Chapter-367

Family talks

Jay-Jay's POV

I was shocked after the injection
was inserted into my hand again. Because of the chaos earlier, I didn't realize that it had been pulled out
again. It only hurt more because it wasn't completely removed, with half of the needle still in my vein. "If it's
removed again, we'll put it in the other hand," the nurse said while taping the needle with surgical tape so it
wouldn't move. She also added more so it wouldn't be easy to remove. She also looked annoyed because my
injection was removed for the second time. "In "Just put the serum on your neck to calm down," said Kuya
Angelo annoyed. Is there any serum on your neck? I was the one who was embarrassed because of what he
said. The nurse looked scared of him because she quickly cleaned up the things she used and walked away
without looking at us. Keifer was standing next to me, just staring at me. Sir Alvin and our classmates left
first. Percy was also with them but he said he would be back soon. "Stop it, Angelo," Tita Gema said to him
before approaching me. She was smiling at me at first but it disappeared when she noticed my neck. I
immediately bowed. I had been complacent earlier, I thought the mark on my neck had disappeared because
the Ulopongs weren't saying anything. "What happened there?" she asked and held my chin so that he could
look at me better but I dodged. She immediately faced Kuya. "Angelo?" "What?" replied Kuya. "Why is Jay-Jay's
neck like this?" There was a hint of threat in Tita's voice. Keifer raised his hand to get her attention. "It was
done by my... f-father." The way his father said it seemed like a warning. Tita Gema's expression immediately
changed and so did Mama, who was busy cleaning up the mess on the table. Aries also seemed alarmed. I
didn't tell the truth that Keigan did it. I didn't want to tell her because they might think differently about Keifer's
brother. He was going through something. "How did that happen?" Mama asked and threw the plastic bag she
was holding on the table before coming over to Tita's side. "Long story short, he tried to take my youngest
brother but I think Jay-Jay tried to stop him and he hurt her," the King of Cobras explained . I winced. That's not
what happened but I can't argue because he might be called a liar too. I could see Mama and Tita Gema's
concern. They looked at Kuya as if they were waiting for him to give an explanation but they just shrugged.
"Why are your brother and Jay-Jay together?" Aries asked Keifer. "He was also hospitalized and stayed here
with Jay because of - " "Food poisoning. They're the same as Jay-Jay," Kuya interrupted his answer. They
exchanged glances before Hari nodded and accepted what my cousin had said. I understand that we can't say
the real reason why we were hospitalized. It's hard to lie when we have different stories. "Don't you think that
you're harming my child," Mama suddenly said, really surprising us all. "Jeana," Tita Gema stopped her but she
just pushed her away. "Mom," I said to her but she ignored me. She even tried to approach Keifer but Kuya
Angelo stopped her. "It's clear that this is just a family problem so my child should be out of your trouble!" Her
tone was angry as if Keifer was the cause of all our problems in life. I held Hari's hand and she looked at me
or a moment. "This won't happen again. I was just really hurt." "Not really. Because it would be better if you
two just stayed away. Just avoid my son so he doesn't get caught up in your problems with your father," she
continued. I couldn't help but get annoyed by what she was saying. When did she become a model mother? It
was clear to me that I would really be ruined but Keifer didn't want that. Even Kuya knew it but he didn't talk to
me like that. "I'll just take Jay-Jay home to his grandmother." "That's not a good idea, he's safer if he's by my
side," replied the person next to me and Mama seemed to get even angrier at her. "Safe? You're the one who's
bringing him into harm's way!" "It's like you didn't disrespect me," I replied to her annoyed. "Weren't you the one
who married the men who hurt me?" They fell silent. Keifer's grip on my hand tightened as if he was stopping
me from speaking further. I just couldn't help myself . What he was saying was so hurtful. People are already
struggling with their problems and then he adds more hurtful words. "Don't do that, don't talk like your ideal
mother," I added. "Jay," Kuya Angelo scolded me. Mama moved away slightly to turn away and wash her face
with both hands. All my resentment towards her was starting to come out again . I don't know why but
whenever she did something that made me angry, it was like all the bad things she had done came back to
me. It was like a list, when something was added, all the previous lists automatically went back. "Jay . . ." Tita
called me as if she felt sorry for us. "Keifer, go outside first," Kuya ordered. I didn't want to let him go. I knew
they were just helping me here. I held his hand tightly. I faced him while shaking my head repeatedly. "Let him
go, Jay," Kuya ordered me. I was forced to let him go. I smiled to say, everything was fine. But I couldn't accept
that. Keifer left the room like they wanted. And I was right because it looked like they were planning to help
me. Auntie immediately came over to me to be by my side but I immediately lay down and covered my head
with a pillow. Mama's sermons continued, repeatedly saying that I was stubborn, that it was as if I was thirsty
or a man and couldn't be separated from Keifer, that I was the one who really wanted to be destroyed, if I
dreamed of chasing death I almost answered a little. I don't know why she said these words because she was
okay with Keifer before. With so much she said, I didn't realize that I had already fallen asleep. When did my
Mom's sermon turn into a lullaby? I woke up when I felt someone adjusting my blanket. When I opened my
eyes, Aries was the one who looked at me. Our eyes met so I immediately pulled the blanket up to my neck
and turned to avoid him. I heard the toilet flush followed by the door opening and closing. Whoever came from
the CR seemed to be expressing resentment because of the foul smell that was emanating. "No one is
coming in. It's deadly," Percy's voice sounded like he was still happy with the smell he was releasing. "Fck.
That smells like a rotten corpse," Keifer complained. "The smell makes my head hurt," Yuri's voice said. "Open
the door and get that smell out of here," my brother ordered. Someone opened the door but it didn't take long
because there were people outside complaining about the smell from the bathroom here. I simply covered my
nose. The smell was so bad. I know my breath stinks but it's not like the events inside his earthly body were
so disgusting and he only decided to come out now because he was waiting for the right time. Someone
opened a window and they forced the smell out. I felt my stomach and body ache because of the smell. I
immediately got up and fanned myself to get rid of the smell around me. Why did the smell seem to stick?
"Are you okay?" Yuri asked me as he came closer and pinched his nose. I shook my head. "The smell hurts my
nose and head." He took the pillow from behind me and used it as a fan to quickly get rid of the smell. I even
used my blanket. "Maybe we should buy air freshener," Keifer suggested. " Okay, buy it," Percy said but Aries
immediately pushed him away. "You bought it. This is your fault, so you should be the one resolving this."
Percy walked out, looking disheveled. He kept snorting but stopped before the door could be opened. "You're
not going with me?" he asked hesitantly. "NO!" "NO!" "NOPE!" The three of them answered in unison. He held
his chest as if hurt. He turned to me. "You just come with me, Jay," he pleaded but Keifer immediately stopped
him. "You can do that. You're a grown up man." "Grown up? I'm still a kid. I'm only 2 years old," he denied and it
got me thinking. What 2 years old? Kupal! "Yeah, 2 x 10," Aries replied to him. "I'm still a baby. Aren't I your
baby?" He suddenly snorted and started kicking like a child. I wanted to slap him for his behavior. He looked
like a baby in a daze. Yuri and I just looked at each other as if Percy was also embarrassed by what he was
doing. My step-brother stopped what he was doing when someone knocked and the door opened. A male
doctor and two nurses entered. I wanted to be ashamed of them for covering their noses. The smell Percy had
given off still hadn't gone away. Yuri left my side after putting the pillow back behind me. He wasn't the Doctor
who had been looking at me since I arrived. "How are you, Miss Mariano?" he asked me before approaching
me and gently touching my jaw so I could look up. The other nurse, on the other hand, looked at my dextrose.
"I'll touch your neck," the doctor said in greeting but I looked at Aries and Keifer who suddenly came over to
me. They looked at me before giving the doctor a stern look. I slightly shifted my eyes to Yuri's behavior but he
too looked at me as if he was ready to pounce. What's wrong? I suddenly felt a lump of dirt on my neck. I
could feel his hand but it wasn't as painful as the last time I felt it. "If you rate the pain from 1-10, how painful
would it be?" he asked . "6 or 7 please," I answered. "How about now?" I was surprised because it seemed like
he was just holding my neck but I didn't feel anything he was doing. There was a little pain but it wasn't too
bad. "1 or 2 please," He let go of me and took the chart from the nurse next to him. "Your pain tolerance is
different, you're still young to experience that," he said, making me wonder. "Please?" "Your feeling of physical
pain either delays or you have a high tolerance." I nodded as if I understood what he was saying, even though I
really didn't. I just pretended not to embarrass Doc, it's a pity if he was the only one who understood what he
was saying. Yes, it's really a pity. "I guess it's because I fight so often," I said jokingly but he shook his head. "I
doubt it's because of the fights," he looked at the chart he was holding. "Could be because of a trauma. There
are cases of trauma altering a person's pain perception. Although there's no proper study and it's nothing but a
theory, we still can't say for sure." Of all the things he said, only one stood out to me. "Are you saying I had a
trauma to cause that pain?" He closed the chart and turned to face me. "No. That's not what I'm saying." He
pointed to my dextrose. "That's the last time after that you can remove the IV." He turned to face me again.
"When was the last time you drank water?" I shook my head. "Not yet, they told me it wasn't allowed yet." "Your
chart says you were given the go signal to drink and eat earlier," he pointed to what he was holding. I was
stunned. I was allowed to drink earlier, but if Brother stops me, it's like I'm asking for illegal drugs. Just water.
"My cousin said . . ." "Angelo? Don't listen to him, he's not a doctor. I don't know how he became CEO, he's an
idiot," he said without holding back. Brother? Stupid? "That's really coming from you, Lucius," Keifer
commented to him. The Doctor, whom he called Lucius, just laughed.I looked back and forth between them. I
also looked at Yuri and Percy who were also looking at them. It was obvious that they knew each other. He
also seemed close to Kuya Angelo because he had the nerve to tell my cousin that. Tiger and Sir Alvin
wouldn't tell him that. Lucius laughed. "What do you expect? I'm a Peralta after all." He handed the chart to the
nurse next to him. "Just tell Angelo to come to my office, we have something to talk about." He looked at me
and smiled. "You can go home tomorrow." He turned and walked away. A nurse gave Aries some things before
finally leaving after Doc. As soon as the door closed, I immediately interrupted them with a question. "Who is
that? Why does he know Kuya? Why did he call Kuya stupid? Is that Ci-N's relative? Why did he look at me
today? Why wasn't the Doctor yesterday?" I asked one after another but no one answered them. Aries went
back to fanning the air out the window. Yuri, on the other hand, made my bed. Keifer was about to walk away
but I grabbed him. "Answer me first!" I ordered angrily.
"That was Angelo's batchmate. He also had a fight, I just don't
remember what they fought about. I think he's a distant
relative of Ci. I don't know why he looked at you
but the Doctor probably wasn't there to take care of you yesterday,"
he replied and sighed as if he was tired of what he had done. Was he out
of breath?
"Brother and I had a fight, that's why he had the guts to say
something like that."
I thought they were close friends. It was more than just his friendship with Sir
Alvin, it turned out that he had a fight.
"I'll buy you some food, anything you want?" he asked.
I was about to point at the food on the table that Percy had brought earlier but
I immediately withdrew my finger when I saw that there was nothing left but
trash and food.
Wow, it was gone so quickly.
"Beef pepper stake," I said and smiled.
He smiled at me too. He came closer and was about to kiss me on the forehead
but a pillow hit his face.
"This room is so dusty," I heard Yuri say behind
me and dusted my bed.
It felt like the weight of his dusting was shaking the bed every
time he hit the mattress with his palm. He was so angry at the dust.
Hari glared at him. I thought he was going to retaliate but
he just lowered the pillow on my bed before smiling at me and saying goodbye.
He called Percy to come and get him.
"Buy some air freshener," he told my step-brother.
"You can do it yourself. You can do it."
"BUY IT!" Yuri and Aries shouted at him at the same time.
Percy got angry and started walking after Keifer.
He was like a child who couldn't get what he wanted. Hari was forced to
pull him by the collar.
When the door closed, the three of us fell silent. Yuri rearranged
my bed.
"Okay, you can go back to bed," he said and smiled.
I smiled at him too. "You look so tired,"
He fixed his hair before wiping his face. I only just
noticed that he wasn't wearing his glasses. He bent down and I couldn't help but
notice the color of his hair. They're different!
You know the red color that was obviously just dyed and the real
redhead like Scottish or Russian. That's the color of
his hair, playing with the fake red that I've always seen in him, and
the real redhead.
I tried to reach for his hair but it seemed like he noticed
my intention. He immediately dodged and looked at me in surprise. It was like I
had germs that needed to be avoided.
"Why? What's wrong? Is there something in my hair?"
he asked in a panic.
I wanted to wonder about his reaction. I only intended to
touch his hair but why did it seem like there was a problem with his scalp. I remembered
Keifer's reaction when I once tried to criticize
his best friend's hair.
Keifer's reaction was as if he was stopping me from picking at or
asking anything about Yuri's hair.
Are you hiding something in your scalp?
"W-No, it's just dusty," I replied but I knew he didn't
believe me.
His hair wasn't as golden as gold but if
he could avoid it, it was like he was avoiding being robbed of dandruff. Will I be able to get
it if I get it? Maybe the lice on his scalp would be happy because
he values his hair.
"I will j-just clean my hair," Yuri said goodbye and walked out of the
room. I thought he was going to the CR but I remembered that Percy's demon from deep inside
was still there . It would have been better if he had fixed his hair inside. I fanned my hair with my hand. The air
conditioner had lost its coolness because of the open window. I looked at Aries when I noticed he was looking
at me. We immediately avoided each other. He just kept fanning the air out the window. It still smelled bad but
I could bear it. My Step-brother's stomach was as bloated as a rotten animal, as if he had hidden a rotten
animal in his stomach. "Go home," Aries said without looking at me. Who was he talking to? Did he have an
imaginary friend in the window? I didn't answer and just snorted. Why would he send his new friend home ?
That's scary. "I'll just stay in Kuya Angelo's unit." I knew he was referring to me. But I still didn't answer. I'll stick
to my thinking that he had a new friend that I couldn't see. "I'll talk to Kuya, so I can get your things." Okay Jay-
Jay, he's not talking to you. "Go home. You'll be more attentive there," he continued. But I still continued not
answering him. I don't know how long I can keep from talking to him. But I have to cope. It's better this way. I
don't want to add to the pain he's already experienced. It seems like he's also noticed my avoidance. He took a
deep breath. "I know the truth Jay," he said and I barely looked at him. He stopped what he was doing and
aced me. I wanted to leave the room. I felt like I knew what he meant by the truth. Are there no choices? Truth
or dare? Why does he only say Truth? "You remembered that night? The night we both suffered from that guy?
He kidnapped and attempted to separate us then things happened," he was calm while saying that but I didn't.
I immediately covered both my ears. "DON'T REMEMBER!" I shouted at him. Everything came back to me. A
dark room, lots of things scattered, even the smell of the place, broken glass and flowing blood. And him...
Aries on the floor holding the wound. I don't want to think about that anymore. I don't want those things to
come back to me. I don't want to remember them anymore. That's why I don't want to see Aries either, apart
rom the shame and conscience I can't help but see his face in that situation. The look on his face as he
struggled to breathe. I couldn't take it. I didn't want those things to come back to me over and over again. I
immediately stood up and was about to run outside but he grabbed my arm. I tried to struggle but he had both
my shoulders in his hands. He turned me to face him. I immediately burst into tears. "I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean
to. Believe me, I didn't mean to stab you," I said and was about to kneel down to him but he stopped me. I
could see the shock and worry on his face but my conscience got the better of me. "How far do you
remember? But Kuya Angelo said . . ." He couldn't finish what he was saying. I couldn't understand what he
was saying. I just kept crying and apologizing to him. Because of me, he will have to suffer for the rest of his
life. He won't even be able to move properly. I'll mark him for the rest of his life. "I-I don't want to do that . . . I
have no control . . ." He stared at me for a long time while listening to what I was saying. I thought he was
angry because he still didn't say anything until he slowly hugged me. "Sshh . . . I'm not angry. Big Brother isn't
angry with you," he whispered to me. But I knew that my apology to him wasn't enough. I knew that he should
still be angry. He was free to scold me, curse at me, and humiliate me. He should just scold me. He should
just not accept my apology. My crying got louder because I felt like he was being too kind to me. And me? All
he was doing was hurting him