JAY-JAY'S POV
"I'm going to hit you!" I threatened Ci-N after he took the bread that Kit had given me.
"I'm just asking, you weed," he replied, taking a quick bite of the bread before handing it back to me.
Unbelievable!
"I don't want it! You already took a bite!"
The little boy grinned widely, his gums showing as if he enjoyed pulling teeth without anesthesia.
"I told you, you can't resist me," he said before walking out of the room.
And since he was carrying food, his Ulupong gang immediately followed him.
"Giveaway! Giveaway! No fighting!" I heard Eren shout before they ran outside, looking like thieves being chased.
I scowled at them. I lost my food. Kit had given me that. Frustrated, I walked back to where Kit and Mayo were sitting.
"Kit… Do you have any more?" I asked pitifully.
"You're so greedy," Mayo muttered.
Wow. Coming from you.
I shot him a glare. "Maybe because Ci-N took mine," I said, annoyed.
"There's none left, Jay," Kit groaned. "It's because someone keeps interfering. Now I'm starving too."
"It's definitely not me," Mayo said, looking away.
Kit and I exchanged glances before turning to him. Without hesitation, Kit kicked him so hard that he fell off his chair.
Mayo quickly stood up.
"You keep kicking me! It hurts!" he whined.
"Do you have a problem with that?" Kit's voice carried a hint of menace.
Mayo sat back down like a scolded puppy, shaking his head.
"N-no."
Frustrated, I returned to my seat, mumbling under my breath. It was lunchtime, yet we still had no food. Eman couldn't cook anymore since we weren't allowed to bring his cooking utensils into our new classroom. Now, here we were, starving and miserable.
Kit had taken out food earlier, but it was barely enough for us, and then that brat Ci-N snatched it away.
"I'm starving," I muttered, slumping in my seat.
"I'll buy you something," I suddenly heard David say. I turned to look at him.
He was rummaging through his bag.
"Where? The cafeteria? You know you'll get suspended if you do that," I pointed out.
David put his bag down and faced me. "Better than starving to death."
He pulled out his wallet, clearly ready to go.
I grinned. "That's nice of you."
"Next time you bury yourself under trouble, you better include me too," he added.
Ah, so that's why. He's buying me food now so he can drag me into something later. Classic Dabid.
"It's difficult because it's heavy in the bag. We need to find a way to sneak Eman's kitchen into the classroom," I said, thinking out loud.
"Yeah, Jay-Jay is right," Blaster agreed, snuggling up to Josh's cat, Edy.
He even swayed with it like he was playing with a baby. The cat just stared at us, its tail swishing lazily.
"Let's just cook the cat. It'll be like Siopao," Denzel joked, reaching for the cat, but Josh immediately smacked his hand away.
"Don't even joke about that!" Josh snapped.
We watched them bicker, but a thought suddenly popped into my head.
"Wait… Are we even allowed to have a cat in this building?" I asked, pointing at Edy.
Everyone froze. They turned to Josh simultaneously, who looked like he just realized something.
He scratched his head. "I-I don't think so…"
Without another word, he grabbed the cat and walked to the window. He opened it, extended his hand outside, and— We all screamed as he let go of Edy like he was tossing a piece of paper.
"Josh, you psycho!" Felix shouted, completely shocked.
"Relax," Josh said nonchalantly. "It's a cat. It'll land on its feet."
Well… he had a point.
"This group really has a few screws loose," Drew muttered, pointing at Josh.
"Why are you even surprised? You're all just as crazy," Denzel shot back.
I chuckled at them before glancing at David. But I was surprised to find his seat empty. He had left without me noticing.
Didn't even say goodbye.
I sighed and turned back to the chaos. Now, they were arguing over who had the hardest head-knocks, even ranking themselves on a scale.
I couldn't blame Josh for bringing Edy here, though. We were so used to our old classroom, where anything and everything was allowed.
Their argument was cut short when we suddenly heard a high-pitched scream. It grew louder and louder until we all stood up, waiting to see what was happening.
Was there a fire?!
Then Eman barged in, carrying some food and a can of Coke. Behind him, Edrix followed, hugging a loaf of bread, while Rory entered with a giant bag of fish crackers.
Ci-N was the last to come in, and he was the source of the shrieking.
He had a piece of bread stuffed in one cheek and a bottled Coke in the other, running back and forth in front of us like a deranged chipmunk.
"CI-N!" I yelled just to make him stop.
My ears hurt so much from the loudness and shrillness of his screams. He could even outdo a woman being chased by ten horses or a fangirl seeing her idol.
He suddenly stopped and looked at us. I thought he was about to speak, but instead, he screamed again and ran once more.
I saw Yuri approaching him, looking deeply disturbed. He grabbed Ci by the collar and made him sit down on a chair.
"Ouch," Ci muttered, snorting.
"Earache," Yuri said, touching one ear.
"What's going on with you?" I asked Ci-N. He quickly grabbed my hand and hugged it.
"You won't believe it," Eren groaned.
"We bought something from the cafeteria," he bragged.
"Enjoy the suspension," Eman said, crossing his arms.
"We're not suspended," Edrix chimed in, already unwrapping the food in his hands.
I could hardly believe it.
"It's true! That's why we ran back to tell you," Ci-N said excitedly. "Calix is eating there with Mica. Even David is in line to buy something."
For real?
Almost at the same time, we bolted out of the room. It seemed impossible, yet they had managed to buy food. I wasn't even sure if the rule about Section E students being banned from the cafeteria had been lifted.
As we walked together, students moved aside to let us pass. The hallway cleared until we finally exited the building. We all came to a stop in front of the cafeteria doors and looked at each other.
"Who wants to go first?" I asked.
They all stepped back, leaving me alone. I turned to face them, glaring.
"Cowards," I muttered.
"You have connections," Blaster pointed out. "So if you get suspended, at least you have someone to talk to. We don't."
He had a point.
The real question was, would they be willing to talk to my brother just to save me from suspension? He might just kick me out and stop me from finishing high school.
Then, I'd be sent to a convent to become a nun. Yeah, no way. I'd probably set the place on fire. Felix suddenly grabbed my shoulders and turned me toward the cafeteria door.
"You can do it, Jay. We believe in you," he said, pushing me forward.
I almost crashed into the door, but someone grabbed me just in time. I shot Felix a glare, but he only flashed a peace sign.
"Ladies first," Mayo said with a mischievous grin. "Ayeah, that's great. Just go in already."
Eneb?!
For some reason, I suddenly laughed.
"Get ready!" I warned, acting annoyed.
"You wanted this," Eman teased, laughing at me.
They continued to push me toward the entrance. I had no choice but to step inside just to shut them up. As soon as I entered, I braced myself for the stares from Section A students, but... nothing happened.
I even checked if I had walked into the right cafeteria. I walked further inside, subtly glancing around. But nothing had changed. Students continued eating, chatting, and going about their business as usual.
I even spotted Calix happily talking to Mica. They looked... happy.
I had no idea what was going on. Was I dreaming? It was so confusing. They used to have strict rules against us entering the cafeteria, yet now, it was as if those rules had vanished overnight.
Or maybe they had a plan. Maybe they wanted to humiliate us in front of everyone. Maybe they were waiting for all of us to gather here so they could dump something on us.
AH!
I immediately threw my fists in the air and kicked the air multiple times. Students turned to look at me.
"YES!" I screamed. "You won't fool us!"
Even if I didn't know karate, I would become a karate master today.
"There she goes again."
"She's really crazy!"
"Isn't that the same girl from earlier?"
I heard murmurs and laughter. I glared at them.
"What are you doing?" David asked as he approached me.
I ignored him and clenched my fists at a guy nearby, who was holding a bowl of soup. He was definitely planning to throw it at either me or David. The shock and fear on his face were obvious. He quickly walked away.
Nice try, buddy.
"Stay alert. They'll try to pour something on us later," I whispered, eyeing a girl who was glaring at me.
David immediately grabbed both of my arms.
"Stop it," he said firmly.
"No one's going to throw anything at you here."
"You don't get it. They let us in for a reason. They're planning something."
"And where exactly did you get that idea?" a voice interrupted.
David and I turned at the same time. Oh no. Could he ruin my entire life?
I immediately noticed his gaze shifting from me to David's hands, which were still gripping my arms.
"Kindly remove your hands from my sister," he said in a threatening tone.
David hesitated before slowly letting go. I lowered my head slightly and faced my brother.
"What's going on in that head of yours? You almost got hit earlier. What if someone got hurt? You're acting crazy!" he scolded me.
At least no one actually got hit.
"I was just... thinking ahead," I replied, sneaking a glance at him.
I noticed his classmates behind him. I hadn't realized we were so close to their table. Ella was still shaking from watching the scene unfold, while Freya just smiled at me.
"You're crazy. No one will do it."
"Neither. You know." I insisted.
He took a deep breath. I knew he was just holding back because he didn't want me to yell at him. He looked at David, who was standing behind me.
"You explain to him. I need to leave—I still have a lot to do."
"All right," David replied.
He turned to leave but suddenly stopped and faced me again.
"If possible, try not to get lost on the stairs either. I almost asked you for directions earlier," he teased before walking off.
I was about to respond, but he shot me a glare, so I just kept my mouth shut and nodded. A lecture was enough—I didn't want to push my luck and make him angry.
He left as planned, followed by his classmates, who were clearly teasing me with their laughter and glances.
Alright, be pissed off!
As soon as they left, the Snakes entered and immediately approached us.
"What? What? What? Are you suspended, Jay?" Felix asked.
I shook my head. "David has something to explain to us."
We all turned to David at the same time. He raised an eyebrow, looking at us.
"Let's go eat first," he said before getting in line to buy food.
We immediately followed him. The line moved quickly since there were hardly any students left—lunch break was almost over.
After buying our food, we ran back to the building at nearly the same time. But I had to slow down because of how much I was carrying. I was out of breath by the time I reached the stairs, my old hip pain flaring up again.
I couldn't help but envy these Snakes—they had so much energy. How was that possible? We were together almost every day, yet I had never seen those lazy idiots do anything special to build their stamina.
David and I walked side by side. I wasn't sure if he deliberately slowed down or if he was just being lazy. Whatever the reason, I was grateful—I wasn't alone.
By the time we reached the classroom, everyone had their food. Daig even joined a speed-eating contest. Meanwhile, I took a deep breath, trying to catch mine.
That lady! This is what happens when you don't exercise. I approached Yuri's table and set down the food for both of us. Good thing I noticed that he didn't follow us earlier. I didn't know what was going on with him, but I could tell he had a big problem.
"I'm out of breath," I said, setting down my bag. "Let's eat."
I pulled out a chair and sat in front of Yuri's table.
"You bought food for me too?" he asked, looking at the extra meal in front of him.
"No. This is all mine. I just felt like eating in front of you to make you jealous," I said sarcastically. He smiled and shook his head.
"Of course, I bought it for you. You look like you weren't planning to eat."
"Because I don't feel like eating," he admitted.
"Come on! Just eat while we talk. Start the story," I urged, taking a bite. But he still didn't move.
"Sorry, eating is the only thing I can do for you. The rest is up to you," I added.
"The story," he finally said, forcing a smile.
I sighed. I was worried about him, but I didn't want to push him. So I just let him eat at his own pace. Since lunch break was about to end, we finished eating just in time. Of course, they were good at it—they were starving.
Yes, just them.
I let out a belch after drinking water. I was stuffed. I had eaten so little—just four orders of rice, fried chicken, pork chops, siomai, dumplings, cupcakes, and cream puffs.
"Full," I muttered under my breath.
Yuri must have heard me because he suddenly burst into laughter.
I stared at him. "What's so funny?"
He shook his head and kept eating, still chuckling. I was getting more and more worried. He was laughing for no reason.
I glanced at the Snakes, who were back to their usual antics, messing around as if they weren't just fighting over food moments ago. Nothing had changed. Then I noticed Blaster holding some trash. He walked toward the window, ready to throw it out.
"Hey! Blaster!" I called out, making him turn around. His Ulupong friends looked at him too.
"Dumbass, don't throw it there!" Denzel scolded, grabbing his arm and pulling him back.
"We're not in our old classroom anymore, where trash was everywhere," David added.
"Oh, David!" I called him, remembering that he had something to explain.
He turned to me. "What?"
"What's going on? Explain why we're suddenly allowed to buy from the cafeteria again."
The Snakes immediately turned their attention to David. They all stared at him as he looked back at me.
He scratched his eyebrow before speaking. "Are we?" he asked innocently.
Let's talk.
I threw my empty water bottle at him, and the others did the same. He laughed as he dodged them.
"You don't have one. And you never will," Yuri answered David seriously.
David simply raised an eyebrow at him. He dusted off his uniform before finally explaining.
"Your brother said he feels sorry for you," David began. "Apparently, Eman can't cook anymore, so there's no one to feed you."
"Ayyeeiiihhh... Nekeleg nemen eke."
"They say you're still starving. You might suddenly get lost here and end up biting someone," he added.
"Oh, tengene."
I heard his weak laugh, so I shot him an evil look.
"You really don't want to fix it, huh? What is it, really?" I asked, annoyed.
"That's what he said."
My brother is something else. He really can't stand being hungry. Maybe he doesn't want me to lose weight either.
"So, he deleted the rules we made before?" Yuri asked.
"Yeah. He said it's up to us if we still want to follow that rule, but he requested that Jay-jay be an exception," David explained.
"Naks! Brother is recovering," Ci-N commented while secretly serving David some food.
He got caught, so he immediately got a slap in response. He snorted and walked away from me.
"David is fighting me," he whispered.
Poor thing. The little guy was oppressed.
"We've been suffering under those rules for so long. I can't follow them anymore. Damn it!" Drew said, annoyed.
"Me too. I've endured hunger for too long," Blaster added.
"I guess Keifer doesn't care about that rule anymore," Eren said. "It was only made for Ella." He gave me a teasing smile. "But there's no Ella anymore because there's Jay-Jay."
Suddenly, they started cheering, louder than a bunch of wild animals. Some were even banging on the table. Ci-N kept poking my side. I just sighed and turned my back on them, only to meet Yuri's sad eyes.
"Don't pay attention to them," I said with a smile.
He tried to smile back, but it was obvious he was struggling.