JAY JAY POV
DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Section E practically invaded Keifer's house today. Why? Because we were doing a "Naughty Gift Exchange." Trust this group of idiots to take a traditional holiday activity and turn it into something potentially scandalous and definitely headache-inducing.
Jare, being the ultimate tag-along, decided to join in because he was "bored." Translation: there was free food and a chance to annoy me.
Since everyone in Section E has a code name, Jare needed one too. His? Bumblebee. I know, right? It's completely dumb and bottom-tier, but that's what happens when you let a bunch of hormonal teenage boys pick your alias.
As for me, my target was Bluetooth. Since the theme was supposed to be "naughty," I was already mentally preparing for the worst. I knew I had a guy—obviously, since Section E is a straight-up boy band minus me.
fter wandering around the mall for an hour, I eventually settled on a pair of silk boxers with a reindeer positioned... well, right in the middle.
I figured it was naughty enough without being a total HR violation. I tried to narrow down who Bluetooth could be, running through the list of personalities in the room, but my brain was fried. No one specific came to mind.
"Alright, alright! Let's play some games before we open our gifts!" Rory's voice boomed through a microphone, echoing off the high ceilings.
I stared at Drew and Rory, who were currently fighting over the mic stand, and let out a long, suffering sigh as I hit my forehead with the palm of my hand.
"Who gave these idiots a microphone? Better yet, who let them turn it on?" I muttered to no one in particular.
Keifer, who was leaning against the wall nearby, just smirked at my frustration.
"Okay, so the first game we're playing is Freeze Dance!" Drew announced, waving his arms like a hype man.
"We're going to pick names, and you guys have to come up here and dance until the song stops!" Rory explained, already clicking through a playlist on his phone.
"The first one up... is the Sad Boy of Section E!" Drew shouted, making a mocking crying expression that earned a round of whistles from the group.
Calix stood up, looking ready to commit a felony. He Lunged for Drew, who narrowly dodged him. "Puta! That was ages ago!" Calix barked, his face turning a shade of red that rivaled the Christmas decorations.
"Before Mica came back, you mean," I teased, nudging Mica, who had decided to join the chaos today.
Mica blushed furiously, hiding her face behind her hands while the rest of the boys started chanting Calix's name.
While Rory and Drew were busy calling up the next victims, Keifer walked over and draped himself onto the sofa beside me. I took one look at him and had to bite my lip to keep from howling with laughter.
"How are you doing, Mr. Santa Claus?" I teased, gesturing to the full, velvet red suit he was currently sporting. The King of Section E, the guy who usually radiated 'I-will-end-you' energy, was dressed like he was ready to deliver coal to a bunch of toddlers.
"Tss," Keifer grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. The white fur trim of the sleeves made the gesture look significantly less intimidating than usual.
"It's a tradition we started," Yuri explained, stepping over to us. He was dressed as a giant, slightly depressed-looking elf. "The previous Section E President and Vice President always had to wear the outfits for the party. Karma finally caught up to us, and well... here we are."
I looked between the grumpy Santa and the lanky Elf and lost it. "I am definitely taking a picture of this to send to London. Jare! Get the camera!"
"Don't you dare, Jay-Jay," Keifer warned, but the threat sounded completely hollow coming from a guy in a fluffy red hat with a white pom-pom. I just grinned, knowing I already had my phone out.
The first victims were called up: Ci-N, Mayo, Calix, Felix, and Blaster.
They all stood in a line in the middle of the living room, looking varying degrees of embarrassed and competitive. Rory hit the play button on a loud, upbeat Christmas remix, and for a solid minute, the room was a blur of terrible dancing. Ci-N was actually doing some decent footwork, while Calix looked like he was trying to fold laundry in mid-air.
Suddenly, Rory slammed the pause button.
The room went silent. The five of them froze in the most ridiculous positions—Blaster was mid-hop, and Felix looked like he was about to sneeze.
"Alright, let's see... who's going to break first?" Rory said, prowling around them like a vulture. "Who's the first one to lose?"
We all moved in closer, circling the "statues." For a second, it was a stalemate, but then I saw it.
"MAYO! Your eyes moved! I saw that!" I yelled, pointing a finger.
"MAYO! Get out! You're out!" the rest of the guys joined in, hooting and hollering as the poor guy slumped his shoulders in defeat.
Mayo grumbled something under his breath and trudged back toward the sofa. As he sat down, I noticed the heavy, icy silence that followed him. He wasn't just annoyed about losing a game; I could see the visible tension vibrating between him and Kit. They wouldn't even look at each other.
Whatever drama was brewing in Section E, the Christmas spirit clearly hadn't touched that particular corner of the room yet.
"Next round!" Drew shouted, dragging the remaining four back into the fray. I leaned back, enjoying the show as the music blasted once more.
But as soon as the pause button was hit, the house fell into a silence so thick you could hear a pin drop. Calix was frozen in a half-squat, looking absolutely ridiculous. Then, his left leg gave a tiny, microscopic wobble.
"Calix! You're out!" I screamed, jumping up from the sofa.
"Puta! I didn't move! I'm a mountain! I'm a rock!" Calix defended himself, his face turning a matching shade of red to Keifer's suit.
"You moved, now get out! We have more games to play and I'm losing my patience!" I shot back, waving him away with a dismissive hand.
Calix trudged off the 'dance floor,' muttering under his breath just loud enough for me to hear. "Jay, you're not fair at all. I bet you just want Ci-N to win because he's your favorite."
That earned him a swift, precise smack to the back of the head as he walked past me.
"Watch it, Sad Boy, or I'll tell Mica you're still writing poems about her in your sleep," I threatened with a wink.
The rest of the guys erupted in "Oooooohs," and Calix practically tripped over his own feet trying to find a seat. I felt Keifer's arm slide around my waist—or as much as he could with that bulky Santa padding—pulling me back down beside him.
"You're a menace, Jay-Jay," Keifer murmured into my ear, his breath warm against my skin.
"I'm the referee," I corrected him, leaning into the red velvet. "And in this house, the referee is always right."
"Alright, final three! Ci-N, Felix, and Blaster! Let's go!" Rory yelled, hitting the music again.
Felix was the next casualty, leaving only Ci-N and Blaster in the final showdown.
The music was blaring, and the tension was so thick you could taste it. Suddenly, Rory slammed the pause button. Blaster was frozen in a relatively cool pose, but Ci-N? He was caught in the most hideous, bone-breaking position I'd ever seen—one leg tucked behind his ear and his tongue sticking out.
He was holding it, though. His face was turning purple, but he wasn't moving. Not until someone decided to play dirty.
"Is that Rakki?!" Edrix yelled, pointing frantically toward the front door.
"Rakki?!" Ci-N's head snapped around instantly, his eyes wide and hopeful. He completely abandoned his pose, nearly toppling over in the process. "Where? Where is Rakki?"
The room exploded into laughter as Ci-N scanned the foyer for his future girlfriend, only to realize he'd been played for a fool.
"Hey! That's cheating! You distracted the kid! Re-do!" I shouted, jumping up from my seat and pointing a warning finger at Edri
"All's fair in love and freeze dance!" Edrix countered, clutching his stomach as he doubled over with laughter.
I marched over to the center of the room, ignoring the fact that Santa Keifer was watching me with an amused glint in his eyes. "No way. Ci-N was a statue until you used his weakness against him. That's a foul! Rory, Drew—restart the music for these two or I'm confiscating the microphone!"
"Jay-Jay's right!" Jare chimed in from the buffet table, his mouth full of cake. "Technical foul on the play!"
"Jay, you're playing really dirty now!" Calix shouted, pointing a fork at me. "You distracted me earlier, and now you're asking for a redo for Ci-N? No fair!"
"Idiot! You're a full-grown man!" I shot back, undeterred. "Ci-N is still growing! He needs the encouragement!"
"Doesn't matter! Blaster is the winner!" Rory yelled, ignoring my protest and handing a small prize to a triumphant-looking Blaster.
Ci-N pouted, his bottom lip trembling as he stomped over to me. "Jay! They're all playing me! It's just because I'm the youngest!" he whined, looking like he was about to burst into tears.
"It's okay, stop crying. You look like a donkey when you scrunched up your face like that," I said, patting his head. He immediately stopped, though he still looked incredibly betrayed.
"DINNER IS READY, KIDS!" Tita Serina's voice boomed from the dining hall.
The effect was instantaneous. Section E disappeared from the living room in less than thirty seconds, leaving a trail of holiday decorations in their wake. It was like a stampede of hungry buffalos.
"Idiots! Save some for me!" I yelled, scrambling after them.
I managed to snag a plate and fill it with Lechon and pancit before the boys picked the serving trays clean. Just as I settled into a chair, my phone started vibrating in my pocket.
BEN.
I balanced my plate on my lap and answered. "Hey, Ben!"
"Hey, Jay," Ben's voice came through, sounding suspiciously relaxed.
"Where the hell are you?" I asked, trying to talk over the sound of Section E arguing about who got the last piece of chicken.
"The Hamptons. We're having a massive party," Ben said, and I could hear the muffled thumping of bass in the background.
"No fair!" I pouted, feeling a sharp pang of envy. "We always celebrate the Christmas party there! Too bad we're stuck in the Philippines this year."
"Awww, look at the baby!" Sarah's voice chirped from somewhere near Ben's phone, followed by a chorus of laughter
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't help the small smile that tugged at my lips.
"Who are you talking to?" a deep voice muttered beside me. I looked up to see Santa Claus—well, Keifer—looming over my plate with a suspicious glint in his eyes.
"It's just Ben," I said, shifting my phone so he could see the caller ID.
Keifer's jaw tightened slightly under the fake white beard. "Ben"
JAY JAY POV
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't help the small smile that tugged at my lips. It was good to hear their voices, even if it made the distance between the Philippines and London feel a little wider.
"Who are you talking to?" a deep voice muttered beside me. I looked up to see Santa Claus—well, Keifer—looming over my plate with a suspicious glint in his eyes.
"It's just Ben," I said, shifting my phone so he could see the caller ID.
Keifer's jaw tightened slightly under the fake white beard. "Ben? The one from London?"
"Anyway, Jay, I've got to go! The party is starting to peak. Bye, see you later!" Ben shouted over the music before the line went dead.
I stared at the black screen for a second, feeling the sudden silence of the call contrast sharply with the absolute zoo happening at the dining table. Keifer was still hovering, his red velvet sleeve brushing against my shoulder.
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