Holy Shit
Jay-jay's POV
Our province is simple. There are some residential areas, and some farming land. Unlike the city, where cars are jam-packed, walking or biking is more common here.
From what I remember, we didn't have many neighbors growing up. Our house—Mama's and mine—wasn't fully built. It had one room for me and another for Mama.
There was a big tree near our place. I used to climb it with Aries.
After that incident I couldn't remember, I moved in with Grandma once I got out of the hospital. Her house was bigger, old—looked like a Spanish house—but sturdy.
I was enrolled in a public school but didn't have a good student life there. I kept getting into fights, so they transferred me to a private school. They thought—and I thought too—that things would be better for me at Holy Saints.
I became popular, not because I was beautiful, but because I always got into trouble. I had no friends; my classmates were either scared of me or fake-friendly because they could get something out of me.
I was at the Guidance Office almost every day. They'd call Grandma every time. But when she got fed up, she sent Kuya Angelo instead. Even though he was based in the city, he'd come home just to go to my school.
That's when I started being scared of him.
Then Cyrus came along. He courted me even though it was obvious we didn't like each other. He just used my popularity. And since I had nothing better to do, I said yes. I didn't know that would be the start of something worse.
He was crazy.
He dethroned me. Became the school's new top dog, acting like he was the best. Until something unexpected happened. I hurt him—accidentally. Grandma had a heart attack and nearly died.
That was the reason my Aunt took me in. I left behind all the painful memories in this province.
I didn't think I'd be back this soon. This soon? I was hoping it'd be something like 3 to 5 years from now.
"We're almost at the camping site…" Sir Alvin announced through the mic inside the bus.
The others started waking up and stretching. Some even yawned and tried to go back to sleep.
Good thing we had our own bus this time. We thought we'd be crammed in again with the other sections.
I wasn't up for that!
I glanced at the seat across from me. Keifer was staring, but I looked away. I was still mad at them.
But that wasn't the real reason I avoided his gaze. I'd been uneasy since we were still at school until we arrived in the province. I didn't want them to notice, so I avoided everyone and chose to sit at the far back.
We were already seeing places I used to visit. We'd entered a forested area and passed through an old gate that read "Camp is Rock."
Huh?!
No originality, huh? Just remove the "is" and it's already the title of that movie I watched.
The bus stopped, and we all got off with our things. Looks like our organizer's idea is a nature trip.
I'd already been to this place before, but it wasn't developed back then. We just used to hang out and drink here—until we got kicked out by the landowner who warned us about the snakes.
What if there are still snakes?
Just as I expected, our batchmates started acting all fussy. Like seriously, who goes to a retreat in high heels?
Freya!
So dumb. Her heels were so high, it's like she thought we were going to the mall. So extra!
"Over here!" the organizer called out to us with a megaphone.
We stood in front of a hall, lined up by section. From where we were, I saw Aries looking at me. I knew he could tell I wasn't happy to be back here.
The organizer said something—explained some stuff—but I didn't catch it. My mind was elsewhere.
"You'll see your section flags, and that's where your camping site will be," he added, signaling us to move.
No one from our group budged. No energy to look for our site, it seemed.
"Where's ours?" Blaster asked. David pointed to a path that led away from the others. I had a bad feeling. Our campsite path looked different.
Even though we were unmotivated—myself included—we forced ourselves to walk to the site. And just as we feared, disappointment awaited us. It was filthy! So messy! It looked like aliens camped here, not humans.
Tall grasses were visible nearby. Damn. What if there are snakes there?
"Is this really our site?" Felix asked while kicking a burnt can on the ground. "Does the organizer hate us or something?"
I wanted to ask the same thing. It was like we weren't even part of the retreat. No wonder Rory and the others were angry—they said we weren't included in the budget.
"This place is so small," Eman commented as he walked around.
I scanned the area. He was right! It was way too small for 17 people setting up their own tents.
The organizer does hate us!
"We're already here… Nothing we can do now," Denzel said while trying to clean a small area. "Let's just put our stuff down."
The others followed. They dropped their bags and started pitching tents. I was about to place mine next to Ci-N's, but someone grabbed my bag.
"Hey!" I yelled at Keifer.
He immediately dropped my bag and hurriedly unzipped it. He also took out the tent parts and started setting them up.
"What are you doing?" I asked, annoyed.
"Laundry," he replied sarcastically. "Are you blind?"
I scratched my head in frustration. This king of irritation really knows how to ruin mornings. I had no choice but to walk over and help him.
Once we were done setting up the tents, I realized mine was right next to his.
So that's why he placed me here!
I went inside my tent and started fixing my stuff—pillow, blanket, small lamp, and of course… Snorlax. I couldn't leave him behind even though I struggled to squeeze him into my bag. While organizing, I spotted an envelope inside.
Tsk. The one I need signed!
I made sure my things were okay before closing the tent. Holding the envelope, I turned to Keifer.
"I'm going out," I said.
"Where are you going?" Yuri asked.
"T-to my old school… I need this signed," I said, awkward.
"I'll go with you," Ci offered, but I quickly shook my head.
"It's okay… I'll go alone. Won't take long."
I didn't wait for their reply. I walked off. I saw Sir Alvin talking to the organizer. I approached and asked for permission. Since he already knew about this, he let me go.
I exited the old gate and waited for a jeepney. The school was far from this place. Luckily, one came quickly. As I rode, some students in Holy Saints uniforms looked at me.
Looks like they still remember me.
The jeep stopped at the tricycle terminal. I got in and told the driver the destination. With every turn of the trike's wheels, my nerves got worse. It felt like I was walking into death. Sounds dramatic, but that's really how I felt.
When the tricycle stopped at the school gate—déjà vu! It felt like I'd lived this before. So weird.
I approached the guard house and explained my purpose. They had a new guard, so he didn't recognize me. I didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.
He signaled for me to go in. It was class hours, so no students were hanging around. But the janitor spotted me.
"Jay-jay?" he asked, squinting his blurry eyes. "Is that you?"
No sir! Just a hologram!
I walked closer and forced a smile. I was embarrassed. Let's just say I used to disrespect him a lot. But not once did he get angry at me.
"H-how are you, sir?"
"It is you!" he said in surprise, tossing the rag on his shoulder. He looked around. "What are you doing here? Transferring back?"
"N-not really… I just need a signature from Guidance."
He smiled—same as he used to, even when I yelled at him before. "A lot happened since you left."
I chuckled. "The chaos disappeared."
He laughed hard. "More like all the chaos got out! The ones scared of you back then? They're ruling now!"
I scratched my head. Damn! I expected the school to calm down after I left. But sounds like it got worse.
"Well then… I'll get back to work. Take care, okay? It's good to see you again."
Before he could grab his broom, I held his arm. He looked confused, but I was serious.
"Sir… I just wanted to say… sorry. For everything I did to you back then."
It was heavy to say those words—not because I didn't mean them, but because "sorry" didn't feel enough for what I put him through.
He smiled again. "It's okay, kid…"
That's all he said, but the weight I felt vanished just like that. I felt so relieved.
I smiled before letting go. A smile that wasn't forced—genuinely from the heart.
Seeing him again was what gave me the strength to walk toward the Guidance Office.
But of course—bad luck strikes. The school bell rang and out came all those damn people who used to be my classmates and schoolmates.
Holy sh*t!
Shock. Confusion. Annoyance. Those were their reactions.
"Is that Jay-jay?"
"Dude, it's Jay…"
"She got prettier."
"Careful! She might punch you!"
"What the…"
"What's she doing here?"
So many whispers. I sped up my walk to the Guidance Office. It's in the second biggest building here. But before reaching it, I had to pass the cafeteria—where half the school population usually is.
Damn it.
I should've worn headphones. So annoying! I'm about to hear a ton of things again.
As I walked, I saw lots of familiar faces. People I'd either fought with, bullied, or were classmates of mine and Cyrus.
Speaking of Cyrus, I heard he came back. I don't know when, but Kuya Angelo told me. That's why I was so nervous—because of him.
"Look who's here!" a familiar voice shouted.
I stopped and slightly turned. Just one of the people I used to fight with.
"You've got some nerve coming back! After what you did to Papa Cyrus!"
I raised an eyebrow. Papa Cyrus? Since when were you his daughter? Her accent was foreign, probably raised abroad. Sounded like she meant "Papa" as "dad," not the flirty kind.
Honestly, I forgot her name!
"Your face still annoys me! You know that?!"
I looked at her with annoyance, but I didn't show it. Like I always said when she used to confront me:
"So what?"
People around us burst into laughter. It wasn't even that funny, but I guess they laughed because I still gave the same answer—and she still couldn't clap back.
I kept walking. I finally reached the Guidance building. The office was on the second floor, so I sped up the stairs. I just wanted to leave this place already.
At the door, I hesitated before knocking. I tightened my grip on the brown envelope.
Come on, Jay.
It's just a quick signature. Then you're out. Fast, no drama.
I knocked. The door opened, and the guidance counselor appeared.
Miss you, Ma'am!
"Ms. Mariano, right?" she asked.
"Y-yes."
My heart skipped. She remembered me! I mean, I was in the Guidance every day, how could she forget?
"Do you need anything?"
"Uhm… I just need this signed," I said, handing her the envelope.
She chuckled a bit. I was confused—did I say something funny? She took the envelope and looked it over.
"You're so polite now… Before, you used to yell at me like we were the same age," she said with a teasing smile.
Ah, damn!
She remembered that too. So embarrassing! I scratched my head and tried to smile, but it turned out more like a cringe.
After reading the document, she handed it back to me. "Let's talk about this. Come into my office and wait for me. I just have to speak to someone."
I did as she said. The Guidance Office had two rooms: one for her actual office and one for counseling with parents or students.
Nothing changed.
That made me smile a bit. I knew every corner of this office. But as I stepped into her office, the smile disappeared instantly—because of the person I found inside.
"What the…" I muttered.
He was looking right at me. "Nice to see you here," he said, slowly smiling. "Jay-jay."
"C-Cyrus."