Ang Mutya Ng Section E (Book - 2) English

Keifer's POV

Jay-jay!

Please, just pick up your damn phone! It keeps ringing, but no one is answering. When I check her current location, she's still here.

"Keifer! I saw Rory!" Drew shouted.

We rushed over to him. He pulled back a curtain, revealing Rory. He wasn't wearing a top, and the nurse was stitching up a wound on his back.

"Luckily, the wound is only superficial, but we still had to stitch it up to stop the bleeding," the nurse explained, carefully wrapping a bandage around his wound.

"Thank you," Rory said.

We waited until the nurse walked away.

"Where's Jay-jay?!" I asked urgently.

"She was right over there—" he started to say, then suddenly stopped and looked around. "...Lost. She was just here a moment ago."

Seriously?!

I scanned the area again, but there wasn't a single HVIS uniform in sight. In fact, there weren't any other high school students around at all.

"Jay-jay was acting strange," Rory suddenly said.

"Huh?! What do you mean?" Ci-N asked.

"She started trembling in fear when she saw my blood. She didn't say a word… then she just started crying," Rory explained.

No!

Did it happen again? That can't be possible. But what if it did—and right now, she's still lost in her own mind?

I was about to take off and search for her again when Rory mentioned a name that made me freeze.

"Good thing David came to help us," he said with a smile.

David helped them? Fuck! No! They can't be together. Does he really think I haven't noticed? He's up to something.

I bolted, running as fast as I could while repeatedly calling her phone. Suddenly, out of nowhere, I heard a very familiar ringtone—

"Secrets" by OneRepublic.

I followed the sound. The closer I got, the louder it became. My heart pounded as I realized I had strayed far from the emergency room. The hallway was dark, and no one else was around.

Then, I stopped—at the exact moment the ringtone and my call ended.

Right at the corner, she sat on the floor, hugging her legs and burying her face in her knees.

I stepped toward her cautiously. As I got closer, I knelt down—and that's when I noticed.

Her entire body was covered in blood. Her hands, too.

No! Please, no!

I hope it's not what I think.

"Jay..." I called out softly.

She slowly lifted her head and looked at me. Then, out of nowhere, she broke into loud sobs.

"K-Keifer..." she whimpered before throwing herself into my arms.

I hugged her tightly. Damn it. I thought something had happened to her—I was terrified it had happened again.

"You had me worried sick!" I said, pressing a kiss to her head. ❤️

"Keifer... S-so much blood," she sobbed while looking at her hands again.

I gently rubbed her back and ran my fingers through her hair. "Shhh... It's okay. I'm here. Don't cry."

"I-I was so scared... I thought it was happening again."

"Stop crying... everything's okay now," I reassured her.

But she wouldn't stop. And I knew there was no use forcing her to. So, I just let her cry, like a child needing comfort.

Still, a wave of relief washed over me when she said she thought it would happen again. That meant it hadn't—for some reason. But why?

As much as I wanted to ask Jay-jay about it, I knew I couldn't. She wouldn't be able to explain why she still reacts this way, so how could she possibly know why it didn't happen this time?

Just then, her phone rang. She was still crying, so I reached into her bag to grab it.

Her bag—and everything inside—was also stained with blood.

It was Yuri calling.

Not this time!

I silenced her phone without declining the call. I wouldn't let Yuri have Jay-jay right now.

She's mine. 💕

"Keifer..." Jay-jay called softly, her crying finally stopping. "...Rory? How is he?" she asked, worry evident in her voice.

She adjusted her position, turning to face me. Her face and body were smeared with blood, making her look a mess, yet her clothes somehow remained white.

"He's okay..." I assured her, forcing a smile.

I gently wiped the tears and blood from her cheeks.

"I-I don't understand," she murmured.

"Hm?"

"I saw blood... s-so much blood, but I didn't pass out or hurt anyone."

"We'll figure that out later. But for now, you need to rest and clean yourself up," I said, standing up.

I extended my hand to her. She grasped it and got to her feet, but the moment she tried to take a step, her knees buckled, and she nearly collapsed.

Luckily, my reflexes kicked in, and I caught her just before she hit the floor.

"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned.

"M-my knees are still shaking."

Without hesitation, I scooped her up into my arms, carrying her bridal style. I could feel her shock. ❤️

"K-Keifer..."

"Shut up and just let me be a gentleman," I said with a smirk.

Sometimes, this girl doesn't seem to understand when I try to act like a gentleman. It's like the only thing she knows how to do is look down on me.

I strode quickly back to the emergency room, where everyone had gathered around Rory.

The moment I stepped inside, Yuri and I locked eyes. His expression said it all—watching me help the girl he loved, yet being unable to do anything about it. Envy, jealousy, disappointment.

"What happened to Jay-jay?!" Ci-N asked, rushing toward us.

"Nothing serious. She just needs to clean up and rest."

I gently placed her on the bed beside Rory's. Now that I got a clearer look at her, I noticed more—scratches and bruises on her elbows and knees.

"Ci-N! Get some towels and water!" I ordered.

Without hesitation, he called over a nurse to fetch the supplies.

Yuri stepped closer, his eyes fixed on Jay-jay.

"Jay! What happened? Are you hurt anywhere?!" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

I wanted to laugh. How obvious can he be? Right in front of all our classmates, no less. He once said he had no intention of letting Jay-jay know about them—yet here he was, practically announcing it.

That fucking engagement!

"I-I'm fine... Rory?" Jay-jay asked, shifting her focus.

Rory immediately waved from where she was lying, almost directly across from Jay-jay. Comparing their conditions now, Jay-jay actually looked worse than Rory.

A nurse arrived with the supplies I requested. I grabbed a towel, soaked it in water, and gently pressed it against Jay-jay's face, wiping away the blood.

I couldn't help but meet her eyes, but she quickly looked away—avoiding my gaze. I understood why, especially with Yuri standing right in front of us.

Not missing a beat, Yuri grabbed a towel as well and started wiping the blood off Jay-jay's arm and hand.

Ha! So, the competition begins!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jay-Jay's POV

They look ridiculous. If it weren't for everything that just happened, I would have called them out on it. I couldn't tell if they were genuinely trying to help me or just using this as an opportunity to make me famous.

Honestly, I was more confused about something else. Why didn't it happen again?

While Keifer and Yuri continued tending to me, the others were discussing the earlier fight—how the boys from another school had ambushed us.

"There were so many of them... It's like they were targeting Jay-jay specifically, just like the others," Rory explained.

"I'm sure they'll come back," Edrix muttered.

"What's strange is, why now? Before, we would just run into them randomly on the streets," Eren added, puzzled.

Yes, why not? And why am I their target again? Haven't they had enough? I'm barely holding on as it is.

"It's pretty simple," Keifer suddenly cut into their conversation. "...Ram has weakened, so there's no one left to control all the gangs in this area."

Ram? The guy I hurt before.

"Why does that matter?" Ci-N asked, immediately intrigued. When it comes to fights, this guy is always the first to jump in.

"He was the one keeping them in check. Now that he's weak, there's no one left to control them. They're like wild animals that just broke out of their cage," Keifer explained, continuing to wipe my face.

"But why is Jay-jay their target?" Felix questioned.

"To get revenge on me," Keifer responded without hesitation.

We both turned to him, waiting for more.

"...They all think you're my girlfriend," he finally admitted.

Oh... Right!

That's what those guys said when they attacked me at the Christmas party—and again just now. But where did that rumor even come from?

"So, what do we do now?" Yuri asked, pausing his movements for a moment.

"We can keep an eye on Jay-jay to make sure no one tries to hurt him," Blaster suggested.

"That's possible... But we all have our own stuff to deal with, so we can't always be around," Felix pointed out.

"Whoever's available can step in," Drew added.

"I can do it—24/7!" Ci-N announced proudly, raising his hand.

"24/7?" Josh repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"I live with her, so it's no problem," Ci-N added casually.

My eyes widened in shock. Crap! They didn't know about that yet.

The entire room went silent as everyone turned to look at Ci-N.

"You're staying at Jay-jay's place?" Kit asked, his tone filled with curiosity.

Ci-N nodded confidently—until he suddenly darted behind Felix, hiding for some reason I couldn't quite figure out.

I glanced at Keifer and Yuri, who had both completely stopped wiping my face.

Come on, Ci! Why'd you have to say that?!

Keifer and Yuri were now both glaring at him, their expressions dark and unreadable. They looked like they were about to interrogate a child.

"Kindly explain... why exactly Ci-N is living in your house?" Yuri asked, his voice calm but firm as he turned to me.

"W-what?" I stammered.

Why was I suddenly nervous? I turned to Ci-N, hoping he'd back me up, but the coward was still hiding behind Felix.

W-what is happening right now?!