Ram
Jay-jay's POV
"You're so proud!" Ci said teasingly to me. I kicked him but my feet didn't reach. It's really hard when your legs are short. "Did you just get checked in Math?" Yuri asked. I shook my head before bringing the stick I was holding with the marshmallow on the end closer to take a look. I was making s'mores but we only used a small ï¬re inside the can in the middle. With so many marshmallows waiting, the others couldn't be cooked properly. "He checked the others too. My score is good but I'm more proud of Math." "Great job. Keep it up, you might be the highest of us," David said. "It's blurry," Ci whispered so I hit him with the stick I was holding. Oh my god, that marshmallow. I forgot that something was stuck on the end of the stick I was holding. The marshmallow stuck in his hair. I panicked and immediately took it out of his hair. "Oh, my marshmallow!" "That's disgusting! That's good." The little boy was teasing. I immediately looked at him with a bad look. I'm going to get another marshmallow, it's hard to put it in the ï¬re. I have so many to share with the meager ï¬re in the can. I'm annoyed. This is the fault of the naughty child. I turned to David when he handed me the stick he was holding. "You can have this." I shook my head quickly. "No, that's yours. I'll just warm up a little." I threw away what I was holding. "It's okay, I'm not into s'mores either." David insisted. I just accepted it rather than mess around with it. I immediately grabbed a graham cracker and chocolate coffee table in the middle of us. I was happy when I was able to make a proper s'mores. I faced Ci and envied her what I was holding. Because her marshmallow still wasn't getting soft. She gave me a hard time. Hehe, you're a jealous little brat. "Our ï¬re is so small, when will this end?" Mayo complained. "Be patient, bonï¬res are not allowed with Sir," Kit explained. "The marshmallows get soft quickly," said Denzel, taking pictures of what he was doing. He probably intended to send it to Grace. "You're probably quick, you'll have to take all the ï¬re." Rory said annoyed. Denzel ignored him because he was busy taking pictures of the s'mores he made. He was like a child documenting what he was doing. After all, he probably didn't want Grace to be left out because the mother and son can't go for a walk yet. I miss Baby Grazel. After this, I'll go visit them. I'll just visit and then maybe bring a gift and then I'll eat with them. "Do you want more?" Yuri offered me the stick with marshmallows he was holding. I shook my head. "Why are you giving me what you're holding?" He laughed. "So you can make s'mores quickly. You'll run out if you keep heating yours." He forced himself to give me what he was holding. I just accepted it because he was right. I really would run out especially with the little kid who couldn't wait. He was eating the graham cracker and chocolate while his marshmallow was still in his hand. While we were busy with the handkerchiefs we were holding, Blaster kept on growling. He was like a cow grunting in a corner. He had been doing that for a while but no one was paying attention to him. "Will that stop?" Kit asked. "That's until later. He's crying over his notebook, he left it at the studio he auditioned at," Eren answered and we looked at Blas. He was about to roll on the ground. "Did he try to go back? What's in that notebook?" I asked. "He composed a song. It's all there. Even his acting plans and the contact numbers of his managers and producers are there ," Rory explained and we both felt sorry for him. Shut up, that's a waste. That's why he's grumbling like that. Even I would be lost if I lost everything I worked for. "You're stupid," Drew said annoyed. "You boasted about the chicks before taking care of her things. You've got it, you're a flirt." "You're right!" Blaster replied angrily and roared again. "You didn't try to go back?" I asked him. "I did, but the girl I met is gone. I asked her to hold it." "You didn't put your details in the notebook? Maybe she'll feel guilty and ï¬nd you and give it back to you," Felix asked. "There is, but it's still in the middle of the notebook. She still needs to sort through the pages before she can see it," he replied and pulled himself together. "Oh, you're really good!" Drew said annoyed. "What's that girl's name? I'll try to ï¬nd it," Rory said and Edrix took the phone to help his friend. Blas stopped roaring and seemed to think deeply before facing us. "I don't know. I can't remember." He was cursed at one after another by his fellow Ulopongs. Instead of feeling pity for him for losing his valuable belongings, he received nothing but hurtful words. "You're so flirtatious!" "Since you're so pretty, you trusted someone to hold your belongings?" "You're stupid! You're just a slut!" But I still felt sorry for him. He was always focused on that notebook of his. That's why he often got scolded in class because that was his homework. Once, he and Ci almost fought because of it. We all looked at the new arrival Keifer. He was carrying a plastic bag containing two bags of marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate. "Here," he said and put it down on the coffee table. He sat next to me and wiped the corner of my lips. I told him about Blas' notebook and what we had talked about. It seemed like he already knew about that matter because he just shook his head as he heard that other one's yelling. I offered him what I was holding. "Taste it." He did so and took a bite of the s'mores I was holding. "That's nice." "S'mores are delicious, aren't they?" He shook his head. "No." "What do you mean nice?" He smiled. "To be fed by you." Suddenly, the Ulopongs cursed one after another. Another maid walked out but also came back because she might steal her marshmallow. Okay, act like it. "Tangina, I just want s'mores!" Blaster said annoyed. "I wish I had brought Mica here," Calix said and took out his cellphone to text the guy. "When you're flirting, you should hit him with a stick," Felix hinted while waving the stick he was holding in the air. Is it my fault that your lablyfs are weak? These are already likit. I hope they brought their flirts too. But of course, Kuya wouldn't let them do that. Maybe he'd be jealous. "What did you learn from the ones you reviewed? Besides the ones you answered." Keifer asked. "A lot, I hope I can answer a lot on the exam," I replied. "Okay, let's see what you learned," Ci said, making us all look at him. What did he think? We waited for him to ï¬nish the marshmallow he was eating. When he ï¬nished, he waved his hand. "Game." he started. "How many seas are in Asia?" he asked. I was just thinking about how to answer when Drew suddenly spoke, making everyone's attention shift to him. "Nothing." What nothing? Almost everyone was surprised by his answer. He must have forgotten that the Philippines is surrounded by sea and that we are inside Asia. Damn, my brains are suddenly so smart. "Stupid! What nothing?" Edrix said annoyed. "You're really stupid," Denzel said, about to attack him. "There really is nothing! The spelling of Asia is ASIA. Where's the C there?" He explained angrily. It seemed right. Keifer and David laughed softly. The Ulopongs cursed Drew one after another and Felix almost hit him with the stick he was holding. "He's right, there's no C in Asia." Eren got angry and he was the next one to be beaten. "You're another idiot!" Kit shouted. "Sea, isn't it the letter C? What the hell . . ." Josh said annoyed and just slapped his forehead. "I guess we need to review again," Yuri said while scratching his head. You guys couldn't handle it, right? I'll just laugh but if I didn't review, that's what I'll answer. I'll still be proud when I answer that. Maybe with a matching smiling face and applause. I'm probably the next one they'll call stupid. It's a good thing I reviewed properly earlier. Studying properly does something different. It makes you smarter. I feel like I can perfect the exam. . . in my dreams. "One more thing, I'll ask you another question. Speed up your math," Ci said and we listened to him. "345 x 938?" You idiot, how can I answer that without a calculator? "Fix it!" I complained. "211,240," Rory replied and we were all surprised. It was unbelievable that he could answer math that fast. He's good at academics but he doesn't answer that fast. "Frantic! That's not the answer," Edrix said annoyed. "He said speed up, not hit. You're really stupid !" Rory replied. That's right. I was still struggling to think of an answer. Edrix immediately grabbed the stick from Felix's hand and hit Rory. He ran away because of the pain and the other one immediately chased after him. Come on, they don't think like me anymore. Does this mean that my brain has leveled up? Just kidding, I'm still ull of nonsense in my mind but I really need to ï¬x it now because this is no longer a joke. Also, Kuya was right in what he told me. My only enemy in studying is myself. I think about food more often than my lessons at school. I don't want to use the things that happen when we mess up as an excuse because there are more days when we're okay. I have many opportunities. But I also don't want to blame myself, because there are things that I can't control. Maybe that's what I should do, discipline myself ï¬rst for the situations that I can control and for the ones that I can't, instead of crying, just think of another solution. We're going to college , I can't carry this attitude. Come on, bitch. I'm amazed at the way my mind is running. Is this adultery? We looked at the door when we heard Sir's voice. "Time to sleep," he said while carrying a box of blankets and pillows. "Bye, Jay!" Ci shouted but Sir quickly agreed. "It's not possible, Angelo's orders are strict. Jay will sleep in our guest room upstairs, while the rest will sleep here." Ci and I both got annoyed. But it seemed okay because we might both stay up late chatting and teasing. We still need to be on time tomorrow. We can't be late because we're with Kuya or he might even ï¬ght the Ulopongs. There's no choice but to be rude. "Me too?" Yuri asked while pointing at himself. Keifer slapped him on the stomach. "Probably." They were already arranging their beds. They would sleep outside here . Sir had prepared big fans and electric insect killers. I helped them for a moment but when Sir called me to come in, I was forced to say goodbye. When I got inside, Ma'am Cindy seemed to be waiting for me. I followed her when she called me. She took me to my room. But I was wrong, this was Keiren's room. My things are here too. "Let me know if you need anything," said Ma'am Cindy. I thanked her and took my things to take a bath. The room had its own CR so I didn't have to go out. I laughed when I saw some children's toys in the bathtub . After doing my bathing ritual . . . Deep in the ritual. It was like a witch's spell. Hello, I'm Barakuda. I made my bed. I even took my cellphone to chat with the Ulopong's gc and say goodnight to them. I must have been tired and fell asleep on my own even though I hadn't adjusted my blanket yet and the light had been turned off. I must have had my eyes closed for a few hours, feeling warm. I felt someone adjusting my blanket. I tried to open my eyes but it was already dark in the room. Then I left. I was about to go back to sleep when I heard the voices of Sir Alvin and Kuya Angelo. "She's asleep," said Kuya. "Congratulate her when she wakes up. She was able to study well," said Sir. "Praising her is like praising the ï¬sh for swimming." What did she say? I was taken aback, because I didn't understand. But it was clear to me that she didn't want to congratulate me like Sir was telling her. She's hard to please. I just wanted to feel that she was somehow happy to know that I was able to study well. "Still, she works hard. She deserves to be congratulated." It was Ma'am Cindy's voice, which I thought was coming closer to them because of the footsteps I could hear. "Don't talk there. The child might wake up." She added. "Whatever," Kuya just replied to them and looked like he was walking away. "I'll sleep in the living room. I'll keep an eye on someone in case they suddenly arrive in the guest room without me knowing." Who was that? I'm in the guest room. Is he thinking of letting me in here while he's sleeping? Who would do that? I can't help but think of Kuya Angelo. Percy is right, it seems like what he's doing is just pushing me away from him. I don't think about leaving him but it seems like every move he makes creates a high wall between us. He really needs someone to make him happy. He's getting old. I'm back to sleep. I feel like I've been sleeping because it's morning when I wake up and I can already hear the voices of the Ulopongs. "I don't want to jog!" Ci-N complained as if she was screaming. "All of you, get out now. Exercise!" Ma'am Cindy shouted at them. "Can I at least say good morning to Jay-Jay?" Keifer asked. "No." Ma'am answered quickly. I've heard many complaints from other Ulopongs. It's because they're being forced to exercise outside the house. I know most of them don't like to exercise in the morning. Only at school do they not want to move when we have class with Sir. I got up when I heard the door close and they went silent. It seemed like they were all outside. I went straight to the bathroom to wash and clean up. I also grabbed a change of clothes. I was about to chase them. After that, I ran straight to the kitchen to drink water. I stopped when I saw Sir and Kuya drinking coffee while talking . "Good morning," Sir Alvin greeted me. I greeted him and my cousin too even though my resentment towards him still hadn't subsided . After drinking the water, I quickly ran outside to chase my friends. There was only one road here so I knew that was the only way they took. But it seemed like they had already gone far because I couldn't see them anymore. I just ran and ran until I was out of breath. I guess I should have had breakfast ï¬rst. My stomach was starting to rumble. Calm down. Breakfast will be later. I rested for a moment. When I regained my strength, I ran again. Those Ulopongs were so fast that I couldn't catch up with them. I was stopped when I saw a vehicle coming. It looked like a pick -up truck with many passengers in the back. Maybe that's what they were. That's why the crazy people were rushing, they had already done their service. Where was the exercise? They stopped not far from where I was standing. I was about to approach but I was stopped when the passengers got off. They weren't my friends . The Ulopongs weren't covered in tattoos. They weren't trying hard to be cool either. And they didn't look like they were unkempt. I was completely overcome with nervousness when a familiar person got off the shotgun seat . I knew he was very angry with me. It looked like he was here to take me away. Ram, who had no jam. "Sweet," he said and smiled. I slowly backed away. I should have run but my knees were shaking. "Aren't you going to greet me? Don't you miss me?" He asked teasingly . "Maybe you've forgotten me?" I couldn't answer. I wanted to scream for help but I was shaking and elt like someone was choking me. I could ï¬ght back but I couldn't handle his companions. One of them grabbed something from the back of the truck. I softened when I saw a bag of baseball bats, pipes, and wood. There was no time to stare. I couldn't handle those. I was alone. Keifer. "Why did you forget me?" Ram asked, searching. "I, I didn't forget you." He pointed to his nose. " My nose is broken." He pointed to his teeth. "I lost my front teeth." He pointed to one eye. "I almost went blind in one eye, all because of you." It didn't seem obvious. He still looked the same to me the last time I saw him. This just wasn't the right time for me to look at him. "Is that it? Just one girl? You called us all for one girl?" One of them asked irritably and pointed at me with the cane. Ram laughed. "That's Keifer's girl. I thought you wanted to get even with her? This is your chance." The man shook his head. "I don't hurt women. But to get even with Keifer? I'll smash his face." Putangina, don't do that. There's no face to smash. I swallowed. I backed away again. I need to think of a way, I can't just run after them. The Snakes aren't here. I don't know how far they are but I'm secretly praying that they'll come back. I could run back home but what's the point of Kuya Angelo and Sir Alvin against so many. But they're my only option right now. "Aw, she's turning pale," said Ram, seemingly feeling sorry for me. His companions laughed. I just need to think of a way, you're going back to the hospital. Ram took a step closer to me, making me step back. He stopped and they laughed. He tried to come closer again, but this time, I ran back to the house. I heard their loud laughter again, but then their boasting followed, so I knew they were also running towards me. I sped up my running. It didn't help that my stomach was empty. Breakfast in the morning was really important. I couldn't turn around to look at them, but I could feel them approaching. My suspicions were triggered when I heard one of them. "Hurry up! We'll catch up with you!" he shouted, and they screamed. I didn't know if I could handle it. I knew I would catch up. So I had no choice but to scream, even though I wasn't sure if anyone would hear me. "KUYA! HELP!" I did the wrong thing. I was even more out of breath from screaming. I was even more tired. I should have just saved my energy for running. I could already see Sir Alvin's house. Even though I knew I shouldn't have brought them here, I had no choice. I was already out of breath but I shouted again. "KUYAAA!" I wish you could hear me. I was about to stop running because of the tightness in my chest but when I saw Kuya and Sir in front of the house, I had hope. I ran even faster as if my life depended on running. "Jay!" My cousin called me angrily. I cried as I got closer to him and hid behind him. "Kuya, it's Ram." I reported.He faced Ram's group who had stopped a distance from where we were standing. "Leave!" Sir Alvin shouted at them. "This is a private property." My teacher sounded like a different person because of the way he spoke. He also looked like he would hurt those in front of us if they made a mistake . He was also a former Section E student . "Are we going to jail? Might as well go to jail for the right reason. . . murder." Ram pointed at me. I held onto my brother's shirt tightly. He blocked one of his arms from me. "Get inside and lock yourself in the guest room," my cousin whispered to me. "Now." I tried to move my knee even though I was shaking. I ran into the house and as I closed the door I heard a series of curses and the hitting of pipes and baseball bats. I wanted to stop and look but fear was eating me. I went straight to the guest room and closed the door like my brother had ordered. I also looked for my cellphone. I immediately called Keifer but the only answer I heard was check operating service. I have no load. Great! I just sent a message to the group chat. My hand was shaking so I didn't know if I was pressing the right keys. I sent the message but I was stopped when I heard a voice from outside the bedroom door. "Let's just go through the bedrooms one by one."