Chapter-178 Baracudda

Jay-jay's POV

I hate tight spaces. I hate the heat. I hate mud—huh?!

Wait, isn't that a line from a movie?

Damn it! I woke up feeling extremely cramped. I was drenched in sweat. Even though I didn't want to open my eyes yet, I did—and instantly regretted it as a headache shot through my skull.

Curse this hangover!

I never learn. I keep drinking even though I know it means waking up with a splitting headache in the morning.

Damn it! It feels like my head is being cracked open. I tried to reach for my head with my hand, but for some reason, I couldn't move.

I forced myself to look at my hands. And just like that, my senses snapped wide awake when I saw the reason.

I WAS TIED UP!

Son of a damn sushi chef! My hands were tied on both sides of me. And on top of that, there were two arms draped over me.

My heart pounded wildly. I didn't want to turn my head to either side—I could already feel their breaths against my neck.

Just from their arms alone… I knew.

It was so hot! My whole body was practically drenched in sweat. I could barely breathe in this position.

Even though I didn't want to, I slowly turned to my left. His face was so close to mine that if I moved just a little, we would kiss.

"K-Keifer." I called out to him.

The idiot didn't even budge—he was completely knocked out. I carefully turned to my right, and the situation was exactly the same.

"Yuri." I called out to him too.

He didn't move either. I was seriously sweating like crazy. I tried to shift my body and bump into them. A loud groan came from both of them, and they slightly moved away.

"Wake up. For the love of god! My tent is tiny, and you both squeezed yourselves in here." I said in irritation.

Yuri was the first to wake up and sit up. He yawned before turning to me.

"Good morning." He greeted me with a smile.

"Good morning to you too. Maybe you'd like to untie me now?" I asked sarcastically.

He looked at my hands. I thought he was about to reach for the knot, but instead, he just nudged Keifer. He did it multiple times before the other finally woke up.

"What?!" The so-called King asked Yuri, annoyed.

"Should I untie this one now?" Yuri asked.

He asking for permission?!

The damn King looked at me before smirking. "Not yet. This is a rare opportunity."

What opportunity?!

"Are we doing it now?" Yuri asked.

Doing what?!

"We could."

What exactly?!

"Won't people outside hear us?"

Hear what exactly?!

"Cover her mouth so they won't hear us."

My head whipped back and forth between them. I had no idea what they were talking about.

Yuri smirked and leaned his face closer to mine. I was getting seriously weirded out.

"Jay… don't get mad, okay?" he asked, making me even more confused."…we're now—"

Son of a—!

"WHAT?! YOU GUYZ ARE CRAZY!" I yelled while desperately trying to free myself from the ropes.

Suddenly, both of them burst into loud laughter. That's when I realized—they were just messing with me! My eyebrows almost fused together in frustration.

Yuri untied me, and as soon as I was free, I sat up and immediately punched both of them in the arm.

"Ow…" Keifer complained, rubbing his arm.

"You animals!" I snapped before storming out of the tent.

The relief was instant. It was suffocating inside, and having three people crammed in a tent meant for two only made it worse.

I was about to walk toward the jug to get some water when I noticed their reactions.

What the hell was up with these weirdos?!

They all moved away but continued staring at me. Some were hiding behind trees and their tents. Ci-N, on the other hand, hid behind David.

"What's wrong with you guys?" I asked.

No one answered. Suddenly, someone tapped my shoulder. Yuri walked past me with a smirk.

"That was your last one. No more drinking." He said before getting some water.

Holy cow calabao!

What the hell happened last night?! I got drunk—I know that! But what happened after?! Here we go again.

Another hand patted my shoulder. Keifer passed by me with a grin as well.

"Nice…" he said as he grabbed some water. "…Barracuda."

Shit!

Flashback…

"Alululululululululululu!!"

Loud laughter erupted as they watched me in front of the bonfire.

"Go Jay-jay!"

End of Flashback…

I could only cover my face in utter shame. I knew it! Damn it!

I heard Keifer and Yuri laughing again. I shot them both a glare. They didn't even have to say anything—I knew they were laughing at me.

My eyes landed on Ci-N, who was still hiding behind David, peeking out every now and then.

"Ci-N…" I called out, about to approach him, but he immediately stepped back while still clutching David.

"D-don't come near me."

I scowled. "What's wrong with you?!"

"Hide me, David!" he shrieked.

David just let him hide behind him. My face was full of confusion because of their reactions.

I turned to Eman, but before I could even say a word, he ran off. Josh did the same, but not before shooting me a death glare.

"Hey! What the hell is wrong with all of you?!" I asked, but no one answered.

"You went on a wild trip last night." Yuri said as he handed me a bottle of water.

A bad feeling settled in my gut. I think I already knew what I did.

Oh, crap.

"By the way, who is Barracuda?" Keifer asked.

"H-huh?"

"Last night, you kept saying you were Barracuda."

My eyes widened. "U-uh... that's... a character I played in our school play... back then." I answered almost in a whisper. "...I was so embarrassed that I went up on stage drunk."

That was also the first time I ever tasted alcohol. Yuri and Keifer burst into laughter. I turned to them, confused.

"Congratulations! You portrayed your character very well." The King smirked, clearly enjoying himself.

Argh! What the hell?!

"What exactly did I do?!"

I noticed Felix slowly approaching me, hesitating. He took out his phone and tapped on it for a moment before handing it to me.

Another video?!

I pressed play. The footage was shaky, almost dizzying to watch, but I had to endure it to figure out what I had done.

There was loud shouting. The person filming was running around, making the whole video chaotic.

"I need a virgin!" A voice yelled—my voice?!

I wasn't visible in the video, so I couldn't confirm if it was really me, but I had a strong feeling that it was.

"I am Barracuda!" I screamed again.

This time, I was sure it was me.

"Shit! Jay's losing it!" That was Calix's voice.

There was a brief silence, and the camera kept shifting angles like it was searching for something.

"Jay-jay's missing! Did anyone see him?" Felix whispered.

"Aaaaagghhhhh!!"

That was Ci-N! The camera immediately focused on him.

"...Jay-jay is going to kill me!"

And there I was, chasing Ci-N—holding a... knife?!

"Ci-N! Hide!"

"Hurry, Ci!"

"Ci-N! Play dead!"

Suddenly, both Ci-N and I disappeared from the frame. The camera shifted around again.

"Where is he?!" Felix asked, sounding worried.

The camera focused on the bonfire. A few moments later, I appeared, looking like I was searching for something.

"I need a virgin! I need a virgin! In exchange for eternal life!" I chanted over and over.

I felt weak just watching myself in that video. The things I was saying—they were the same lines from our old school play.

I looked like a complete idiot!

"Eman! He's still a virgin!" Blaster suddenly shouted in the video, followed by roaring laughter.

"Damn it, Blaster!"

"Eman! Run!"

Once again, I disappeared from the screen. That's when I noticed that Felix seemed to be hiding because he wasn't moving from his spot.

A series of screams echoed from somewhere off-camera. Felix pointed the camera toward the source of the noise, just in time to capture Edrix, Eman, Rory, Eren, and Josh running for their lives.

4o

"Here's Josh! He's still a virgin!" Eren said while trying to push Josh forward.

"You idiot!" Josh shouted at him before they all started running again.

I thought another chase was about to begin, but suddenly, Keifer and Yuri appeared carrying a rope. They immediately ran toward me, wrapping the rope around my entire body over and over.

A loud round of applause erupted from the idiots, and they all began approaching me.

"Burn the witch!" Ci-N shouted, only to receive a hard smack on the head from David.

That was where the video ended.

I was beyond embarrassed to face them. No wonder they had been so scared of me.

"We didn't sleep at all. We were too scared of you," Felix said as I handed him back his phone.

"Sorry," I said.

I turned to Ci-N, who was still trying to hide behind David.

"Ci... I'm really sorry."

"Please, Jay... Just don't get drunk like that again," David added.

"I won't... I'm really sorry."

Slowly, Ci stepped out from behind David, looking down as he faced me.

"Can you..." he started, and we all waited for what he was about to say. "...brush your teeth first? Your breath is scarier than last night—ouch!"

I smacked him hard on the head. His face turned serious, like he had something important to ask, and then he says that?!

Unbelievable!

Frustrated, I stormed back to my tent to grab my things. I was going to take a bath, even if it was still early. Damn that Ci-N!

"Where are you going?" David asked.

"Taking a bath!" I yelled back, still walking away.

I nearly sprinted toward the bathroom. I had to hurry—what if I missed breakfast? You guys know how it is!

Idiots.

Since it was still early, I was the only one in the bathroom. I had it all to myself! Nice! I even had the right to sing whatever song popped into my head.

Oh yeah!

I started showering while singing my heart out.

"🎶...Baby you don't have to rush

You can leave your toothbrush

At my place... At my place.

We don't need to keep rush

You can leave a toothbrush

At my place... At my place.

Stuck in the limbo—Aaaaggghhhh!!"

Son of a—! Someone suddenly pulled open the shower curtain! That thing was practically the cubicle's door!

I grabbed my towel in a flash and covered myself, pressing my back against the wall.

"Are you deaf or something? Can't you hear your own voice?" Freya asked irritably.

Yeah, yeah! I get it—I sound like a frog!

"H-how was I supposed to know someone else was—aaaagghhh!"

I screamed again when I saw everything.

The crazy woman wasn't wearing a single thing! Her hair was soaking wet, with traces of shampoo still in it.

I immediately looked up at the ceiling. Sure, I was a girl too, but... Damn it!

"What?! Can't look at my gorgeous body?" she teased.

I didn't respond. I tried to close the curtain with my foot, but Freya's hand was blocking it.

4o

"...Or maybe you're hiding something?" she added before suddenly yanking my towel.

I held onto it tightly, nearly slipping as I struggled against her. Damn it! She's about to see something she shouldn't!

"FREYA!" I shouted, still fighting for my towel. "...You damn lunatic!"

This girl is seriously annoying! I thought she wouldn't stop, so I sighed in relief when she finally let go.

"You're no fun," she said, annoyed.

I glared at her, but my anger slowly faded when I noticed her eyes were swollen. She also looked drowsy—or rather, she looked drunk and high.

Is that why she's messing with me?

"W-what's y-your problem?" I asked awkwardly while staring at her—at her face!

Don't look down!

"It's boring here," she said, eyeing me from head to toe. "...As if there's anything worth seeing. And here you are, covering up like crazy!"

"W-what the h-hell?! Just g-get out of here!" My face felt like it was burning.

Damn this girl! Does she have nothing better to do in life? And how can she just flaunt her body like that? She must have no shame.

But in fairness... she does have a great body.

She just smirked and walked away. I kept my eyes on her, but then something caught my attention—something shiny on her ear.

I wasn't sure, but it looked like an earring. It gleamed for a moment and then disappeared.

It felt familiar.

Before I could think more about it, I quickly shut the curtain and finished my shower. She might come back and mess with me again.

After showering and brushing my teeth, I headed straight back to our campsite, feeling fresh. I couldn't risk hearing another comment about my terrifying morning breath.

When I arrived, they were already eating breakfast. Pffft... They didn't even wait for me.

"Come eat, Jay!" Calix called out.

"Food is what truly gives you life... just not eternal life," Rory teased, laughing.

Damn it! Was that supposed to be a reminder?!

I dropped my things in the tent and went to Eman to ask for food.

He handed me a plate but was still frowning at me.

"Hey... I'm really sorry," I said, forcing a smile. "...Sorry."

"Tsk! Last time, seriously. You're never drinking again," he said, annoyed.

"O-okay. Just peace, alright?" I said, raising two fingers in a peace sign.

He smiled and shook his head. "Fine."

I finally grabbed some food and sat beside Ci, who was acting all dramatic while telling a story.

"Barakuda! Barakuda!" they all started calling me, laughing.

Damn it!

I glared at them. "I'm going to throw this plate at you!"

"Alululululululu!" Drew shouted, making them laugh even harder.

"You demons!"

"Enough of that!" Edrix scolded them. "...Or she might cook us over the fire."

"Hahahahahaha… Witch!"

Damn it! I thought he was stopping them to make them shut up, but turns out, it was just so he could get his own joke in. These snakes never change.

They kept teasing me while we ate. Afterward, one by one, they left for the bathroom to take a shower since we had to attend another program. Lunch would come after that, then we'd just hang around again since we weren't part of their whatever activity.

This retreat is so meaningful. I can really feel it!

Rory and Edrix were the first ones back, so I went with them. The others would follow later. Just like yesterday, we took our usual spot at the back.

I glanced over at Section A. They were laughing so loudly. As usual, Ella and Aries were off on their own. Mica was chatting with others, but it was Freya's group that was the rowdiest.

"Barakuda! Barakuda!" someone shouted while running.

Who else could it be?!

Just once. Just one punch to this kid. That's all I ask! Just one solid punch, and I'll be happy.

"Move over! That's my spot." he said, shoving me aside.

Look at this little brat. He pushed me so hard I almost fell forward. I glared at him, but he just grinned at me.

Damn punk!

The others arrived soon after. The organizer spoke into the mic, and everyone quieted down. They started with a prayer again.

"Watch that one over there. She might fall asleep again." Blaster said loud enough for me to hear, making everyone laugh.

"Tch! I won't fall asleep!" I snapped at them.

We all turned to the front as the organizer cleared their throat, trying to get our attention.

"Let's talk about something that everyone can relate to," the person with the mic said. "...Something very common and well-known in this world."

I know this! I know this! Money!

"...Love."

Ugh, boring.

Suddenly, Ci-N stood up with both hands raised and yelled,

"THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS FOREVER!"

Everyone immediately turned to look at him, followed by loud laughter and applause.

Oh, for fuck's sake!

"Wooooh!"

"Hahaha..."

Even the organizer ended up laughing. I glared at Ci-N, but he looked proud of what he did.

"...BUT RAKKI AND I DO! I LOVE YOU, RAKKI SAN DIEGO!"

I smacked my forehead. This guy is something else. This is going to be a long, long day.

As always!