Jay-jay's POV
"Why is this stove like this? It's blackened," Eman pointed out the stove I had burned.
"That's the design. Don't mind it," I said, and he just shrugged before starting to cook.
That's the trend nowadays with fancy stoves.
I turned away and left him to his work. Denzel was with him, helping out. Looks like he was planning to follow in Eman's footsteps.
I went straight to the terrace where the others were hanging out. They had planned to swim in the sea, but their hunger made them change their minds.
"We really had no idea you'd bring Jay-jay here. I expected she would just be at your mansion," Edrix said to Kei—kwanan.
"And it even lasted for a few days," Rory added.
"You're in trouble with Aries. He came to our place looking for Jay-jay. But my idiot brother wasn't there either.," Felix said, and I suddenly imagined Aries' face.
He's probably brewing some nasty curse by now. If I don't return soon, there'll be two of them punishing me.
Maybe I shouldn't go back.
I should just stay here on my island. Probably, I can survive here. I'll just build a signal and internet tower so everything stays lively. I'll do online shopping and pay with coconuts. I'll even teach the fish how to use the internet.
Sigh... Sometimes, I amaze myself with my brilliance.
I noticed David, Yuri, and Kei—kwanan exchanging glances. It was obvious they knew something, while we were completely clueless. I couldn't help but feel suspicious of them.
Whatever it is they know, I'll wait for them to tell me. I'll give them until the end of today. If they still don't spill, I'll bury them alive in the sand.
"Buko!" Eren's shout grabbed our attention.
"Niyog!" the mischievous kid shouted.
We watched as the group approached. Blaster, Josh, Mayo, and Kit followed, each carrying something.
"What are you arguing about?" I asked.
"He doesn't believe me that this is called 'buko,'" Eren said, placing the coconut on the terrace railing.
"Is there even a difference?" Ci asked, irritated before turning to me. "Isn't this a niyog?"
"Knock on it. If it makes a crisp sound, it's a niyog. If you can't knock on anything, it's a buko," I said, and they did it.
Josh, however, did something different—he knocked on Blaster's head. Blaster immediately raised his fist to punch him, making Josh back away with a grin.
"So that's how it is," Yuri said, shaking the niyog in his hand. "I can hear the juice inside."
"Let's open it and drink," Kei—kwanan said, then looked at me. "There, you don't have to climb a tree anymore."
Snake.
"Who climbed a tree?" Yuri asked, looking at me.
"She tried to climb one to pick a coconut," said the shameless King of Snakes with a teasing tone.
"What?! You climbed a coconut tree?" Mayo asked, laughing.
I shot him a death glare.
"So unladylike!" Felix chimed in, and they all started teasing.
"That's so cool!" Eren laughed loudly.
"You should've taken a photo," David added.
Traitor!
"You punks!" I cursed at them, and they immediately shut up.
"Oh, she cursed," Ci said.
They kept glancing between me and Kei—kwanan. I crossed my arms, raised an eyebrow, and smirked arrogantly.
"Nothing's happenning, no matter how long you wait," I said and let out a fake laugh.
"Damn, she's really something," I heard Eren mutter.
I quickly grabbed the nearest buko and acted like I was going to throw it at him. The idiots immediately scattered, laughing loudly.
"Let's just open these before that buko gets us killed," Drew said, taking the buko from my hand.
They each grabbed a buko or niyog. Keifer joined them at the back, where they'd open the stuff they brought. I was left on the terrace with Yuri and David, watching the fools walk away.
"So, no more no-profanity rule?" Yuri asked, leaning against the terrace post.
"That's right. Don't let them get the upper hand," David added.
"Only here. He lifted the rule in exchange for his longer life on this earth," I joked, making them laugh.
We were wrapped in a brief silence until David excused himself to help Eman and the others inside.
"How are you?" I immediately asked Yuri.
He forced a smile. "I'm okay now that I've seen you."
I playfully kicked at him, but he dodged and laughed. I preferred his real laugh—none of that forced stuff just to say he was okay.
"I'm serious," he said, making me serious too. "When I'm with you, I don't need to pretend I'm okay."
I smiled at him. "No matter what problems you have, remember I'm here for you. Not just for family, but for sports too," I said, mimicking an old commercial.
He laughed out loud, recognizing the line.
"I was actually planning to visit you this weekend, if I hadn't ended up on this island," I said.
That was my original plan. I wanted to check if anyone was looking after him at their house. Based on how he looked recently, it was obvious no one was. He might not even be eating properly.
"Too bad. I had a barbecue last Saturday," he teased.
"Just Barbecue? That's weak. I had salmon stik," I bragged.
"Stik? You mean steak?"
I pouted. "If you're rich, it's steak. If you're a broke mess, it's stick. Fried is good enough anyway."
He laughed even harder. I laughed too. At least I could make him smile and lighten whatever heavy burden he was carrying.
"You really know a lot of things."
"Of course. I'm gorgeous, just like this island of mine," I answered, which made him pause momentarily.
"Your island?"
I nodded. "Yes, a gift from the King of Snakes."
"Wow," his tone dipped in sarcasm.
My smile faded as our eyes met. What's his problem? He quickly looked away.
"S-sorry. I—"
"He didn't buy me, if that's what you're thinking," I cut him off, my voice devoid of emotion.
"It's not it. But why did you forgive him so easily?"
"I haven't forgiven him," I said, shaking my head before turning my back on him. "You're belittling me."
I walked inside the house, hearing him call my name behind me.
Is it wrong to accept his gift? Does that make me a lesser person? Even if I worked my whole life, sold my soul, or borrowed from every loan shark, I could never own an island.
And besides, with that damned Kei—kwanan's attitude, it's not like I could say no anyway. If he ever throws it in my face, I'll shove his island down his throat.
I headed to the kitchen where Denzel and Eman were.
"What can I help with?" I asked.
"Perfect timing. Clean these fish," Eman said.
Memories of yesterday quickly flashed back—a frozen fish, a blazing pan…
and the burned kitchen.
"I wanna help too," Yuri suddenly appeared beside me.
I ignored him and approached the sink where the fish were. He still followed me. I picked a knife, and he did the same. It was obvious he was just copying whatever I did.
"I'm really sorry, Jay," he whispered as he grabbed a fish from the sink.
"It's fine. I understand," I answered lifelessly.
"I thought you forgave him because of the island."
"We talked before he even mentioned the island."
"If you've already talked, why haven't you forgiven him?"
I glared at him. "Is that even a question? You know what I went through."
He nodded slowly. "True. But aren't you kind of soft-hearted?"
He knows me too well.
I heard Denzel and Eman chuckling softly. It seemed they were eavesdropping on our conversation.
"And what makes you say that?"
"You forgave us quickly."
I rolled my eyes. "Maybe I'm just a genuinely good person."
"More like gullible," Eman teased, making me turn to him.
"He means 'cook-cook,'" Denzel added, grinning mischievously.
"I swear I'm going to slap you both with a fish," I threatened, making them burst out laughing.
Bunch of Snakes.
I just focused on what I was doing. We mostly prepped everything for Eman—chopping, cleaning, gathering ingredients, and all the things he usually did.
When the food was finally ready, the whole gang gathered like it was a feeding program. But since the kitchen couldn't fit us all, they carried the food to the terrace.
I froze when I saw the low table covered with banana leaves. The group arranged the food in neat rows and sat on the floor to be level with the table.
I did the same. I sat beside Yuri and Ci-N, with Kei—kwanan right across from me. Before we started, the gang decided to pray and give thanks. It made me smile—they actually knew how to do that.
"Let's eat!" we shouted, and the feast began.
Everyone grabbed food and ate eagerly. All of Eman's hard work disappeared in minutes, chased down with refreshing coconut juice.
A perfect vacation.
We took a short break before cleaning up and getting ready to swim. The gang was like a bunch of kids excited for the beach.
"Put on some sunblock!" I snapped at Ci.
He kept complaining that the sun was burning his skin, yet he kept running back into the heat.
"Put some on my back! Hurry!" he ordered me.
I grimaced but did it anyway. I slathered on a lot so he wouldn't have anything to complain about.
"Me too! Put some on me too!" Eren butted in, making Ci step aside.
I bonked him on the head with the sunblock bottle.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"You should've brought your girlfriendssss! And had them put sunblock on you!" I said, irritated.
"They wouldn't all fit on Keifer's yacht," he replied, scratching his head. "You do it for now."
He turned his back to me and bent slightly. I sighed and put some on hijust to get rid of him.
I thought that was the end of it—until I blinked in disbelief and saw a line had already formed. Oh, for crying out loud…
U Jerks..
"What's this?"
"Put some on us too," Rory said with a wide grin.
Even though I wanted to knock their heads together, I still did what they asked just to get it over with. Thankfully, some of them had their own sunblock, so the bottle Yuri brought, which I used on Ci and Eren, wasn't completely used up.
The Snakes quickly ran off to the sea, except for Kei—kwanan who couldn't run because of his injury. At least he could walk properly now, though he still limped occasionally.
But he still managed to carry me.
He faced me when the others were gone. "Would you like me to put sunblock on your back?"
"Would you like me to punch your face?" I mimicked him. "I'm not even planning to show my back in the sun anyway."
His infuriating laugh came out again—but it disappeared just as quickly, which made me wonder.
"So, what did you and Yuri talk about? You guys seemed so happy." He asked.
I couldn't tell if he was jealous or worried I might have found out something serious. I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Just random stuff. What's it to you?"
He coughed slightly. "He should've told you."
So he actually planned to let me in on what they knew. I thought they were going to keep secrets from me again. I didn't know why, but I suddenly felt excited and waited for what he was going to say.
"T-told me what?"
"The reason why Angelo wants me to hide you," he said, looking into my eyes. "Your Dad is back."
The bottle of sunblock lotion slipped from my hand. I kept my eyes on him, and my tears started falling on their own.
Dad's back? He's finally back from abroad. I'll get to see him again.
"We need to go home," I said absentmindedly and started walking, but Kei—kwanan quickly stopped me.
"Calm yourself. We need to find out first why they are not letting you to see him," he explained, but my eyes stayed on the sea, already thinking of ways to get home.
"I'm going home—"
"Jay-jay!" he shouted right in my face while holding both my arms.
"Dad's back. Maybe we can—" I was almost pleading with him.
"Angelo will never allow you. Please listen to me!"
"Why?!"
"I don't know...yet. But I will find out soon, and then we'll think of a plan for you to meet your Dad without them knowing. For now, you need to calm yourself and follow my plan." He cupped my face with both hands. "Trust me, please?"
He was right.
Kuya kept me away for a reason. From that alone, it was obvious he didn't want us to meet. What if I insisted more? My brother might get even stricter and stop us from seeing each other completely.
Even though I didn't want to trust the King of the Snakes, it seemed I had no choice but to rely on him to meet my Dad.
How many times has he done this for me? How many times has he helped me find and see my Dad? He always found a way. I shouldn't doubt him anymore because I truly believed he could do it.
"T-thank you." He smiled at me and hugged me. "For your happiness."
I bit my lip. He seemed so different from the old Kei—kwanan who always bickered with me. Maybe he really did do everything to change himself and make sure he wouldn't do to me what his father did.
When we let go of the hug, he quickly kissed my forehead. I suddenly remembered the Snakes and worried they might see us. I lightly punched his stomach.
"Ow," he groaned softly. "They might see us."
"So?"
"We're not even together yet, and I haven't fully forgiven you."
His expression quickly turned sad. I felt guilty, but I had to stay firm. I didn't want everything to be easy just because he explained himself. There were still things I didn't understand.
Math.
"I get it," he said, forcing a smile.
Ci-N was carrying a banana-shaped floatie, while Eren had a donut-shaped one. They'd both grabbed them from the villa's storage room earlier. Meanwhile, David was lying on a mat spread out on the sand, soaking up the sun's heat but looking more like he was asleep. Josh, on the other hand, kept destroying the sandcastle Blaster and Drew were building.
Eman was cutting up a starfish he'd found. Felix smacked him on the head for being so brutal. Kit and Mayo were strolling along the shore, holding hands.
So cheesy.
Most of them were in the sea, swimming. Even Yuri, who was happily waving at me from the water.
"Come on, Jay!" he called out to me.
I quickened my pace to join them.
"Keifer! Swim already!" they shouted, waving toward the villa.
I looked back and saw them waving at Kei—kwanan who had been following me. He waved back at his fellow Snakes before taking off his shirt and approached me.
I let out a scream when he scooped me up and started walking toward the shore.
"W-wait! Hey!" I protested, but he was already waist-deep in the water and suddenly let me go.
The others burst out laughing. Luckily, the water wasn't too deep where he was standing. I quickly stood up and splashed him with water.
"Is that all you got?" he teased—and the water fight began, with the Snakes eagerly joining in.
Everyone was splashing water now, not caring who got hit. Even those chilling on the sand charged in and joined the splashing. Until they decided to mess with the sleeping David.
Rory and Calix approached, positioning themselves at David's head and feet. They grabbed his arms and legs and carried him toward the sea.
"What the hell!!" he yelled as the two swung him back and forth before dropping him.
We roared with laughter until they started their nonsense again. Some raced each other swimming, obviously cheating. Others competed to see who could hold their breath underwater the longest. Some were teaching others how to swim. Ci-N climbed onto David's shoulders, and Eren copied them by hopping onto Josh's back.
The two pairs faced off, trying to push their opponents down. Whoever fell first lost.
Ci was small, but his body was heavy.
"Ci-N! Ci-N! Ci-N!" we cheered.
Eren fell, but he wasn't the only opponent. Kit and Mayo stepped up next. Kit was perched on Mayo's shoulders, facing off against Ci-N.
But the cheeky kid didn't back down. Kit fell, and next up was Blaster, perched on Drew's shoulders, facing Ci. But Blaster was too heavy—Drew gave out after just one push, and they both sank into the seawater.
While I was busy laughing, someone suddenly slipped between my thighs, and I slowly started to rise. I let out a loud scream, making everyone turn to look at me.
What now?
When I looked down to see which ulupong it was, Yuri's red hair greeted me.
"It's our turn!" he said—and I smacked him on the head.
"Atleast give me a heads-up!" I yelled, but he was already heading toward Ci.
"I'm betting on Jay-jay!"
"Punch Jay so she goes down quick!"
"Grab Ci!"
"You idiot!"
"In the face! Your minds are so dirty!"
They teased, laughing loudly. When I faced Ci, he suddenly flashed a mischievous grin, raising and lowering his eyebrows.
He looked like a panty thief.
"FIGHT!" they shouted, like I'd just heard the bell for a boxing match.
I quickly grabbed both of the Cheeky Kid's hands and pushed him with all my strength. It was clear he wasn't going to let me win easily.
Yuri moved forward to give my push more force, but Ci outsmarted me. He let me push him, so I got confident I'd win, but then he suddenly pushed back, and I went crashing straight into the water.
As my back hit the water, my eyes closed—but a blurry image started to appear.
"RUN! KEEP RUNNING! DON'T STOP! DON'T LET ANYONE HURT YOU!"
Mama?
I knew it was Mama's voice. But I couldn't understand what she was saying—or why her voice suddenly echoed in my head.
I surfaced quickly when I felt myself running out of air. I wiped my face and eyes to open them. I was panting as I looked around.
"Hey! Are you okay?" Kei—kwanan asked, his concern drawing the others' attention.
"Are you okay, Jay?" Yuri asked, moving closer.
I nodded. "Y-yeah. Just out of breath."
Yuri nodded, though he clearly didn't believe me. Meanwhile, the King of the Snakes was staring intently at me.
The others went back to their fun, while I stood there, dazed and completely confused by what was happening.
Was what I heard a part of my past?