Chapter 314 - Last Enemy

Jay-jay's POV

What's the proper angle for a slap? Does the person I'm slapping need to be facing me? Or can it be from behind?

My hand has been itching to slap Mayo for a while now.

"Stop it!" Kit shouted at him.

"I told you it's just a scratch."

"Don't move too much." The nurse said, attending to Kit.

Mayo kept crying, as though it was the end for Kit, even though he only got a scratch compared to the security guard, who was already in the ambulance, heading to the nearest hospital.

"I'm scared!" Mayo replied while wiping his face.

The nurse looked at them, probably confused by their behavior. "What's your relationship?" She asked while covering Kit's stitched wound.

Mayo glared at her sharply. "We're father and son."

Crazy.

The nurse seemed to realize that Mayo didn't want to share any personal information and remained silent. Kit thanked her before getting out of the ambulance and walking over to us.

Mayo was holding their matching white polos, now stained with blood. He draped them over his shoulder to cover the remaining blood that clung to his inner shirt.

I was grateful for what he did because, honestly, I felt like I might throw up from the sight of all the fresh blood.

"Are you okay, Kit?" I asked as they approached.

"Yeah, what about you?"

"I'm fine. I'm not hurt."

I answered, but they didn't seem to believe me.

Do I look like a joke to them?

Kit sighed and looked at me with concern.

"We know about your blood problem. Phobia isn't something to joke about, Jay." Mayo said.

I couldn't blame them. They saw the fear I had earlier. I couldn't even help Kit. I couldn't even ask for help. I just stood there, as if I wasn't allowed to move.

"Even so. This is the second time."

Kit put his arm around me with his uninjured arm. "Don't worry about it. This isn't your fault."

I forced a smile and nodded. But honestly, I had a strong feeling that I was involved in the shooting earlier. Right in front of the school, where there were so many students. It felt like they didn't care if others got hurt. And why did it happen just when we were at the gate?

I looked at the man approaching us. His eyebrows were furrowed again. He always looks like that. Probably because Ella is so far from him.

"Hands off." He told Kit, so Kit was forced to remove his arm from around me.

I turned to face my brother, Horoscope. "What did the police say?"

He pointed to David, who was still being questioned by the police. He was the one who clearly saw the car and the exact moment the idiot shot at us.

But one thing was clear.

The security guard wasn't the target.

My brother faced me again. "They believe the security guard was the target."

Nonsense. I wish they had shot or killed Manong Guard a long time ago. He never leaves the Guard House. Even when it's not his shift, he still comes in. Then he just sleeps or plays Mobile Legends.

"You didn't tell the truth?" Calix asked.

"What if they trace this?"

Aries turned to him irritably. "Do you know your enemy? He's probably not just anyone, considering he managed to rain bullets on us. If we tell the police..." He pointed to the officers behind him. "It's not for them."

"You're right, but they still need to know." Rory interjected. "I know someone—"

Aries immediately cut him off. "It's better not to use influence. Like I said, you don't know your enemy." He looked at me. "You might have just gotten caught in someone else's fight." Then he started walking away.

We watched him walk off. He was probably going to get his things so we could head home. Because of the incident, the students were sent home early. Only we, the witnesses, were left to talk to the police.

"David's done." Ci said, and we looked at David walking towards us.

He forced a smile and looked at all of us. "Are you sure no one else is hurt?" he asked as he came closer.

"My butt's hurt." The response came from—who else? The same brat.

At least he still had energy.

We all sighed before walking back to the classroom. We were going to grab our things and head home. It's probably better if we let the incident rest for now.

As we got closer to the building, I noticed Drew walking towards Kit. I saw Mayo stop, so I also stopped. I knew they weren't okay yet, so I couldn't help but worry that their fight might continue here.

"You shouldn't have saved me." Drew said irritably.

Saved me?

Kit straightened up seriously to face him. Mayo quickly stepped forward to approach him, but I was faster in grabbing him to stop him.

"Let them talk first." I said quietly, and I was thankful when he listened.

We both watched Kit and Drew. Kit still looked serious, and it seemed like just one wrong move from Drew would cause him to get punched in the face.

With a little hair-pulling thrown in too.

"If I hadn't done that, you'd probably be dead by now." Kit answered.

Kit saved Drew? I couldn't help but glance at Kit's arm, which was wrapped in gauze. Did he get hurt because he tried to save this idiot?

I couldn't help but be impressed by what he did. Despite the harsh words he received from that ungrateful jerk, his care for his friend still outweighed everything.

You're a real Barbie— a true friend.

"And one more thing..." He added, leaving us hanging. "…who's going to pay your debt if you die?"

Drew scratched the back of his head aggressively. "Thanks for the list." He said sarcastically, and I couldn't help but chuckle quietly. "Maybe it would have been better if I just got hurt."

Kit laughed loudly and slapped his shoulder. Drew gave a small smile, and in that moment, I knew their fight was finally over. I thought it would last longer, but it was already done.

I looked at Mayo when I noticed he still wasn't saying anything. Among the chaos, he was the angriest. I won't forget that because he slapped me, calling me an animal.

Instant blush on.

"Hey." I called softly to him. "You're so quiet."

He didn't speak and just waited for the others to approach us. He crossed his arms and glared at Drew.

"What's that? You can't pay, so you're just befriending Kit again?"

I wanted to slap him hard. If I could have pulled that idiot's hair, I would have done it a long time ago. If only he didn't... haiz t!

Does Drew really have to think so badly about making amends? Is his anger from their fight really that intense?

"Mayo, enough." Kit's voice held a threat.

Mayo didn't respond and quickly walked back to the room. The three of us exchanged glances, all of us understanding why he was acting that way. It seemed like we needed to extend our patience a little more.

Mayo is really something, June, July, August.

We all walked back to the room together. Most of the students had already organized themselves and were leaving. They all said their goodbyes and reminded each other to be careful and head straight home.

I organized my things before zipping my bag. I slung it over my shoulder, and David, Felix, and I headed out of the room almost simultaneously. Ci-N, on the other hand, was ahead of us, still pestering Drew.

"When Keifer gets here, tell him about Drew's debt." Felix said.

I immediately grimaced. I heard something unpleasant.

"Why should I do that?" I asked, irritation in my voice.

"All of Drew's debts to us, Keifer paid them off—except for the one with Ci-N." He explained.

"Why are you still charging him?"

"Maybe so he won't get used to it. And also, so he doesn't borrow from us again." David added. "Drew's a good guy, he's just stubborn sometimes, but you can rely on him. He just has a lot of problems."

I nodded. What he said was true. But it really seemed like this fool was struggling with money. He could stop gambling, but it looked like he was just addicted to it.

"If he didn't gamble, he wouldn't be in debt." I commented.

"That's what we told him." Felix replied, laughing. "But all he says is, 'That's why I gamble, to have money to pay off my debts.'"

It's almost the opposite.

I didn't know Drew's life story. I didn't want to speak badly of him, but sometimes it's frustrating. And gambling is never the answer to paying off debts.

I didn't say anything else and continued walking. Ci-N still wouldn't stop demanding the 8 pesos. David just shook his head at how stubborn the brat was.

"You're still charging for 8 pesos?" Drew said, annoyed.

"Every penny counts! Especially when it's missing eight!" Ci screamed back.

It was clear they were about to fight. I didn't know whether to feel sorry for the brat who couldn't pay or for Drew, who couldn't even pay 8 pesos.

Jeez! My 5k just walked out because of embarrassment.

David quickly ran to them to separate them. When he grabbed Ci by the collar, Drew sprinted away to escape him.

"My 8 pesos! Give it back!" The brat shouted, but the money was already long gone.

We all just shook our heads at their behavior. Ci looked like he was about to cry while David held him by the collar and neck.

"He's the one you should have grabbed." He said with a smirk.

David released him. I glanced at the car parked nearby and noticed that Horoscope and Ella, the queen of malice, were leaning against it. It looked like they were waiting for me.

"I'm leaving, that's my ride. Take care, okay?" I said to them, and they nodded back at me.

I was rushing to catch up with them because it looked like a storm was coming for my brother. Ella was beside him, but I don't know why he still looked the same.

Maybe he has a stomach ache.

"You're so slow." He greeted me with annoyance.

I scowled at him. "Then be fast."

He threatened to hit me on the back of the head, so I quickly raised my arm to block it. Luckily, he didn't follow through because that would've hurt.

"Still answering back. Get in." He ordered.

I just glared at him before getting into the passenger seat. I would've liked to sit beside him, but of course, Ella, the drama queen, would sit there.

She was sticking so close to him. I might as well let her sit on Aries. They're practically attached at the hip.

You'll separate eventually! No forever!

I didn't realize the car had already started moving. I was still glaring at the two in front of me. Thank goodness, this guy didn't catch me, or I might have lost my eye.

"So, did you grab it?" Ella asked, making my eyes widen.

I heard Aries' soft laugh. I wanted to hit both of them. They just had to remind me.

"Answer J ay." Aries' command made my nostrils flare.

"N-n-no... I didn't grab anything."

Why am I stuttering?

I heard Ella's laughter, which irritated me.

She was so amused, she might as well feel bad for me.

"You didn't grab Aries' thing?" She asked further.

I pouted subtly. These two wouldn't leave me alone. Maybe she wanted me to remind her of what she said about Kei—

Hmpf! Bad words.

"No. I'll just grab Kei's instead." I said without thinking, and suddenly the car stopped.

Since I wasn't wearing my seatbelt, I slammed into the backrest of Aries' seat before falling onto the floor.

"Aaaarrraaayyy! Aries!" I said irritably, slowly getting up.

My head hurt from the impact, and my vision felt like it was doubling. I sat back down, holding my head.

"Careful, Aries. We might get into an accident with what you're doing." Ella said seriously.

"Sorry. I'll drop you off, I just need to beat someone up first." My stupid brother replied, continuing to drive.

I had a feeling I knew what was coming. I prayed for traffic on the way to Ella's, but that's not what happened. I just sighed. I'll think of it as having a good reason for why this is happening to me.

The car stopped in front of Ella's house. The couple even said their goodbyes with a kiss on the lips.

Eww… That's gross.

The car started moving again, but before we could even get far, it stopped once more. Aries removed his seatbelt. I quietly moved to the other side of the seat, as far away from him as possible. I had a feeling I knew what was coming next.

"J ay..." He started, and I got scared. "...you, being a woman and all, saying all these things." He said, suddenly facing me and trying to reach for me.

I screamed, trying to squeeze into the corner of the car, slapping his hand away. He couldn't reach me because I knew the pain he'd cause. My feet were even up, just so he couldn't touch me.

"I won't do it again! I won't say that again!" I said, frantically pushing his hand away.

"You're the one! You're so stubborn!" He continued, not stopping.

Since his arms were longer, he managed to grab my arm. I tried to push away, but his hand slipped and he lost his grip on me.

It all happened so quickly. The force of our tug earlier caused my body to be pushed back, and my head slammed into the window. It was hard enough that even Aries was scared when I hit it.

Shit, I think my skull's broken.

"Shit!" I heard Aries say, followed by the opening and closing of the car door.

I held the part of my head that hit the window. It hurt, and I felt dizzy, but aside from that, I felt something else I couldn't explain properly. I felt... out of it—though I usually do. But this time, my whole body felt out of it too.

I felt the door open next to me.

"Hey... Look at me." Aries commanded.

I looked at him and could say my vision was still fine. He still looked like Horoscope.

My brain cells were still working.

"Are you still dizzy? Do you want to go to the hospital?" He asked, full of concern.

"I... I want..." He waited for me to finish. "I want ice cream."

I saw him frown. He almost looked like he was going to knock me out again to make me sober up. But I was serious, I really wanted ice cream. We had passed a stand with a tarpaulin advertising ice cream.

Aries stood up and closed the car door. I thought he was annoyed with me and was about to go back to the driver's seat, but then he suddenly disappeared.

Because of the headache and dizziness, I couldn't turn my head around to look for him.

I leaned back and stared out the window. Once I was sure I wasn't dizzy anymore, I planned to open the car door and get out to look for my brother, who was up to some mischief.

Does he know how to do Feng Shui?

Before I could even lift my hand, the door opened, and Aries appeared with a plastic bag. He handed me a popsicle, which I smiled at.

That's why he disappeared. I thought he was looking for someone to give a lucky color and number. My brother really can't stand me.

I opened it and devoured it, but I screamed when something cold stuck to my head.

"Stop fidgeting." Aries said while holding the cold thing on my head. "You have a bump."

"Am I going to grow a second head?" I asked worriedly.

"Yes, name it 'conscience.'" He replied sarcastically.

I laughed at him. "Funny. You're not even bald."

He chuckled a bit and continued what he was doing. I went back to eating my popsicle.

We were already in the dark when Aries finished treating my bump. But just like me, his stubborn head wouldn't let it shrink. He handed me the bottle of juice he used. Turns out, that was the cold thing he pressed on my head.

"I remember, you used to always scare me." I said while he was adjusting his seatbelt.

He started driving before answering.

"Really? What did I say?"

"You told me I'd grow a second head if I had a bump. You also said a train would pass over my wound—I even looked for the tracks." He laughed softly. "You also said there was a worm's egg under my nail, and I should suck the blood when I get injured so it goes back into my body."

We both laughed loudly.

I held my head again. I won't deny that it still hurt and I was still dizzy. But what I couldn't understand was why I remembered all those things as if they had just happened yesterday.

We arrived at the house. I immediately noticed the car parked in front. It was familiar, but I couldn't point out who it belonged to.

Aries and I got out at the same time. I went inside first, and Yuri's concerned face greeted me. He immediately stood up and walked toward me.

"Hey, I heard about what happened. Are you okay?" He looked me over carefully.

"I'm fine. How about you? Why didn't you go to school?"

He forced a smile, but worry was still visible on his face. "That's a relief. Something came up, so I didn't go."

"Funny. The perfectionist boy is absent because of something unexplainable? That's new." Aries interrupted as he walked in.

He didn't wait for us to reply and continued walking to his room. I just pouted and looked at Yuri, who was just as awkward as I was.

"He's got issues." I commented, and he laughed.

I dropped my bag and felt a slight dizziness, but I ignored it.

"Do you want a snack? Or you can stay for dinner." I asked him.

"I don't think I will. I just want to know how you're doing."

"You're here already. Stay and eat." I insisted.

"I'm sure I won't be able to eat. I'm sure you'll finish everything." He replied, which made me frown, but also made him laugh.

"Do you want me to pinch your cheek?" I threatened, bringing my finger close to his mouth.

He immediately grabbed my hand and pulled his face away. "J, it's fine." He said. "Alright, just coffee then."

I retracted my hand and gave him a sharp look. I turned to head to the kitchen, but after only two steps, my knees weakened, and my vision doubled.

I thought I was going to fall to the floor, but someone caught me to prevent me from hitting it. I looked up, and Yuri's blurry face was the first thing I saw. He was saying something, but it wasn't clear to me.

His mouth was moving so slowly, it felt like time was dragging. I could hear noises, voices, but they were also slow and unclear. There were people moving around besides Yuri, but I couldn't see them.