I shall return
Jay-jay's POV
I'm not really ready to face them yet. The wound and everything were still resh ----it was just this morning. But Percy was so naughty that he just wanted to bang him against the wall. "Jay-jay" "Jay-jay." "He's here." They said one after another. Their expressions were full of worry. Almost all of them tried to come closer to me but stopped when the driver's door opened. I could see Felix and David's shock. The others' reactions were surprised----they probably didn't know Percy. "K-kuya?" Felix called to him. Percy smiled at him. "How are you? Did you miss Kuya?" Felix didn't move and I could see his lips trembling. I took advantage of the opportunity that their attention was on Percy. I entered the gate and headed straight to the house. I stopped when I got to the door. It seemed like I was wrong in thinking that Gago's best friend wasn't here. "Jay..." Yuri called to me and stood up. Everyone in the house's attention immediately went to me. I just noticed that they were all complete. They hurriedly approached me except for Tito Julz and Andy. "Where did you go?" Grandma asked me, full of concern. "Your classmates were looking for you earlier." Aunt Gema said. "What happened? Why did you suddenly leave your school?" Mama asked. I had no answer to their questions. I looked at them one by one. Kuya and Aries looked at me with displeasure. I felt the air in my throat catch again . I took a deep breath to hold it in but it was useless when our eyes met....Keifer. Only! She didn't react as she crossed her arms and leaned on the sofa. I couldn't tell what she wanted to convey but I chose to avoid it and at the same time, tears fell from one eye. I faced Mama who was clearly angry because of what I had done. "Mom..." I called her. "...Are you my illegitimate child?" I said it calmly but their expressions changed dramatically . Even Kuya and Aries changed their stance. Mama grabbed my arm but I quickly pulled it back. Her mouth was open as if she was going to say something but she couldn't ï¬nish. "W-where did you hear that?" She tried to ask. "Are you my illegitimate child?" I repeated the question. A few tears fell from my eyes again. I looked straight at Mama because I didn't want to miss her reaction. "Jay... S-of course not----." "Liar." I cut her off from what she was going to say. She immediately glared at me but tried to pull it back. "W- what are you saying?" "I'm an illegitimate child because Papa was already married when you met." I said directly. I don't care if others hear what I say. They will and will know that too. Keifer, he has ways, right?! Mama took a deep breath. "W-where did you get that?" Her voice was now ï¬lled with irritation. I didn't answer, our two eyes met for a few seconds before he turned to the door behind me. "Good evening." Percy said as he entered. The reactions of those who met him at the house were similar to Felix's. Aunt Gema still had her mouth covered. Brother Angelo was so surprised and Aries almost lost the space between his eyebrows in greeting. "You've ï¬nally shown up." Keifer said. "I missed you." Percy replied. Even though I couldn't see him, I knew he was smiling. He walked closer to my side. I looked at him for a moment before looking back at Mama who was surprised at him. "Hi Tita..." Percy greeted Tita Gema. "...Wazzup Boss..." To Brother Angelo. "...Aries, my men!" Their expressions didn't change. This is when I realized that the question 'why do you look like that? It's like you saw a ghost.' "What the..." Aries said when he realized that what he was facing was real. "...You're fvcking alive?" No! That's a ghost, a ghost. Percy laughed and looked at me before speaking. "Alive and kicking." Aries sighed and seemed to be holding back his anger. He ruffled his hair and washed his face. It's really shocking when you see someone you thought was dead alive. Percy turned to me and grabbed my back. "Is everything alright?" What do you think?! I couldn't answer because it was obvious that it wasn't. I could feel everyone looking at us with surprise. "Excuse me? Can I know who you are?" Mama asked irritably. "Sorry... Where are my manners?" He held out his hand to Mama. "...I'm Percy Rey Mariano. Son of Reycee Mariano." Mama's reaction gradually changed. It was as if her question earlier had been answered. It just meant that she knew Reycee----Percy's mom. Mama immediately grabbed my arm and pulled me closer to her. I tried to pull my hand away so her eyebrows met. "Why are you together?! What do you need from my son?!" Mama asked angrily. Percy smiled as if Mama wasn't angry with her. "Nothing ... I just want to be with my brother." Aries suddenly laughed but the laughter made him angry. I knew what was happening was chaotic but Percy still managed to calm down in front of others. He looked at me again. "I'll leave now, it looks like you need to talk..." He looked at Keifer, Yuri and Aries. "...and I need to talk to you too." He smiled and said goodbye to us. Keifer, Yuri and Aries immediately followed him . I didn't know what kind of conversation they would have but I had a strong feeling they would get into trouble. When we were completely out of sight, Mama immediately faced me. She held both of my arms tightly. "How did you meet that guy?! What did he say to you?!" She asked angrily. "Jeana..." Aunt Gema stopped her. I tried to pull my arms back but her grip tightened even more. I could feel her nails digging in, which hurt me even more. "Answer me!" She shouted. "She went to me!" I shouted back at her. In truth, I wanted to shout 'it hurts' more. I was already hurting from her grip. The digging in of her nails was also painful. "What did she say to you?!" I jerked my hand back. My skin almost peeled off because of my sudden pull while her nails were digging in. It hurt! "She said 'I'm a child outside'!" I replied weakly. I held the arm she was holding earlier. I was tired of crying but the way she was looking at me, it was unavoidable. It was as if I had done something wrong and she was embarrassing me. "What else?!" She asked angrily. Her gaze was focused only on me.I followed her gaze. I knew she was my mother and I should respect her but I couldn't bear not to show her my displeasure. "WHAT THE HELL!" She shouted, making me step back. "What do you care what she said?!" Suddenly she grabbed my jaw and pressed it. I could see the anger in her eyes. "Hon! The child is hurt!" Andy pleaded but Mama ignored her . My tears fell one after another. I was struggling even though I shouldn't have. I couldn't breathe even though no one was choking me. I couldn't move even though I was standing very comfortably. "I'm getting fed up with you! Why don't you want to answer my question?!" She said angrily while pointing at me. "Jeana... Let Jay-jay go. That---- is having a hard time." "Don't interfere!" Mama cut off what Grandma was going to say. "...This is a mother-daughter conversation!" "Have you been a mother to me?" My question was insulting. His response to me was a sharp slap. I wasn't surprised that he could do that to me but even so I still couldn't help but feel hurt. "Are you really that rude?!" He asked and another slap ollowed. "Jeana... That's enough!" Auntie pleaded but Mama ignored her. "I'm trying to ï¬x ours but you don't want me to give it to you!" He said and gave me another slap. His voice cracked and it seemed like his next slaps had no strength. His palm was hitting everywhere. "Why do you have to torture me like this!" I couldn't answer, I just waited for his slaps to hit me. It hurt on the skin but nothing could hurt more than what had happened to me. "Why did you become my Mom?" I almost whispered. "Jay-jay!" Grandma said to me. I waited for Mama's palm to hit my face but it didn't. I looked at her and I could see her tears falling as she seemed shocked by what I said. I didn't feel anything. I guess I was numb from the pain. "Jay-jay... Don't answer your Mama like that." Kuya's authoritative order. I ignored him. My gaze remained on Mama. It seemed like there was no one else in the house besides the two of us. "Young mother..." I began. "...a wife of the people and now a concubine. What title will you take next?" I received another strong slap. I almost ell from the force. My cheek also went numb from the pain but my feelings were hurt even more when I saw who slapped me. I wasn't numb yet! "Grandma..." Kuya called with concern and immediately approached her. "I didn't raise you like that... The boldness of your face when you answered is what gave you life." Lola said full of reproach. My tears kept falling. My lips trembled as I took a deep breath. "I wish you hadn't brought me back to life..." I said weakly to Mama. "...if only this was all lies surrounding me." No one spoke to them anymore. I turned my back on them and started walking towards my room. My body was so tired that I couldn't even take a step. Maybe I had bad habits in my past life. Now I'm being made to pay or all my sins. When I got to my room, I just knelt down on the floor. I let out all the tears I could. My chest was tightening as if my heart was being ripped out. It hurt, it hurt so much! I felt like I was alone and had no one to support me in this house. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Percy's POV I love the sound of my car engine. Especially when I'm driving fast. From the side view mirror, I could see their cars following me even in the dark. Go ahead... You guys follow! I accelerated my speed and Keifer really intended to keep up with my car's speed. I rolled down the window next to me and peeked at him. "Woooohhhhh! Still chasing him!" I teased him. He also rolled down his car window and gave me his middle ï¬nger. He looked serious as he looked at the road. This is nice! I fvcking miss my friends! I looked at the side view mirror again and was just as surprised to see an unfamiliar car following us. I looked around and looked for a place to stop. We were the only ones on the road because it was already dark. I pulled over and got out of the car. Keifer and Yuri's car stopped next to me. Aries' car and the unfamiliar car didn't stop either. My friends got out, looking really embarrassed by the situation ---of course I was even more blessed! The driver of the unfamiliar car also got out. It turned out to be David, the driver, and Felix was with him, looking at me in a bad way. I smiled at them while crossing my arms. "Percy..." David called me. "Tsk! Tsk! You're not answering my calls..." I said while shaking . He looked at Keifer for a moment. "S-something happened." "What the fvck?! Am I the only one who doesn't know you're alive?!" Aries said angrily. "We only found out when." Yuri answered him. "But I wish you had at least told me what you knew!" Aries' face flushed as he took a deep breath. As I expected, I know he won't be happy to see me. He had a hard time dealing with my disappearance because it was all his fault. "What makes you show up?" Keifer asked bored. "Stupid question." I whispered and turned to face him while smiling. "...Of course my family and Jay-jay." "Lier!" Felix shouted. "...If we were really the reason, you would have done something about it." "It was very complicated back then... Every time I wanted to see you, I had to leave." I explained calmly. I understood Felix's anger. They were also struggling, especially since they were the ones who caught Papa's anger. I also knew that they were struggling when Papa left them for good. "That's your reason? You couldn't call us or send us a message because you needed to leave?" Yuri asked with a hint of annoyance. If I was calm before, now I don't seem to be. I don't think I can do that anymore. My head gets hot when I see her. "I was paralyzed after 'The accident'. Mom never allows me to contact anyone." I said a little annoyed. I really emphasized the word 'the accident' so that they would remember what happened. It was embarrassing because it seemed like I was the only one who couldn't move on. "What the fvck is your connection with Jay-jay?" Keifer asked seriously . Ugh! Why do I need to explain everything to them?! "Haaayy... It's tiring to explain." I whispered and walked straight ahead. "...She's my stepsister. It just so happens that my Mom is her Dad's wife. I know, you are all aware of my story with my Mom." "Is that really all? It's more like something else." Yuri said. I looked at her with a wicked look. "What do you want to convey?" "I don't know... Maybe revenge to us?" She said innocently. I know I'm the one who's the most annoying to us but I'm the one who's getting annoyed by Yuri's actions. But I'm not going to lose. "Revenge? What for? Do I have a reason to 'take revenge'?" Every word I let out had meaning. I wanted them to feel like I had no reason to take revenge, even though I felt like they abandoned us when Aries and I needed them the most. "Get out! Leave me alone!" "No! I'm not leaving you here!" Shit! I closed my eyes as that night flashed back to me. I didn't want to remember that for now. I couldn't concentrate on what I wanted to happen. "You can't be mad at us. What do we know if you plan to use Jay----." I suddenly laughed out loud causing Yuri to stop speaking. They will deï¬nitely insist on what they believe. "I will never do that... I'm not like you." I said laughing. Keifer's eyebrows rose. "Like us?" "Yeah..." I suddenly became serious. "...Did you think I didn't know what you did to Jay-jay?" Keifer smiled and looked at David. It was as if I had a clue why he wasn't answering my call and why his face seemed swollen. "Your dog is loyal to you..." Keifer said and laughed. I saw David clench his ï¬st. This Keifer really doesn't know anything. I made sure David and I were hiding but he still caught us. "...were you the one who ordered your dog to kiss Jay-jay." He added seriously. I didn't react even though I was shocked. Even Yuri, Aries and Felix looked at Keifer and David. Now, I know! "You did what?!" Yuri said angrily and was about to approach David. "I ordered that." I said quickly. They all stopped and looked at me in surprise----except or Keifer. "What for?!" Yuri turned to me. His face was irritated, even his red hair. His face was like a toothpick! I took a deep breath and looked at Keifer. "To tease Keifer and show Jay-jay his manners." I just hoped what I was saying hit home. I had no clue what happened so I wasn't sure what I was saying. "Congratulations..." Keifer said and clapped his hands. "...Your dog did his job well." Almost! It's a good thing... "What are you planning now that you're here?" Aries asked seriously. I smiled at him. "To make amends to those I hurt and introduce Jay- jay to his Papa." "That won't happen." He answered me. "...stay away from Jay-jay." He didn't wait for me to say anything. He got in the car and quickly drove away. I shifted my gaze to Keifer and Yuri. "He should have told you that." I said and laughed. They both just shook their heads and got in the car. They left one after the other, leaving David and Felix behind. I smiled at my brother even though his eyebrows were furrowed. "Come with me... I'll take you and I also want to see Dalia." I said. He didn't move at ï¬rst but immediately came over to my car to get in. David just stared at me and waited for me to say something. "You kiss Jay-jay."