Chapter-315

Returning


Jay-jay's POV


"Pay me!" Ci-N shouted at Drew.
Drew scratched his head violently before reaching into his pocket.
He took out a peso and handed it to Batang Kumag.
"Oh there! Next time it's 7." He said then turned away.
Jusme! He only paid me eight pesos.
This guy has had a hard time in life. It's a good thing
he already paid me his due for the day. 5 pesos.
"Jay." Yuri called to me. "Let's go later?"
"I thought you were going for a walk?"
"I can postpone that for you."
"Taray, I hope everything is postponed." I said and he laughed.
"Where are you going?" Ci asked who suddenly appeared in front of
us.
Yuri and I were still together, surprised by him. His eyes
and nostrils were still wide as he looked back and forth between us.
"You seem like a good person." I commented but he ignored me.
"Where are you going? I'll come with you."
I quickly grimaced. He couldn't come with me. I looked at
Yuri to ask for help but he obviously couldn't think of anything.
I motioned for him to talk to Batang Kumag. Luckily,
he got what I wanted to say right away.
He got serious and straightened up. "Sorry, but you can't
come." He said, as if I saw the old Yuri arguing
with me.
Ci looked like a child who was embarrassed. I thought he would be angry with us but
he didn't react. He approached David who was currently sleeping.
He pushed him weakly to wake him up.
"Oh?" David's voice was irritated.
"Yuri is fighting me. Fight me." He sounded like a childish command.
I wanted to laugh at the way they both looked. It was obvious that
the other one didn't care because he immediately went back to the padudok to sleep.
"Hey David! You're defending me! I thought you beat Gulayat?"
Ci-N teased him.
Yuri simply grabbed my hand. I looked at him and
he motioned for me to go out. I simply followed him
while the two were busy teasing each other.
"Why?" I asked him.
"Buy us. You're free." He said as he swung our hands
together.
I laughed lifelessly at him. He smiled sweetly at me which
ended up laughing.
That's how it should be!
I prefer to see him smiling. Even though he doesn't want to admit that
he has a problem, I can see it clearly in his expression. But
I prefer if he tells me what's on his mind.
We walked to the cafeteria without letting go of
each other's hands. It was like we were besties walking in the park.
Swinging and swinging.
And because of what we were doing, we couldn't help but be greeted by
gossipy eyes. Some were even smirking and seemed disgusted with me. There was also no
shortage of people taking our pictures.
Go ahead! Take some more photos!
"I'm beautiful." I whispered and Yuri looked at me in surprise. "They're jealous
of my beauty."
They laughed softly. "Of course. You're beautiful." He said, making
my smile widen. "But I'm prettier." He added while
parting his long, curly hair.
I winced and immediately punched him in the stomach. He stopped and
bowed down while flinching from my punch.
"You and Kit are sisters." I said and he still managed to laugh despite
the flinching. "When was that?"
He straightened his legs while still holding his stomach. He stretched
while wincing.
"What? Answer."
"When you fucked me. I just pretended to be a sister." He said while
flashing a silly smile.
My eyes widened as I couldn't believe what he said. I
was already stunned.
"There's still a way for me to be Yuri's handsome self again."
He said and snorted.
"What are you? Are you crazy?"
My reaction to him was a mixture of annoyance and laughter. "Just one. Just a quick one." He said laughing
and made the snort
even longer . I was about to hit him but because of his appearance, I just laughed out loud. Even he laughed
too. Our simple teasing like this makes me forget the real situation. That there's another threat to our lives.
That there's another enemy waiting for us. That even though I don't want it, someone is slowly peeking into my
memories. That no matter how Yuri smiles and laughs, I know he's in trouble. This simple laughter and teasing
is all we could have done to enjoy life here at school, but there are people who are really like Dimunyun and
happily ruin other people's simple pleasures. "Did I think they were Watson?" "Oh girl, that's really flirty." "Long
hair. She'll get pregnant right away." "Maybe she's a rich bet." Our laughter was cut short by the gossip that
seemed to be deliberately made us overhear. I just sighed. I told you, they're jealous of my beauty. "Just ignore
it." Yuri said. "Who should I ignore?! Those Chimpanzees we're talking about now?! Those monkeys whose
nostrils are getting bigger from gossiping?! Those Orangutans who are so thirsty for attention?! Is it them? Is
it them?!" I deliberately tried to be loud to let those bright monkeys with lip tints hear that they would make
judging without any basis even more ugly. Yuri scratched the back of her head. "They're leaving." I smiled
sweetly. "Good." I said and walked towards the cafeteria. Yuri followed me. I could only shake my head at the
people we met who looked at us strangely. It's a good thing they have so much time to waste thinking about
our things. I'm jealous! Even if I wanted to scold them all, my tiredness with them would be wasted. They are
the type of people who can say a lot about anything their fellows do. Even breathing oxygen would be bad for
them. When we entered the cafeteria, the noisy and chaotic students greeted us, but I didn't pay attention to
them. What's on the menu, Kumare? I almost stepped into the line in my haste to glance at the menu. It's a
good thing Yuri pulled me and brought me to the right line "Don't mess around." He ordered while holding both
my arms. "Wait a minute. I can't see the menu." I said while trying to look at the menu in front of me. "There
should be a menu here. It's hard to look up." I complained. Add to that the long curly hair of this woman in
ront of me was blocking my view. I could smell her conditioner that looked so lovely. "You're so small that you
can't see me." I was taken aback by what she said. I faced her and hit her but she dodged. I was about to do it
again but she grabbed both of my hands. I tried to dodge and because of the flirting we were doing, I
accidentally bumped into the girl in front of me earlier. "What the hell?!" The girl said in a low voice that made
us both stop. Why did we meet here? The girl who looked like a coloring book again because of the thick
makeup turned to face us. I just winced when our eyes met. She took off her wireless earphones and crossed
her arms. "Seriously? You're flirting in no particular place?" Freya said to us annoyed . I quickly averted my
ga
ze from her. I didn't move either and moved slightly away. I hugged Yuri and whispered. "Let's go buy
something." She looked at the line. "Don't worry, the line is already long." Freya snapped her finger in front of
us. "Am I a ghost? How dare you ignore me?" I turned my head to face him without looking at his face. I
couldn't help it and it might just irritate him even more. The conversations he and Aries had on Chat still haunt
my mind. The way he asked Keiâ€"kwanan for money. The things he did and said to her. It hurts me every time I
think about the King of Cobras being involved in what's happening to him. Isn't it enough that they're exes?
Isn't it enough that they're already together? Should Keiâ€"kwanan still be involved? I can still miss their past
together but getting involved in each other's present, oh my! That's another story. "We didn't mean it. It won't
happen again." I said lifelessly. He didn't say anything so I thought it was okay but when I looked up I saw he
was staring intently at Yuri. I looked at the person next to me and felt him holding my hand. Freya's gaze
dropped to our hands and she laughed bitterly. "You already have Keifer and now you still have Yuri. Wow. Just
wow." He said sarcastically and left. Wow, magic sing. Yuri and I looked at each other. Neither of us had a clue
what was wrong with him. We just went back to the line because it seemed like a lot of people were angry at
our scene. We both remained silent until we could buy food. I lost my appetite because of what happened so I
only bought three burgers and a can of coke. "Yuri..." I called to him while walking. I didn't know if it was right
to ask him this but he was the only one I knew who had been with the King of Snakes longerâ€" of course they
were besties. I trust him so I felt comfortable asking and telling him about my problem. "Do you know that
Keifer gives Freya money?" I asked and based on his reaction, he knew full well. "Jay... Becauseâ€"." "You don't
need to explain. I just need an answer." I said and continued walking. But there was something else bothering
me. I stopped walking again before biting into the burger I was holding. I turned to Yuri who was currently
drinking a coke. "W-why?" He asked in surprise. I chewed the contents of my mouth carefully before
swallowing it and speaking. "Do you know the man Freya is crazy about?" I asked. I saw his reaction soften
slightly, which was replaced by surprise. "Crazy?" He asked again. "You know that word again! There's a man
in her life who still has some right!" I said annoyed before taking another bite of the burger. He shook his head
as if he really didn't know what I was saying. I almost threw the burger in annoyance, but luckily I immediately
remembered that food is more important than annoyance. I thought he knew something because besides
Freya being a sela, he was also the one who got the hang of itâ€". I stopped again when I thought of something.
They say that Freya was a different person then than now. Far, far away. She became like that because she
was passed around by friends. What if Freya had still had self-esteem? She wouldn't just give herself to a man
she didn't.... "Too expensive." I didn't realize I said it while staring at Yuri. Aries's messenger came back to me.
How could he think she might be pregnant, the date at that time and the events in our lives at that time. I was
still engaged to Yuri but there was Keifer making a sceneâ€"it was fake. Are they still seeing each other? "Too
expensive? You're mine?" He said jokingly and laughed. I laughed even though it was obvious he was trying.
"Rice is so expensive, it's hard to eat." He ruffled my hair before putting his arm around me. We walked back to
the room together. I wanted to clarify what I was thinking but I might offend him. I chose to remain silent even
though I was very upset. I had almost finished what we bought when we got to the room. That was a good
thing because someone would probably steal my food from me. I caught Ci-N still teasing David but still
ignored him . Our lunch break was almost over with them doing that . The class went smoothly all afternoon
but something else was running through my mind. The possibility that Yuri was really the guy Freyangot was
crazy aboutâ€"Freya was angry. I almost didn't realize that our last class was over if Yuri hadn't approached me
and hugged me. She smiled sweetly at me. I smiled back but not as sweetly as she could give. I packed my
things and walked with her. "Be careful!" Edrix said goodbye before walking out the door. "Be careful tooâ€"." I
couldn't finish what I was going to say because Ci-N suddenly grabbed my thigh. "I'M COMING!" She shouted
loudly. David and Yuri quickly came over to separate her from me. "What?! Let go!" I shouted while trying to
untie her. Because of the tightness of her grip, I almost fell. I just barely managed to grab the door frame to
get my balance. "Hey! There's a tarsier!" Josh laughed and pointed at Ci-N as he passed in front of us. Maybe
you want to help? David slapped the Batang Kumag's arm and hand just to get him to let go. He looked hurt so
he tried to fight back . "It hurts! It hurts!" He shouted while hitting back. Yuri took the opportunity to grab his
arm. David did the same to his legs. "Waaaagggg! I'M GOING WITH JAY-JAY!" He shouted as he slowly pulled
away from my leg. I almost cursed loudly when I saw the scars on my leg and thigh from his clinging. "I'm
going with you. Jay-jay. I'm going with you." Ci pleaded repeatedly and started to cry. David grabbed her from
behind so she couldn't catch up. "Sorry, it's really not possible." I said and forced a smile before quickly
running away. Yuri followed me, running even faster, thanks to her long legs. We only stopped when we got to
the parking lot. We were both panting from exhaustion and the hot weather. I wasn't even 18 yet but my body
was in my 70s. I also held my hips while gasping for air. "I'm tired." He said before taking his car keys. "Have
you said goodbye to Angelo yet?" "Yes. He said just be careful." I answered. He opened the car door for me. As
I got in, he immediately closed the door and went around to the other side to get into the driver's seat. "Did you
say goodbye to Aries?" He asked again before closing the door and starting the car. I nodded but I couldn't
hide the fact that I had a problem saying goodbye to Aries. Because of what happened to me yesterday and at
the hospital, he couldn't help but think that it might happen again. He said I might hyperventilate again. It
would be good if that was all I experienced, but maybe not. I could still hear the conversation between Brother
Angelo, Doctor Claudia Peralta, and a doctor who checked my vitals. It wasn't just hyperkems that happened
to me because in just a few minutes, my blood pressure and heart rate suddenly dropped. My temperature
also rose, which scared them. That's why when I woke up, I already had an oxygen mask and some kind of
device. The Doctor explained to another doctor what happened to me at his clinic. I wasn't clear about the
doctor's answer, but I heard what he said clearly. 'Her body might be having some sort of transition. If what
you said is true, the patient has a rare case of PTSD, her body might be affected . I would suggest not to force
her brain to remember, her body might not be able to handle it.' I was afraid that if my memories continued to
return, something bad would happen to me or my body. And what if when all my memories returned, I would
repeat what I do when I see blood? I couldn't help but worry. "Are you okay?" Yuri asked, bringing me back to
my trance. "Oh, yeah. I was just thinking about something." "Do you want to come next time?" I shook my head
quickly. "It's nothing. What I'm thinking isn't important." He didn't say anything more but I knew he was worried.
We were quiet on the ride but he would ask me questions every now and then, which I answered. It took us
less than an hour to reach our destinationâ€" thanks to the traffic. Yuri and I got out of the car together. I looked
around the newly built house. Unlike our last visit, the surroundings were neat and clean. "Does your Mama
live here?" Yuri asked. "Yes, they are with her new husband." I had no answer before I rang the doorbell. I had
two rings before the door opened and Mama appeared, still wearing an apron. "Jay?" He asked as he
approached. He immediately opened the small gate and hugged me. His excitement to see me was obvious.
It took me a long time to return his hug. "Why did you come to visit?" He looked at me and Yuri while smiling.
"Come on, let's go inside. Let's talk inside." He was with us. We followed him inside. Yuri closed the small
gate. Upon entering the house, I immediately noticed the new furnishings. It wasn't like the first time we went
there, which was mostly just a sofa and a table . "Sit down. I'm cooking just like you used to." He said and
went straight to the kitchen. I put down my bag while Yuri sat on the sofa. We looked at each other for a
moment and he smiled as if he was telling me to talk to Mama. Even though I hesitated, I did it anyway. My
eet were heavy as I walked towards him. I really didn't want to remember anything from my past. So even
though the image of Mama that I saw yesterday was bothering me, I didn't plan on asking her that. The reason
I was here was different. "Mom." I called to her while standing behind her. She looked at me briefly before
going back to what she was cooking. " I'll just finish this for a moment." "I want to ask something." "Okay, what
is it?" He answered without looking at me. "Is it true that you didn't know Papa was married when you first
met?" She was stunned and quickly put down the spoon and potholder she was holding. She slowly turned to
ace me, shock and anger evident on her face. "Who did you find out from? From Reycee's son?" She was
referring to Percy. "He didn't tell me anything. Just answer me. Please." She sighed. "Will anything change
even if I didn't know he was married? I still became a hooker." She turned around and went back to what she
was cooking. "Yes." I answered but she ignored me. "What I told you." I said almost in a whisper. I almost didn't
realize that my tears were falling spontaneously. I was ashamed of myself and her when I found out that she
didn't know Papa was married. It's true that she wouldn't change that she became a hooker but she didn't
want that. I was angry with Mama. I felt so bad for her, not just because of her shortcomings. But I'm more
angry at myself because no matter how much I hate him, I still look for him in my mind and heart. That no
matter how much his slaps hurt, I silently ask him to hug me afterwards. Now I realize that there are still
things I don't know about him. There are things that are still not really clear because of the lack of
explanation. And even though I should bury it in oblivion, I still can't because I still need answers. And because
of the memories that come back to me. I'm starting to be afraid that when everything comes back, I won't be
able to handle it and he won't be there because I pushed him away. I'm still looking at Mama's back. I know
she heard what I said and it hurts me now that she's not facing me. "S-sorry." I said calmly but my tears
wouldn't stop . The soft sobs gradually grew stronger. My soft moans grew stronger until they turned into
roars. And the soft apology turned into a plea. "Sorry, Mom. Sorry." I said between my tears. "I shouldn't have
called youâ€"." I felt him violently wipe my face. "Don't cry. Don't apologize. You have the right to be angry." His
oice cracked and even though I couldn't look at him, I knew that his tears were starting to fall. "Stop crying."
"Mama..." I didn't hear his answer. The only way he knew that he was hurting too was by hugging me tightly. I
was ready to give him a chance. If he was also ready to answer my questions.