Jay's Pov
What they say is mixed in my mind.
I'm confused. I don't understand what they are talking about. About me. A plan. And they want me to know the truth because they feel sorry for me.
"Just say it properly and then we'll apologize," Blaster said.
"It's just that easy, what?" Drew said sarcastically.
"Jay-jay will never forgive us," Yuri said.
"We will request her," Rory said.
"It's not that easy," Edrix replied.
I am very confused by what they are saying. I want to know the truth. I don't want this anymore. Do the people around me always have something to hide?
I pushed the door open and stepped into the room.
They all looked at me with shock. I tried to hide my emotions. My eyes fell on Keifer, who didn't react.
"J-Jay-Jay..." They called me in whispers.
They are all complete. Kit with a swollen face is also here.
"W-what's true? What's the plan?" I asked weakly.
I wanted to know the truth but I don't seem to want to either. There is fear. The fear that I will be hurt again by what I will find out. My hunch is strange.
They all looked at Keifer. He had no emotion. Arms crossed while leaning straight in his chair.
"What's the plan? What's the truth?" I repeated the question while not taking my eyes off him.
Speak up!
"Keifer... Speak now," Yuri pleaded.
"Keifer! Say it!"
"Speak up!"
"What is that plan? What is true?" I repeated, and this time my voice cracked.
Damn it! Say it!
He remained without reaction and looked at me. It's like he doesn't care about what's happening around him. It's like he doesn't care about me.
Tears start to form in my eyes. Every breath I take is deep because of the blockage in my throat. I feel like I'm being choked.
"Keifer! WHAT IS THAT PLAN?!" I screamed as my tears fell.
I couldn't control my emotions. I'm struggling with what he's doing—just staring at me and not moving. It was obvious that the others were also shocked by my reaction, but they chose to look away.
"You sure you want to hear it?" Keifer asked seriously.
I tried to hold back my tears and nodded to him. His smile became bitter as he shook his head. His mouth slowly opened, but I didn't hear a voice or any noise from others. It was like I suddenly became deaf, and there were a few seconds before what he said completely sank in.
"I used you."
I remained dumbfounded, waiting for what he would say next. A group of tears fell from my eyes again.
"...and the whole Section E knows it."
The feeling of beating my heart with no resistance. All I could do was cry and stare.
U-used?
Keifer stood up and slowly walked toward me. "I used you to get revenge on your half-brother."
I shook my head while still staring at him. His facial expression did not change.
"I-I can't understand." My lips trembled.
Keifer stopped a few feet near me. Our eyes met, and that's when I noticed his cold and dark eyes. If I look at it now, it's the same as when we first met.
"Then I'll explain it to you." He said calmly. "The moment Aries showed up in front of me, acting like he cares for you, the plan started. To be exact? That was the time that we made fun of you at the gymnasium."
That's when they hit me with the ball. My nose bled, and before my vision went dark, Aries came to stop me and ask me to go home.
"...We made sure we had your information—thanks to Rory here." I looked at Rory, but he immediately ducked to avoid me. "...We found out that you and Aries are siblings."
They know!
He suddenly smirked, and suddenly his aura changed. I can't tell if he's angry or if he's planning to do something.
"...but the plan had no use. That asshole doesn't care about you, and my revenge is useless." He said and laughed slightly.
It's like a different Keifer I'm facing now. The eyes are dark and full of anger.
"K-Keifer... T-that's right," Yuri weaned.
My legs and feet were stiff from standing. I wanted to think that what he says is just a joke. But no, he doesn't joke, and he doesn't like to joke.
My tears keep falling, so my cheeks are wet. I can't even wipe them off. It felt like something heavy was running through my chest.
"Y-you only used me? D-does that include making me love you?" My voice almost didn't come out because of what was happening.
I don't want to ask that question. I'm afraid of what he will answer, but I still wanted to know the truth. I hope my mind is wrong.
He suddenly laughed as if I said something funny. He walked back to his table.
Maybe it's all just a joke. They must have tripped me up. Maybe he's just getting back at me.
Maybe after he laughs, he'll say the line I'm waiting for—"Just kidding, you're funny because you're annoyed." And he will say that he couldn't do that because he loved me.
I hope everything I'm thinking is right, but I know it's not. My heart completely broke when he spoke after laughing. And the words let go of what changed everything for me.
"Of course it's part of my plan."
Why?!
I covered my mouth from crying loudly. I don't care about my appearance anymore. I also fell back due to knee tenderness and grabbed onto one of the tables.
GET OUT! THIS IS NOT A JOKE! HE MADE ME BELIEVE THAT HE LIKES ME TOO! HE LET ME FALL FOR HIM! HE JUST USED ME! ARGH!
YOU'RE STUPID, JAY! YOU ARE STUPID, AND HE BELIEVED YOU!
"Jay..." Yuri called me and was about to approach me, but I looked at him evilly.
"You know?" I stopped asking. "...You were part of the plan?"
Yuri stopped approaching me. His tongue seemed to retract, and he could not speak. He couldn't even deny it with a simple shake. I cried a lot because of his reaction.
ALL OF THEM!
I looked at Ci-n. He is also crying while looking at me and seems to be pitying me.
He cried while trying to wipe away the tears. "I-I'm sorry, Jay."
That's why he apologized to me before—because of this. They were just starting to do something stupid to me. I can't believe the amount of trust I gave them.
I also looked at the others, but they all looked away. David just stared at me for a long time. But even with him, I have a grudge.
Did I do something wrong?! Why do I have to be played with like this?!
I looked back at Keifer, who didn't have any expression. I don't even see a trace of pity or remorse for what he did.
"W-why, Keifer? W-why?"
He didn't answer. I can't stand it any longer in front of him, in front of all of them. What's the point of me crying in front of them? Even though my knees were shaking, I forced myself to walk away.
"Jay! Wait!"
"Jay-Jay."
"Come on! Jay!"
I was out the door when I felt someone grab my arm. I immediately shook it and looked at him evilly.
"What else do you need?!" I asked Yuri angrily.
"I-I'm sorry..." He took a deep breath. "...Please. Let me explain—"
"Don't even try!" I wiped my cheek. "...You two really are best friends! You're good at manipulating!"
"Jay... Believe me, we're sorry—!"
"So you admitted it?! Because your conscience is eating you!"
I looked behind him when I noticed Ci-n following him. He is still crying. I wanted to pity his appearance, but I can't.
"You're another..." I shook my head. "...I considered you a brother, and then you come out like this."
"Jay... I'm sorry," he said.
I also saw others looking at us. I looked at them evilly until I stopped at Yuri.
"That's enough..." I almost whispered and immediately ran away.
I endured pain and muscle aches in my legs and thighs. But nothing seems to hurt more than what I feel. The word "crushed" is not enough to describe how painful it is.
I can hear Yuri arguing in the back. They seem to be trying to follow me, but others are stopping them. I sped up. I was near the school gate when I saw Aries looking at me.
They wanted to get revenge on him...
I experienced all this because of him. Because they wanted to retaliate. They used me to get revenge on him.
BUT BECAUSE OF HIM, I EXPERIENCED IT!
Keifer's Pov
The door slammed shut behind her.
And something inside me died.
For five seconds, I stood there. Frozen. Face blank. Just like I'd planned.
Then my legs gave out.
I hit the floor so hard my knees screamed, but I didn't feel it. I couldn't feel anything except the gaping hole in my chest where my heart used to be.
"She's gone," I whispered. "She's gone, and she hates me."
"Keifer—" Yuri started.
"I TOLD HER I USED HER." My voice cracked. "I TOLD HER EVERYTHING WAS A PLAN. I MADE HER CRY. I MADE HER—"
The sobs came.
Not quiet. Not controlled.
Ugly, broken, body-shaking sobs.
I grabbed my hair, pulled, wanted to rip it out. Wanted to rip MYSELF apart.
"I love her," I choked. "I love her so much it's killing me, and I just—I just—"
Jare was there suddenly. Kneeling in front of me. Grabbing my shoulders.
"Keifer. Keifer, look at me."
I looked. Through tears. Through pain.
"You did this to protect her."
"I BROKE HER."
"You'll fix it."
"HOW?! She'll never forgive me! She'll never—" I gasped for air. "She looked at me like I was a MONSTER. Like I was nothing. And I DESERVED it. I deserve everything. But I can't—I can't live without her, Jare. I CAN'T."
Mia knelt beside me too. Grabbed my hand.
"She's my best friend. I know her. She's hurt now, but when she learns the truth—"
"What truth?! The truth where her boyfriend LIED to her? Where EVERYONE lied to her?!"
"The truth where her boyfriend LOVED her so much he broke his own heart to save hers."
I shook my head. "That's not enough. That'll never be enough."
The others were watching. Section E. All of them.
Ci-n was crying. Again. But this time, it was different. This time, he looked as broken as I felt.
"Keifer," he whispered. "I hate this. I hate seeing her like that. I hate seeing YOU like that."
"Then why did we do it?!" I screamed. "Why did we all agree to this?!"
"Because we love her too," Felix said quietly. "And we couldn't let her get hurt for real."
"She IS hurt for real!"
"Temporary hurt. Not permanent. Not dead."
I buried my face in my hands.
Dead.
The word echoed in my brain.
If I hadn't done this, she could have been DEAD. Because of me. Because of my family. Because of my stupid, worthless inheritance.
"I'd rather die than lose her," I whispered.
"You won't lose her," Jare said. "This is temporary. A few months. Then you explain everything."
"A few MONTHS?! I can't survive a few HOURS without her!"
"You survived before you met her."
"Barely. And that wasn't living. That was existing." I looked up at him. "She made me alive, Jare. She made me FEEL things. Happy things. Stupid things. Things I didn't know I could feel."
Mia smiled sadly. "Like what?"
"Like—" I laughed bitterly. "Like wanting to buy her ugly dinosaurs. Like smiling when she calls me Gagong Baliw. Like—" I choked. "Like unable to breathe because she's so beautiful."
Jare blinked. "Okay, that's—that's a lot."
"I KNOW IT'S A LOT! THAT'S THE POINT! EVERYTHING ABOUT HER IS A LOT! AND I LOVE IT! I LOVE HER!"
Mia was trying not to laugh. "You're a mess."
"I'M A MESS IN LOVE!"
"The best kind of mess."
Yuri sat down on my other side. "You know she's going to kill you when she finds out the truth."
"I know."
"She's going to scream. And cry. And probably hit you."
"I know."
"And then she'll forgive you. Because she loves you too."
I looked at him. "How do you know?"
"Because I've seen the way she looks at you. The same way you look at her. That doesn't just disappear." He put a hand on my shoulder. "She's going to be angry. She's going to be hurt. But she's also going to understand. Eventually."
"Eventually isn't now."
"No. Now is the hard part."
I stared at the floor.
Jay's face. Her tears. Her voice cracking.
"W-why, Keifer? W-why?"
"Because I love you," I whispered to the empty room. "Because I love you so much I'd rather have you hate me than have you dead."
The room was quiet.
Then Ci-n spoke. "That's the most romantic and saddest thing I've ever heard."
"Same," Felix agreed, crying.
"Same," everyone echoed.
Jare pulled me to my feet.
"You need to get up."
"I don't want to."
"Too bad. You're not dying today. You're going to survive this, and then you're going to win her back."
"How?"
"By being the idiot she fell in love with. The idiot who buys her dinosaurs and lets her call him Gagong Baliw and kisses her in front of the whole school." He looked at me. "That guy? She loves that guy. Not the cold, plan-making one. The REAL one."
"But the real one just broke her heart."
"The real one just SAVED her life. There's a difference."
I wanted to believe him.
I really did.
Mia hugged me. Actually hugged me.
"You're family now, Keifer. No matter what happens with you and Jay, you're my brother. And brothers don't let brothers give up."
I hugged her back. "When did you get so wise?"
"Always been wise. You just never listened."
"That's Jay's line."
"Jay's line is everyone's line now."
Despite everything, I almost smiled.
The others gathered around.
Section E. My brothers. All of them.
"We're with you," Calix said.
"Through everything," Eman added.
"Even when you're being stupid," Felix said, crying.
"ESPECIALLY when you're being stupid," Ci-n agreed.
I looked at them. These idiots. These wonderful, chaotic, loyal idiots.
"I don't deserve you guys."
"No," Yuri agreed. "But you have us anyway."
Later That Night
I lay in bed. Stared at the ceiling.
My phone buzzed.
MIA: She's at the residence. Crying. Jare's with her.
ME: Tell him to take care of her.
MIA: He will. You okay?
ME: No.
MIA: Me neither. But we'll get through this.
ME: Will we?
MIA: We're Watsons. We survive everything.
I almost smiled.
I put my phone down.
Closed my eyes.
And for the first time in months, I dreamed of nothing.
Because the only thing I wanted to dream about was her.
And she was gone.