Jay-jay's POV
What's the result of not getting proper sleep?
Out of it.
What do you call someone who lacks sleep?
A sleepless mess.
What do sleep-deprived people usually do?
Act out of character.
"What did you do last night to look this tired?" Percy asked before sipping my coffee.
Yes, my coffee.
The nerve of this blue-eyed guy. I pretended to make coffee for him, and he just drinks mine like it's his.
I glanced at Felix, who had just finished making their juice. Ci-N, on the other hand, was still rummaging through the fridge looking for something to eat.
"Had a pinching match." I answered absentmindedly.
These three just had to bother me early in the morning. I really thought I'd get to rest since it's the weekend and there's no school. But even here, I'm being followed by that snake and that little punk.
"Let's just have this, cake." said Ci, pulling out a boxed cake.
Auntie walked into the kitchen and immediately saw what Ci-N was holding.
"So you've picked something. Do you want carbonara? I can have someone cook for you," Auntie offered, walking closer to the little rascal.
I saw all three of their eyes light up—especially the one with the biggest appetite.
That's not me.
"N-no thanks, Auntie. That's too much," Percy answered while trying to hide a smile.
Auntie didn't see it since she was already busy gathering pasta and ingredients.
"It's fine. You haven't visited us in a while. You could've at least chatted with us for a bit," she said. "We also have chicken. Do you want fried chicken?"
I saw Ci-N's wide grin and frantic nodding like a broken toy. Even Felix's small smile didn't escape my attention.
Auntie still hadn't noticed them because she was peering into the fridge, looking for more ingredients.
"Have you had breakfast, Jay? We've got bacon and ham too. I'll cook something for you," she said.
I stretched a bit. "I can just coo—"
But she turned to me immediately, a look of panic on her face—as if I was about to commit a crime.
The way she looked at me hurt, like I'd committed murder.
"M-maybe Manang and the others should handle it," she said and quickly called one of their helpers.
They took everything they needed and headed to the dirty kitchen.
Once they were out of sight, Ci turned to me with a look of accusation.
"They still haven't moved on from what you did," she said, and I pouted.
Felix and Percy both looked at me, clearly confused about what the kid was talking about. So, I discreetly pointed to the once-beautiful stove in the kitchen.
It was a branded, expensive one with four burners and an oven. But now, it just sat there like a display. On top of that, the marks of my idiocy were still there.
Buuurrrnnnnned.
It was a secret Ci-N and I were supposed to take to our graves. But the kid's just too talkative.
Even the wall and the cupboard next to it still bore the scars of that dark day.
"You burned it?" Felix asked.
I pouted. "It wasn't on purpose."
I heard Percy laugh mockingly. Now I want to pour that coffee all over him.
"You're really only meant to eat in the kitchen, huh?" he added, making me even more annoyed.
"I told you it wasn't on purpose! And someone here"— I glared at Ci-N—"was just freeloading at the time but ordered me around like a king!"
"You followed me anyway," she said.
"Well, I was embarrassed to say no to you—"
"What the hell."
Someone muttered softly, and we all turned toward the kitchen doorway.
It was Kuya Angelo.
"Good morning, Kuya," I greeted.
"Boss," Percy added.
"Good morning, sir," Felix greeted.
"Kuya!" Ci-N greeted cheerfully.
"Good morning too." He greeted us seriously. "You're so loud. Have you eaten?" he asked while walking toward the fridge.
"Auntie's still cooking," I replied.
He opened the fridge and took out two Chuckies. After closing it, he walked away, casually patting Percy on the shoulder as he left.
No one said a word even after he exited the kitchen. Even after we finished the coffee, juice, and cake—no one spoke.
Looks like it's true when they say an angel passed by... but this one felt more like a demon.
Not that I'm saying it was Kuya Angelo.
Just kidding. I love that guy.
To be honest, I still don't know why these three are here. Kuya woke me up earlier and said I had visitors. I didn't want to get up because Aries and I slept really late, but I didn't want to upset Kuya either, so I went out.
At first, I only saw Felix and Percy, but when we reached the kitchen, the Little Rascal was already at the fridge, talking to Auntie Gema.
These fools were acting like they owned the kitchen. They were digging around like they lived here.
"Why are you even here?" I finally broke the silence.
Ci-N was the first to answer.
"Felix texted me."
Percy immediately turned to them.
"I knew it. Why'd you text her? She's not even needed here."
The Little Rascal instantly pouted in anger.
"What's it to you?! I was worried about Jay-jay, okay?"
"Worried? Grow up first, shortie!"
"Get circumcised first, uncooked hotdog!" she fired back.
Percy stood up quickly. I thought he was going to charge at Ci, so I grabbed his shirt, but then I noticed him removing his belt. I quickly covered my eyes.
"You're so stubborn! Let me show you something!" he shouted as I heard the sound of metal clinking from his belt.
"Stop it!" Felix scolded.
"Jay? How many—OH DEAR GOD!" I heard Auntie Gema scream, so I immediately lowered my hands to look.
"S-sorry! Auntie! I didn't mean to!" Percy yelled, scrambling to put his belt back on.
"Gross! Serves you right!" Ci said mockingly.
"That's what you get for not stopping," Felix added, shaking his head.
Auntie immediately turned around and walked back to the dirty kitchen. I smacked Percy on the head. He glared at me, but I raised my hand to hit him again.
"I didn't mean to! How was I supposed to know she'd walk in?" he defended himself.
"At least now you all know I'm not lacking and have something to brag about."
"We didn't see anything," Ci said.
"But Auntie did. She was so amazed she had to call on the Holy Family," this arrogant little stepbrother of mine replied, raising his eyebrows smugly.
"Thick-skinned," the Little Rascal muttered before walking toward the dirty kitchen.
"Hey! Hey! Wait up! You're gonna get more food again without us," Felix called after her.
That left the two of us alone. I was about to scold this idiot for what he did, but then his expression suddenly turned serious.
"When Angelo contacted me this morning, I got scared and worried. I thought something bad happened to you," he said, his concern clear in his voice.
"W-why did Kuya call you?"
I think I already knew the answer.
Why did he have to call Percy? Couldn't he have kept it between us?
As if my stepbrother could even do anything about what I dreamed of.
"Please tell me. If you can't say it to them, try telling me. You trust me, right?"
He tried to take my hand, but I quickly pulled it away.
I shook my head. "I don't want to remember."
"That's enough!"
"J-ay, I know you're scared—"
"Don't force me." I said, and tears started to well up in my eyes. "That's enough. I don't want to think about it anymore."
He quickly hugged me when he noticed my tears falling. I cried softly in his arms.
"Shhh… I won't push you anymore. It's okay now."
"I don't want to remember it. It's scary," I whispered.
"We're just worried. It's not good for you to carry all that alone," he explained gently.
I don't know how much Percy knows about my past. But I'm not surprised that he knows something. Whoever told him, it doesn't matter now. I just hope he hasn't told anyone else yet.
I tried to calm myself down. Percy slowly let go of me and helped wipe the tears from my face.
"I'll let it go for now, but I hope next time, you'll tell me," he added.
I didn't answer and just continued fixing myself. We both fell silent after that, until Felix and Ci-N entered the room carrying food. I straightened up in my seat, trying to act normal so they wouldn't notice anything had happened while they were gone.
"Food's ready!" Ci announced as she brought in the fried chicken.
Felix placed a plate in front of me filled with ham and bacon.
"Wow, fancy bacon strips," Percy commented, leaning in to smell the food on the plate. "Give me some! Please!" He was about to grab some but stopped suddenly as if he remembered something.
"Do you have sliced bread?"
I nodded.
"Grab some from the cupboard next to the fridge," I told Felix.
As soon as Felix turned away, Percy quickly held my hand. He smiled at me, as if saying, "Everything's going to be okay. I'm right here."
I smiled back and nodded.
Felix returned with a bag of sliced bread. Right after, Auntie entered with a container of carbonara. Ci clapped in delight.
"All ready!" Auntie said with a smile before setting down the container. "Dig in. Let me know if you want anything else."
She was about to return to the dirty kitchen when she saw Percy. She immediately walked over and pinched his cheek.
"Ow! Auntie! That hurts!"
"You're still full of nonsense. You haven't changed a bit," Auntie scolded him before finally letting go.
I couldn't help but smile. Percy looked like a scolded puppy. He was rubbing his cheek while taking a bite of his sandwich stuffed with ham and bacon. Even Ci and Felix were laughing now.
We turned toward the door when one of the household helpers came in.
"Miss J-ay, your classmate is here. I already let him in," she said, and in came David, holding two plastic bags.
"Dabid!" Ci greeted him cheerfully and walked up to take what he brought.
"Ice cream!"
"What the hell are you doing here?" Percy asked, clearly irritated.
"Visiting J-ay. Ci-N messaged me through chat," he replied casually, then walked over to Auntie and respectfully took her hand for a mano.
Wow, respectful!
"Good morning, Ma'am," he greeted.
"Good morning to you too. Go on and eat with them. Let me know if you want anything,"
I saw Percy frown. David smiled at Auntie, then approached us and sat next to Percy. Auntie grabbed some plates and ice cream cups for us.
"Come on, help yourselves," Felix said, already digging into the carbonara.
David simply nodded at him before turning to me.
"Ci said something bad happened. So I bought ice cream—your comfort food."
He handed me one of the plastic bags, which contained a 1.5-liter tub of ice cream.
Nice! Looks delicious.
"Thanks—"
"Miss J-ay?" called another helper, different from the one who let David in. "Someone's outside looking for you."
We all looked at each other. No one had a clue who could be looking for me.
I stood up and followed the helper to the front gate. Outside stood two guys, each holding a bilao wrapped in cellophane.
"Edrix? Rory?" I said. They both turned to me at the same time and grinned widely.
"For you!" Rory said, handing me one bilao. "Ispabok."
"Here, palabok," Edrix chimed in.
I looked at both of them, confused.
"What are you doing here?"
Rory scratched his head before answering.
"Ci-N sent a message in the group chat. She said something bad happened, so we brought food for you."
Group chat? Oh, for crying out loud…
"Thanks. Come in, Ci-N's already here," I said, but they actually walked ahead of me into the house.
I winced and just pointed toward the kitchen where everyone was. They quickly went in, but before I could even take a step, the doorbell rang again followed by someone calling my name.
I opened the gate myself and found Mayo, Kit, and Eren standing there. Eren's left cheek was swollen and he had a black eye on the right side. They were each carrying a bag or a container.
I didn't say anything. I just stepped aside to let them in.
"Kitchen—" I began, but was cut off when I saw them all heading straight to the dining area.
They each had something in hand. David and Percy were the last to come out, and I could see Percy trying to punch David on the side as they walked.
"Are you flirting with her? Are you? I told you to stay out of this," I heard Percy mutter to him.
David was clearly wincing, but my idiotic stepbrother wouldn't leave him alone.
"Let's go to the dining area instead. We won't all fit in the kitchen," Ci said, holding a container of fried chicken.
I nodded and followed them. Eren placed what they brought on the table with the rest of the food. There was even a new pitcher of juice now.
"What happened? Why did Ci-N send an emergency message?" Kit asked as he opened the container Mayo had brought.
Percy answered for me.
"Just a nightmare. This kid's just overreacting, really."
I breathed a small sigh of relief. I honestly couldn't think of what to say.
"You jerk! I really thought something serious happened," Mayo said in irritation, but he was already grabbing some fried chicken.
"Well, of course I was worried—"
"You guys are here too?" someone asked.
When I turned around, Yuri was standing at the doorway holding two large paper bags.
Sushi!
Before I could even respond, Mica and Calix entered too, each carrying something.
"Hello J-ay, how are you? Are you okay now?" Mica asked me.
"I'm fine. Ci just overreacted, really," I replied, scratching the back of my neck.
And now that most of them were already here, I had a strong feeling more were coming. And I wasn't wrong—just a few minutes later, Blaster and Josh arrived, of course with food in hand.
I could only rub my temples. If Aries wakes up and sees that almost all of the Ulupong are here, he's going to lose it. He'll probably flip out for real.
I couldn't help but wonder what exactly Ci wrote in the group chat for everyone to come rushing like this.
Everyone had split into small groups, chatting and catching up. Percy somehow managed to blend in, like he was their age and had been friends with them forever.
"Let's eat," Yuri offered, placing a plate of sushi in front of me.
I stared at his face. The bags under his eyes were deep, and his skin looked unusually pale.
What happened to him?
I reached out and touched his face, wondering if he was sick, but he quickly swatted my hands away.
"Did you wash your hands?" he asked, making me grimace, though he smiled right after. "Just kidding."
I pulled my hands back.
"Ugh, whatever. Just eat already."
Suddenly, Auntie Gema entered with a fresh batch of food. The Ulupong crew broke into chaos as they scrambled to grab their share.
"You didn't wait for us," said Denzel, who had just walked in.
I was stunned when I saw who was with him.
It was Canvas-2.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she snapped, rubbing her belly.
"Your face got big," I replied without thinking. It was only after that I noticed Denzel signaling me to shut up.
Well, it's true. Her face did get bigger—either from the weight gain or water retention. She had definitely put on more weight since the last time we met. Her stomach was much larger now too.
"I'm so embarrassed for your face," she shot back.
She took the food her husband was holding and placed it beside what Eren had brought. I noticed how Denzel followed her every move.
So he's on full guard duty now?
I gave him a little nudge.
"You're watching her like a hawk."
He scratched the back of his head.
"It's not like that. I'm just worried."
I simply nodded. Fair enough—who wouldn't worry about their pregnant wife?
I looked at the table, and there was barely any space left for the mountain of food everyone brought and what Auntie Gema kept adding. It was like a town fiesta in here.
But there was only one thing on my mind: Eman's food. I was sure he'd go all out since he hadn't been able to cook for us in a while.
Maybe he even brought lechon…
And I was right. Eman entered the kitchen carrying a whole roasted pig. I instinctively held my forehead.
How am I supposed to eat all this? Are they planning to execute me tomorrow?
Still, I couldn't help but smile. It was heartwarming to watch them all laugh and tease each other—hopefully without anyone getting offended. I sighed.
Almost everyone's here…
Except for him.
"There you go, J-ay. You've got plenty of choices now. Take your pick!" Kit said.
"You won't run out, we brought a lot," Blaster added, holding a plate.
"So maybe… J-ay," Denzel said with a smile, "maybe you can finally forgive us all for what we did—"
I didn't let him finish.
"I already forgave you. A long time ago."
I saw their faces light up. They even cheered in unison.
I turned to Yuri, who was smiling at me.
"I thought you told them already."
"It had to come from you," he replied.
The celebration continued when suddenly, Kuya Angelo walked in. The whole place went dead silent—you could almost hear crickets.
He looked completely lost. After all, earlier it was just a few of them, and now the house was packed.
"Come eat, Kuya," Ci said as she pulled him over.
Are you two close now?
Kuya let himself be dragged along and was soon sitting down. The Ulupong crew quickly swarmed him with food offers and attention.
I just chuckled because he couldn't say no. And these idiots were acting like Kuya Angelo had been their buddy for years.
I was watching all of them when Aries came in next. I immediately stood up when I saw the intense furrow in his brow. He looked like he was seconds away from cursing everyone out.
"Don't say a word. Sit down and eat," Kuya ordered, and Aries didn't argue. Not a single word came out of his mouth.
Percy immediately pulled him in.
"Sit here, baby," he said while tugging him.
Aries almost threw a punch, but Percy just laughed. He resisted at first, but eventually, he sat down and joined the meal.
The celebration went on.
It was noisy, messy, chaotic—but it made me happy seeing all these people I cared about, my friends, here together.
Almost complete… I wish we really were.
As much as I didn't want to think about him—especially after what he did—I couldn't help it.
Damn you… I just want to punch you.
"Hey! It's Keifer! Video call!" Edrix shouted, making me look over.
He was holding up his phone to make sure we could all be seen. A wave of nervousness rushed over me. I glanced instinctively at Aries, only to find him already looking at me.
"Keifeeerrrr!" they all yelled in unison.
I looked subtly at the screen and almost cried. Keifer was still lying down, wearing a hospital gown.
["Hey, what's the gathering for?"]
"It's for J-ay-jay. We were worried about her, and she forgave us," Edrix replied, still holding the phone.
["So… she forgave you. I wish she could do the same for me."]
The whole Ulupong crew went "ooohhh" in unison.
"Get better and come home already. Someone's already trying to make a move on her," Percy chimed in, and I gave him a sharp glare.
You blue-eyed menace.
["Who are you?"] Keifer asked, making Felix and Ci-N burst into laughter.
"Don't tell me you don't recognize this handsome face?"
["Oh, so much ego. Percy, indeed."]
Felix laughed louder, and now the others joined in too.
They kept chatting for a few more minutes, talking about anything and everything.
I'll admit, I was secretly hoping he'd say he missed me. But until the call ended, I didn't hear it.
I felt Yuri gently hold my hand. He smiled at me, as if to say everything was going to be okay.
I hope he's right.