Real Friendship
Jay-jay's POV
What happens when you don't sleep well? Bangag. What do you call someone who doesn't sleep well? Bangagers. What do people who don't sleep well do? Not in their right mind. "What did you do last night and you're up so late?" Percy asked before drinking my coffee. Yes, my coffee. The thickness of this Blue eyes face. I made him make some coffee so he could drink it too. I looked at Felix when I noticed that he had ï¬nished making their juice. Ci-N was still rummaging through the fridge for something to eat. "Pinched." I couldn't think of an answer. The three of them are already making a fuss. I thought I could rest because it's the weekend and there's no school. But is Ulopong and Tukmol going to follow me this far ? "Here it is, cake." Ci said and took out the boxed cake. Tita entered the kitchen so she immediately saw what Ci-N was holding. "You've already chosen, do you want carbonara? I'll cook it." Tita offered as she approached the little boy. I could see the three of them's eyes twinkling. Especially the greediest one of course. That's not me. "W-don't do it Tita. That's embarrassing." Percy replied while simply smiling. Tita didn't see him because she was busy getting ingredients and pasta. "That's okay. It's been a while since you've visited here. I wish you could have chatted with us for a moment." Tita replied. "We still have chicken here, do you want fried chicken?" I saw Ci-N's wide smile and careless nodding like a broken toy. Even Felix's simple smile didn't escape me. Tita still couldn't see them because she was peeking inside the fridge and seemed to be looking for something to cook. "Have you had breakfast, Jay? There's bacon and ham here. I'll cook it or you too." I stretched slightly. "I'll justâ€"." Auntie immediately turned to face me, full of apprehension. She was about to point out that I was guilty of murder. It's painful for you to look at her. "I-it's probably just us, Manang." She said and called one of their housekeepers. They brought everything they needed and went to the dirty kitchen. When they were out of sight, Ci faced me accusingly. "They still can't move on from what you did." She said and I pouted. Felix and Percy looked at me at the same time. Both were questioning what Batang Kumag was saying so I simply pointed to the once beautiful stove in the kitchen. It was a well-known brand. It had four stoves and an oven. But now it was just a display in the kitchen. Besides that, the mark of my stupidity still hadn't faded. Suuuunnnoooogggg! It was a secret that Ci-N and I would have carried until death. But this kid is too talkative. Even the wall and the adjacent cupboard still have the marks of yesterday's darkness. "Did you burn it?" Felix asked. I frowned. "I didn't mean to." I heard Percy's teasing laugh. I felt like I wanted to pour the coffee he was still drinking on him. "Your role in the kitchen is really just to eat, right?" He said, which made me even more annoyed. "I didn't mean to. That other one! He's just living in that time, if he can order me to cook, he'll cook!" I said annoyed while looking at Ci-N angrily. "You just obey." He replied. "It's embarrassing because youâ€"." "What the hell." Someone's weak comment made us both turn to the kitchen door. It was Kuya Angelo. "Good morning Kuya." I greeted him. "Boss." Percy greeted him. "Good morning po." Felix greeted him. "Kuya!" Ci-N greeted happily. "Good morning too." He greeted us seriously. "You guys are making such a noise . Have you eaten yet?" He asked as he approached the fridge. "Aunt is cooking." I replied. He opened the fridge and took out two chuckies. He closed it and kept walking. He even managed to tap Percy on the shoulder before he could leave. No one moved even though he had already left the kitchen. Until the coffee, juice, and cake were ï¬nished, no one spoke. It was as if an angel had passed by, but it looked like a demon. I won't say it was Kuya Angelo. Just kidding. Kuya is my lab. Honestly, I don't know why these three are here. Kuya woke me up and told me that I had a visitor. I didn't want to get up because Aries and I went to bed early but Kuya might get angry so I confronted him. I only saw Felix and Percy at ï¬rst but when we went to the kitchen, Batang Kumag was already facing the fridge while talking to Tita Gema. And the idiots who were meddling in the kitchen were home and home. They were even better than the owner of the house in looking for something to eat. "Why are you here?" I broke the silence. Ci-N was the ï¬rst to answer. "Felix texted me." Percy immediately turned to them. "I'm telling you. Why did you text me that? That's not needed here." The Little Kumag immediately snorted in anger. "Please! I was worried about Jay-jay, why?" "Worry-worry? Grow up ï¬rst, you little guy!" "Get down ï¬rst, you little guy!" The other replied. Percy quickly stood up. I thought he was going to hit Ci so I grabbed him by the clothes but I noticed him taking off his belt. I quickly covered my eyes. "You're so skinny! I'll show you!" He said while I heard the sound of his belt's metal. "Stop it!" Felix yelled. "Jay? How muchâ€"SUSMARYOSEP!" I heard Aunt Gema shout so I immediately lowered my hands to look. "S-sorry! Auntie! I didn't mean to!" Percy shouted while frantically putting the belt back on. "Oh, that's rude! That's good!" Ci said angrily. "You don't want to stop, that's good for you." Felix said while shaking his head. Auntie immediately turned around and walked back to the dirty kitchen. I quickly hit Percy. He looked at me evilly but I hit him in the back again. "I didn't mean to. I knew he was coming in." He explained. "At least you know I'm not a bag and I have something to brag about." "We didn't see anything." Ci said. "Tita has it. She felt amaze and she can't hold it that's why she called the Holy family." My stupid step brother replied arrogantly while raising his eyebrows. "Kapal." The Little Kumag overheard before walking towards the dirty kitchen. "Oy! Oy! Wait here! You're being a fool again." Felix chased after him. This stupid man left us both behind. I was about to lecture him for what he did but his expression suddenly became serious. "When Angelo contacted me this morning, I got scared and worried. I thought something bad had happened to you." He said with a hint of worry in his voice. "W-why did Brother call you?" I felt like I already knew the answer. Why did he have to call Percy? Can't those things just be between us? It's like my step brother could do something to the dream I had. "Please tell me. If you can't tell them, try telling me. You trust me, right?" He tried to grab my hand but I immediately avoided it. I shook my head. "I don't want to remember." That's enough! "Jay, I know your scaredâ€"." "Don't force me." I said and tears started to form in my eyes. "That's enough. I don't want to think about that anymore." He quickly hugged me when he noticed my tears falling. I cried weakly in his arms. "Sshh... I won't force you anymore. That's enough." "I don't want to remember that. It's scary." I whispered. "We're just worried. It's not good for you to eat it all alone." He explained. I don't know how much Percy knows about my past. But I'm no longer surprised that he knows. Whoever he found out from, it doesn't matter. I just hope he doesn't tell anyone else. I tried to calm myself down. Percy gradually let go of me. He helped me wipe the tears from my face. "I'll let you go now but I hope you tell me next time." He added. I didn't answer and just continued to ï¬x myself. We were both silent after that until Felix and Ci-N came in with food. I adjusted my seat so they wouldn't notice that something bad had happened while they were gone. "It's cooked!" Ci announced while carrying the fried chicken. Felix put down the plate with Ham and Bacon in front of me. "Wow, yayamanin Bacon strips." Percy commented while smelling the ood on the plate. "Penge! Penge!" He was about to get some but suddenly stopped as if he thought of something. "Do you have any sliced bread?" I nodded. "Get some from the cupboard next to the ridge." I ordered Felix. As he turned away, Percy immediately grabbed my hand. He smiled at me as if he was saying 'everything is okay and I'm just here'. I smiled at him too and nodded. Felix returned with the bag of sliced bread. Tita came in next with the container of carbonara. Ci was clapping with joy. "It's ready." Tita said with a smile before putting down the container. "Eat . Just tell me if you want anything else." He was about to walk back to the dirty kitchen when he saw Percy. He quickly came over and pinched the cheek of the one next to me. "Ouch! Tita! It hurts!" "You're still a complete idiot. You haven't changed a bit." Tita's sermon before completely letting him go. I smiled because Percy felt like a puppy who had been bullied. He rubbed his cheeks before biting into the ham and bacon sandwich he had made . Ci and Felix were also laughing. We looked at the door when one of the maids suddenly entered. "Miss Jay, your classmate is here. I've sent him in." She said and David entered with two plastic bags. "David!" Ci greeted him happily after greeting him to get what he had brought. "Ice cream!" "What the hell are you doing here?" There was irritation in Percy's tone. "Visiting Jay. Ci-N messaged me through chat." He answered casually before approaching Tita to shake her hand. Wow, respect! "Good morning." He greeted her. "Good morning too. Let's go join them. If you want something, just say it." I saw Percy's frown. David smiled at Tita before approaching us and sitting next to Percy. Tita picked up plates and ice cream cups for us. "Here we go." Felix said, who had been eating carbonara for a while. David just nodded at him before facing me. "Something bad happened, Ci said. That's why I bought ice cream, your comfort food." He said as he handed over a plastic bag with 1.5 liters of ice cream. Nice! It looked delicious. "Thank youâ€"." "Miss Jay?" Another maid called out. It was different from the one who had brought it to David earlier. "There's someone outside, looking for you." We all looked at each other. Neither of us had a clue who could be looking for me. I stood up and followed the maid to the gate of the house. Outside, two men were standing, each carrying a bilao wrapped in cellophane. "Edrix? Rory?" The two of them turned to me at the same time and smiled broadly. "For you!" Rory said as he handed over a bilao. "Ispabok." "Here, palabok." Edrix interjected. I looked at them both in surprise. "What are you doing here?" Rory replied with a hand on her shoulder. "Ci-N sent a message in the group chat. Something bad happened so we brought you food." Group chat? Son of... "Thank you. Come in, Ci-N is here." I said and they walked in ahead of me. I just winced as I pointed to the kitchen where they were. They quickly entered but before I could take a step, someone rang the doorbell following my name being called. I opened the gate and Mayo, Kit and Eren appeared before me with their left cheek still swollen and their right eye black. They also each had their own bags and containers. I didn't say anything, I just moved forward to let them in. "In the kitchenâ€"." I was cut off from what I was going to say when I saw them move to the dining room. They each had their own. David and Percy were the last to come out, atally punching each other in the side at the same time. "You're being formalized? You're being formalized? I told you not to get involved." I heard Percy whisper to him. David winced because my chubby step brother didn't want to stop him. "Let's go, we ca n't ï¬t in the kitchen anymore." Ci said holding the container with fried chicken. I nodded and followed them. Eren and I put down what they had brought on the table and added it to the food from earlier. There was now a juice dispenser. "What happened? Why did Ci-N get an emergency message?" Kit asked while opening the container Mayo had brought. Percy answered. "It's just a nightmare. That kid is really just an OA ." I breathed a sigh of relief. I still couldn't think of an answer to their question. "You're chubby! I wondered why." Mayo said annoyed but she had already gotten some fried chicken. "Of course I was still worriedâ€"." "Are you here too?" Someone asked. I turned around, Yuri was standing at the door holding two large paper bags. Sushi! Before I could even say a word, Mica and Calix came in, both carrying something. "Hello Jay, how are you? Are you okay?" Mica asked me. "I'm okay. Ci is just a guest." I replied while scratching the back of my head. And since most of the people were already here, I had a strong feeling that someone else was coming. And I wasn't wrong because in just a few minutes, Blaster and Josh arrived and of course they also brought something. I just scratched my head. I just hope Aries doesn't wake up, he'll deï¬nitely be angry when he sees that almost all the Ulopongs are here. Maybe he'll just bump into them. I immediately wondered what Ci had put in the group chat and why they came so quickly. They were already talking and chatting. Percy even managed to mingle with them as if the people in front of him were his age and had been friends for a long time . "Eat." Yuri offered, putting down the plate of sushi in front of me. I stared at his face. His eye bags were deep and his skin tone seemed dull. What's wrong? I touched his face to see if he was sick but he quickly removed my hands. "Did you wash up?" He asked, making me grimace but he smiled. "Just kidding." I grabbed my hands. "Cheers! Eat now." Suddenly, Aunt Gema came in with a new batch of food. The Ulopongs were in a mess and didn't seem to be taking it. "You didn't wait for us." Denzel said, who had just entered. I was stunned when I saw who he was with. Canvas-2. "Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked me sternly after rubbing my stomach. "Your face is big." I continued to answer. I noticed Denzel's gesture to me as if he was telling me to be quiet. It's true that she had grown bigger due to pregnancy. But even so, I can see that she is not struggling and is really taking care of herself. This is how blooming is. "I'm so embarrassed by your face." She replied. She took the food her husband was holding and put it next to what Eren and her family were bringing. I noticed Denzel following her every move. Is the door closed? I patted her. "It won't go away. You can keep an eye on it." She scratched her neck. "It's not like that, I'm just worried." I just nodded. After all, who wouldn't worry about a pregnant wife. I looked at the table and there was almost no room for the amount of food they brought and that Tita Gema was giving. We even had more than enough ood prepared for the ï¬esta . I was only worried about one thing. The food Eman brought. I was sure she would make up for it because she hadn't cooked for us in a while. There was lechon. And I was right because Eman was carrying a whole lechon when she entered the kitchen. I just held my forehead. I couldn't handle the ood they brought. Am I going to be hanged tomorrow and I have to consume this much? But I can't help but smile. It's so nice to watch their laughter. Teasing that no one should have. I just sighed. We're almost complete. Except for him. "There, Jay. You have a lot of choices. Choose!" Kit said "You can't be hanged. We've already brought a lot." Blaster while holding a plate. "Maybe....Jay." Denzel said and smiled. "You can forgive us all for what we didâ€"." I didn't let him ï¬nish. "I forgive you. It's been a long time." I saw their faces light up. They almost screamed at the same time. I turned to Yuri who was smiling at me. "I thought you told them." "That should come from you." He replied. They were just continuing to celebrate when Brother Angelo suddenly entered. They literally fell silent and were barely able to speak. Brother clearly didn't know what to say. Before, there were only a few of them, but now there are many. "Eat, Kuya." Ci said, pulling him closer. Are you close? Kuya let himself be carried away and now he was sitting down. The Ulopongs immediately took care of him and offered him food. I just laughed because he couldn't refuse. Add to that the fact that these idiots were already close to Kuya Angelo. I was just watching them when Aries came in next. I stood up because of the intensity of his eyebrow clash. He almost cursed loudly. "Don't talk anymore. Just sit down and eat." Kuya threatened so nothing came out of his mouth. Percy immediately approached him. "You're here, Baby." He pulled him closer. Aries immediately threw a punch but he just laughed. He hesitated at ï¬rst but he also sat down and shared in the food. The celebration continued. The noise, the chaos and the mess but I was happy to see the people close to me and my friends here. We were complete.....I hope so. I don't want to think about him because he did something wrong to me but I can't help it. You're just a man.... You're so sweet to uck. "Hey! Keifer! Video call!" Edrix shouted and I looked at them. He held his cellphone up to make sure he could catch us all. I suddenly felt nervous. I glanced at Aries who was also looking at me. "Keifeerrrr!" They shouted at the same time. I simply looked and almost cried when I saw that he was still lying down and wearing a hospital gown. ["Hey, what's the gathering for?"] "For Jay-jay. We were worried about him and he orgave us." Edrix answered holding the phone. ["So, she forgives you. I wish she could do the same to me."] The little Ulopongs oohhhed at the same time. "Get well and go home. He's being processed here." Percy interjected and I immediately looked at him with a look of disdain. You Blue Eyes, you animal. ["Who are you?"] Keifer asked, making Felix and Ci-N laugh out loud. "You don't recognize me, I'm so handsome?" ["Oh, so much air. Percy indeed."] Felix and Ulopong's laughter grew louder and was now joined by another Ulopong. They talked for a few more minutes about what they could talk about. I admit, I wanted to hear that he was looking or me but until the video call ended I didn't hear that he was looking for me. I felt Yuri's hand on my hand. He smiled at me as if he was telling me that everything would be okay. Hopefully it would be.