CHAPTER 371 - TO STUDY
JAY-JAY'S POV
Is it the exam already? Immediately? Can't it be next-next year? Why does it have to be now?
I think the only thing I'm happy about regarding this exam is Kuya's permission for me not to go in today. He said I should rest because I just got out of the hospital, and I had impatos yesterday since I tried to regain my strength by eating lechon.
But I'm being held back for reasons I don't understand.
"Bye, Aries. Be careful!" Tita Gema said as she waved Aries off to leave in his car.
"Why didn't your Big Brother let you go in?" Mama asked when she saw me.
Aunt Gema also turned to me. "He said she should just rest."
Mama didn't seem satisfied with my answer, but she didn't have anything else to say because, like I said, Kuya Angelo ordered it. I didn't even ask for it.
"That's fine, so she can rest properly. The weekend's tomorrow and their exams start next week," Tita said and smiled at her.
Mama just accepted what her sister said. She looked at me and nodded.
"Alright. Make the most of your rest. Go review."
Sorry, but geniuses like me don't review. Charot.
I don't even have proper notes to review. As for the printed lessons Sir gave us, I don't even know where I put them—pretty sure I threw some of them away.
Why am I such a good student?
Mama turned away, so I headed straight to my room. I planned to go back to sleep or play on my phone. But first, I sent a message to the Snakes.
Serpent GC
Me: h3nD! m3 pW@S0c. sAb3h KhUyah p@H!nGa mUna m3.
(I didn't go to school. Kuya said I need to rest.)
Mayo: The pussy! I don't understand anything!
Rory: Don't give me a headache. What is this, Jay?
Ci-N: Let's just call, please.
Edrix: If you need help using your phone, Jay, I'm here.
Eren: The problem is your eyes, not your phone. You can't type properly because you can't even see the letters.
Eren's message got flooded with "Haha" reactions. I reacted with "angry."
My message was fine. They're the ones with bad eyes. But even though they're like that, I still accept them as my friends. It's just that we're not really on the same level of intelligence.
I'm the only normal one.
My phone stopped ringing. The King of Serpents was calling. I let it ring a bit before answering. I don't want him to think I was too excited. I answered it around 0.1 seconds before it went to voicemail. 😂
"Is something wrong? Why didn't he let you go to school?" he asked right away.
I just smiled. He's the only one who can read my messages properly. I'd say we're on the same level of intelligence. Just don't ask me to ignore class—when I do, the lesson suddenly shifts, and I can't follow anymore.
"Nothing. Kuya's just letting me rest," I replied.
"Are you sure? He didn't say anything else?" he asked, making me frown.
"Nothing at all. Did he have anything else to say?"
"I don't know. It just seems suspicious."
I paused. This wasn't the first time Kuya let me skip school. But honestly, I can't help but feel a little uneasy, and my hunch is growing stronger because of this.
"Maybe there isn't. But I'll tell you right away if there is."
"Okay, that's a relief. Let me know if anything happens. Get some rest," he said, and I could feel his smile.
I smiled too. "Yes, let me know if there's anything at school."
"Message me if you want or need anything."
"I just want food. It's here."
"What about me? You don't want me?"
I winced. I knew he was just teasing. It was a different kind of noise that escaped me.
Truly the king of snakes.
"Just food," I replied, and he burst out laughing.
"I'll send food later."
There it is—the bait I always fall for. Even if it's cheesy, it gets me every time. That's how pickup lines should be. Those are the kinds of lines that actually land.
"I'll look forward to it. Bye."
"I love you," he added before I finally hung up.
Always with the afterthought.
I let the phone fall onto the bed. When I turned toward the door, I jumped in shock. Kuya Angelo was standing there, looking at me seriously. I thought he was a ghost who decided to hang out by my bedroom door. I'm not even religious, but if that had really been a ghost, I might have called out to every saint I could think of.
Terrifying.
"W-Why?" I asked.
"Bring me all your notes. I'll help you review," he said before walking away.
Notes? Review?
I clutched my chest and fell backward. My knees went weak, so I ended up sitting on the floor. This is it. This is the end for me. The story ends here. This is the final chapter of Jasper Jean.
Maybe I should send one last message to the Snakes. I should probably tell their King that I've been replying to him all this time only because the rest of the snakes are deaf and always busy. I might as well give away whatever I can leave behind. I don't have money, so most of what I can leave is trash.
This hurts. Is this really how my high school life ends? Feels like the author just got lazy and decided to write me off like this. At the hands of the one person I try to avoid the most… but also the one person I know I can rely on.
The drama! I just don't have good notes.
I stomped while sitting on the floor. Why does it have to be like this? Why does Kuya have to review me? He could just ask someone else. He used to order Aries around. Oh wait—that's probably why. He's just teasing me into studying.
But why? Why? WHY?
This is what I get for skipping school. I swear something bad is coming. And now it's clear—I've been infected by David's social instincts. Like some contagious disease.
I hope Kuya passes on some wisdom too.
Then I heard him call my name. I had no choice but to stand up, grab my stuff and my phone. Even though my gut said no, I walked into his room. He was sitting at his study table, and there was an empty chair next to him.
"Sit down and bring out your notes," he ordered.
My legs didn't want to move. He noticed my hesitation and even checked his watch, probably because I was taking so long. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at me.
"Jay!" he snapped, and that sped me up.
I quickly sat in the empty chair next to him. He pointed to the table. I knew he was telling me to put my notes there. It felt like I was about to surrender the evidence that would destroy me.
Slowly, I opened my bag while glancing at him nervously. First, I took out a notebook. Of course, I picked the thickest one with the most notes—Math.
I smiled widely as I placed it on the table. He looked suspicious; one of his eyebrows didn't drop. He was about to grab the notebook, but I quickly covered it with my hand.
No! He can't see how hard I've been studying.
"W-Why?" I asked again.
"I need to check your notes. How do I know where you're struggling?" he said, reaching for my notebook.
I quickly pulled it back. "I'm struggling with my life."
We stared at each other, tension rising. He was clearly getting nervous, but if I just let him see my notes, he might get even angrier—and storm out.
"We're talking about your academics here, not your miserable life."
It is miserable!? It is a beautiful life!
"I'll just tell you where I'm having trouble," I insisted.
Suddenly, he hit my hand, and I let go. He grabbed the notebook and shot me a glare before flipping it open.
I could already imagine my impending doom.
Can I run? I briefly looked at the door. It was a bit of a distance from where I sat. With Kuya's long legs, if I tried, he'd catch me in no time. I'd only end up more humiliated.
"What is this?" he asked, clearly puzzled by what he saw.
Here it comes.
"What kind of notes are these?" he asked again as he flipped through the pages. "Is this a scratch notebook or a lecture notebook? You even wrote your solving here. And what the heck is 'Tangerine'? Were you hungry while writing this?"
He was obviously upset by what he found. I looked away and hugged my bag, wishing I could shrink into a pebble.
He flipped back to a page. "Wrong calculations, wrong solutions, and spelling errors. 'Angel' in geometry? It's supposed to be angle. And what's this—'Pythagogo theory'? Seriously? And this one: 'What's the point of math if my crush and I can't multiply?'"
He gave me a death glare after reading that one aloud.
I covered my face with my bag in shame. I didn't even remember writing that. Ci-N actually gave me that line. He's the one who always jokes like that. I didn't even want to put that kind of stuff in my notebook.
"And there's F.L.A.M.E.S. too," he added, clearly irritated. I was sure he saw our names under "King of Serpents."
I wanted to disappear. Maybe if I shrunk down enough, the wind could blow me away. Then I heard the loud slam of my notebook being closed. I slowly lowered my bag and peeked at him. He was obviously trying to calm down, taking deep breaths and rubbing his face with his hands.
Calm down, Brother.
"Where are your other notes?" he asked, holding out his hand.
I hugged my bag tighter. It was just one notebook, and he almost exploded. What more if he saw the others?
"I-I'll just tell you the topic. You don't need to look at my notes," I said firmly.
I knew he wouldn't agree, but I was still shocked when he suddenly grabbed my bag. I immediately pulled it back. But of course, he wouldn't let me win. He pulled harder, and I nearly flew with it. Thankfully, my bag was sturdy.
"Brother," I begged, holding onto my bag.
He hit my hand again, and I let go. I'd been wanting to stomp in frustration for a while now. My cousin really doesn't know how to lose.
He opened my bag and started pulling out my notebooks one by one. He was clearly annoyed when he found one stuffed with crumpled paper.
"Why is it like this?" he asked.
"S-Sometimes the lesson's in another notebook, so I cut the page out and transfer it," I explained.
He pulled out another notebook, and thankfully, the notes in that one were neater. But then he paused, staring at what he had found. He looked at me, then slowly raised his hand.
A rock?
Why is my bag full of rocks?
That explains why it's so heavy.
"I-I don't know why there are rocks in my bag."
He dropped them on the table and grabbed my bag again. This time, he found the trash from what we'd eaten. Ci-N probably put it there. He's the only one who thinks it's funny to stuff trash in someone else's bag. He even does it to David's school bag.
"M—It's probably Ci-N's."
He put it down on the table again. Then he picked it up once more—and this time, it wasn't garbage or stones that he got. It was dead. A dead bone. It looked so dry, it must have been in my bag for a long time.
So that's why my stuff sometimes stinks.
Kuya couldn't take it anymore, and the contents of my new bag exploded all over his table. The rest of the flesh fell apart. Crumpled or torn paper, dust, sand—even money, like coins that had just been handed to me.
I bit my lower lip as Kuya stood up. He took a deep breath.
"When the school let me put you in Section E, I thought you'd grow wiser because most of your classmates are more dominant than you! But instead of improving, you got worse! Instead of being different from them, you joined them!" he said angrily.
He clearly thought carefully about every word, just so I would understand better. It seemed like he was more troubled by the condition of my bag than I was. I just bowed my head and fiddled with my palms. I wanted to cry. My bag didn't do anything wrong—why was he so angry about what was inside? I thought he'd only be mad about my notes, but apparently even the trash I brought home upset him.
I'm sorry.
He took his phone before facing me again. "Clean this mess. I'll call Alvin and talk to him about your grades. Looks like you're going back to high school."
He turned his back and left the room. I was stunned. Why would I go back to high school if my grades are okay? I'm not excelling, but I'm not failing either. Is it because of the dead lizard that I have to repeat school?
I cried as I cleaned Kuya's table. I threw away the trash and pocketed the coins. I made a neat coffin for the lizard using a page from my notebook, and I used dust and sand to bury him. I even added some stones, and the rest I'd use for his funeral outside.
He never had a proper resting place. Neither his friends nor family knew what happened to him. He deserves a proper funeral.
Justice for the lizard.
I set him aside for now and arranged my notebooks.
Some pages were jammed. But I had a good notebook too. I often copied from David so I could properly record everything I needed. I'm not in a rush, so I can write everything clearly. I just have a hard time because he has his own alphabet.
Fortunately, I'm slowly getting used to reading his handwriting. I guess that's how it is when someone's handsome—there has to be something ugly to balance it out. His handwriting is that ugly. That's why I know I must be really beautiful—because my life is such a mess.
Haha.
I turned to the door when Kuya came in again. He put down his phone and looked at me, clearly disappointed.
"Alvin will arrange a review class for the whole weekend. You're attending," he ordered.
"With whom?"
"Who else? Probably your classmates who don't seem to have any plans for college!"
I snorted. Kuya was acting like our lives were about to fall apart. But we can still recover. There's still one grading period left, and then there's the post-final exam—which is like a college entrance test—and of course, a chance to make up for our grades.
He moved my things away from me. He said he lost the motivation to help me review. He just sent me back to my room. I wore my bag and picked up the lizard's tiny corpse.
"What the hell is that?" he asked, holding my hand before I could leave.
"The dead lizard. I made him a coffin," I answered, and he looked surprised.
"Poor thing. He died without anyone knowing."
It was like he suddenly lost faith in my sanity. But he tried to hold on to his senses.
"Then let his family know," he said, irritated. "They'll put you in jail. The crime scene is your bag."
I was stunned. "Yes, no—they'll think I killed him."
Kuya slapped his forehead. "Please leave, I might bury you alive."
I immediately went to my room. I dropped my bag and rushed to carry the dead lizard's coffin outside. Kuya was even more annoyed, but he still humored me. Then later, it got stuck.
Also, it's different now. I have an inheritance.
I first looked for something I could use to dig, but I only found a stick. I went straight to the garden outside the fence of the house. I quickly looked for a place to bury it and started digging. When I was sure, I buried the lizard deep. I placed the remaining stones I found in my bag as a marker for its grave.
"May you go to heaven."
When I stood up, I was shocked by the person standing across from the gate of our house. He wore a black helmet, black jacket, and black pants. I was about to walk back inside when he approached me, and I instinctively stepped back.
"W-Why?" I asked, frightened.
I couldn't help but be scared of him. First of all, he suddenly appeared. Second, he wasn't saying anything—he just kept walking toward me.
He held out his hand to me, but instead of giving in to whatever he was planning, I ran toward the gate. I didn't realize he was following me until he grabbed my arm. I tried to get away and screamed:
"BROTHER ANGELO!"
He seemed startled by what I did. He pulled me harder, but I resisted. My foot also lashed out in panic—I didn't even know where I hit him. Until he finally let go, and I took the opportunity to run back into the house—but he grabbed me again.
"KUYA!"
"HEY! LET GO OF MY CHILD!" Mama shouted from the door.
The man looked panicked and shoved me away. I tripped and fell to the ground. Mama ran after the man, chasing him away from the house. I saw Kuya Angelo and Aunt Gema rushing to me.
"Who was that?" Tita asked while helping me up.
Kuya followed Mama, and soon they returned.
"Call the police. Make sure he gets caught," Mama ordered my cousin before turning to me. "Are you alright?"
I nodded. They helped me into the house. I slowly sat on the sofa, aching all over.
"What happened? Did he do anything bad to you?" asked Aunt Gema.
I shook my head. "He just grabbed me really hard."
"I thought Jay-Jay would be safe here. What is this? Why would someone want to kidnap her?" Mama asked angrily.
I looked down. If only they knew—I've already had several close calls here in the subdivision. Nothing serious has happened so far, so I kept telling myself it's safe. Ha. Who was I fooling?
Aunt Gema turned and went to the kitchen. When she came back, she had a glass of water and handed it to me.
"Drink this first."
I accepted it and quickly emptied the glass. My breathing was heavy, and my chest felt tight. That man was so bold—even inside our yard, he planned to take me.
Kidnapping again. That's enough.
We were interrupted by someone calling from outside.
"Man! Bossing!"
I was startled, but the voice sounded familiar. Aunt Gema peeked outside to see who it was.
"Percy," she said, then turned to me.
Kuya Angelo immediately stepped out to meet my stepbrother.
"Do you need something?" Kuya asked.
"I was going to eat," he answered, laughing. "But I actually wanted to talk about something. Then I saw this at your gate—it wasn't even delivered properly."
I stood up to take a look. I immediately noticed the envelope in Kuya's hand as he was opening it.
"Jay, stay inside and rest," Mama ordered, but I ignored her.
Percy looked up when he saw me. "You didn't go to school?"
He was about to approach me when I saw what was inside the envelope Kuya was holding. I walked up and snatched it from his hand.
They were photos of me—inside and outside the school. Some with the Serpents. But what scared me more were the photos taken inside the classroom, when I was alone. There were also pictures from when I was in the hospital. I didn't understand how someone managed to take photos even in the private areas of Section E.
Who's taking these pictures?
I looked at the back—and I was right. Another death threat. But this time, it came with a final message:
"Can't wait to finally get back to you."