Ang Mutya Ng Section E (Book - 2) English

Jay-Jay's POV

"It's you!" I yelled at Ci-N.

"Alright, because… I might run into your cousin. He'll definitely pick a fight with me," he said, stomping his foot as he spoke.

I scratched my head, frustrated. This has been going on for a while now—he stays in my room, yet I'm the one running errands for him. He keeps asking me to get ice cream from the kitchen, saying he doesn't want to leave the room because Aries always fights with him whenever they cross paths.

Seriously, it feels like I own the room, but he's the one in charge, and I'm the one being ordered.

Unbelievable!

"This is so annoying!" I grumbled, standing up from my seat at the study table.

"Yehey! Thanks, Jay!" he cheered, clapping his hands.

I don't know you!

Shaking my head, I left the room and headed to the kitchen. Manang was the only one there. I grabbed some ice cream for the little troublemaker and a glass of water as well.

As I stepped out of the kitchen, I was greeted by Tito Julz.

"It's late… your throat might start hurting," Tito Julz said.

"It's not that… we're both going to eat," I replied, and he simply smiled at me.

I continued walking back to my room. As soon as I entered, Ci-N cheered excitedly.

"Where's the spoon?" he asked as I handed him the ice cream.

It's great!

"I forgot," I admitted and immediately rushed out of the room.

I nearly slipped while running—this is insane! I quickly grabbed a spoon and hurried back.

On my way, I passed Aries but didn't pay him any attention.

Obviously! Why would I?

The moment I stepped back into my room, I almost choked on air. My eyes darted between Ci-N and the ice cream. I was mortified!

The ice cream I brought was almost gone.

What the heck?! Unbelievable!

"Hey! You cheated!" I shouted at him.

"Hehehe… You took too long!" he said smugly.

Frustrated, I threw the spoon at him, but he dodged it with some ninja-like reflexes.

Just my luck!

"You're definitely getting tonsillitis," I muttered under my breath.

With a sigh, I returned to my study table. I needed to focus—I had to study.

Fine! Whatever!

"Study hard" is no longer part of my vocabulary. Honestly, what else can you expect from someone like me? I should fix that.

But no matter how hard I try, I can't get Keifer's expression out of my mind. It really scared me. I mean, I'm still a woman—I get afraid too.

Just like Kuya Angelo.

"Ci…" I called out to the little troublemaker.

"Hmm?" he responded, still busy scooping up ice cream.

"Have you ever seen Keifer get really angry? Like, truly furious?" I asked.

Since he's been around Keifer longer than I have, I couldn't help but asked him.

"Of course… plenty of times," he replied casually.

"Really?"

"Yeah… but the one I'll never forget is when he got mad at Yuri," he said, suddenly pausing his eating.

I shifted in my seat, turning to face him properly.

"W-what happened?"

"We never really knew the reason. He was just so angry—he wouldn't stop punching Yuri. Ella was crying, desperately trying to break them apart," he explained.

Great! More gossip from my kid!

And this was back when Ella was still around… What really happened?

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Nothing… No one could stop him. When we tried to step in, we just felt bad for him, so we backed off," he admitted.

Was Keifer really that angry? I don't know, but I never want to see that side of him. He only yelled at me, and that was enough to scare me. I can't even imagine what it would be like if he completely lost it.

"Poor Yuri," I murmured.

"No… Yuri is just spineless," Ci-N replied quickly, making me raise an eyebrow.

"You're the spineless one!" I shot back.

He adjusted his seat, turning to face me with a serious expression—something he rarely did.

"Yuri is a coward. That's why he always sticks to Keifer—because he's scared to fight anyone else," he said firmly. "…He doesn't even fight fair. He acts in secret, so we never really know what he's up to."

As Ci-N spoke, something inside me resisted believing him. I'd never heard him talk about a classmate like this before.

Sure, he liked to tell stories, but this felt… different.

"…That's why I don't want you involved with him. Don't entertain him when he flirts with you," he added before going back to eating his ice cream.

Too late… We're already engaged. And Getting Married!

I turned back to my study table, but I couldn't shake the strange feeling in my chest. It was hard to believe, but this was coming from Ci-N—someone who had been around Yuri and Keifer much longer than I had.

I'm not sure if this kid is even a reliable source.

"Let's watch a movie!" he suddenly shouted, rummaging through his suitcase.

He pulled out another small bag, unzipped it, and revealed a laptop. Wait—he has a laptop?

I glanced at the wall clock. It was still early; we had enough time to watch something. Setting my things aside, I quickly moved next to him, ready to watch.

As we waited for his laptop to boot up…

*Ppooooooooott!*

"Ci! That stinks!" I yelled, covering my nose.

Shameless Fart!

"Jay-Jay! How awful of you! There are only two of us here, and you're going to accuse me?!" he shot back, looking offended.

I was about to scold him when suddenly, his stomach let out a loud gurgling noise—followed by another fart.

"My stomach hurts…" he muttered, rubbing his belly.

I grabbed his laptop. "Run to the bathroom! Hurry up!"

Without hesitation, he bolted for the bathroom.

Just as he disappeared inside, his laptop fully powered on.

I knew how to use it anyway. A little snooping wouldn't hurt. Besides, I already knew his password.

Seriously, what a dumb password!

12345! Hahaha… Welcome, Ci-N_Pogi. Pfftt!! The audacity!

I started browsing through the movie collection, trying to decide what to watch. There were so many options that I couldn't figure out which one to prioritize.

After a while, my curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to check out the pictures instead. I found three folders:

'Random, With_Jay-Jay, and Secret.'

Being the natural critic that I am, I, of course, opened Secret.

Inside, there was another folder. I hesitated for a moment—this felt like prying. I was about to press the back button when something caught my eye.

Kiko_Monkey!

For some reason, the name immediately reminded me of Kiko Evans. I wasn't sure why.

How was he doing? I hadn't heard from him since Freya got involved with me.

I shivered, recalling how she practically ripped my hair away from my scalp.

It still hurts!

Something pushed me to open the folder. Inside, there were about 10 to 12 pictures.

I clicked on one to enlarge it, wanting to see it clearly. But what I saw made my blood run cold.

K-Kiko?!

He was lying on the floor, unconscious, covered in blood.

What happened?!

I quickly clicked next, searching for answers, but all I found were different angles of the same scene.

I pressed next again. This time, the image showed Kiko sitting up, while Ci-N and a few others had inserted themselves into the shot, holding up peace signs. One of them had an odd expression, as if they didn't belong.

W-why?! W-what was this?!

I kept clicking, my heart pounding, until I reached a video file.

Without thinking, I hit play and started watching.

The camera focused on Kiko, who was struggling against Kit and Eren as they held him down.

"That's a stretch!" Ci-N's voice rang out, shouting above the commotion.

"Smash the byg!" someone else yelled.

"Let's cut it to be sure!" another voice responded, followed by loud, mocking laughter.

Even though the video quality wasn't the best, I could tell they were all there. Their voices dominated the shouting, and their shadows revealed just how many of them were present.

Suddenly, Yuri and Keifer appeared from the other side, both casually smoking cigarettes.

"You probably know why you're here, right?" Keifer asked, his tone serious.

"Obviously! To help me!" Kiko snapped, irritated.

"You've got some nerve! You were really going after Jay-Jay, almost made her your target" Yuri said, lighting another cigarette.

"She should be mine! You guys were the ones who interfered!" Kiko shouted in frustration.

Without hesitation, Yuri threw a solid punch to his stomach, making Kiko double over in pain. He nearly collapsed, but Kit and Eren quickly yanked him back up.

I couldn't understand why they were doing this—or why they had done it. I thought they had already confronted Kiko that night when he tried to mess with me. So why did they still have this recording?

"I'm done waiting! Let's get started!" Keifer suddenly yelled, tossing his cigarette to the ground.

Suddenly, the person filming—who I assumed was Ci-N—shifted positions. He moved to the other side of Kiko, while Keifer stood facing him.

Once the camera angle was steady, I noticed the others forming a line in front of Kiko. David was the first to step forward.

"I have plenty of reasons to hit you back, but I'm doing this for Jay-Jay," David said before suddenly punching Kiko in the face.

Kiko collapsed to the floor, but Kit and Eren immediately pulled him back up. I could only cover my mouth in shock and pity.

After David, the others followed, each taking turns. Some punched him in the face, others struck his stomach, and a few even kicked him in the genital. But what disturbed me the most was their laughter as they did it.

"You messed with the wrong person!" someone shouted.

"That's our Jay-Jay!"

"Take that!"

"Finish him! Finish him! Finish him!" they chanted in unison.

My chest tightened as I watched. I felt Kiko's pain as if it were my own. I knew he had done wrong, that he was guilty when it came to me—but this? Did it really have to go this far?

Then, someone else grabbed the camera, and Ci-N moved to sit directly in front of Kiko.

"It's my turn!" he declared loudly.

Without warning, he kicked Kiko square in the face. The impact sent him crashing to the ground, and the group erupted into laughter.

Kiko lay there, motionless, covered in blood. His eyes were swollen shut, and his breathing was labored.

Dear God…

"I'm not done with you yet!" I heard Keifer say before he suddenly kicked Kiko's knee.

Kiko was too weak to fight back—all he could do was cry. It felt like he wanted to scream from the pain, but he couldn't even manage that.

I ran my fingers through my hair, overwhelmed with guilt. This was because of me. If it weren't for me, Keifer wouldn't have hurt him like this. My frustration and sorrow built up until tears began streaming down my face.

"Jay-Jay! It's okay!" Ci-N's voice called out as he stepped out of the bathroom.

I immediately turned to face him.

"Why? Are you crying?" he asked, confused.

"Why did you do that to Kiko?!" I shouted.

He froze, shocked by my outburst. But when his eyes landed on his laptop lying open on the floor, his expression shifted.

"Ci-N! Why?!"