Jay-jay's POV
"This is for real... I'm gay."
No one spoke. Ci's smile disappeared, and the others straightened in their seats. Some furrowed their brows, while others seemed unsure how to react.
He really took my words seriously.
"Ahahaha..." I let out a fake laugh, though it was obviously forced. "...Kit is such a joker."
I stepped closer to him and grabbed his arm, intending to pull him away from his fellow Ulupong.
"Let's talk first," I whispered as I tugged at him, but he wouldn't budge.
He looked at me as if telling me everything was okay. I felt like I was going crazy with what he was doing.
"Kit!" Mayo called out angrily from behind the group. "...What the hell are you saying?!"
"Yeah! What are you talking about?!" Drew added.
"Is there a problem?" David asked with concern.
I glanced at the Ulupong sitting on the floor. Josh had his brows knitted, clearly displeased with what was happening. Eren looked worried, as if he wanted to stop Kit.
"Come on, Kit. You can't be serious," Denzel said with a chuckle, but his laughter faded when he realized Kit was serious.
"Get yourself together, Kit. That joke isn't funny," Rory said.
Shit! I had a bad feeling about this.
I tapped Kit's arm and looked at our confused classmates. I forced a smile, even though it felt unnatural.
"We're just messing around. Don't believe him—"
"No!" He removed my hand. "I said it's for real." He cut me off.
He looked at me and smiled. I shook my head, silently pleading for him not to continue. This wasn't the right time for him to come out to everyone.
"It's okay, Jay. I'm tired of hiding."
He turned to face Mayo and the others. Eren had already stood up from his seat, seemingly trying to reason with him.
"I've been hiding this for a very long time. I knew I was different from all of you." He took a deep breath. "...I'm different because I'm attracted to the same sex."
"Shit," Calix muttered, standing up. "...You can't be serious."
I was about to step in and stop them from overthinking the situation, but one by one, they stood up, throwing in their own comments.
"Dude! We've been using the same bathroom!" Edrix said in disgust.
"Maybe you're just confused," Felix added.
"I wouldn't be surprised if this one turned out to be gay," Blaster said, pointing at Ci. "...But you? Damn!"
I glanced at Ci-N. He remained silent, observing everything like he had no idea what was going on.
"We've been together for so long, why are you only admitting this now?" Eman asked calmly.
"What the hell?! Are you really gay?!" Rory asked in disbelief.
"Can you all just shut up for a second—" David tried to say, but he was interrupted by Drew's loud outburst.
"YOU'RE DISGUSTING!"
His voice echoed through the auditorium, silencing everyone as they turned to look at him. His brows were furrowed, his expression full of revulsion toward Kit.
Before anyone could respond, a strong punch landed on his face. He collapsed to the ground, and Denzel and Blaster, who were closest to him, quickly helped him up.
Looks like a fight is about to break out!!
"What the hell is your problem?! Why did you punch him?!" Denzel asked angrily, his glare fixed on Mayo, who had just struck Drew.
Eren and Josh quickly moved in to hold Mayo back. It was obvious he was about to start another fight.
"His mouth is filthy!" Mayo spat, pointing at Drew.
I took the chance to speak to Kit. I grabbed his shoulders and turned him toward me.
"Are you out of your mind? Why did you take what I said so seriously?"
"That wasn't the only reason I did this," he replied, removing my hands from his shoulders and holding them instead.
"But still... you should have thought about what could happen first."
I couldn't help but worry. As expected, the Ulupong were in complete chaos.
"Jay, I'm tired. I don't care if people judge me anymore," he said with a smile.
Even though he said there were other reasons, I still felt like it was my fault. If only I had thought before speaking. If only I hadn't let my anger get the best of me!
I hugged him tightly. "No matter what happens, I'm here for you."
I heard him chuckle softly. "Does that mean you've forgiven me?"
"Idiot," I replied, smiling even though I felt like crying.
I pulled away and looked at him. The sadness in his eyes from earlier seemed to have disappeared. Maybe he really couldn't keep hiding his true self anymore.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" someone suddenly yelled.
When we turned toward the commotion, Mayo and Drew were inches away from throwing punches at each other. If the others hadn't stepped in between them, they probably would have already been brawling.
"I won't back down from you! Asshole!" Mayo shouted angrily.
"Stop it already!"
"Cut it out, you two!"
"1,000 on Mayo!"
"500 on Drew!"
Three people were holding each of them back to keep them from lunging at each other. The chaos was getting worse, and, as expected, some of the idiots just stood around, enjoying the show.
"Why are you even defending him?! Are you two in a relationship?!" Drew shouted.
"You bastard! I'll really smash your face in!" Mayo retorted.
Suddenly, Drew burst into loud laughter, which confused all of us. His tone was mocking.
"I almost forgot. You do go for guys, after all." Drew said with a sly grin.
Mayo visibly froze, and after a few seconds, he tried to reach Drew again, but Josh held him tightly.
"Your ex-girlfriend told me that you left her for a guy." Drew added before laughing even harder. "...That guy is Kit!"
Shit! Stop it already!
"That's enough, Drew!" Felix shouted at him.
But he didn't seem to care. It was as if he was deliberately provoking Mayo and testing his patience.
"What?! You can't answer?! Because it's tru—."
Everything happened so fast. It seemed like Eren intentionally let go of Mayo. He was only two steps away from Drew, and the moment he reached him, he landed a hard punch on his face.
Chaos erupted among us. I covered my mouth in shock.
The previously unresponsive Ci-N had now stood up and was trying to break them apart. Kit also stepped in to stop Mayo.
"Stop it! Stop it!"
"Mayo! Calm down!"
"That's enough! You've already hit him hard!"
I didn't know what to do. Everything was a mess. Even some students from a distance had started to gather and watch.
I grabbed my hair in frustration before stepping forward to intervene. I was trying to figure out what was happening when, out of nowhere, a hot, stinging palm struck my cheek.
Damn it!
The slap was so hard that I immediately fell to the ground.
"You bastard, Mayo!" I heard Kit yell.
I held my cheek, which was already going numb. Someone grabbed my arm to help me up. I looked up and saw Yuri and Kit.
"Can you stand?" Yuri asked worriedly.
"Are you insane? Why did you hit Jay-jay too?" Ci-N asked angrily.
I looked at Mayo, who stood there, held back by his fellow Ulupong. I couldn't understand why he had to hurt me.
"Y-you idiot! I wasn't even doing anything to you!" I said angrily as I stood up.
It felt like my cheek was swollen and uneven!
"I want to smash your face in, but you're still a girl." He said to me. "...Is your hatred for us so intense that you want to ruin our lives completly?!"
"Don't blame Jay for your own stupidity!" Felix snapped.
Mayo was still looking at me, clearly filled with rage, as if he wanted to hit me again.
"Do you think I didn't hear you earlier? You told Kit to confess just so you would forgive him! You're ruthless!" He forcefully removed the hands of those holding him back. "...It's okay with you if our lives fall apart just for the sake of that damned forgiveness?!"
"That's not even the reason why I confessed! Don't blame Jay!" Kit tried to explain, but Mayo didn't seem to want to listen.
I shook off Yuri's hand and stepped closer to him.
You wants answers? Fine. I'll give you answers!.
"Do you want to know how much I hate you all?" I said calmly, looking at each of them before returning my gaze to Mayo.
"Have you ever felt completely alone? At school? At home?" He didn't answer. "...Because I have. My whole life, I've always been alone. Mayo, I had no friends. You know that."
I took a deep breath, trying to supress the lump in my throat.
"...And then you all came along—only to hurt me. And do you know how painful was that? IT HURT SO MUCH! So much that I almost wished I would disappear from this world."
I couldn't stop the tears from falling. I didn't want to cry, but it was too late—even my voice was breaking. I still kept my gaze locked on him, even though he looked like he wanted to turn away.
"It hurt so much that my anger for you all grew even bigger! I was so angry! I wanted revenge so you could feel what I felt!" I bit my lower lip. "...But I didn't do it. Because I didn't want to be like you."
I bowed my head and wiped my tears away. I also took a deep breath before looking at them again.
"You're all mad because Kit is gay? Then you should be mad at yourselves too… you're no different from him!"
I turned back to Mayo, who was now looking down.
"...Because real men don't gang up on a woman."
"Jay..." Yuri called from behind me.
"Now, tell me, Mayo. Don't I have the right to call you all out for what you did to me?"
He didn't respond. Instead, he looked at Kit, who was standing behind me. He remained still for a few minutes before finally walking away. He intentionally bumped into my shoulder as he passed me.
I followed him with my gaze until he disappeared. I felt an arm drape over my shoulders. When I looked, I saw Yuri's sad face.
"Jay…" Kit called. "...Maybe you should rest first. We'll explain things to the other teachers."
"No." David interjected. "...It's better if all of us take a rest. I'll talk to Sir Alvin."
"I agree with David." Yuri added.
The two nodded at each other, and David walked away. I looked at the Ulupong members, who were now talking amonst themselves.
I noticed Ci-N deep in thought. He was far from the others, looking worried. I didn't like seeing him like that—it seemed like something was bothering him. I had a feeling he was caught off guard and didn't understand what had just happened.
"Yuri... Can you check on Ci-N? He seems off." I asked.
He smiled at me before approaching the brat. I turned to Kit next.
"Let's talk." I said to him.
We walked away from the others. I kept touching my cheek—it was still sore. Damn it!! I wanted to punch Mayo back.
It seemed like Kit noticed what I was doing. He reached for my cheek, making my whole body jolt in surprise. I almost jumped back because of it.
"Does it hurt? Sorry."
I shook my head. "N-no. You just startled me."
He lowered his head and rubbed the back of his neck. I observed him closely. No one would ever suspect he was gay based on the way he moved.
Still, he looked completely masculine.
Damn this guy! He could've been a K-pop idol with that level of handsomeness, but he ended up liking men instead. I feel defeated!
"I'm the one apologizing for what Mayo did. I did'nt know he could hurt a girl.."
"Anyone is capable of doing that." I replied, taking a deep breath.
I wiped my nose because I could feel the onset of a runny nose. Ugh! Crying in front of them again. I really hate doing that.
Of course, it's embarrassing.
"What do you plan to do now? Those idiots seem to hate gay people." I asked with concern.
He smiled at me. "Sometimes, the people closest to you are the ones who judge you the most."
I smiled back. "But not me."
He put his arm around me, and I hugged him in return. I even laughed a little when he slightly pulled away. I just hope he doesn't become allergic to girls like some others.
I felt his hand patting my back. "O-okay now. You can let go. If Keifer finds out about this—I'll be in trouble again."
Ugh! he just had to mention it!
I quickly pulled away from him. He was still smiling, but it immediately faded when he looked behind me.
A sudden wave of nervousness hit me, so I turned around right away.
I nearly jumped in shock. His eyebrows were furrowed, and he looked ready to throw a punch someone at any moment. Is this my fate for today?!
"A-Aries."
"Didn't I tell you to text me?!" he asked, annoyed.
My mouth formed an "O" in realization. I forgot about that because of what happened earlier. And besides, I can't even tell him about it.
"I forgot. Sowrey," I said, glancing at what he was holding.
It was a styrofoam food container—the kind used for packing meals. FOOD! It looked like he bought it from the school cafeteria.
"Is that for me?" I asked, pointing at the container.
"No," he quickly replied. "...I was just asked to hold it."
Oh... And here I thought it was for me!
I noticed him staring at me for a long time, as if he was trying to figure something out. I started feeling uneasy and tried to avoid his gaze.
"Did you cry?"
Crap! I glanced at Kit, but his face remained expressionless. I couldn't even ask for help.
"Why are your cheeks red?"
Buried! I completely forgot how quickly he notices things—especially when it comes to my face.
"A-uh... well... it was because... um…uhh.... something—"
"That was my fault," Kit suddenly interrupted. "...I accidentally hit her face earlier."
My eyes widened at what he said. Oh no! What if Aries misunderstands and gets mad at him?
And just as I expected, Aries shot him a sharp glare. His horoscope must be fuming! He might just throw a punch out of nowhere.
"Harington, right?" Aries asked.
Kit nodded.
"Next time, be more careful so you don't hit people," Aries said, stepping closer. "...and if I catch you hugging my sister again, I will break your bones."
I immediately stepped between them and pushed Aries away from Kit.
"What's your problem?! What are you even saying?!"
He turned his glare on me. "I'm warning your classmate."
I shoved him away again. "Go away! You're making threats!"
He rolled his eyes, which annoyed me more. "I'm giving a warning, not a threat."
I rolled my eyes back. "That was totally a threat!"
I kept pushing him, and it was obvious he was getting irritated. Until finally, he raised a hand, acting as if he was going to flick my forehead.
"Fine! I'm leaving!" he huffed and shoved the styrofoam container toward me. "...You can have it. Your gluttony is embarrassing."
Wew...
I quickly grabbed it and gave him a sweet smile.
"Thanks!! Mwuah! Mwuah! Tsup! Tsup!"
He suddenly cringed. "Yuck! Get away from me!"
I pouted. Ugh, this guy! I'm being affectionate, and he's acting all grossed out. Sometimes, I just wanna smack him.
I turned back to Kit, who was smiling at me.
"You and your brother are good now?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Good thing he finally talked to me."
For a moment, silence enveloped us. A frightening silence. The memories were creeping back in again.
What now? What's going to happen to him now?
"Everything will be okay, right?" Kit asked.
I wanted to say yes, but that wasn't how I felt. I lowered my head and answered softly.
"I hope so..."