Chapter-316 Group Chat

Jay-jay's POV

I didn't get an answer from Mama. As much as she could, she would avoid my questions about Papa. Eventually, I got tired of asking and just fell silent.

I went home still without any clear knowledge about her and Papa. So I had nothing to answer when Kuya asked me. He might think Yuri and I just went on a date.

I wanted to ask Tita Gema, but ever since we got back from the hospital, she had been speaking less to me. There were even times when I felt like she was avoiding me. It crossed my mind that maybe she was upset because I told the doctor about my situation regarding Mama and Papa.

"Tita..." I called her in the morning before leaving for school.

She looked at me and smiled. "Take care, Jay." She was sending me off immediately.

"O-okay."

I gave an awkward smile and slowly turned around. I walked outside and headed straight to Aries' car. He was already inside, obviously waiting for me.

"Slowpoke," he remarked.

I didn't say anything or respond. I wasn't even at school yet, but my body already felt exhausted. On top of that, my mind felt like it was floating again. There were so many things I desperately wanted answers to, but I had no one to talk to properly.

Just like the question: 'Which tastes better? Chicken or pork belly?' Who could I even ask about that? I couldn't ask the Ulupong gang since all they did was eat. I needed someone with a refined taste.

"You got nothing, didn't you?" Aries asked, snapping me back to reality.

"She won't answer. Looks like she's still bitter about Papa."

He chuckled. "What is she, a teenager? Still has feelings?"

I laughed too. "Maybe."

Our soft chuckles turned into loud laughter. What we were saying didn't make sense anyway. I mean, Mama was about to get married, and Papa was silent with his original wife. So it was more absurd than a flood to think they still had feelings for each other.

But… what if they did?

The car stopped briefly at a red light. But our eyes kept moving, following the person crossing right in front of us.

"Is that Andy?" Aries asked, still staring at the guy.

I looked carefully. "That jerk Andy, it is!"

The bastard! He wasn't even married to Mama yet, and here he was, crossing the street with a college girl in his arms.

"Follow him!" I shouted at Aries.

"What for?! Just let him be!"

I glared at him. "What do you mean, let him be? You idiot! Your future step-dad is cheating!"

He gave me a disgusted look. "Don't include me in this. He's only your stepfather."

He started driving again, heading toward school. I could do nothing but watch the bastard who was supposed to be Mama's next husband.

Damn it! I knew I had a bad feeling.

Mama needed to know the truth about her annoying fiancé. I grabbed my phone and quickly sent her a text message. I just hoped she'd believe me. Maybe I should've taken a picture for proof.

We arrived at school. The moment I saw Yuri's car pulling up, I quickly got out of Aries' car and approached him.

"Surprise!" I tried to startle him, but he had no reaction. "Oh, you didn't get scared."

"You want me to be startled? Wait." He adjusted his bag strap, then suddenly acted surprised. "Shit! You scared me! Why are you even trying to startle me?"

I frowned. "I don't want to be your friend anymore."

I was about to leave when he grabbed my arm.

"You don't want to be my friend? You want to be something more?" he teased, raising his eyebrows.

I blinked at him. "You didn't eat breakfast, did you?"

He nodded. "How did you know?"

"Because your breath stinks." I answered, quickly turning away.

"Hey, it's not that bad!" he said, following me. He probably tried to smell his own breath.

I just laughed at him and hurried up the stairs. Now I regretted transferring to this new classroom. Climbing these stairs was exhausting.

By the time we reached the room, I was out of breath. I got tired easily, and because of that, I also got hungry quickly. I'd been eating more than before.

Maybe I'd lose weight.

When we entered, as usual, it was chaotic. Everyone was either talking, teasing each other, or napping.

"You idiots! Check the group chat!" Edrix said angrily.

I looked at him curiously. He seemed so busy on his phone, as if arguing with someone. It was like he was ready to curse them out.

I put my bag down on my table and was about to take out my phone when I noticed Ci-N. He looked absolutely miserable, like the world had collapsed on him.

His arms were crossed tightly over his chest, and he seemed to be mumbling something to himself.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked him.

He glanced at me, then shot me a sharp glare with a pout.

What's his problem?

I sat down and poked him slightly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he replied irritably.

I couldn't help but think. He was acting strangely, like I had done something wrong.

I decided to ask David instead. The idiot was asleep again with his headset on. What did he even do at night to always be this tired? Before, it was because of his girlfriend, whom he used to video call.

But now, I hadn't heard anything about their relationship. That girl wasn't even his phone's wallpaper anymore. Did they break up?

I poked him gently. He didn't wake up at first, so I kept doing it until he finally sat up and took off his headset.

"Good morning," he greeted, stretching.

"Good morning, too. Sorry to disturb you. I just wanted to ask something."

"Fire." He replied, making me confused.

"Huh? Fire what?"

"Shoot."

"Huh?!" I asked, getting slightly annoyed.

He scratched his head. "I mean, just ask your question."

"Why did you even say Fire and Shoot?"

"It's an expression or another way of saying 'go ahead.'"

I just nodded. He knew too much, while all I knew was food.

"I wanted to ask what's wrong with Ci-N? He looks really grumpy." I asked, pointing at the sulking kid.

He glanced at Ci-N, then smirked and shook his head. Meanwhile, I was starting to get worried.

"He's sulking at you," he said, smiling. "Because you didn't bring him along yesterday."

Took him long enough to move on.

I pouted while slowly turning to look at Ci. His scowl was still intense, accompanied by an eye roll.

I almost got scared, thinking I might have done something wrong without realizing it. But it turned out he was just sulking because we didn't bring him along.

He probably thought we went on a date, which was why he was sulking so much. He got upset so easily when food was involved.

"Hey." I called him, but all he did was roll his eyes at me. "I'll treat you later. At Hepa Avenue."

His face immediately lit up. He quickly turned to me, smiling. His eyes were practically sparkling with joy.

"You said it, okay? You better not leave me behind again later." His tone had a hint of a threat.

I shook my head. "I was the one who invited you, wasn't I?"

He even clapped in excitement. "Let's go on a date! I'll tell Ere—"

I quickly covered his mouth. "Don't.You.Dare."

He blinked a few times before slowly nodding. I glared at him to make sure he understood what I meant.

If these Ulupong guys found out I was treating him, it would be the end of my wallet and my small savings. They could eat more than an entire barangay combined. Food stalls would surely thrive if these guys were the customers.

They might even become 'Kroossstumers.'

Ci nodded again before I finally let go of his mouth. We both sat properly. I thought I could finally have some peace, but the little brat deceived me.

He suddenly stood up and ran to the front of the room, cupping his hands around his mouth.

I tried to chase after him and stop him, but everything happened so fast. My hand was just seconds away from grabbing him. It was like slow motion as I heard him shout:

"Jay-jay is treating everyone at Hepa Avenue!"

I barely understood what he yelled, but it was crystal clear to the ears of his fellow Ulupong.

A tsunami of people rushed toward me. They moved so fast and with such force that I almost tumbled over. Thankfully, I managed to grab onto the table in time.

"If you're really insisting, then fine, we'll come with you!"

"Thanks for the treat!"

"You're such a kind person!"

Their spit even splattered on my face. I wanted to thank them for the free facial, but acid was bad for the skin.

"I'm not treating anyone!" I clarified, making them freeze.

Their shoulders collectively dropped.

"And I didn't invite you." I added, and their faces looked like they had just lost a bet.

I thought they would leave and accept the fact that they were shameless, but they stayed in front of me.

"You can't go later unless we come with you," Felix said.

"Why?"

"Have you forgotten that someone tried to kill us? What if it happens again?"

The idiots quickly agreed, nodding so eagerly that they might as well have grown horns and turned into cows.

"That's even more reason for you not to come! The more of us there are, the more obvious we'll be!" I argued.

The idiots were ready to debate. They each had their own excuses just so they could come along. As if I really had money to treat them.

These Ulupong guys were something else.

"No! You have to bring us so we can protect you!" Eren insisted.

This guy was obviously starving. You'd think his girlfriends weren't feeding him. Most likely, they were the ones paying whenever they went on dates because this guy had no money.

"What can you do against bullets?!" My eyes and nostrils flared at them.

"Eman here is bulletproof! He's the Man of Steel!" Blaster shouted.

The cows started mooing again in agreement. These guys were probably some kind of crossbreed—Ulupong cows. A rare species only found in the Philippines.

"Damn it! What are you guys even fighting for?!" I was on the verge of snapping.

"You can't go to Hepa Avenue with just the two of you!" Rory argued like a politician.

I raised a hand as if I was going to slap him, making him step back. "We won't be just the two of us! Yuri and David are coming with us!"

They immediately turned to look at Yuri, who was clearly clueless about what was happening. He even pointed at himself. I silently begged him to just go along with it so these fools would shut up.

He seemed to get what I meant. He slowly nodded, confirming what I had said to the Ulupong.

Then we turned to David, who was suddenly grabbed in a headlock by Denzel. Because he was still sleepy, he almost didn't react.

"L-let go," he croaked.

"Bro... we're friends, right? Treat us later." Denzel said, shaking him. "You're even the godfather of my future child."

David shoved his hand away. He was about to go back to sleep when Ci-N suddenly tackled him. They both crashed onto the floor. David instantly woke up, groaning as his arm and elbow hit my desk.

"What the fvck?!" he yelled angrily.

"You're coming later!" Ci shouted at him.

He glared at the brat. Clearly, he was pissed off.

"David." I called his attention.

He turned to me calmly, still visibly annoyed but trying to control his temper.

"Come with us to Hepa Avenue." I invited.

He subtly nodded before standing up and fixing his chair and desk. The Ulupong went silent, knowing he was no longer in the mood for their antics.

Once everything was back in place, he slumped down again to sleep. A signal for these pests to start annoying me again.

"You have to bring us!"

"I thought we were friends!"

"Friends together, broke forever!"

I winced at their words. Now they were guilt-tripping me with friendship. Damn this so-called treat! They might even guilt-trip me over the air I breathe.

"I don't care! I'm not treating you guys!" I snapped.

Their shoulders all dropped at the same time. There was nothing I could do if they refused to back down. As long as I didn't pay for them, that was it. If they insisted on coming, I'd leave them there. Let them figure out how to pay for themselves.

"Wow, it's like you don't even see us as friends." Calix sulked.

"I'll lend you money so you can treat us," Drew suggested, earning immediate curses from the other Ulupong.

This guy had the audacity to offer a loan. We were ashamed to even owe him money. One day, I swear I'll slap him back-to-back.

"Fvck you! Pay her yourself so we can eat!" Felix snapped.

"Oh, I don't have money." Drew answered and turned away.

The bastard really was a fool.

"Jay, come on..." Kit pleaded.

"I told you, I have no money. What do you expect me to do?"

"No problem. We'll find some funds," Rory said, pulling out his phone.

He called someone, which made me curious. We all watched him, waiting. He even glanced at me before breaking into a wide grin and ending the call.

Who did he call?

"All set. We have funds. Hepa Avenue, here we come!" he announced, making the freeloaders cheer.

But who provided the funds? As much as I wanted to be happy that I wouldn't be paying, I couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling.

Ci-N was even dancing like a worm.

Something felt off about whoever Rory called. Who was it? And why did they agree so quickly to fund these freeloaders?

They must be filthy rich to afford this whole barangay's worth of appetites.

I glanced at Yuri and saw that he was already looking at me. He forced a smile, which I returned.

Was it him?

I chose not to dwell on where the funds came from. As long as they didn't come from public coffers and there were no strings attached that could put them in danger, it was fine.

I just sat down in my seat, but before I could even get comfortable, Edrix suddenly cursed multiple times and insisted that we all open our group chat.

I grabbed my phone and followed his order. Messages were flooding in so quickly that I almost couldn't keep up.

Edrix: Damn you all! You've been online this whole time!

Eren: So angry, looks like he wants to hurt someone.

Denzel: Why so mad, Godfather?

Josh: Please, @Denzel, don't make me a godfather.

Blaster: As if he'd pick you as a godfather.

Denzel: You're all godfathers. Even Jay-jay is a godfather. 😆😆

Mayo: Kit is the godmother.

Felix: We have a group chat?

Rory: Someone turned off notifications.

Calix: Mine's off too. You're all too noisy.

Blaster: That's because you're always with Mica. You even have alerts on.

Rory: We've had this GC for a while, but we never used it. That's because someone here never opens Facebook or Messenger.

Don't worry, it's not Jay-jay.

I scowled at what Rory said. I knew full well that he was talking about me. I always saw their messages late, so to this day, they still had to call or text me to get my attention.

I was never really into social media. Most of the messages I received were from my enemies. I also wasn't fond of posting pictures of myself. The admirers of these snakes always did nothing but badmouth me.

Most of them were Eren's girlfriends.

I continued reading until I saw the real reason why Edrix was forcing us to open the chat. He had sent a picture, which looked like someone from school had forwarded to him. It was an announcement.

ANNOUNCEMENT

Due to the shooting incidents, school premises are still under investigation.

Along with the Police Authorities and Board Members, students are advised to go home...

I didn't bother finishing the message. It was clear as day—early dismissal and the reason… a meeting.

This time, there would be police officers present. They probably weren't able to investigate properly yesterday because too many students were wandering around in front of them.

I was about to put my phone back in my bag when I decided to continue reading the past messages—ones from when I had zero interest in social media. And what I read made my nostrils flare in irritation.

Eren: That's because Jay is a caveman. SHe doesn't know how to use Facebook.

I quickly turned to Eren, who was smiling at his phone. Bastard! And their teasing didn't stop there.

Kit: You're dead later.

Eman: Jay is just busy. Stop teasing her.

Eren: Busy with what?

Eman: Eating.

Drew: 😂

Denzel: Hahaha... Bastard!

Blaster: Emptying the fridge! Hahaha

Mayo: Emptying the fridge!

Mayo's comment got a lot of reactions. I didn't even know how to properly curse these idiots. So this was what they said about me behind my back.

I was going to be forced to be online more often just to curse them out for the things they said about me. I looked at the messages again.

Yuri: I'll teach Jay-jay how to use Facebook.

Eren: Don't be a traitor, Yuri! Don't be a traitor.

Calix: Teach her! Convince her. She'll probably chicken out.

David: I can talk to her and ask her to.

Yuri: Thanks. But I can do it.

Ci-N: Caliber!

Eren: Damn it, Ci! Where have you been again?

Ci-N: Right here. Sitting next to Jay-jay.

Calix: There! Show her Eren's messages!

Eren: You bastard!

Bastard!

Bastard!

Bastard!

Bastard!

Ci-N: Should I show her?

David: Do it! 😂

Eman: I'm out.

Eren: Damn you, Clark Kent! You're part of this too!

Denzel: Call your girlfriendssssss! Tell them to back you up!

Eren: Ci-N!!!!!

Ci-N: Should I show her now?

Eren: NO! THE BARRACUDA WILL COME OUT!

Even though I hadn't read their current conversation yet, I couldn't stop myself from sending a message out of sheer irritation at what these lunatics were saying.

Me: Fvck you all!

I heard Eren and the other snakes cursing, probably because they had just read my message. But their loud laughter and swearing quickly changed to a different reaction.

Oooohhhhh

The cattle's mooing grew longer. And it was all because someone I never expected had responded to my message.

Keifer: Profanity.