Chapter 9 - Order

ORDER

Yuri's POV

"What did Ci-N say?" I asked.

"He said there were obvious wounds on his face... He said he wouldn't come in for now," Keifer answered.

We had arrived because we were the ones who fought him. There were seven of us, it seemed. Knowing Ci-N, we knew he could handle it, but when he mentioned having wounds and bruises, we had a strong feeling that his opponents weren't just ordinary men.

"He said he came from Jay-Jay when the Lukos greeted him," Felix added while eating.

I raised an eyebrow. "Jay-Jay? What was he doing there?" Keifer asked.

"Dropping her, I guess..." Felix replied after letting out a loud burp.

Arrghh! Disgusting!

I shot him a disgusted look. "Seriously? Can you at least have some manners while eating?!" I scolded him.

"What? I was just at Jay-Jay..." he responded casually.

Keifer and I exchanged glances.

"I thought there weren't supposed to be any women in that section? Why is she still there? Does she have no plans to move?" I asked.

"I don't want to," Keifer replied, clearly bored. "What can I do about it?"

"Are you being a coward just because you lost once? You only tripped, that's all," I teased.

"Is Jay-Jay really going to expel us for that? Such a waste..." Felix muttered, groaning.

"Felix, we already discussed this before, right?"

"Yeah..." he answered shortly.

I turned my gaze back in front and adjusted the mirror. It wasn't that I was angry at the woman, but she was the reason for our trouble.

I didn't want to go through that again. I was tired of dealing with these situations. Was this even a home anymore?

Jay-Jay's POV

I feel like an idiot sitting in this car with Aries. I'm not moving. If possible, I'd even restrain my breathing. Good thing I didn't fart.

"Uhmm... Aries," I started, but he kept looking straight ahead.

"I know you're mad at me. I just wanted to apologize—"

"Jay, your sorry won't change anything," he interrupted seriously.

"I know... I just want to—"

Suddenly, he slammed his hands against the steering wheel. I flinched slightly but tried not to show it. My English is terrible. I don't want to make him angrier than he already is.

"Aries... Please stop the car. I'll just stay here," I said hesitantly.

But he ignored me and kept driving. He didn't stop until we reached the school parking lot. As soon as he parked, I reached for the door handle to get out, but it was still locked.

I looked at him, but he remained silent. He let out a heavy sigh.

"It takes a long time for my anger to fade... Just do what I want, and maybe things will change," he said.

Then, he unlocked the door and got out. I immediately followed, walking away from him.

Maybe things will change...

I'm giving him a chance. That's it. Aries and I will be okay. I'll prove to him that I've really changed. Yeah! I'm a good girl now.

Smiling, I entered our classroom, but my happiness disappeared when I saw my seat.

A rip.

A painful part of my past resurfaced.

I glared at Keifer's group. Wow! Even Yuri came in. Keifer just had his usual poker face.

For me, this rip in my skirt wasn't just a tear—it was a scar. A painful reminder of something I couldn't erase. It would be there forever. I'll take a picture of it later.

I ran my fingers over the chair before sitting down. It felt rough.

I immediately rummaged through my bag to grab my notebook and book, but because of the overwhelming amount of chocolate inside, I struggled to find them.

Why does my bag feel so deep?

It's like carrying a baby made of chocolate. I was planning to give some to Ci-N and Felix. Brother Angelo is to blame for this. He gave me way too much. Along with clothes and a handbag. At least I can use those.

I turned around to call Felix. He was obviously still eating Nova's chips, even licking his fingers.

Ewww!

"Felix! Come here!" I called.

He was about to stand up when Yuri stopped him.

Is this a problem?

"If you need something, why don't you come over here instead?" Yuri said.

I furrowed my brows. How rude! I feel like strangling him.

Ignoring him, I pulled a large chocolate bar from my bag.

"Felix!" I called again and held the chocolate in front of him.

Like a dog, his eyes widened, and he practically drooled. Even our classmates were staring, their eyes sparkling at the sight of the chocolate.

Have these people never seen chocolate before?

Keifer also looked at us, though his face remained unreadable.

Before Felix could run toward me, Yuri blocked him again.

"Is this really for me?!" Felix asked excitedly, his hands shaking in anticipation.

I smiled. "Yes, it's yours."

Like a child, he eagerly tried to open the box, but in his panic, he struggled. Suddenly—

Snatch!

Keifer?

Felix groaned in complaint as Keifer casually opened the box, took one piece, and handed the rest back to him.

I stared at Keifer.

He clearly liked chocolate too, but he wasn't about to admit it.

He raised an eyebrow when he noticed me looking at him.

Oh, shit!

Why am I staring at him?

"You really like bringing food, don't you?" Keifer suddenly asked.

"Huh?!"

"Then I have a task for you," he said before returning to his seat.

I wanted to ask what he meant, but Sir Alvin suddenly arrived.

A task? What kind of task? I felt nervous.

I bet it's something stupid again. They always find ways to mess with me. What are they planning now?

I couldn't even concentrate on the lesson.

Why isn't Ci-N here? Did something happen to him? I thought about the men following him.

Class ended, and I quickly packed my things to leave. I planned to have lunch at my secret hideout. Hehehe, I'm starving!

"Jay!" Felix called.

I turned to him and realized that everyone—literally the whole class, including Keifer and Yuri—had gathered around me.

"Oh!" Keifer said, handing me a piece of paper.

I took it and looked at it.

Order #1

2 rice / menudo / 1 bottled water

Order #2

2 ½ rice / shrimp porridge / orange juice

Order #3

Lasagna / iced tea

…and so on.

"What is this?" I asked, confused.

"Our orders. Buy them at the cafeteria," Keifer said.

What?!

"Why me?! Get a helper, you animals!"

"Then find a way," Yuri replied nonchalantly.

Woahhh. This guy is irritating! I took a deep breath.

"Why are you giving me orders?" I snapped.

"You're the one who always brings food, right? Just bring ours too," Keifer said, one hand in his pocket.

"What makes you think I'll follow you?!" I retorted.

Did they think I was their servant?! No way!

"Simple," Keifer said, his demeanor suddenly changing.

He smirked and took a slow step forward.

There was something about his gaze that made me instinctively step back.

Every step he took, I took another backward—until I hit the table behind me.

My heart started pounding loudly and erratically.

Hey, heart! Why are you acting like this?!

Keifer placed both his hands on either side of me, trapping me against the table.

I was cornered! His face was dangerously close to mine, so I leaned back slightly to create some space.

"You wouldn't want us to starve, would you?" he murmured. "We might have to eat you instead."

Then, he winked.

Okay... What the hell does that mean?!

I swallowed hard. "O-okay… Fine, I'll do it!"

The class erupted into cheers. Keifer smirked as he handed me some money. I sighed in relief as my heart rate gradually returned to normal. I took the money and stood up.

"Alright, I'll be back," I said reluctantly.

"Finally, we can eat," Felix grinned.

"Yeah, that took forever," Yuri muttered.

Wow, did he just insult me? I glared at him.

I glanced at the list Keifer had given me.

Pfft! This looks like a grocery list.

"Is there a problem with the list?" Keifer asked.

So many problems! I should feed them all this paper instead!

Of course, I didn't say that. I just gave him a fake, overly sweet smile.

"Nope... Your list is just so... short. Want to add more?" I asked sarcastically.

Keifer only smirked. "Leave now. We're hungry."

Ugh, ordering me around again! Fine!

I hurried to the cursed cafeteria. Cursed because every time I came here, something bad happened.

As expected, the cafeteria was packed, the line stretching endlessly.

The line was longer than those at relief centers after a typhoon.

As I counted the money Keifer gave me, my eyes widened.

1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... Quantity maybe? 8... 9... 10... Ten Just.

"Ten thousand?!" I shrieked.

People turned to stare at me. I gripped the money tightly.

Damn that man. That's a lot of money! Enough for a birthday party.

Should I… use it for myself?

I sighed and handed the list to the vendor.

"Ineng, where should I put all this food? There's so much."

Shit! Keifer's gonna kill me for this...

Here's the proofread and corrected version of your passage:

"Sister, do you have a box? Just put everything in there so I can carry it all."

"Y-yes... okay," the vendor replied and immediately started packing my orders.

Well, she even called a friend to help her. There were so many items. But considering how hungry those guys are, I shouldn't be surprised.

While waiting, I suddenly realized that the people around me were whispering among themselves.

"Really? She's lucky to be included in Keifer's group."

"I bet something is going on between them."

"I saw her with Ci-N. She's so flirty!"

"Well, you know, we just met."

"Ci-N is so cute!"

"Yeah, and what about Calix? Isn't he Mica's ex?"

"I saw Yuri earlier. He came in."

"Did you see Edrix? He's so handsome! He was with Felix earlier."

Different voices filled the air, each with their own gossip and speculations. But among everything I heard, one particular comment caught my attention.