Chapter-179 Truth or Dare

Jay-jay's POV

This damn brat. Always causing a scene. But karma sure was quick.

"Rakki! I love you!" Ci shouted while chasing after Rakki.

"Stay away from me! Ugh! You're embarrassing!" Rakki yelled back while running away.

We were just watching them. Even the other people around were just observing and shaking their heads. Those two really know how to steal the spotlight.

We were currently in line. It was lunchtime, and after everything the organizer said— I didn't understand a thing. It was just all about love nonsense. Some even confessed their feelings, but of course, no one could top Ci-N.

"Jay..." David called me while handing over a tray.

I took it and immediately picked out what I wanted to eat. Even from afar, I could already see the roasted pig. Bes! Roasted pig!

It's so juicy!

As I piled food onto my tray, my eyes stayed locked on the roasted pig. And because my hunger was real, I started eating right there in line.

Woooooohhh!! Feast, my friends!

"Why don't you sit down first?" Keifer told me. "...we haven't even left the line yet, and you're already halfway done."

"Why do you even care?" I asked, annoyed.

He rolled his eyes at me and handed me a bottled water. "Greedy."

I ignored him and continued eating. Before heading to our spot, we waited for the others.

Since Ci-N took forever—he was the last one we were waiting for—my food was already almost gone. I really couldn't hold back. The organizer's speech made me so hungry.

"Finally, it's over." Calix said, annoyed.

"Let's go! Let's go!" Edrix urged.

We started walking back to our spot. I had only taken a few steps when, suddenly, my tray went flying through the air and landed straight on the ground.

My food!

"Ooopps! Sorey." Freya said with a grin.

I wanted to get mad at her and charge at her, but the sadness in my heart won over. Sadness because my food ended up on the ground instead of in my stomach.

"Here we go again." I heard David mutter.

I was still staring at the overturned tray. Even though I had already taken more than ten bites—of rice and viand—it still wasn't enough. Especially since there was still food left.

I know that many people in the world are starving. Food shouldn't be wasted. Roasted pig shouldn't be wasted. Did she even think about what that pig went through before it was slaughtered? The preparation it took to make it delicious? It went through so much—oil! Fire! Charcoal! And bamboo!—and all of it was wasted because of Freya, that WRETCH!

I glared at her. "You're an idiot!" I shouted, and her eyebrows immediately furrowed.

"Excuse me?!" she snapped at me, irritated.

"Do you even know how hard that pig worked to get fat just to become a roasted pig?!" I said, pointing at the few pieces of lechon on the floor.

"What did you just say?!"

"The lechon."

"Jay-jay has some deep feelings about lechon."

"...it was almost not chosen because there was an even bigger one! It nearly drowned in extreme sadness!" I added.

Almost all of them were staring at me in confusion, following where I was pointing. I couldn't help but be frustrated.

The lechon!

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Freya asked, annoyed.

"Obviously, this!" I answered, repeatedly jabbing my finger toward the fallen pieces of lechon. "...That's just how you are! Did you even think about how that pig felt when it was chosen to become lechon? Of course, it was extremely happy."

"HUH?!" Everyone around me exclaimed in unison.

Heartless people! All you know is how to eat and eat.

"How do you think it would feel now, knowing that it wasn't even eaten?! That it was just thrown on the floor?!" I continued. "...It would be hurt! But of course, you wouldn't understand because you only think about yourself!"

Everyone stared at me dumbfounded, completely bewildered by what they were hearing. Freya blinked several times before speaking.

"What... the... fvck?!" She raised an eyebrow. "What does anything you're saying have to do with what I did?"

My brows knitted together in frustration. "Connect? There's no connection! No internet, no payment!"

I suddenly felt a hand rest on my shoulder. I looked and saw Ci-N. He was slightly bowing his head, as if sympathizing with me.

"Jay..." he started. "...whatever you're going through with that lechon..." He took a deep breath. "...just eat instead, because we really don't understand."

I was about to say something again, but Yuri suddenly put his arm around me like a chokehold. I glared at him.

"Come on! Stop being dramatic." He said while dragging me away.

I tried to resist, but his grip was too tight.

"Crazy." I still heard Freya mutter.

I had no choice but to walk along with these damn snakes. I wasn't even done yet! I wasn't done rubbing in Freya's face what that lechon went through.

When we got back to our spot, I sat down with my arms crossed, leaning back. My brows were still furrowed as I glared at the Section A group.

You think this is over... Piggy will haunt you.

Someone suddenly handed me a tray of food. When I looked up, it was Keifer, staring at me seriously.

"Why are you giving this to me?" I asked.

"So you'd stop sulking." He answered in a bored tone.

"What about you?"

"I'm full. I ate too much rice this morning."

I didn't really want to take it, since it was his food, and I'd be eating it instead. But I was still unsatisfied from earlier. Freya just had to send my food flying, and now I had nothing left.

"Let's just share." I suggested.

He sighed and sat down beside me. I smiled as I took the tray from him and started eating. After taking one or two bites, I handed it back to him.

It was just like the first time we shared food. We took turns eating. Back then, we were both starving and had no choice but to share.

But why did I share with him back then?

Suddenly, he flicked my forehead. I held the spot and immediately glared at him. That hurt, damn it!

"Ouch! What did I ever do to you?!" I asked, annoyed.

"You're smiling all by yourself." He replied, making me frown in confusion.

Smiling? Seriously! I was just remembering when we shared food, and I smiled without realizing it. What the heck?! So embarrassing!

I just snatched the tray from him and continued eating. Who knows what he might think because of my stupid smile.

After smiling—I mean, after eating, we returned to our campsite. We weren't part of their activity-whatever anyway.

Out of nowhere, Ci-N, Eren, and Calix started running toward Yuri's hammock. We thought something was happening, but they were just racing to see who could get on first.

"I got here first!" Eren shouted.

"No way! Move over!" Calix argued.

"Me! I'll have Jay-jay Barracuda put a curse on you!" Ci shouted, making all the idiots laugh.

That brat!

This kid is so annoying! He just had to remind everyone about that. But in the end, none of them got to lie on the hammock because Yuri walked over and kicked them all out so he could use it himself.

Serves you right! Good for you!

Everyone found their own spots. Some went to sleep, saying they were exhausted because of what I did last night. Others played cards—without betting. Some just sat around chatting, and of course, that included me and Ci-N.

"What did you tell them?" he asked about the school play I participated in.

"I told them I didn't want to. I don't know anything about that stuff." I replied, bored.

"Then how did they convince you?"

"They reported me to our adviser. They said they'd talk to my grandma if I didn't agree."

"Why did they choose you?"

"Obviously… just to get back at me. My classmates are jerks."

"What was the story about?"

"They made it up. It was about a maiden whose beauty never fades. I played the witch version, while the prettiest girl in our class played the beautiful version." I explained with irritation.

I mean, come on! I looked even better than that classmate of mine, yet they picked me to play the witch version. Those bastards!

"Let me guess your line in the play." Ci said with a grin.

I waited, looking at him with a bored expression. He even sat up straight before speaking.

"I am Barracuda, and I need a virgin in exchange for eternal life." He mimicked my lines, which I also heard in the video.

I cringed. He was enjoying it way too much. His eyebrows were wiggling, and his mouth was wide open.

"That's just one line! It was way longer than that. I just forgot the rest."

"What did they say when you went on stage drunk?" He asked again.

"Nothing."

"Nothing? Why nothing?"

"They only found out afterward. When the program ended, I suddenly disappeared."

"Where did you go?"

"To the bathroom. I kept throwing up. The rumor even spread that I was pregnant."

"What did you say?"

"I told them the truth—I was drunk. But no one believed me because they preferred the gossip that I was pregnant."

Ci suddenly burst into laughter, even slapping his thigh. I couldn't blame him. My classmates back then were brainless. Even now, I think they still are.

Cyrus was already my boyfriend at that time. They all thought we were already doing something scandalous. My God! We didn't even hold hands, that jerk and I. He was also the one who brought the alcohol and made me drink it, saying it would help with my nerves.

We talked about all sorts of random things out of boredom. He kept talking about his condo and the cleaner's niece—Veronica, he said her name was.

"...she's younger than me. When her aunt isn't around, she does the cleaning—"

"Why are you even telling me about her?" I cut him off.

The conversation somehow shifted to Veronica, even though I hadn't even met her yet. This kid tells stories in such a weird way. The topic just changes on its own without me noticing.

"No reason." He answered quickly.

"Maybe you have a crush on Veronica?" I teased.

He glared at me. I burst out laughing when he suddenly turned red. Should I tell Rakki about this?

"NO!" He yelled so loudly, as if he was furious. "...Stop that! What if Rakki hears about this..." His voice gradually softened, and he pouted.

I just laughed at him. Guilty! I only asked once, and that was already his reaction. It was just a simple admiration—no big deal. Besides, he's still young.

He started pushing me away like a little kid trying to shoo off a playmate. Instead of getting annoyed, I just laughed even more. He had his head down, trying to hide his face.

"What about Rakki now? There's a Veronica in the picture." I continued teasing him.

"It's just a crush... I'm still for Rakki." He answered with a pout.

So you admitted it after all.

I just shook my head. Then, I suddenly remembered something—the night I had dinner with his family.

"Ci... do you remember what you told me during our dinner with Kuya Angelo and your family?" I asked.

He fell silent for a moment, as if trying to recall. There was no way he could forget. That night, my mind was filled with questions.

He said I should forgive them and that they had done me a great wrong. But he never clarified what it was. That's why, even now, I'm still completely confused.

Suddenly, he stood up and stared straight ahead. I thought something was wrong, so I stood up too, brushing off my clothes.

"Why?"

"I-I just need to go to the bathroom." He said before quickly running off.

It was so obvious he was avoiding my question again. I felt annoyed. So frustrating!

I grabbed my phone and checked the time. We had been talking for almost four hours already.

I saw Felix lighting up the pile of branches in the middle. It was starting to get dark. Meanwhile, Eman was preparing the food. I immediately went over to help him.

"You and Ci sure had a long chat." Eman commented as he handed me the paper plates—so we wouldn't have to wash them and could just toss them into the fire.

"He's so talkative!"

He just nodded and continued with what he was doing. The other Ulupong looked like tourists. They had just woken up from their nap and were stretching like they were on vacation.

While Eman was cooking, Ci-N came running back, panting heavily, looking like he had just finished a race. He was sweating like crazy, struggling to catch his breath.

"What happened?"

"Let's play a game!" He said with a big grin.

"The kid mode is back on."

"I thought something serious happened."

"Just eat your excitement away."

Ci stomped his foot like a little kid. I raised an eyebrow at his antics.

"Come on! I saw them over in the hall! They're playing truth or dare!" Ci insisted.

"Who's 'they'?" Calix asked.

"The ones participating in the activity, obviously."

Oh, right. We were the only ones not joining.

"Come on! Please..." Ci begged, looking at me with puppy-dog eyes.

"O-okay with me. We're not really doing anything anyway." I said and looked at the others.

They all agreed out of boredom. I glanced at the King, who also nodded. Yuri smiled and nodded in approval. The rest just scratched their heads, looking reluctant.

We ate first before starting the game that Ci-N wanted to play. We also cleaned up the area. We sat in a circle around the bonfire.

They took out some alcohol from the cooler. Then, all of them looked at me at the same time and suddenly burst out laughing.

Sure! Just gang up on me.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha." I laughed sarcastically at them.

"It's okay." David said, ruffling my hair before sitting beside me.

"Here we go! Here we go!" Ci-N shouted, making all of us look at him.

He was shaking a bottle of Pepsi, as if he was trying to get rid of its spirit. We just watched him until he opened it and mixed in some soy sauce.

"Hey! Ci-N!"

"That's disgusting!"

"Sala-Ola!"

"Is it gross? Well, this is what you'll have to drink if you don't do the Dare or answer the Truth." He said while proudly showing off the Pepsi bottle mixed with soy sauce.

"You're disgusting. Let's just start and get this over with." Josh said in a bored tone.

"Explain the mechanics." Felix said.

"Here's how it goes..." Ci handed the bottle to Drew, who was sitting beside him.

"...We'll sing while passing the bottle around. When the song stops, whoever is holding the bottle will be asked 'Truth or Dare?'"

"So original." Denzel commented sarcastically.

"Let's start!" Ci said excitedly and sat beside me.

He took out his phone and played some random music. We sang along and even clapped at times.

The bottle was passed around. Some passed it quickly, while others deliberately slowed down before handing it to the next person.

Suddenly, the music stopped, and we all stopped singing. The bottle landed on...

Josh.

"Truth or Dare?" We all asked in unison.

"Truth." He answered quickly.

The person next to him got the first chance to ask. If they didn't have a question, they could pass, and the next person would ask instead.

This game is actually pretty fun!

"Are you gay?" Blaster asked bluntly.

We all burst out laughing. If that's not abnormal... I glanced at Kit and Mayo, but they were just laughing along too. I wasn't sure if they were pretending not to be affected or if they really didn't care.

"No." Josh answered casually.

"Then why don't you have a girlfriend yet?" Drew asked.

"Because of her..." Josh answered seriously while staring into the fire. "...Some of you probably already know."

I don't!

Suddenly, the atmosphere became serious. I had no idea what they were talking about. I hadn't heard much about Josh.

I only knew that he supposedly had a sixth sense or a third eye. He once had a girlfriend, but she died in an accident.

Could that be who he was referring to?

"But... bro. She's been gone for a long time, right? Maybe it's time for you to move on." Felix said.

So she was the one he was referring to. Josh gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

"Easy to say, but hard to do."

None of us spoke. The silence was unbearable. It was like reopening an old wound and pouring salt on it. Even without him saying anything, I could feel the pain he was reliving.

"Just ask your questions so we can get this over with." He broke the silence.

"I-is it true that you have a third eye?" Mayo asked.

The order of questioning was no longer followed. It seemed like the others didn't want to ask anymore. Anyone could just jump in now.

"Yeah..." He answered flatly. "...It seems to run in our family. My sibling, cousin, and uncle have it. Only my parents don't."

Ci-N raised his hand. "What's the most unforgettable thing you've seen?"

Josh suddenly became serious and stared at Ci. As if he had asked the wrong question. Or maybe it was a question that should never have been asked.

"Someone's death." He answered bluntly, sending chills down my spine. "...And I don't want to see that."

Damn! Weirdness level: 10,000.

"Damn! That was creepy." Eren commented.

"I have a question." I said, grabbing their attention.

Josh stared at me. I could see the anger mixed in his eyes. I didn't really want to ask this in front of everyone, but I never got the chance to talk to him privately.

"Why are you mad at me?"

Everyone turned their eyes on him, waiting for his answer. Me included. I knew it wasn't just me who had noticed how he would suddenly become cold toward me.

"It's simple... Our section is being ruined because of you."

"Josh!" Yuri and a few others shouted almost at the same time.

I wasn't hurt by what he said. It didn't affect me at all. I already knew it from the start.

"It's true... You're causing trouble for us." He added.

"Enough!" Keifer's voice echoed.

We all turned to look at him. Whoa! Big bro Angelo, is that you? His glare was directed at Josh, and Josh was looking back at him the same way. This was the first time I had seen Josh look at someone like that. The first time he seemed ready to go head-to-head in a staring contest.

Damn, the attitude!

"If no one has any more questions for Josh, let's get back to the game." Yuri said, and we all adjusted our sitting positions again.

I had no idea where this game was leading us. But I had a strong feeling it wouldn't end without something going wrong.