JAY'SPOV
I got into my car and drove to a nearby café. Of course, I wasn't going to starve myself because of some assholes.
After entering the café, I took a seat and ordered two hamburgers and a milk tea.
Once I finished my lunch, I stepped outside and walked straight toward my car. I was about to open the door when I heard footsteps approaching behind me.
I turned around.
A group of five or six boys was walking straight toward me, each of them wearing a mischievous smirk.
They stopped right in front of me.
"What the hell do you want?" I asked coldly.
One of them stepped forward.
"We want you, little bird."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? And what makes you think I'll listen to you?"
He chuckled.
"You're so stubborn, little bird. Don't make us force you."
"I don't give a fuck about your nonsense."
I turned to open the car door.
Suddenly, someone grabbed my wrist.
Big mistake.
I jerked my hand free and punched him straight in the face.
He stumbled back, holding his nose.
"I'm giving you one last chance," I said coldly. "Take your ugly faces and leave. Otherwise, you'll regret it."
Another guy shouted angrily.
"You bitch!"
He swung a punch at my face, but my reflexes were faster. I dodged the punch and kicked him hard in the chest. He crashed onto the ground.
I cracked my knuckles slowly.
"You idiots really chose the wrong person today," I said.
"Let me teach you a lesson."
Five minutes later, all six boys were lying on the ground, groaning in pain, clutching their broken arms and legs.
I crouched down slightly and stared at them.
"Now tell me," I said coldly, "why did you follow me?"
No one answered.
My eyes darkened.
"Open your fucking mouth before I lose my patience."
One of them finally spoke, his voice trembling.
"We… we wanted revenge on Keifer… so we tried to kidnap you."
My eyes narrowed.
"Why me?"
"Because you're his girlfriend."
"What the hell?" I snapped. "I am NOT his girlfriend."
Another boy scoffed.
"Are we stupid? Every gang in this area knows you're Keifer's girlfriend."
I was stunned.
Seriously?
Keifer isn't even my ex right now. How the hell did I suddenly become his girlfriend in the entire gang network?
Did these idiots lose their brains from my punches?
"I don't care what nonsense you believe," I said coldly. "But let me make one thing crystal clear."
"I. AM. NOT. HIS. GIRLFRIEND."
"So put that stupid idea into your heads and stay the hell away from me."
My gaze turned deadly.
"And if any of you even breathe wrong near me again… I'll make sure you spend the rest of your lives in a coma."
Then I got into my car and drove back to the Section E building.
Thank God I didn't have any bruises or marks.
Otherwise, I would have to deal with their two thousand questions.
When I entered the classroom and sat down, I took out my phone.
There were two messages.
One from CCTV.
One from PERCING.
I opened Percy's message first.
Percing:Hello baby sistah, did you miss my handsome face? Should I come visit you?
I rolled my eyes.
Seriously.
He never misses a chance to praise his own face.
He's not just obsessed.
He's self-obsessed.
Yes, he is handsome… but not more handsome than Keifer.
My mind froze.
Why am I even comparing them?
Even though I'm acting cold toward him now… looking at him with distant eyes… saying harsh words…
I still couldn't deny the truth.
I still love him.
And for me… he is still the most handsome, charming, and hottest man alive on earth.
"Come on, Jay," I muttered to myself.
"You're smiling. Seriously? You're smiling?"
Just because he's handsome?
God help me.
I don't know what this man has done to me.
I quickly replied.
TO PERCING
Hi Percy.No, I didn't miss your ugly face.But if you want, we can meet.Just text me the location and time.
After that, I opened CCTV's message.
CCTV:How's the day going, baby?Did you eat?Did you punch someone, or are they already dead?
A small laugh escaped my lips.
I replied.
TO CCTV
I'm surviving. Barely.Yes, I had lunch.And no dead bodies so far.
Suddenly, the air in the classroom felt strange.
Heavy.
I slowly looked up from my phone.
The entire section was staring at me.
Every single one of them.
Like they had just witnessed something impossible.
"What?" I said with an annoyed frown. "Why are you all staring at me like that?"
Ci-N leaned forward on his desk.
"Jay… who were you texting?"
Felix spoke next, still looking confused.
"And why were you smiling?"
David added quietly,
"Yeah… you even laughed just now."
I frowned.
"So?"
Calix crossed his arms.
"So? You've been ignoring us the entire morning. Acting cold like we don't exist."
Eman nodded.
"But suddenly you're smiling at your phone like that."
Ci-N's eyes widened dramatically.
"WAIT."
He pointed at me like he had just discovered a world secret.
"Jay-Jay… don't tell me you got a boyfriend!"
Half the class immediately reacted.
"What?!"
"Seriously?"
"Jay has a boyfriend?!"
Rory leaned forward with curiosity shining in his eyes.
"Jay… do you like someone?"
I stared at them in disbelief.
Seriously?
This is what they were thinking?
Sometimes I genuinely feel like they leave their brains at home before coming to school.
I slowly put my phone down on the desk.
"Are you all done?" I asked coldly.
The room fell silent.
"First of all," I continued, my voice calm but sharp, "since when did my personal life become a public discussion for all of you?"
No one answered.
"Second," I added, "is smiling at my phone suddenly illegal?"
Felix quickly shook his head.
"No, that's not what we meant—"
"Then what did you mean?" I interrupted.
My eyes swept across the room.
"You all have been whispering and staring at me like I committed some crime."
My voice became colder.
"And why exactly are you so interested in who I'm texting?"
The entire section went quiet.
Ci-N rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"We were just… curious."
"Yes," Rory added quickly. "We didn't mean anything bad."
David nodded.
"We were actually happy to see you smiling."
Felix spoke softly.
"You looked… different."
I stared at them for a moment.
Then I looked away.
"Well," I said flatly, "next time keep your curiosity to yourselves."
Silence filled the room again.
Then Calix spoke carefully.
"Jay… we weren't trying to upset you."
Ci-N added quietly,
"Yeah… we just thought… maybe things were getting better."
I didn't respond.
Instead, I placed my phone back into my bag, pulled out my notes, and opened my book.
Conversation over.
But the whispers started again.
"Jay, we didn't mean it like that…"
"We're really sorry…"
"Jay, please listen to us…"
"We were just worried…"
Their voices were starting to irritate me.
So I reached into my bag, took out my headphones, and placed them over my ears.
Thankfully, they were noise-cancelling.
Because if I had to hear another word from them…
Someone might actually end up in the hospital.
Somehow the day finally ended.
The best time of the day.
I packed my bag and picked up my car keys.
I marched outside without even looking at their faces.
I was about to open my car door when a voice suddenly called out behind me.
"Jay Jay… wait!"
I stopped.
For a moment, I didn't move. Then I turned around slowly to see who it was.
Aries.
My expression immediately hardened.
What the hell is he even doing here after insulting me like that?
"What?" I said coldly.
Aries took a few steps closer.
"Jay… stop being stubborn. Come back home."
A bitter laugh escaped my lips.
"And why should I come back?" I asked. "I thought you'd be happy that I finally left the house. Now you don't have to see my face… or insult me anymore."
His face tightened.
"Jay… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just holding grudges from the past. I didn't realize I was hurting you this badly."
I stared at him quietly for a moment.
"Sorry?" I repeated.
Then I shook my head.
"You realized that a little too late, Aries. Because you've already hurt me enough."
"Jay… please, listen—"
"Stop."
I cut him off before he could finish.
"Your apology isn't going to change anything," I said, my voice turning colder with every word.
"It's not going to erase the nights I spent trying to understand why you hated me."
"It's not going to erase how hard I tried just so we could be okay again."
My hands slowly clenched.
"It's not going to erase the fact that I wanted to talk to my father… but you didn't let me."
My eyes locked onto his.
"Because instead… you chose to blackmail me."
Aries looked stunned.
But I wasn't finished.
"And it definitely doesn't erase that day," I continued quietly, "when you said 'you didn't give a fuck about me'… in front of Section A and Section E."
The silence between us became suffocating.
"So please," I said finally, "let's just behave like strangers."
My voice dropped to a whisper.
"Because as far as I know… I'm not related to any Fernandez."
"Jay… Jay please…" Aries said desperately. "I'm really sorry."
But I didn't listen.
I turned around, opened the car door, got inside, and started the engine.
Without looking back—
I drove away.