Jayjay'sPOV:
We stood outside the dining room door. Strangely, there was almost no sound coming from inside. Usually, you can hear Section E from a mile away.
"Ready?" Keifer asked, his hand hovering over the doorknob. I nodded, and he pushed the door open.
We both blinked. They weren't doing anything crazy—just sitting there casually. Some were talking in low voices, while others were just staring at their phones.
"I don't think this is actually Section E," I whispered to Keifer. "I think they've been replaced by shape-shifters."
"Yeah, looks like it," he whispered back, scanning the room suspiciously.
"Why did you guys take so long?" Ci-N asked, suddenly looking up. "And why are you two whispering?"
"Don't you know? They're practically married now," Felix added, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
"Ooooooooooooo!" the entire room erupted into cheers instantly. Okay, never mind. These are definitely the real ones.
"Huh?! I'm not even eighteen yet, so how could we be married, dumbass?" I snapped. To emphasize my point, I reached out and smacked the head of whoever was closest to me—which happened to be Blaster.
"Ow! Why me?!" he complained, rubbing his head.
"Because you cheered too!" I said.
"Okay, guys, I'm hungry," Ci-N announced, completely changing the subject.
"Tell us something we don't know," Eman snapped, and the whole room burst into laughter.
"Alright, everyone. Let's eat first, then we'll play," Keifer commanded.
The words had barely left his mouth before they all rushed toward the dining table—shoving, jumping, and hitting each other along the way. It was pure chaos in seconds.
"I think they got their brains back," I said to Keifer, watching the hurricane of boys move past us.
"Yeah," he agreed, watching them with a small smile. We turned to each other at the same time. "Come on, let's go join them."
We started walking, ready to dive into the madness.
"So, Keifer..." Yuri called out, a wide, teasing grin on his face.
"Hmm?" Keifer grunted, not looking up from his food.
"Why was Jayjay here so much earlier than us?" Yuri asked, his tone dripping with mischief.
"Ooooooooo!" the rest of the Ulupongs chimed in like a choreographed choir.
Keifer put his spoon down slowly and looked at Yuri. His eyes went dark in that way that usually makes people run for cover. "It's none of your business," he said coldly before going back to his meal.
I wasn't really eating. The Ulupongs had charged at the food like a pack of hungry wolves, stripping all the meat away and leaving nothing but vegetables. And I do not do veggies.
"Why aren't you eating?" Keifer asked in a low voice, leaning toward me so only I could hear.
"I don't like vegetables," I whispered back.
"Don't worry. There's more meat in the kitchen; I'll have the maids bring it out," he said with a small smile. He signaled his butler, who disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a massive tray of fresh meat.
The moment the tray touched the table in front of me, the Ulupongs prepared to charge again.
"Another tray is coming for the rest of you. This one is for Jayjay," Keifer spoke up, his voice firm. They all backed off instantly. Even though their plates were already overflowing, they still looked at my tray longingly. Keifer ignored them and served some onto my plate.
"Keifer, it still seems like there's something fishy going on. You're not telling us the real reason she was here," Calix pushed, grinning. Keifer just gave him a lethal glare, and Calix's grin vanished into thin air.
"Kuya Angelo said that if I didn't study before the party, he'd call all of your parents and tell them not to let you come. The party would have been canceled," I explained, trying to settle the tension.
"So you were really 'studying' upstairs?" Yuri asked, still skeptical. I nodded.
"No, they were just yelling about formulas! Ate's voice was even higher than Kuya's!" Kieran piped up from behind us.
The table erupted. They all burst out laughing, clutching their stomachs.
"Kieran," Keifer said, his voice dropping into that deep, warning tone. Kieran stopped laughing immediately, looking a bit spooked.
Smack!
I hit the back of Keifer's head. "Ouch! What was that for?" he asked, looking bewildered.
"You're scaring the kid!" I scolded, then smack—I did it again for good measure.
"This is the first time I've ever seen someone smack Kuya... especially on the head," Kieran whispered, eyes wide.
"That's because he's afraid of his wifey," Ci-N teased.
"Just shut up and eat," Keifer muttered, though the others were still shaking with suppressed laughter.
"Hey, Kieran, come and eat with us," I invited, but he shook his head.
"I already ate," he said. I nodded, and he wandered off back to his room.
After eating, we decided to play Truth or Dare. The bottle spun and landed on Keifer.
"Dare," he said casually, but I could tell by the mischievous looks on the Ulupongs' faces that they were planning something devious. I jumped in before anyone else could speak.
"Message Keigan and tell him you've left for London again!"
Phew! I saw all their faces drop in disappointment. My "save" worked.
"Done," Keifer said, tapping his phone. "But he probably won't believe it because he knows I'm not going back to London for certain reasons now," he added, bumping his shoulder against mine.
"OHHHHHHHHH!" Section E roared in unison.
"Whatever," I muttered, trying to hide my blush as I spun the bottle again.
After two and a half hours of chaos, the bottle finally pointed at me.
"Thank God!" Felix yelled, clapping his hands. "I've been waiting for this moment!"
I didn't want to risk anything crazy, so I played it safe. "Truth."
"If Keifer had never come back from London, would you have forgotten him and moved on?" Drew asked, leaning in curiously.
"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't," I admitted softly. Keifer didn't say anything, but a smug smirk spread across his face.
"That wouldn't have been possible anyway, because I was always destined to come back," he said.
The bottle spun again and, what the hell, it landed on me again.
"Truth," I said immediately.
"Damn it!" Edrix groaned.
"Did you have a boyfriend before Cyrus?" Rory asked.
"Yeah," I laughed. "It was an online thing, but when we finally met in person, I found out he was gay!"
The guys burst into fits of laughter, nearly falling off their chairs.
"Okay, let's play something else," Drew suggested once the laughing died down.
"Like what?" we all asked together.
"I'll call out a letter, and you have to bring back an object—or a person—that starts with that letter. Whoever gets back to the center first gets a reward!"
"Is the reward food?" Ci-N asked instantly.
"Why do you always think about food?" Blaster snapped.
"Because food is life, and life is food!" Ci-N argued.
"He's right," I chimed in.
"Great, there goes another foodie," Eman sighed.
"Oh, please. Don't you guys fight over a chicken wing like it's the last piece of meat on Earth?" I said sarcastically.
Suddenly, some of them started whistling innocently while others pretended to be very interested in the ceiling.
"Wow," I laughed. "Let's just play before you guys break the windows with that whistling."
We all got up and moved to the center of the hall, ready for the scavenger hunt to begin.
"Bring me something that starts with 'R'! Hurry up!" Drew yelled.
We all scrambled in different directions, but Rory and Edrix didn't go far. They suddenly lunged for Yuri, one grabbing his legs and the other his arms. They hauled him back to the center and dumped him on the floor.
"Hey! My name starts with 'Y', not 'R'!" Yuri complained, scrambling to his feet.
"But your hair is Red, and Red starts with 'R'!" Rory argued.
"Exactly. And we couldn't exactly cut your head off just to bring the hair here," Edrix added. We all burst into laughter, doubled over like idiots at the mental image.
"Okay, okay," Drew said, catching his breath. "Bring me something that starts with 'B'!"
I immediately grabbed Keifer's hand and dragged him to the front.
"Keifer doesn't start with 'B'," Ci-N said, mimicking Keifer's usual stony facial expression.
"Why me?" Keifer asked, looking down at me with a raised eyebrow.
"Your jacket is Black, and Black starts with 'B'!" I declared.
"You could have just asked for the jacket," Mayo pointed out.
"Oh, please. That would take too long. By the time he got it off, I'm sure you guys would have snatched Edrix's glasses because the frames are black," I countered. The boys all slapped their foreheads in realization. Too slow!
"Bring me something that starts with 'K'!" Drew shouted.
I didn't even let go of Keifer's hand; I just yanked him forward again.
"Damn it!" Edrix groaned.
"She's too fast!" Calix complained.
"Why am I being dragged back and forth?" Keifer asked, though he didn't look like he actually minded that much.
"Because your name is Keifer!" I said simply.
"Alright," Drew announced. "JayFer has two points, Edrix and Rory have one, and the rest of you have zero. If JayFer keeps this up, they win! Now... bring me something that starts with 'Y'!"
The words were barely out before everyone lunged for Yuri. But Yuri was faster—he bolted toward Drew and tagged him. "I brought myself! That's my point!"
"Something that starts with 'C'!"
Keifer and I grabbed Ci-N by his shirt and dragged him to the front.
"Another point for JayFer!" Drew yelled, and the rest of the group let out a collective sigh of defeat.
"Bring me something that starts with 'J'!"
Before I could move, I felt the world tilt. Keifer swept me off my feet, lifting me into a bridal carry, and stepped forward.
"Here," he said, looking perfectly satisfied.
"Another point for the lovebirds!"
One Hour Later...
"JayFer wins with 10 points! Yuri has 2, Edrix and Rory have 4, Ci-N and Felix have 3, and the rest of you... better luck next time," Drew announced. "And the reward—this chocolate bar—goes to JayFer!"
I took the bar and immediately broke it in half. I handed one piece to Felix and the other to Ci-N.
"Thank you, Jayjay!" they chirped happily. The other Ulupongs were staring at them with such intense jealousy, it looked like they were trying to set the chocolate on fire with their eyes.
"Hoi! I'll poke your eyes out! Stop staring at the kids!" I said.
They all looked away instantly, and Ci-N and Felix's laughter echoed through the entire house.
After the scavenger hunt, the energy in the room completely crashed. We all just scrambled to find spots to sit. Some were scrolling through their phones, some were staring blankly at the ceiling or the walls, and a few were just rolling around on the carpet like bored toddlers. Keifer, who was sitting right beside me, was just staring at me.
"I'm bored," Ci-N groaned.
"Me two," Felix added.
"Me three," Calix sighed.
"Me four," Drew chimed in.
"Me five," Mayo muttered.
"Me six," Kit said.
"Me seven," Blaster followed.
"Me eight," Eren added.
"Me nine," Rory groaned.
"Me ten," Edrix said.
"Me eleven," Josh joined.
"Me twelve," David muttered.
"Me thirteen," Yuri sighed.
"Me fourteen," Eman said.
"Me fifteen," Danzel finished.
"Me sixteen," I said, leaning back.
Then, as if on cue, all sixteen of us turned our heads to look at Keifer. He just sat there and raised an eyebrow at the sudden attention.
"Say your number," I prompted, nudging him.
He shook his head, looking like he wanted no part of this nonsense, but I just knitted my brows and gave him the look. He let out a long, defeated sigh.
"Me seventeen," he muttered.
The room erupted as we all started clapping and cheering. Even the great Keifer Watson couldn't escape the boredom chain!
"Let's play hide and seek!" Felix suggested.
"YES!" we all shouted in unison.
"No," Keifer countered flatly.
"Why not?" I asked, turning to him.
"That's a kid's game," he said, leaning back as if the matter was settled.
"Fine, then you don't play," Ci-N started, but he quickly saw the look on Keifer's face. "I mean... no! You have to play!"
We all turned our puppy-dog eyes toward Keifer. I grabbed his arm, leaning in close. "Keiferrrrrrrrrrrrr... you just have to play! I'm pretty sure you played this all the time when you were little," I said. He shook his head, still trying to resist. "Please?" I added, giving him my best, most melting look.
The ice finally broke. He let out a resigned sigh. "Okay, fine."
The room erupted in applause.
"So, who's the seeker?" Felix asked, looking around the circle.
"NOT ME!" we all screamed at exactly the same time.
"Let's write names on chits of paper," Felix suggested. "Whoever's name shows up the most has to be 'It'."
"Why don't we just text it?" Edrix groaned. "It's so much work to find a pen, get paper, cut it up, and distribute it."
"No, it'll be more fun this way!" I argued. Everyone else nodded in agreement, and Edrix just let out a long, suffering sigh.
"Fine, fine."
Keifer signaled his butler, who returned a few minutes later with seventeen pens and perfectly cut slips of paper. We all scribbled down a name in secret and handed them to me. I started opening them one by one.
"Felix. Felix. Felix..." I stopped and looked up. "Actually, every single one of these says Felix."
Felix's jaw dropped to the floor. "You all planned this!" he wailed, throwing himself onto the carpet and rolling around dramatically. We all burst into fits of laughter at his reaction.
"Don't be dramatic. Go do your work," Keifer commanded, though he had a small smirk on his face.
Grumbling, Felix trudged over to the wall and buried his face in his arms to start counting. Felix started counting, and we all scattered through the house like a bunch of hyperactive kids. I turned around and saw Keifer strolling along as if he were taking a casual walk in the park.
"Keifer, hurry up!" I hissed. He sped up a tiny bit, but it wasn't enough. I ran back, grabbed his hand, and started dragging him along.
"You're making me feel like a toddler," he chuckled, but he didn't pull away.
"Keep quiet!" I whispered.
We ducked into the nearest room. The second the door closed, I realized it was pitch black. I couldn't see a thing. Suddenly, I realized I wasn't holding Keifer's hand anymore. Where did he go? Why did he let go? My mind immediately started racing. What if this mansion is haunted? What if a ghost attacks me? I'd have to call Josh and his "third eye" to save me, but right now, I was just plain scared.
"Keif?" I whispered, loud enough for someone in the room to hear. "Keifer, this isn't funny."
No response.
Suddenly, a hand landed on my shoulder. I was about to let out a blood-curdling scream when a palm clamped firmly over my mouth.
"Shhh. Do you want to get caught?" Keifer's voice breathed into my ear. I shook my head vigorously. "Then be quiet."
He didn't move his hand, and after a few seconds, I started to feel like I couldn't breathe. So, naturally, I bit him.
He gasped, his mouth hanging open to scream, but he caught himself just in time. "You little kitten," he hissed. "Why did you bite me?"
"Sorry! But you wouldn't move your hand and I couldn't breathe," I whispered back. "Let me see." I grabbed his hand to examine the damage in the dim light. "I didn't bite that hard. See? There isn't even a mark from my teeth."
I turned his hand toward him so he could look for himself. He was about to argue when we heard footsteps approaching.
"Where are you guys hiding...?" It was Felix.
Keifer and I instinctively retreated further into a dark corner, pressing ourselves against the wall.
"You think there's no mark, but once we're in the light, you'll see," he whispered, his voice low and teasing now that the footsteps were fading. "I think I'll never say no to hide and seek again."
"See? You are having fun," I teased.
"Yeah... I'm having fun because I'm with you," he said, smiling. Even in the dark, I knew I was blushing; I could feel the heat radiating from my cheeks. Once the coast was clear, we stepped back toward the door. I had an idea.
"Keif, stay here. I'll be back soon."
"Wait, where are you going?" He caught my wrist, pulling me back.
"I'm going to win," I said with a mischievous grin.
"Huh?"
"You'll see." I patted his arm and tiptoed out of the room. I moved like a ninja, walking on my toes toward the wall where Felix had been counting. According to the rules, if I could "save" everyone by knocking on the wall before being tagged, the hiders would win.
I was inches away from the wall, my hand reaching out to knock, when—
"FOUND YOU!" Felix shouted, jumping out from behind a pillar.
"HOI! You scared me!" I yelped, clutching my chest.
"Gotcha! Now I'm gonna find the others," he said triumphantly, wandering off toward the stairs.
Shit. I got caught. Well, since I'm already "out," I might as well help Felix find the rest of those Ulupongs.
I went back to the room where I had left Keifer and pushed the door open.
"FEL—" I started to scream his name, but a palm clamped over my mouth for the second time today. He dragged me deeper into the room.
"You really want me to get caught, don't you?" he asked, a smirk playing on his lips.
"No," I muffled into his hand, trying not to laugh because he was exactly right.
"Then why were you about to yell Felix's name?" he asked, letting go. I swallowed hard, trying to look innocent.
"Umm... I don't know what you're talking about," I lied.
"Oh, really?" The smirk widened, and I nodded quickly. Just then, the sound of footsteps approached the door.
"FELIX!" I started to yell, but before the second syllable could leave my mouth, he leaned in and kissed me. My eyes widened in total shock.
He pulled away, grabbed my hand, and started dragging me toward the back of the room. He flung open a massive walk-in closet and pulled me inside. We were so close I could feel the warmth radiating off him. Even for a guy who's six-foot-something, this closet was huge enough for both of us to hide comfortably. He placed his palm over my mouth again.
"Just making sure you don't scream this time," he whispered.
The door to the room creaked open. I heard Felix walking around, his footsteps echoing on the hardwood. I stood there, trapped between Keifer and a rack of expensive shirts, blushing like crazy. Finally, the footsteps faded and we heard the door click shut. I pushed his hand away.
"I hate you," I whispered, though there was no bite in it.
"No, you love me," he countered softly. My face felt like it was on fire.
I couldn't take the tension anymore, so I bolted out of the closet and ran for the door. If I stayed there any longer, I was going to turn into a literal tomato. I burst out into the hallway and immediately bumped into someone.
It was Felix. He looked at me, then narrowed his eyes mischievously. "Why are you blushing?"
"I'm not!" I snapped.
He reached out and poked my cheek. "You clearly are. And you just came out of that room... which means Keifer is probably in there too."
"No one is there" I said but he didn't listen.
He pushed past me and headed into the room. I stood there, worried. I hoped Keifer had found a better spot. Felix checked the entire room—under the bed, behind the curtains, and even the big closet.
"Strange," Felix muttered, turning back to me. "No one's here."
"See I told you" I said
How is that possible? I had just left him in there a minute ago! Where could he have gone?
Suddenly, we heard someone laughing from downstairs. "Haha! One more victim found!"
Felix's eyes lit up. "One more!" he shouted and went sprinting toward the stairs. I just stood there, completely baffled. Where on earth did Keifer go?
Felix had found everyone else, but one person was still missing. The King of the Ulupongs had completely vanished into the shadows.
"Keifer, come out! You won!" Felix yelled, doubling over and panting. Poor boy—he had run so much just to track us all down. I couldn't help but laugh at the sight of him. The others all looked at me like I was a total weirdo, but I knew exactly what they were thinking without them saying a word.
"Why are you laughing? Do you know where he is?" Felix asked, wiped out. I shook my head. "Then why the face?"
"Because I just realized this poor boy," I said, pointing at him, "is about to collapse because he worked so hard to find us!"
The group erupted in laughter again, and Felix literally fell onto the floor in defeat.
"You're all cheaters!" he wailed, fake-crying and rolling around on the carpet. "You all planned this against me!"
"Keifer, come out now!" Yuri yelled toward the stairs.
And there he was. Keifer strolled down the staircase with one hand in his trouser pocket, looking perfectly calm. Not a single drop of sweat on him, while the rest of us looked like we had just come out of a sauna.
"Look who won! The guy who said this game was childish just beat us all," Yuri said, clapping as Keifer reached the bottom.
"So, I won?" Keifer asked, his voice smooth. We all nodded. "Then what's my prize?"
Our jaws dropped.
"There are no prizes in hide and seek!" Blaster pointed out.
"Yeah, since when?" Danzel added.
"Fine, but if you want one, tell us what it is," Eman said, giving in.
"Do you want food?" Ci-N asked hopefully.
"He's not like you, Ci-N," Eren muttered.
"What do you want?" I asked, curious.
"I want a letter," he said simply. We all stared at him in confusion.
"A letter?" I repeated. He nodded.
"Oh, that's fine. Eman, write him a letter," David suggested.
"No! His handwriting looks like he writes with his feet," Felix interrupted. "Yuri or Calix, you do it."
"I want a letter from her family," Keifer said, pointing directly at me while a smirk played on his lips.
"What?!" I gasped.
"What kind of letter?" Yuri asked, leaning in.
"I want a letter from her family stating that Jayjay and I will get married the moment she turns eighteen," he said, his eyes locked on mine.
I stood there frozen, my eyes wide enough to fall out of my head.
"OHHHHHHHHHH!" the boys roared.
"Direct marriage! No slowing down!" Calix cheered.
"No engagement, just the wedding!" Felix added.
"Hey, that's not fair," Ci-N complained. "We decided we're going to have so many parties and functions for your wedding. We need time for all that!"
"Yeah, one day isn't enough for a Section E wedding," Danzel agreed.
"Shut up!" I snapped the moment I finally snapped out of my trance.
"Why? Do you not want to marry me?" Keifer asked. His face suddenly went dead serious, the smirk vanishing. "Am I just a time-pass to you?"
The second he said that, I blinked. Then, I wound up and smacked the back of his head hard. I hit him so hard that his head actually snapped forward before he lifted it back up to look at me.
"Is that what you think of me?!" I demanded. He shook his head slowly. "Then why would you even ask that? I never said I didn't want to marry you because you're a 'time-pass.' I'm just saying I don't want a marriage the literal second I turn eighteen!"
I took a deep breath, and since everyone was listening, I just let it all out. "I'm saying we should have a half-month engagement first! That way, we can actually do all the functions these Ulupongs mentioned. I don't want my wedding to just be... a wedding. It only happens once, and I want it to be special!"
The room went silent for a heartbeat, and then—they all started howling with laughter.
"Why are you guys laughing?!" I asked, looking around, completely confused.
"Because I was just joking," Keifer said, a massive grin breaking across his face. "But you took it so seriously that you basically just planned the whole thing."
The laughter got even louder this time, echoing off the walls. I stood there, realizing I had just walked right into his trap.
"Shall we eat something?" Ci-N asked, and like a synchronized dance team, we all slapped our foreheads.
"Why do you always think about food?" Yuri groaned.
"Because food is life and—" Ci-N started, but I finished it for him.
"—Life is food!"
"Exactly!" Ci-N cheered.
"Keifer, how are we supposed to handle two foodies?" Yuri whispered, though he wasn't doing a very good job of keeping it quiet.
"I'll handle Jayjay. You guys handle Ci-N," Keifer whispered back. Again, we heard every word. Yuri gave a firm nod to the boys, and they all looked at each other like they were preparing for a military operation.
"Hey! We heard that!" I yelled.
They ignored us. The boys started closing in on Ci-N, and Keifer began walking slowly toward me. Ci-N and I locked eyes and gave a single, sharp nod. In one swift motion, we grabbed the couch cushions, hurled them at the group, and bolted. We sprinted down the hall, ducked into the guest room, and slammed the door shut, locking it instantly.
"Thank God," Ci-N panted, leaning against the door to catch his breath.
"Why were they acting like that?" I asked, looking at him.
"I don't know for sure, but I think Keifer was going to carry you off, and the boys were going to haul me away to the kitchen," he guessed.
"But why?" I huffed, dropping onto the bed.
"Both of you, open this door right now!" Yuri yelled, banging on the wood so hard the hinges rattled.
"Nope!" I shouted back, popping the 'P'.
"Guys, Ci-N just stole my wife!" we heard Keifer say, followed by a roar of laughter from the Ulupongs.
"Don't worry, bro! Your wife stole our buddy!" David shouted back. They were being so loud we could hear every single word of their conversation.
"Bro, you didn't even like Jayjay back when she and I first became friends!" Ci-N yelled through the door.
"Yeah, he's right! You literally walked away from me, but he stayed!" I added.
"Jayjay, come out before I finish counting," Keifer warned, ignoring our comments.
"Wait, this is his house," Ci-N whispered, his eyes widening. "He has the spare keys to this room!"
I jumped off the bed immediately. I fumbled with the door and quickly slid the latch into place. Double-locked.
"Good job, bestie," Ci-N whispered, and we shared a triumphant high-five.
"One..." Keifer began. "Two..." He paused for a second, then hissed, "Three."
We heard the jingle of keys and the sound of the lock turning, but the door didn't budge. The bolt held firm.
"They used the latch!" Keifer yelled to the others.
"Damn it!" Edrix groaned.
"Shit!" Yuri cursed.
"What are we going to do now?" David asked.
"You guys can't outsmart me and Ci-N!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. I heard a collective, frustrated sigh from the entire group outside, and Ci-N and I burst into fits of laughter.
"Jayjay, I think we should go out now," Ci-N whispered. I nodded, and we carefully unlocked the door, cracking it open just a tiny bit.
Suddenly, the door gave way as if someone was leaning on it. It was Drew—he had been sitting on the floor with his back against the door, and when we opened it, he nearly fell backward. He scrambled to his feet and turned around.
"Hi!" I chirped, waving awkwardly before trying to slam the door shut. But Drew was faster; he jammed his shoulder against the wood, pushing back.
"THEY CAME OUT!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Ci, come help!" I screamed. Ci-N dove toward the door, and together we pushed with everything we had. But the pressure from the other side was getting stronger—more people were joining the fight.
"We aren't giving you Jay!" Ci-N grunted.
"You can't close it! Three of us are pushing!" Drew shouted, clearly putting in a lot of effort.
"And who are those three?" I asked, straining against the door.
"Me, Yuri, Keifer, and David!" he replied.
"That's four, stupid!" Ci-N yelled back.
"Oh... sorry!"
I think the realization of his bad math actually made Drew let go for a split second. We seized the chance, shoved the door with a final burst of energy, and hurriedly double-locked it again.
"Jayjay, please come out," Keifer called from the hallway, his voice sounding a bit more reasonable. "We won't do anything to you or Ci-N."
"First, tell us what you were planning to do earlier!" I demanded.
"Ummm... we decided that the boys would carry Ci-N and spin him around, and Keifer would carry you and spin you," Yuri confessed.
"Screw you!" I yelled. I could already imagine the dizziness.
"Do you want us to open the door?" Ci-N asked.
"Yes, of course!" David snapped.
"Then Keifer, swear on Jayjay's head that you won't spin us!" Ci-N demanded.
"NO!" Keifer shouted back instantly. He clearly wasn't willing to give up his prize that easily.
"Then forget about us opening the door!" Ci-N said.
We stood there in silence for a moment until we heard the sound of several pairs of footsteps fading away. It sounded like they had finally given up and walked off.
After half an hour, the silence was broken by a very loud noise.
"Ci, I'm hungry," I whispered, looking at him. He was already rubbing his stomach.
"Me too," he replied just as his stomach let out a long, pathetic growl. We looked at each other for a second and then burst into laughter like total idiots.
"Okay, let's tiptoe to the kitchen, grab some food, and sneak back. I'm pretty sure they won't even notice," I suggested. He nodded eagerly.
I cracked the door open just a sliver. This time, no one was leaning on it. We crept out into the hallway, moving like ninjas. We reached the kitchen and started grabbing everything in sight. I looked over at Ci-N and nearly lost it—both his arms were overflowing with snack packets, his hands were full, and he even had one wedged in his mouth! I giggled quietly, and he signaled for us to move before we got caught.
We were almost back to the safety of the room when I rounded the corner and slammed into someone. It was Mayo.
"THEY'RE OUT!" he yelled.
Ci-N didn't hesitate—he delivered a quick kick to Mayo's shin, and we both bolted. We reached the guest room and scrambled inside, dumping the mountain of snacks onto the bed. I rushed back to slam the door, but I was a second too late. Keifer was already there, blocking the way.
Without thinking, I shoved his chest as hard as I could. He lost his balance for a split second, stumbling back. He tried to lung forward again, but I was faster. I kicked the door shut with my foot and leaned against it with all my weight.
"Ci! Lock the door!" I screamed.
Ci-N dropped his half-eaten snack, scrambled over, and turned the lock. Then he slid the bolt into place. Double-locked. Safe again.
We slumped onto the floor, surrounded by our haul. We spent the next hour eating, talking, and laughing. We even played a few rounds of Ludo online against each other. When he finally won the last game, I threw my snacks at him in frustration, and he just sat there laughing his head off.
It was starting to get dark outside, so Ci-N and I finally decided it was safe to leave our fortress. We crept into the living room and found a hilarious sight: the entire Section E was fast asleep. Some were sprawled across the sofas, some were tangled on the floor, and a few were even passed out on the tables.
"Jayjay, I have an idea to get back at all of them," Ci-N whispered, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
I raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"Do you have a lipstick?" he asked. I nodded. "Give it to me."
"Okay, it's in my bag." I spotted my bag on a nearby chair, grabbed it, and handed him the lipstick.
"Do you have another one?" he asked. I nodded again. "Perfect. Take that one. We're going to give these boys a makeover."
I smirked, finally catching on to his plan. We went to work immediately. For the next ten minutes, we moved silently from person to person, carefully "decorating" the faces of fifteen sleeping boys.
Once we were done, we retreated to the kitchen. I grabbed a steel lid and dropped it onto the floor with a loud CLANG!
We scrambled back into the living room and dove behind a sofa to watch. The loud noise worked instantly. They all jolted awake, blinking and rubbing their eyes. As they looked around at one another, the room went silent for a beat. Then, they realized what had happened. They started staring at each other's "made-up" faces and burst into laughter like complete idiots.
Ci-N and I stayed hidden, shaking with silent laughter.
"Why are you all laughing at me?!" they all shouted at the exact same time.
Then, as if they were synchronized, they all whipped out their phones and opened their front cameras.
"What the hell?!" they screamed in unison again.
"We were all asleep, and only Jayjay and Ci-N were awake. Plus, their door is open now... this is definitely their work!" David announced.
Ci-N and I couldn't hold it in anymore. We burst into such a loud fit of laughter that the boys all turned their heads to find the source. Luckily, we were still ducked behind the sofa, so we were invisible. I turned to nudge Ci-N, but my hand hit nothing but air. He was gone!
"Where did Ci go?" I whispered under my breath, my heart starting to race.
"To the same place you're going," a deep, familiar voice rumbled from directly behind me.
Before I could even turn my head, a pair of strong hands slid under my arms and lifted me into the air like I was a tiny baby. I looked up and saw exactly who it was—none other than the King of the Ulupongs himself.
"Hey! Put me down!" I protested, dangling in the air.
"If you move even an inch, you're going to drop straight to the floor," Keifer warned. I went stiff immediately. I wasn't about to risk my back on a hard floor just to be stubborn.
"Here are the criminals!" Keifer announced as we reached the center of the living room.
I looked over and saw Yuri carrying Ci-N exactly the same way Keifer was carrying me. Ci-N looked just as defeated as I felt. Honestly, I am so tired of these two best friends and their synchronized movements!
"You two foodies! What have you turned us into?" Drew barked, gestures to his lipstick-smeared face.
Ci-N and I locked eyes at the exact same time and burst into another fit of giggles. I don't know why, but seeing them all so pissed off was the highlight of my day.
"Ci, ready?" I asked. He gave me a sharp nod.
We both tried to elbow our way out of their grip, but we failed miserably. These two best friends were like human handcuffs; they caught our arms before we could even move.
"Uh-uh. Not again. You guys can't outsmart us this time," Yuri teased.
I looked at Ci-N and saw a familiar smirk growing on his face.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked. I nodded instantly.
The others looked at us, totally confused. Then—BAM! Ci-N landed a swift kick right under Yuri's knee. At the exact same moment, I leaned in and planted a quick kiss on Keifer's cheek.
It worked. Keifer froze instantly, his brain short-circuiting. We both bolted, but I didn't get far. A hand clamped around my waist, and before I knew it, I was tucked back under Keifer's arm.
I looked over and saw Ci-N hadn't been so lucky either. He was pinned on the sofa, and the rest of the boys were swarming him, trying to apply lipstick all over his face. They were holding him so tightly his cheeks were squished.
"Hoi!" I yelled, jumping down from Keifer's grip. I rushed over and shoved the boys aside, pulling a crumpled tissue from my pocket to wipe Ci-N's face.
"You all gago! Look how tight you're holding him! His face is turning red!" I scolded.
They all stepped back, looking a bit guilty. I turned to the "King" who was still standing there, looking a bit dazed.
"And you... come here," I said to Keifer. He walked over, and I gently wiped his cheek. I hadn't given him a full makeover like the others; I had only drawn a small lipstick heart on his cheek.
I handed out the rest of my tissues to the group. "Clean yourselves up. You look ridiculous."
"You made us like this" they all yelled at the same time.
The room was finally quiet, except for the sound of fifteen boys frantically scrubbing their faces with tissues. I sat back down on the rug, my pocket now empty of tissues but my heart feeling a lot lighter.
"So," I said, looking around at the semi-clean, slightly red faces of the Ulupongs. "What now? Are you guys finally done being 'criminals' for one night?"
Keifer sat down next to me, his face clean but his eyes still locked on mine with that look that said he hadn't forgotten that distraction kiss for a second.
"I don't know about them," Keifer muttered, leaning closer. "But I think I'm still owed a real prize for winning hide-and-seek."
"Can you guys stop, please? I'm hungry," Felix groaned, breaking the tension.
"Okay, let's go eat," Keifer said, standing up. He offered his hand to me. "C'mon, let's go."
I shook my head. "Why?" he asked, sounding surprised.
"I'm tired," I sighed.
"Why are you tired?" David chimed in. "We should be the tired ones! we stood at your door for half an hour after that door-pushing war!"
Ci-N and I just burst out laughing. It was worth it.
"You guys just laugh at everything," Yuri muttered.
"Oh, like you guys didn't make us run for our lives?" I shot back. Suddenly, my whole world tilted. Before I could blink, that jerk had swept me up into a bridal carry.
"Put me down, you jerk!" I yelled, hitting his arm.
"Nope. You were tired, right? So I'll carry you to your chair," he said calmly, already walking toward the dining room.
"OHHHHHHHHHHH!" the Ulupongs roared from behind us.
I twisted around to glare at them. "Shut up!" Then I turned back to Keifer's smug face. "And you! Put me down right now. I'm not tired anymore!"
He ignored me completely. When we reached the table, he set me down in a chair. As he went to sit in the chair next to mine, I quickly reached out and pulled it toward me, hoping he'd fall right on his butt. But he was too fast—he stopped mid-sit, balanced perfectly, and then just sat down in the chair I had pulled closer to mine.
"So, you want me to sit closer to you?" he whispered, leaning in.
"No! I wanted you to fall, but you didn't," I huffed. He just laughed.
The rest of the Ulupongs finally joined us at the table. "Drinks?" Yuri asked, looking around.
"I'll have some too," I said. They all stopped and stared at me like I had just said I was an alien. "What?" I asked, confused.
"No. Your 'inner barracuda' wakes up when you drink," Felix said, looking genuinely worried.
"Then you'll ask for a virgin to sacrifice!" David added.
"Then you'll start chasing people around the house!" Yuri chipped in.
"And then you'll decide to sacrifice me!" Ci-N whined.
"It only happened once!" I argued.
"And that 'once' we were so scared that we didn't sleep for the rest of the night," Felix reminded me.
"So, you're not drinking," Keifer said firmly. He signaled his butler. "Bring sixteen bottles and one juice."
"I am not drinking juice! At least bring me a soda," I snapped. They all laughed. "And cancel one bottle because Ci-N isn't drinking. He's only sixteen."
Ci-N looked absolutely heartbroken, but I wasn't budging.
"Let him be a man," Keifer said, shrugging.
"You think drinking makes you a man? Then you're wrong," I said, my voice serious. "A real man doesn't drink because it ruins his health. A man stays healthy because he needs to be there for his family."
The table went quiet. They all nodded, looking a bit humbled.
"Okay, then no one is drinking," David said, looking down at the table.
"Exactly," I agreed.
"If you guys aren't drinking, fine... but I'm drinking," Keifer challenged, looking at me.
"I dare you to drink," I said, my voice full of authority. "Go ahead, and you'll regret it."
He stared at me for a long beat, then sighed. "Okay, fine. No one is drinking."
I nodded, satisfied. I stood up and walked into the kitchen to find the butler. "Kuya, don't bring the bottles. Just bring juice for everyone."
"Ok ma'am, don't worry," he said with a nod. I walked back to the dining table, feeling like the boss of the house.
We spent the rest of the meal talking and laughing, just genuinely enjoying each other's company. After we finished, someone suggested a movie. We all piled upstairs to the home theater. The movie was good—nothing over the top, not too romantic or scary, just a solid story. Somewhere in the middle of it, the exhaustion of the day finally caught up to me. I leaned into Keifer, and before I knew it, I was fast asleep.
Keifer's POV:
In the middle of the movie, a soft, rhythmic sound caught my ear. I thought one of the boys was snoring, so I glanced over at them, but they were all staring at Jayjay with grins on their faces. I looked down and realized the sound was coming from her. She was fast asleep in my arms, snoring softly and looking incredibly cute.
"Jayjay is snoring!" Felix whispered, and the boys started to chuckle.
"Don't make any noise," I commanded, giving them a look that made them turn back to the screen immediately.
"Protective boyfriend," Calix teased.
"Husband," Felix corrected him. I couldn't help but chuckle at that.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry," Calix whispered back.
"She looks cute," Yuri added, and the rest of the boys nodded in agreement.
"Shhh," I hissed. I knew they wouldn't stay quiet for long, so I decided to take Jayjay to my room where it was peaceful. I lifted her up carefully. She didn't wake up; she just clung to me instinctively, her head resting against my shoulder.
"Where are you taking her?" Ci-N asked as I started to walk away.
"To my room," I said simply.
"And why?"
"Because you guys are noisy and you're disturbing her. Besides, it's none of your business," I countered.
"I'm telling her in the morning!" he threatened. I just mimicked his face at him and kept walking.
Once in the room, I laid her gently on the bed and tucked the blanket around her. I planned to sleep on the couch, but it was impossible. I shifted positions a dozen times, but it was too small and uncomfortable. Suddenly, I heard muffled shouting and glass clinking from downstairs.
I walked out to the balcony and looked down. The boys were drinking.
"Oh, wow," I said, leaning over the railing and clapping my hands slowly. "Telling your Mutya that you won't drink, and then doing it the second she falls asleep?"
They were already pretty far gone and barely acknowledged me. "Go to your rooms. Now," I said, using my full authority. They grumbled but scrambled away to their respective guest rooms.
I went back inside and tried the couch one more time, but my back wasn't having it. I finally gave up and moved to the bed, lying carefully on the very edge. But as soon as I settled in, Jayjay shifted. She moved closer, seeking warmth, and wrapped her arms around me.
I didn't pull away. I hugged her back, pulling her close until her head was tucked against my chest and mine was resting on hers. I held her waist firmly, and in that quiet, comfortable position, I finally fell into a deep sleep.
The End 🌸