Gem of section eBook-2

Tray

Jay-jay's POV

I woke up early. Not because I slept well but because someone
slapped me. It hurt! Ci-N was so restless in her sleep, I slapped her unintentionally. Even though I wanted to
retaliate, I didn't. She might get hurt from the force of my retaliating! I just got up and peeked outside the tent.
It was very quiet and I didn't hear anyone moving. All I could hear was the chirping of birds and the movement
of leaves. I went out of the tent and stretched---which I wish I hadn't. My body was tingling, especially the
bruised parts. I rested for a moment before getting my toothbrush and I also got water to wash myself. I didn't
go to the CR because it was too far. It was a hassle and I would just wash myself. I'll take a shower later.
While brushing my teeth, I saw Yuri's cradle move. There was someone lying there, wrapped in a blanket. Wait!
Is that where Yuri slept? I watched it for a moment and my suspicions were confirmed when the person lying
down got up. Yuri looked at me blankly. Why was he still so handsome even though he had just woken up?
"Good morning." I greeted him. Instead of answering, he stared at me as if recognizing me. He picked up
something from his side. His glasses! He put them on and looked at me again. "It's you." He said and smiled.
"...Good morning." I wanted to smile at him too but it was like my lips didn't want to do that. I was so
embarrassed for him! I was trying to fix what was left of us but I couldn't seem to do it. He got down from his
cradle and took his toothbrush from his bag. He came over to me and got some water from the jug next to
me. "Sorry... I didn't recognize you." He said and started brushing his teeth. "It's okay... Why did you look in the
mirror again?" I asked. I didn't want to completely distance myself from him. I also owe him a debt of gratitude
after all. It would be ugly if I explained it because of our situation. "I take out my contacts before going to bed.
I can't see anything properly so... here for now." He said while pointing at his glasses. I nodded. Is it hard to
look in the mirror? But it's harder when my vision is blurry. The surroundings are blurry. "My parents are saying
hello to us." He suddenly said, causing me to freeze. I looked around for a moment. Maybe someone could
hear us and we would definitely have another conversation or fight. "W-what did you say?" He smiled at me. "I
said, it's okay." But we're not Okay. "Y-yuri----" "Don't say it." He cut me off from what I was going to say. "...I
know you'll ask to stop the engagement." I wasn't looking at him. Am I that obvious? I just didn't understand
why it still had to go on. I finished brushing my teeth and immediately went back to my tent. Ci-N was awake,
smiling at me. She still had a beard. "You woke up early." She said. "Did you hit me while you were sleeping? I'll
just see if you wake up." She whispered while taking clothes from her bag. "Huh?" "Nothing." I put my clothes
aside for now. I was going to take a shower right after breakfast. But that would be later because Eman was
still asleep. I went out of the tent and saw that the others were also awake. Josh passed in front of me and I
don't know why but he seemed to be looking at me differently. I followed him with a look. What's the problem?
I saw Felix picking up small branches. It looked like he was going to use them for firewood. I immediately
went over to him and helped him. "You woke up early?" He commented to me. "So that we can have more." I
replied with a smile. " That's why our cook is still asleep." He said laughing. I just laughed at him. No one can
eat with us until Eman wakes up. He's the only one who makes it fun for us all to cook. I used to ask Eman to
teach me but I stopped. He hit my hand hard when I made a mistake with the knife. I was still holding the
knife! "Felix! Jay-jay!" Someone called out to us. We turned around at the same time and saw Rory coming
towards us. We walked towards them. Everyone was awake and looked like they had a serious conversation.
"Is it complete?" Edrix asked. We all looked at each other. When they were sure it was complete, they almost
answered 'yes' at the same time. "Okay... Let's get ready early. The program for the retreat starts at 9am.
Lunch is at 12pm and then the recreational activity is at 1:30pm." Rory explained. "...but we're not included."
We almost had the same reaction because of what he said. Why not included? So what are we doing here if
we're not included? A troublemaker? "What? Why?" I asked. "How did that happen?" Denzel asked. Rory
laughed a little. "You guys are like brand new." He scratched his head. "...we probably aren't really included. Sir
Alvin is the only reason we're here." "What are we?" Blaster asked annoyed. Even I was starting to get annoyed.
I guess we're just here for display or maybe it 's just that 'all' of the Fourth years are included. "The 9am
program, we're still included. We'll have lunch and then after that, we'll just take a nap." Rory explained.
"Boring." Calix said bored. "Then go with your girlfriend." Ci-N suggested to Calix. "If you can, why not." It was
really boring. Take a nap? We've been sleeping for a long time at night and then we'll take a nap. "We can't do
anything." Eman said while opening two packs of hotdogs. "...We can't go out anymore. We're going to get into
trouble." "Do you want to go swimming?" I didn't have the nerve to ask so they looked at me. The truth is, I still
know a lot about this place even though it's been a while since I last hung out here. "Is there a pool here?" Ci
asked. I shook my head. "There are small falls and rivers." The guys seemed to come to life and approached
me. I could see their interest in what I was saying. "Is there? Let's just go there." "Wait! The organizer might not
let us in." "Let's not let them know!" "Is that far from here?" "Let's just go swimming!" "We can go there if you
want. But it's going to be a bumpy ride." I said. I could see the interest in all of them except for Keifer who was
still yawning, Yuri who was smiling at me and Josh who didn't seem to care. "It's okay! Let's just go there!" Ci-
N said excitedly. "We'll talk about that later!" Eman said and looked at me. "...help me with this." I immediately
went to her to help her cook breakfast. She prepared two packs of hotdogs, five packs of bacon and a dozen
eggs. She also ate some rice left over from last night's meal. The others were busy making coffee while
waiting. I felt like the food we brought wouldn't be enough for the amount of food we had and the amount of
energy we were eating. We really ate it! After cooking, we fed the kids. The little boy who was swimming was
obviously excited. His hand was still acting like he was swimming. Go ahead. Let's go swimming! I'm just not
sure if the path we always use is still there. The area has been developed so it might have disappeared. After
eating, they each ran to the CR. Sure enough, there were a lot of them and they would fight. Me, here's the
petiks. Just wait a little longer because I can take a bath. I wasn't disappointed because when I got there, only
a few people were in the bathroom with me. While I was organizing the clothes and towels I brought, I
suddenly had a thought. What Ella was saying. What could that be? What was it about? My brain was racking
its brain trying to figure out what Ella was saying. What could it be? And when did they talk? As far as I know,
Ella doesn't come near Keifer and Yuri except last night----shit! That's right! When Yuri took Snorlax. Ella said
something and Yuri seemed to nod . Couldn't that be it? Segway! What is that! I can't stand that flash of truth!
If this doesn't make sense, I'll pull that Ella. Aries and I are about to fight . I continued taking a shower. I heard
more and more people entering the CR. I finished quickly so I left immediately . When I returned to the site,
there were only a few of them. The others weren't there yet and it looked like it wouldn't be long. "Get ready,
Jay! Let's go first!" Eman said. I nodded to him and headed straight to my tent. I dropped off my stuff and got
ready. Then, I approached Eman and Edrix who were waiting for me. "Where are the others?" I asked while
walking. " Those will follow. We'll sit at the end so they'll see us right away." Eman said. We continued walking
and arrived at the hall. What Eman said was true that our seats were at the end. The sign 'SECTION E!' was big
on the opposite line of the bench so we couldn't really get lost. As we sat down, Josh and Mayo arrived
ollowed by Ci-N who immediately sat next to me. A little later, the others arrived. We were complete and
acing the stage where one of the organizers was standing. "Good morning everyone!" He greeted. "Good
morning!" Everyone replied. He smiled and looked at all of us. "We would like to start the program with
prayers. So please, everyone! Stand up." We immediately stood up. One of our batchmates started praying in
ront of the mic. After that, we sat down again and listened to what the organizer had to say. "Thank you so
much for... Blah blah blah...." For some reason I couldn't understand, I felt sleepy while listening to what the
organizer was saying. I kept yawning and wiped my eyes because of the tears. I leaned my head on Ci-N's
shoulder for a moment. He didn't move and just let me go. My eyelids were slowly falling . It was so sleepy. I
didn't realize that I had fallen asleep. Even in my dream, I could still hear something. It was like bees in a
bottle. "Jay..." Someone called me. I didn't answer. I wasn't sure if I was still dreaming. The caller disappeared
and suddenly I heard applause. Hala! It's over! Someone was clapping, which meant it was over. I immediately
opened my eyes and clapped. That was all I saw when I opened my eyes, not clapping. I stopped clapping and
looked around. Our classmates were already standing. I looked at Ci-N who was next to me and she was still
giggling. "Nice! Jay!" Drew said while laughing. Pakshet! I've tripped again! That's crazy! I look like an idiot
clapping alone. I looked at all of them with a wicked look. "Did you sleep well? You look like you stayed up
late." Felix teased and they immediately looked at the person next to me. "You must have been tired last night."
Eren teased Ci-N. You idiots! Animal! "You're tired." Ci's answer was without malice and they immediately fell
silent. They looked at me and then at Keifer. Even though they didn't speak, I knew what they meant. Their
brains were so dirty! I also looked at Hari and his eyebrows met and he was obviously ready to step on
someone. "...we had a long conversation. Then what else did we talk about." Ci-N nodded and the Ulopong
seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. They were green-minded after all! "We thought you were doing something."
Blaster said laughing. "Enough. Let's eat." Keifer said and immediately stood up. The others followed him.
There was a long line in front of where the food was. "Lunch time?" I asked Ci-N. He nodded. "You slept
soundly. We were embarrassed to wake you up." Wow. We also lined up for lunch. It was a good thing there
was plenty of food ready for all of us. Unlike yesterday when there was only leftovers for us. Ci handed me the
tray. The tray was curved because that's where the food was supposed to be placed. After getting our food,
we went straight to our place earlier but if you were lucky, someone bumped into me and almost spilled my
ood. "Too bad, it didn't spill." I heard the person who bumped into me whisper. I glared at her and I was even
more annoyed when I saw who she was. "Freya... Don't make a scene." Mica's ban was just behind Freya with
her classmates. "Shut it Mica!" She shouted at her and faced me again. "...so, what did I hear? You guys are..."
She looked at Keifer who was standing not far from us. "...what a great choice!" Another scene! Bad trip! "I
don't want trouble Freya." I said calmly but still with emphasis. "Oh really?!" She asked sarcastically. "...what's
that? I want trouble." "Freya! Please..." Mica begged. Freya ignored her. I saw Ella who was also next to Mica.
She was smiling with a hint of teasing. I looked back at Freya and suddenly glared at me. Are they doing this
on purpose? "Freya." "You feel like you're already beautiful." She said to me sternly while looking at me from
head to toe. "Stop it Freya!" Yuri's glare made her look at her sharply. "Shut up! Don't you dare interrupt me
when I'm talking!" Freya said angrily. Yuri didn't answer. I looked at her and I admit that I was shocked that she
didn't fight back. "Did you think I didn't know anything about you?!" Her gaze went back and forth between me
and Yuri. Shit! Why did she even know that? I looked at Ella who still had her arms crossed. Did she say that? I
was afraid she might shout about it. There were still so many people looking at us. I tried to walk away but
Freya's slap was really strong . She grabbed my arm causing the Tray I was holding to fall completely . My
ood! I pushed her hand away and immediately looked at her angrily. "What's your problem?!" "You! Because
you're so flirtatious!" "I'm so ashamed of you!" "Ha!" He followed my gaze. "You can stop now, Freya!" Felix
said annoyed. Freya looked at him. "Why are you talking to me like that? Your brother won't like it." Brother?! Is
P-percy the one he's referring to? Why is Percy here? What's wrong? Does he even know Percy is alive?
"Percy's been gone for a long time! You guys have been gone for a long time!" Felix replied. Long time?!
'...Freya's boyfriend died and Keifer, Yuri and Aries are passing him off .' ---Kiko Evans (Chapter 135,
Unexpected Visitor) GET OUT! IT'S PERCY! Percy is Freya's dead boyfriend . Damn! My brain jumped in shock.
"S-Percy?" I whispered but Freya seemed to hear it. "So you know him too?" She asked annoyed. "...Let me
guess, your friends said?" There was an emphasis on the word friend. It was Percy. But what happened? Why
did she go to Keifer and Yuri? They knew that too, so why did it happen? Did they do it on purpose? I was
confused. I looked at Yuri and Keifer, both of them looked away and obviously didn't want to be questioned
about it. "Did your friends also tell you what they did to me?" Freya asked annoyed and looked at the two of
them. Did they do it? "That's right Freya." I said but she obviously didn't want to be stopped. "Why? Don't you
want anyone else to hear?!" "What do you want?!" My fists were starting to clench. If this one didn't stop, I
might punch her. She crossed her arms and looked at me directly. "I want to see how you'll react when you
find out what those two did to me." Even though I wanted to know, I couldn't. My chest was tightening and a
large part of my mind was telling me not to find out anymore. "Students! What's going on here?!" Our guidance
counselor shouted . Freya didn't take her eyes off me but the other students left . They looked afraid of being
caught up in the chaos. "Ms. Hidalgo and Ms. Mariano." Sir Alvin called out to us. "...What's going on?" Freya
smiled and walked away. Her classmates followed her. Mica looked at me as if apologizing. "Section E. Go
back to your camp site." Sir ordered us. We had no choice but to follow. The bad thing was that we hadn't
eaten yet. When we returned, I immediately faced Yuri and Keifer. I didn't even care if the Ulopong looked at
us. "What is Freya saying?" I asked with a hint of annoyance. I tried to calm down but my feelings were already
mixed. I wasn't the only one who wanted to understand what Freya was saying. Because I knew even Edrix
was listening too. "We're all tired and hungry. Can we talk about it later." Keifer ordered. I was even more
annoyed. I knew he was just avoiding me. He would say the same thing later. "Why not now?!" I couldn't hold
back my irritation. "Jay... Please." Yuri pleaded. "What's the problem?!" "Because that is a mistake!" Keifer
shouted, causing me and the others to be stunned. "...We just made a mistake back then! Why do you need to
know about it?! It can't be fixed!" Yeah! Right! Why am I even asking? Why am I even interfering? I laughed
bitterly and shook my head in front of them. There was no point in asking anymore. I turned around and
walked away. "Where are you going?" Yuri asked worriedly. "I don't know... As long as it's far from you." "Jay..."
Ci called to me. "...I-I wonder if we can go swimming." I knew Ci was just changing the subject. Maybe we
were just getting more heated. "I'll see if the same path we use is still there ." I said and forced a smile. They
let me go. The path was back to the hall but that wasn't where I was going. Behind the hall there was a
fishpond. It was just a short walk to get there. I wasn't disappointed because I could see the water right away.
It looked like it had been developed too. There was a large gazebo in the middle that looked like an island. To
get there and there was a long bridge. I just looked at it for a moment and continued walking along the edge
of the fishpond. I saw what I was looking for. I went to the forested part , but the bobwire and a big Keep Out
sign immediately appeared in front of me . Pffttt... But that couldn't stop me. I peeked at the other side. I saw
the pathway we were walking on. I smiled because the path was still there. We could get to the small falls. I
walked back to greet them but I was stopped when I saw someone on the bridge. He was crying but I could
see the anger in his expression. I never thought I would see him cry. Freya.