Gema off.
I glanced at Mom, who was pouring water into a glass. Dead serious, her forehead still furrowed—not even Botox could fix that scowl.
No one spoke. Tita Gema kept glancing back and forth between me and Mom.
"The flowers are beautiful," I finally said, breaking the silence.
Mom rolled her eyes while Tita chuckled softly.
"Just throw those out. They're annoying," Mom said making Tita laugh harder.
"What a waste," Aunt Gema replied with regret.
"Fine, keep them. And when I see him and kill him, you can put them on his grave," Mama said, slamming the glass down on the sink.
I couldn't help but feel annoyed. Papa's trying to make amends. That means he's willing to fix things with her. I know forgiveness isn't easy— but my situation depends on this.
"Just talk to him already," I said, exasperated, and they both looked at me.
"It's not that simple," Mom said.
"If you can't forgive him, at least let me see him."
"Stop it."
"Why did you let Aries see Papa but not me?"
"I didn't let him! He snuck out on us!"
"Do I have to sneak out too just to—"
"For heaven's sake, Jay!" She cut me off.
I wanted to argue more, but she had already turned her back and left. Tita quickly came to my side and put an arm around me.
"Be patient. You can't blame your mama. She went through a lot of pain because of your papa's family," she said, rubbing my arm gently.
"I don't understand."
"Your mom fought for your rights. Even when she was met with cruel words, she kept going back to their mansion."
I looked at Tita in disbelief. It was hard to imagine Mom putting up with that. She's the kind of woman who wouldn't let anyone treat her that way.
"What happened?"
"Your grandfather himself made it clear your father was already married."
I was stunned. Mama just accepted all of that. I couldn't imagine enduring that. It didn't fit the strong, unyielding woman I knew.
She faced all of that... alone?