JayJay POV
"Dance, Blaster! Dance, Blaster! Dance, Blaster!" we all shouted in unison while clapping.
He had no choice but to stand up and start dancing.
Once again, he boasted about his stiff hips. He even managed to twerk in front of Sir Alvin and Ma'am Cindy. Even Mama and Aunt Gema, who were peeking from the door, burst into laughter at what he was doing.
He looked like he was lacking in eeskill.
"How are you going to become an actor like that? Your hips are stiffer than mahogany!" Drew said, shaking his head.
Blas stopped because of our loud laughter. He then turned to Drew to respond.
"Obviously, singing is my talent!"
"You'll have to dance too, of course. You need to have all the talents. How else are you going to become famous?" Felix replied.
So he's really serious about becoming an artist? I thought at first he was just joking, especially when he said he was a composer. Then when he sang, it was complete nonsense.
Oh well, he's a ulupong.
But it would be really cool if he became famous. I'd have something to brag about to other people—'That idiot was my classmate.' Every time I'd see him on TV, I'd keep shouting that he was my friend.
I do believe many people will admire him. His looks alone are already a strong asset—for town fiestas and feasts.
When he gets rich, I'll make him treat me to stuff so I can make up for all the food he stole from me. I'll also ask for free tickets to his movie or concert, if he ever has one. As long as it's not anything indecent—my older brother wouldn't allow me to watch that. But maybe if I'm an adult by then, I could. As long as he doesn't find out. Hehe.
But then again, it would probably feel weird watching my friend do those kinds of things on screen.
I suddenly got goosebumps from my own thoughts. Never mind.
Blaster has a strong appeal to girls, so there will probably be a lot of people crushing on him. Even at school, so many girls chase after him, throwing notebooks or even shoes at him while cursing him out.
See? Isn't he so easy to love?
I'll definitely be waiting for his big break.
We turned to Denzel when he raised his phone.
"Is that Grace?" Rakki asked, quickly setting down the plate he was holding just so he could wave at her.
"Say 'hi' to baby Grazel!" Denzel said, and we all scrambled just to see the baby's face on the screen.
"Hello, my godchild!" I shouted while waving.
The rest of the ulupongs greeted her too, and they got so excited to see the baby that they started fighting over the phone.
"Hey, that's my phone!" Denzel shouted, but no one paid attention to him.
"Grazel! Your handsome godfather is here!"
"Over here! Let us see!"
"Baby Grazel! Next time, we'll be the ones visiting you!"
"Ci-N! Don't block the whole screen!"
"Hey, let's show Grazel to Sir!"
As soon as that was said, they rushed over to Sir with the phone. Sir and Ma'am took it and looked at the baby. The ulupongs moved behind Ma'am just to keep seeing the screen.
"Such a cute baby," Ma'am said, and I saw her wide smile. She clearly liked the baby so much that she even took the phone from Sir's hand.
"Hello, baby," she greeted Grazel.
Ma'am glanced at Sir Alvin, and her expression suddenly changed. She handed the phone back to the guys, who continued talking to the baby. I didn't notice anything weird with Sir's face, except for the way he was staring deeply at his wife.
I wonder why.
"Are you done eating?" Keifer asked me.
I nodded. For the first time, I didn't take long to eat. My stomach felt off, and I felt like throwing up again, but I think I just got indigestion.
"I'm good. I can't eat anymore," I replied.
"Kuya was right—you shouldn't be eating too much yet. But you insisted," Aries scolded, making me roll my eyes at him.
His lecture won't help my digestion. He should just read me my fortune and give me a solution for my stomachache—maybe then I'd actually be happy.
This horoscope boy is so annoying.
"Maybe a hot tea will help you," Yuri said as he stood up. "I'll make you one."
"Don't…" I weakly tried to stop him. "I don't like it—it's bitter."
He chuckled slightly. "I'll find a way to lessen the bitterness." Then he turned around and went inside the house.
I bowed my head while holding my stomach. Maybe eating lechon right away was a mistake. It feels like my digestion has stopped working. My stomach feels so heavy, like it's full of air. Drinking soda probably didn't help either.
Since when did I become this weak when it comes to eating? THIS ISN'T ME!
"Hey, don't lean like that," said the King of Ulupongs as he gently pulled me closer to him.
I almost pushed him away, but I realized his intention—he wanted me to lean on him.
Are we in Kuya's territory right now?
Still, I gave in because I was feeling weak. I rested my head on his shoulder while he put an arm around me. I just hope my cousin doesn't catch us, or I might end up back in the hospital.
This hospitalization because of the glue is my punishment. I can't even eat properly. There are still so many foods I haven't tried. What a waste.
Poor Ulupongs, they have no one to help them finish off all the food.
I subtly glanced at Ella and Aries. They were talking about something I couldn't understand. Ella was even holding my brother's hand.
"Did he call you again?"
"He did. But I didn't answer."
I had a feeling I knew who they were talking about. I couldn't help but eavesdrop. My gossiping instincts were kicking in again.
"Maybe you should get a restraining order against your father," Ella said, and I felt a pang in my heart.
I knew it.
"I doubt it will be granted since he's not doing anything to harm us."
"Do you think your brother can't help you?"
"I know he can. Maybe I'll talk to him later."
I closed my eyes. I wanted to sleep, but I wanted to push these thoughts out of my head even more. Whenever I remember the day I brought his real father home, I feel like slapping myself. What I did was completely wrong.
It seems like his father is pushing harder now. Since he already got a chance, he probably plans to keep trying until he gets the forgiveness he wants.
Sigh. I really should have asked first before acting recklessly. When will I ever learn?
I opened my eyes when I heard the ulupongs saying goodbye to Baby Grazel. Denzel snatched his phone back from Ci, who was the last one holding it.
"Your hands are filthy!" he complained while wiping the phone screen.
"That was Ci's hand! He ate chicken and didn't even wash up!" Rory ratted her out.
"Gross!" Calix teased, and the other ulupongs immediately followed.
These jerks. As if they eat cleanly themselves. They even forget where their hands have been when there's food in front of them. Sometimes, they'll even grab food straight from someone else's mouth. I won't say that I once saw Rory do that to Edrix's food before—or that Mayo did the same to Kit's meal.
These ulupongs are unbelievable.
"Here, Jay," I heard Yuri say as he placed a cup of hot tea in front of me.
It smelled like freshly cut grass.
The King of the Snakes brought it closer to me, making me sit up straight. I didn't really want to accept it, but it would be a waste of Yuri's effort, who was currently waiting for my reaction. I held the cup with both hands.
Maybe this will cleanse even the depths of my intestines. It's scary—what if it makes me lose all my fat? I took a long time to accumulate this. I need it to protect my sexiness; I might get scratches otherwise. Fat is important in life, too.
I blew softly on the tea before slowly taking a sip. Since it was hot, I could only manage a small sip. It was bitter, but not like the store-bought teas. I took another sip and noticed that it wasn't actually that bitter. I could handle the taste compared to the ones I've had before.
Is this how grass tastes to goats and carabaos?
"It's fine, not that bitter. Thanks for this," I told Yuri, and he smiled.
"I put some honey to reduce the bitterness," he replied before sitting down again.
I instinctively looked at Percy when I heard the word "honey." He shoved a roll into his mouth, chewing with what seemed like irritation.
I wasn't sure if he was annoyed because of the word "honey" or because Freya was busy chatting with the snakes. Whoever that was, maybe I should talk to him about the two of them. He still didn't know that there's a little something-something going on between Kuya and Honey—not serious, of course, but it's still worth mentioning. And of course, about our efforts to court Freya for Edrix.
I just hope I can explain it to him properly.
I then looked at Freya and Edrix. I smiled subtly when I noticed that Edrix seemed comfortable talking to her. Earlier, he could barely speak to the person next to him, but now it looked like he couldn't hold back anymore—especially when Freya started asking him questions.
"Who are you staring at?" the King asked before grabbing some chicharon snacks and eating it.
"Shh, be quiet. I'm observing something," I whispered back.
He glanced slightly at where I was looking and seemed to catch sight of the same people. He turned back to me and leaned in to whisper.
"Do you think there's progress?" he asked, and I smiled before nodding.
I giggled quietly like a child, and he chuckled along with me.
Damn, why am I getting excited about other people's love lives?
"You think so, right?" he repeated, and I nodded again. "Yeah, because if there's progress, there's also a chance that your brother and stepbrother will kill him."
Damn.
My smile faded. It took me a second to process what he said. But ugh, he had a point—right on target. My stepbrother would definitely be mad, but why Aries too? What does my brother, who predicts people's love fates, have to do with Freya's love life? I know they're BFFs, but they don't control each other's lives. Unless my brother foresaw something bad.
"Why is Aries involved? I get Percy, but Aries? They're just best friends."
He leaned in even closer to whisper.
"Just like you, your brother is also staring at them. He's already glaring at Edrix," he explained.
I took a sip from my cup and subtly glanced at my brother and his not-quite-girlfriend. Ella was hunched over, focused on reading her notes. Meanwhile, my brother was sneakily watching Freya while pretending to read the notes too.
Damn, if he gets caught, there's going to be a fight.
I turned back to Keifer and whispered.
"Why is he looking at him like that? He looks so pissed at Edrix."
The King chuckled. "Told yah."
I didn't know whether to laugh or be annoyed. This Kwanan and I really sync up when it comes to gossip involving my brother and his exes. Amazing, you're really good at this.
But what amazes me more is that he never used to be like this. He used to get mad at me for meddling in other people's business. But now, he's joining in on my nonsense.
Oh no! I turned him into a gossipmonger.
How embarrassing. Mark Keifer Watson, Heir of the Watsons, King of the Ulupongs, and the Respected President of Section E—now a gossipmonger because of me. I'm such a bad influence.
I turned toward the gate when it opened, and Kuya walked in carrying a paper bag.
"Let's have a drink," he said, looking at Sir Alvin and Ma'am Cindy while waving the paper bag in front of him. The clinking of bottles could be clearly heard.
It's probably alcohol. So that's why he left—to buy drinks. I thought it was something important since he left his guests so abruptly.
The Ulupongs suddenly erupted in loud cheers and applause. They were louder than fans cheering at a fight or a celebrity concert.
"Yes, drinking session!"
"You're a true angel!"
"You're so kind, Kuya!"
"Nope! None of you will drink alcohol under my roof!" Kuya Angelo replied, and the loud cheering with applause quickly turned into disappointed "aww"s.
Someone wailed like a child. Others dramatically stomped their feet on the floor. Sir and the others just laughed at their reactions. He's really gotten used to us.
"Most of you are minors. No alcohol for you," my cousin added.
"That's it, I'm sad now," Eren said, pouting.
Kuya had a small table set up with glasses for them.
"You still haven't answered who called me grumpy," he said.
The Ulupongs turned it into a finger-pointing game. No one could give a proper answer because they were pointing at different people, though most of them blamed Ci. The naughty kid immediately complained and ran to Rakki, who was busy talking to Mica.
"Rakkkkkiii… Look at them, they're bullying me," he whined like a kid tattling to their mom.
Mica laughed while Rakki just scratched her head while sulking.
"You can handle it, you're a big boy," Rakki replied, making the Ulupongs burst into laughter.
Even those of us just watching couldn't help but chuckle. This only made the naughty kid throw an even bigger tantrum.
There was almost nothing left of our food. Tita Gema tried to bring out more, but David stopped her. It was already late, and the Ulupongs along with their girlfriends (or future girlfriends) had stayed too long. If she brought out more food, we might stay until dawn. These guys don't know when to stop.
Just like me. Hehe.
I looked at Aries and Ella when they stood up.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"Ella needs to go home. I'll take her," my brother replied.
They went over to Kuya Angelo to say goodbye. Ella tried to invite Mica and Freya to come along, but they decided to stay.
They really wouldn't come along since they still seemed to be enjoying themselves. Especially Freya, who was smiling at Edrix's stories. Hehe, that's nice.
"Take her straight home, okay? No 'sharp turns'," Kuya reminded them as the couple turned to leave.
Ella laughed a little, but my brother looked annoyed.
Huh? What was that?
I quickly turned to Keifer. "What's a 'sharp turn'?"
Yuri almost spat out his drink when he heard my question. The King of the Ulupongs gaped at me. Then Percy suddenly burst out laughing loudly.
I looked back and forth at them. "Why? What is it?"
Keifer cleared his throat a little. "It's a place… where… things happen," he explained, but I still didn't understand.
"Just ask Boss," Percy said, looking at Kuya Angelo.
We turned to look at him too, but instead of answering, he pointed at Sir Alvin.
"He's your teacher, ask him."
Sir Alvin quickly shook his head, and the Ulupongs, who had apparently been listening in, all laughed.
"Ask Eren, he knows all about that," Kit suggested, causing Eren to almost break his neck from shaking his head so hard.
"Idiot, I haven't even gone that far yet," he defended.
"This guy, Rory, is a regular there!" Edrix shouted, making Freya chuckle slightly.
Oy, oy, oy. Has their progress gone that far already?
"Hey! You've got some nerve!" Rory retorted irritably.
"Aren't most of you minors? How come you know these things?" Kuya asked, making the ulupongs fall silent.
They all started avoiding eye contact. Some even stuffed their mouths with a ton of Shanghai lumpia rolls.
"What's a 'sharp turn'? Can we go there?" Ci-N asked.
I also wanted to know and go there. It seemed like these idiots knew exactly what a "sudden turn" was. I couldn't help but get even more curious.
"What is it really?" I asked.
"That's where Baby Grazel was made!" Drew shouted, immediately earning a smack on the back of his head from Denzel.
Huh? Now I'm even more confused.
"It's a motorist hotel or a cheap hotel," David answered, looking impatient so he just explained it himself. "Easy check-in and cheap rates for travelers who need a place to stay for a night, but it somehow became famous for couples who want to do… things."
We just stared at him with our mouths open. He answered like a dictionary.
But I finally understood. It was clear to me now that "sharp turn" meant a motel. That's why Kuya said that to Aries.
I thought it was some tourist spot. And I even wanted to go there.
"Is it nice there? Let's go, Rakki," Ci suggested innocently, making Rakki choke on her drink and sending the rest of us into laughter.
"Are you out of your mind?" Rakki retorted.
The conversation turned into nonstop teasing. We ended up chatting and joking around for another two hours. The food was completely gone. My brother didn't take long dropping off his girlfriend either—he came back quickly, probably because he didn't want us thinking they did something else.
The Ulupongs started cleaning up. I just sat in the corner drinking water with both hands. Rakki, Mica, and Freya wanted to help too, but the idiots wouldn't let them, so they just sat beside me.
"Did you guys have fun?" I asked them.
"I enjoyed it. Thanks for the feast," Mica replied with a smile.
"Same. I really thought it was already my birthday party. Crazy Ci-N," Rakki replied, and we chuckled.
Freya didn't answer, so we all stared at her. She was busy putting face powder on her face. I noticed her makeup looked different now. Before, she used really colorful makeup—sometimes she even had violet on her eyelids, which is why I used to call her "coloring book." Now she's still wearing some, but it's not as colorful. Just a bit darker than her skin tone.
She still looks the same to me, but there's something different about it.
"You enjoyed it too, right, Freya?" I asked, but before she could answer, I immediately added, "—talking to Edrix?"
She stopped what she was doing and looked at me. She glared at us before rolling her eyes.
"He's nice to talk to, unlike the others in Section E. He seems to be the only decent one," she said, then took out a brush from her pouch.
"Why are you still putting that on? We're going home soon," Rakki asked and tried to peek inside her pouch, but Freya swatted her hand away.
"Don't touch that."
"Just let her be. Maybe she wants to look good when she says goodbye to Edrix," Mica teased simply, and we all started laughing.
She didn't respond and just pretended she really needed to finish her makeup. We left her alone but continued teasing her quietly, especially whenever Edrix glanced her way.
Damn! You two better be the endgame.
They finished cleaning up. The Ulupongs thanked Tita and Mama, and Kuya Angelo as well. Aries had already gone inside the house earlier, and it looked like Tito Julz was already asleep. I just walked my classmates to the gate since my cousin was still busy drinking with Sir Alvin and Ma'am Cindy. Yuri stayed behind because he was going home with the couple. He's staying at their place, so it's better if they leave together.
They started pointing out who would take whom home. Ci-N and David were going to drop off Rakki. The little brat didn't have a car, so he asked his grandpa for help. Calix was going to take Mica home, but they said they'd just take a taxi. The rest went their separate ways.
"I'll take you home," Percy told Freya, but she just ignored him.
"Edrix said he'll take you home," Rory told Freya, which took Edrix by surprise.
It was obvious that Freya was waiting for his response, but he looked too confused to speak.
Just say yes.
"How? He doesn't even have a car. Are you two going to walk?" my stepbrother asked.
I couldn't help but feel affected by his tone. I could also see how serious he was, which worried me a bit.
Edrix looked away. "Just let him take you home. Rory and I will just walk."
Rory looked surprised. "Idiot, we have money for a taxi. We can even rent a whole jeepney if you want," he argued, but Edrix just dragged him away.
Freya was left standing there, clearly annoyed. She turned to Percy, and my step-brother smiled widely before opening the door of his car.
"Someone's about to start a fight," the King of the ulupongs whispered to me while eyeing the two.
It sure seemed like it.
We watched as their cars left. The little brat even waved at me from David's car. Even his grandpa smiled and waved, and Rakki did the same.
The Ulupongs who didn't have cars started walking home. Some of them waved at us.
I turned to Kwanan, who was already looking at me.
"What?" I asked.
"Saving your smile in my memory so I won't miss you when we separate for tonight," he answered, making me wince.
"Keifer, for heaven's sake, there's still tomorrow."
He suddenly laughed. "You sound old."
"Well, you sound like a fool. We'll see each other again anyway."
"I'll miss you quickly. If I could, I'd take you home so we wouldn't have to part ways."
Idiot. Is this what they call butterflies in the stomach? But there's probably a monster in mine. I discreetly bit my lip to push away what I was feeling.
My hair must be really long. Too bad I'm too lazy to shampoo it.
"Go home," I ordered, pushing him away.
"You won't miss me?" he asked, pretending to be hurt.
I glanced back at Kuya and the others. They were a bit far, so they probably couldn't hear us.
I leaned closer to the King of the Ulupongs and whispered, "Of course, I will."
"Then, can I kiss you?"
I shook my head at him and discreetly pointed at the people inside the house. "You want us to get caught?".
"Just a quick kiss," he insisted.
I bit my lower lip and checked on Kuya again. When I saw they weren't looking, I leaned in toward Keifer.
He leaned in, too.
But before our lips could meet, a hand suddenly blocked our faces.
Crap! Am I going back to the hospital?!
"I knew it! Get inside the house!" Kuya Angelo yelled, and I immediately ran inside. "And you, go home!" I still heard him shout.
I rushed to my room and flopped onto my bed. I was exhausted, but I had fun. I love it when we're all complete.