Chapter 180 - No More Secrets

Jay-Jay's POV

"...Twerk it like Miley!" Ci-N shouted at Blaster.

We're still playing Truth or Dare. Luckily, I haven't had to stop the bottle yet. Blaster is the seventh person to have the bottle stop on him today.

It's like everyone's sleepy spirits suddenly woke up. They're louder than ever. Earlier, David even danced the Budot Dance.

"Dance now!" Felix shouted, holding up his phone, ready to record.

Blaster had no choice but to twerk. We burst into laughter because he looked like he had rheumatism in his hips—the stiffness of his moves was hilarious!

"That's right! Your dance is making me cringe!" Calix shouted, laughing.

Blaster was stopped by a hand on his neck. He sat back down, picked up the bottle, and spun it again.

And just like that, these devils were up to something. They sped up their singing and then suddenly stopped the bottle—right in front of me.

I froze.

The troublemakers clapped and laughed loudly. They did it on purpose—ON PURPOSE! These jerks! A while ago, they kept making sure the bottle wouldn't land on me, but now, all of a sudden, they made it stop right in front of me.

"I'll ask first!" Rory shouted, raising his hand.

"Wait! I haven't even chosen Truth or Dare yet!" I complained.

"Are you ready to dance like Blaster?" Felix teased.

"I say… Truth!"

They're such a pain. They didn't even give me a choice! But honestly, Truth is the safer option. Who knows what kind of dare they would have come up with?

We all waited for Rory's question. But the shameless idiot just started laughing, making us all stare at him like fools.

"Jay…" He started while still laughing. "...how many times have you and Keifer kissed?"

Damn it!

Sometimes, it really makes you want to kick your friends—especially the ones who love messing with you. Their jokes hit so hard that you feel the impact, too. The other troublemakers burst into laughter.

"You're an idiot!" I snapped.

"That's not an answer." Ci-N said, still laughing.

These guys are stupid!

Why should I answer that? Are they insane? If they weren't my friends, I'd be really rude right now. But since I know them and their antics, I let it slide.

"Don't answer. Jay-jay will just drink the Pepsi," Edrix suggested.

"I don't want to!" I refused immediately. "And what kind of dumb question is that?"

"Let's just ask Keifer," Denzel said, making all of us turn toward him.

Keifer simply crossed his arms, looking at us with a bored expression.

"Have you and Jay-jay done anything?" Drew asked.

Oh, hell no!

Keifer's bored expression slowly turned into a smirk. He looked straight at me, clearly enjoying this.

If he even dares to mention New Year or anything else, that Pepsi bottle is flying straight at his face!

"That smile says it all… Looks like something happened," Calix teased.

"Nothing!" I shouted.

Keifer's smirk was infuriating. It was strong enough to make anyone gag. And his arrogant expression? Even worse—it was like he was deliberately giving them a clue.

"Just answer the question," Rory pressed.

"Just a kiss! I don't even have any other experience yet!" I blurted out.

Oh crap. That last part came out wrong.

Their laughter grew louder. They were definitely going to tease me now. I could feel my cheeks heating up, so I lowered my head.

So annoying!

Now I understand the struggles of being the only girl in our section. Bad trip! Bad trip! Bad trip!

"You were looking for a virgin last night. You should've just offered yourself," Blaster teased, laughing hysterically.

"I have a question," David suddenly said.

I peeked at him, still keeping my head down. He was smiling, though his face remained serious.

"Without Keifer… Do I have a chance with you?" he asked.

My cheeks burned even hotter. I looked away, my heart pounding. I could feel Keifer and Yuri's eyes on me.

I don't know why, but his question made me really nervous. The others were also waiting for my answer.

Honestly, I don't even know what to say. David is a good friend to me. Ci-N and I always have fun with him, and he's generous—even without a special occasion. Despite his serious face, I can tell he enjoys spending time with us.

But no matter how I look at it, I don't think there's anything romantic between us. We're just friends, and I'm sure he sees me the same way.

If I say no, he might take it the wrong way. But if I say yes, I'd just be giving him false hope.

David suddenly laughed, making me glance at him.

"W-why?"

"You don't have to take it so seriously," he said, making me feel a little relieved.

I let out a forced laugh. "W-whatever… You're a snake too."

The troublemakers erupted in laughter, though some were clearly just being dramatic. David shook his head at them, unimpressed by their antics.

"What's a Viper?" Ci-N, who was sitting beside me, asked.

So-so!

They don't even know that they are the Ulupong I'm talking about. They might get angry with me when they find out.

"A-anu... It really does mean 'snake,' but... among us, the elders used it to outsmart crooks," I explain.

"What the..." Keifer suddenly said. "...You called me the King of Serpents?"

The others looked at him strangely. I hadn't even explained the meaning to him yet. I thought he had forgotten that I said it. I forced a smile—one that might pass as cute.

That's cute!

"...So you mean I'm the King of Tricks?!" he asked, clearly annoyed.

I widened my smile even more, showing my gums if needed. But it didn't seem to be working because he already thought badly of me.

"N-not exactly—"

"Just wait!" Felix interrupted before I could finish. "...If Keifer is the King, does that mean we're the crooks?"

Ragot!

I stared at them, unable to blink. I hesitated to say anything because I was sure they'd be angry with me, and they'd retaliate.

Why did I call them that?

"What are we?! I knew it!" Felix shouted.

I bowed my head in shame.

"You're crazy, Jay!"

"You called us crooks!"

"It means snake!"

"You really got yourself into trouble!"

"It was just a joke!" I explained.

"Oh! Tsk! Tsk!" David clicked his tongue, clearly threatening me.

Don't be like that! Don't scare me! That's bad, especially for someone who's already terrified.

"Because of that... you have to answer all our questions," Ci declared.

"Didn't we already ask?" Drew pointed out.

"That doesn't count."

"Don't be fooled!" Denzel teased.

"As long as that doesn't count!" Ci insisted, turning to me. "...Tell me! Who's the most handsome among us?"

"Oh, Ci! You already know the answer to that. Of course, it's me!" Calix confidently replied.

"Huh?! In what world?!" Rory asked, scrutinizing his face.

"...Don't be blind, Brad. You're looking at the most handsome one right now," he declared.

And so, the anticipation began. I couldn't answer because each of them insisted that they were the most handsome.

Nothing! They all think they're handsome. How shameless!

"Don't ask that question!" Yuri said, annoyed. "...You're just stirring up trouble."

"Alright, let's change it." Ci smirked. "...Who's the ugliest?"

Shameless. They caught on too quickly. Fingers started pointing everywhere—some even accidentally poking nostrils.

"Don't be humble, just admit it."

"No pretense... Just confess already."

"Don't say anything! I'll just know by looking!"

With so many fingers pointing, the majority ended up pointing at Ci. That's why he was sulking at everyone.

Nice! Poor Ci.

"You really had to pick someone ugly..." he muttered, grabbing my arm. "...Jay-Jay, look! They're ganging up on me!"

He looked like a child reporting to his parents. I winced at his behavior. Do I look like his parent?

"I have a question," Kit said, grabbing everyone's attention. "...That scar on your back. Where did you get it?"

"What scar?"

"What?"

Yuri and Keifer asked almost at the same time. They didn't know about it. They hadn't joined us when we went swimming.

Silence filled the room. Everyone looked at me, waiting for an answer. They were all my friends. In fact, they should know about me. But no matter how much I tried, the fear wouldn't go away—the fear of what they would think of me.

"Jay-Jay..." Keifer called softly.

I lowered my head, staring at my hands. I fidgeted with my fingers and sometimes hid them behind my back.

"When I was a child..." I began, my voice barely above a whisper. "...I woke up in the hospital."

I didn't know if I should continue. It wasn't that I was afraid to drink Pepsi with soy sauce—this was just too heavy for me.

Too heavy.

But a big part of me was telling me to speak up. They were my friends, almost like family. Maybe there was nothing wrong with sharing my past.

"...I don't know what really happened to me. They asked me several times, mentioning names—but I didn't recognize any of them..." I continued. "...My body was covered in wounds, including the scar on my back. It took me a long time to recover, but instead of taking me home to Mama, they took me to Grandma's house..."

I held my breath. Remembering those days in the hospital felt suffocating. There wasn't a single day I didn't wait for Mama to visit me—to say hello. But nothing hurt more than when they told me she never wanted to see me.

"...When I got home, that's when I learned what had happened to me. I overheard my uncles and aunts talking about it. They said Mama's last husband had beaten me. That her previous husbands had done the same..."

Tears fell freely down my face. I couldn't stop them anymore.

"...But the strange thing is—I don't remember anything they told me. Not a single thing... I tried to recall the names they mentioned..." I shook my head as I exhaled. "...But nothing. Nothing at all."

"Episodic Amnesia..." Josh suddenly said, making everyone turn to him. "...That's the loss of memory from a specific time period. You might regain it someday, but —Maybe not anymore."

"I—I don't know."

"Have you seen the doctor again?" Yuri asked.

I shook my head. "Because grandma and I never talked about it again. I was only nine years old then. It was so long ago."

"If your fathers were hurting you… Could it be that they burned your back with an iron?" May asked.

That's what he said. But why? Suddenly, I felt fear creeping in. I didn't know why, but it was a strange kind of fear—one that had been hidden for a long time.

"Your stepdad is crazy!" Ci said angrily. "...Don't show it to me!"

"Oh? What are you going to do?" David asked challengingly.

"Hi, Stepdad!" he said, waving and smiling.

We laughed at what he did. I knew exactly what he was up to. His tone was still cocky. Somehow, I felt a little better. He really had the power to break the tension.

"You're crazy, Ci-N!"

"Bravely finished, huh?"

"At least, Ci-N!"

"Am I even aware of that? I don't know him! Of course, I should greet him first," he sneered while still snorting.

"That's right!" Blaster shouted. "Game on! I haven't gotten my revenge yet!"

We laughed a little as the others rearranged their seats. The music started, and the bottle was passed around.

As they sang, I watched them. It might sound dramatic, but I was truly grateful to have ended up in this section. I might have said it before, but I would say it again and again—I was thankful.

They were part of my life. They were my family.

Suddenly, Ci-N hugged me. I looked at him.

"Don't worry... I will protect you from your stepdads," he said.

Stepdads? Really?

"Alright... when we meet again," I replied with a smile.

He smiled back at me and returned to his seat. The singing stopped, and we quickly looked for the bottle. I was shocked when it landed on Yuri.

"Truth or Dare?!" they asked in unison.

"Truth," he answered quickly.

Pakshit!

Why did you choose that? I had a strong hunch they were going to ask about us. And I knew he knew that too!

"Me first!" Rory said. "...When did you start liking Jay-jay?"

There it is!

"I don't know... Maybe when she had been with us for a few weeks," he answered casually.

"Did you also know that Keifer likes her?" May asked.

"Yes... I could see it," he replied with a smile.

Why do you still look so relaxed? Suddenly, I felt a heavy presence behind me. When I turned, Keifer was staring down at me.

I immediately stood up and approached him. I held his hand and looked up at him. Something felt off. He seemed calm, but I could sense the anger in him.

I glanced back at the others as they continued questioning Yuri.

"What are you planning now? Jay-jay belongs to Keifer," Kit asked.

I saw Yuri clench his jaw. He forced a smile to hide it. Then, suddenly, he looked at me—at the same time, Keifer tightened his grip on my hand.

"Keifer doesn't own Jay-jay... They're not married yet," he replied arrogantly.

I was about to speak to make them stop, but someone beat me to it.

And what they said left me completely shocked.

No!