The Prince
Aries's POV
"...Get out! Get out!" The teacher chases Keifer and his classmates away. "...These kids! Always looking for a ï¬ght!" The Section E kids left but Keifer gave me a mean look. They interrupted our class just to humiliate Jay-jay. How stupid! Our teacher came out. I'm sure she'll go straight to guidance to report what happened. We were all left staring at the door. "You don't need to say those words, Aries!" Ella said angrily. I ignored her. We weren't okay yet but if I spoke to her, it seemed like she would be the one to follow. "Poor Jay-jay." "There's obviously something wrong with her." I heard my classmates whisper. I noticed that too, the way Keifer held her... It seemed like he was in pain. I ignore it because I don't want to show any sympathy. "Hey... Aries. Why did you do that to your cousin?" France---one of my classmates said like a child . "...I saw that earlier. He knocked the track." Did he knock the Track? He was the one who actually knocked the Track. "You're just going to tell me the opposite way." Mykel said while laughing at him. "No! Because the Track stopped, then he kept on riding the bike and then that. Booogggghhh!" Is that why he looks like that? Is that why he seems to be in such a difficult situation? What the hell Jay?! "You should check your cousin." Ella ordered while Mica was next to me who was also looking at me. "Don't order me." I answered authoritatively. I could feel the whole class looking at me. They had only just heard me speak like that to Ella. No one even knew that we had a ï¬ght or, more accurately, that we had broken up. After all this time. Still him... "Ella is right." Freya suddenly said while continuing to ï¬le her nails. "...I heard their Section was in trouble. Harington was rushed to the hospital ." Seriously? What is wrong with their Section? Is Keifer's banging getting louder again ? Why isn't....Yuri doing anything? I sighed loudly. I left the room and headed straight for the stairs. I don't have any plans on checking Jay-jay. Why should I? Yeah... Why should I? I headed straight to the rooftop where their building and room were easily visible. The others were outside, while it seemed like someone was ï¬ghting inside the room. I looked around near their room itself. I couldn't see Jay-jay's bike---- infact I don't see her at all. I took my phone out of my pocket. I dialed Kuya's number. ["Is anything wrong?"] He opened it to me. "None." ["I thought something bad happened to you."] I could feel the concern in his tone. I couldn't blame him, because I forced myself to leave the hospital. I don't want that! I remember a lot when I'm in the hospital. When I'm lying in the hospital bed with a syringe attached. "Nothing bad happened." I said emphasizing the word 'bad'. "...I just want to know if Jay-jay is there." ["If the 'there' that you're talking about is our house... I don't know. I'm not at home."] Tsk! "Okay... Thanks." I said and was about to hang up the call but I heard him speak. ["Wait... Isn't Jay-jay at school?"] "Here... I don't know if he's home. He's not feeling well." I excused myself. I didn't cover up for Jay-jay. I just didn't want my brother to ask me any more questions. The conversation would just drag on and we'd end up in the past again. ["I see... I'll text Mom to conï¬rm. Thanks."] I didn't answer. I hung up the call while still looking at the Section E room. They have a headache, even though many of them are rich, the head teachers and board members don't want to take care of them. They say money is not the only reason they go to school. I guess they're telling the truth. We're not as rich as Keifer or Yuri, yet they choose to obey me. Because of Michael Angelo Fernandez. The King that was once on throne. Everything becomes easy for me because of his name. They also gave me a title....The Prince----but I never let them call me that. At ï¬rst glance, I'm the Prince because my brother is the King. But that's not what I see! They call me Prince because I will never be the King on the throne. I will never be the man like my brother. And they will never give me that. Because others have had it for a long time. I hate myself for being like this. Even when I've always been second. Second to Percy because he's better at making others happy. Second to Yuri because he's smarter. Second to Keifer because he's better. And most of all second to Jay-jay in the family because he's a priority. I smiled bitterly when I remembered him. If I could pick him up from their house to play. If I could comfort him when he cries. If I could make him feel that his brother loves him so much. But it will never happen again. I will never do it again. Everything that happens to me is his fault. It's his fault why I got sick. It's his fault why we had an accident that night and I lost my friends. This is all your fault! I have no reason to show you sympathy. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jay-jay's POV "Don't tell them." I asked Grandma while pressing the ice bag to my shoulder. Grandma looked at me with concern. She was the only one I found at home when I got home. Mama and Andy had already left,Aunt Gema and Uncle Julz are the same. My brother is in their company. "It's impossible... Look at your appearance." He replied to me while pointing at the few scars I got. "They'll go away quickly." He let out a deep sigh. He's always like that whenever I come home with bruises and wounds. Tired of ï¬ghting , I just choose to turn my back on him. "You're still stubborn! Have you been to the hospital?" I nodded before getting the x-ray and results of my check-up. I opened it and showed him the results. He looked at me ï¬rst before taking it and reading it. There was no racture in the bone. It was just a muscle that was bruised so the doctor prescribed me a lot of pain relievers. He also advised me to use a cold compress for the bruised and sore areas. "Oh my God, Jay! That's why I left you here because I knew "You'll be ï¬ne with your brother Angelo's powder... But here you are and you'll go home and your body will hurt again." He lectured me and put the result next to me. I could only answer by bowing. I wasn't in the right place to answer. Yes, sometimes what he does is annoying but if what I did wasn't wrong, he wouldn't get angry and lecture me. "Sorry." I said almost in a whisper. Grandma slowly took the cold compress and helped me lie down. "Go to sleep ï¬rst... You need that more than my sermon." He said and forced a smile. I smiled at him too. He adjusted my blanket and kissed my orehead. He walked away and closed the door on me. I looked at the time on the wall clock. It was only after lunch but I was already feeling sleepy. Maybe it was because I was tired. I yawned one after the other. I looked at the ceiling and the events that had happened played over and over in my mind. Of the people on motorbikes and what Keifer was saying. My body hurts but his words hurt more. I felt like my heart was stabbed by someone who had no one to ï¬ght back and couldn't retaliate. I didn't know Keifer could do this out of jealousy. I leaned over and hugged Snorlax tightly. I used to think that when people said love, it was easy. I wasn't really hurt by my ï¬rst boyfriend. I was just angry because he was gay and he was just using me so that the whole school wouldn't know. His smile! In the end, he was even prettier to me. I didn't feel hurt by Cyrus either. I didn't take him seriously because I knew he felt the same way about me. I was just scared because I hurt him just like that. Only now! Only now in my life have I felt this way just because of the words he said. I never thought that words can actually hurt people like a knife. Yes, I was hurt by the words I heard before about me and Mama but his were different. Maybe because the person who said it was important to you. I hugged Snorlax tighter. If someone were talking, I would have probably cursed them. He's always the one who gets hurt when I feel weird. I closed my eyes to ï¬nally fall asleep. I wanted to rest my mind and body ï¬rst. I wasn't disappointed because I fell asleep right away. I woke up to it being a bit dark outside. I shifted slightly . My head hurt, I don't know if it was because I was too sleepy or not enough. I heard Mama and the others in the living room laughing loudly. I got up and looked at the time on the wall clock, it was 6:42pm. I also took out my cellphone to see if I had a message from him. Nga-nga! Nothing from him. Something from Yuri and Ulopong asking me how I was. I didn't feel like answering their texts. I got up and went straight to the bathroom to clean up. I also felt hungry so I hurried downstairs. I saw Mama and Aunt Gema in the living room. Tito Julz and Andy were with them. Grandma was also there talking to Brother Angelo. They both looked at me the same way. Mama was the ï¬rst thing I noticed. Her smile was strange and she seemed so happy. "Are you okay, Jay?" She asked me while looking at me from head to toe. "...Come here. Join us." Huh?! One of my eyebrows raised. What was wrong with her? I ignored her and went straight to the kitchen. I really wanted to eat. "Let it go... Maybe I still feel bad." I heard Auntie say. I got food from the fridge. I grabbed everything I could ï¬nd quickly . I was going to scold her later. I was eating when I heard Aries' car horn . I didn't bother standing up to peek at her. What would happen if I saw her? Nothing would change. She was mad at me and didn't want to see me. She didn't accept me. I understood her, who would want to be a blood relative like me. I continued eating. I heard what sounded like a ï¬ght in the living room. I wasn't sure but Mama's voice was shaking. Even though I hadn't ï¬nished eating, I chose to peek at them. I hadn't gotten close enough to hear what they were saying . "...Don't answer me like that!" Mama shouted. "Get out of our house! I don't want you here with me!" ....Aries replied? What's up? I got to the living room but everyone's attention was on Mama and Aries. Andy was weaning Mama while Aunt Gema was standing between them. "Aries! Stop it!" Kuya shouted but Aries didn't really intend to wean. "Hey! You don't owe me anything!" Mama shouted again. "Owe me anything?! Why?! What did you do to me?! You just brought me back to life and then threw me away like trash!" Aries said angrily. Wait! Brought me back to life and then threw me away?! I was confused by what they were ï¬ghting and saying. I also don't understand why Aries is so angry with Mama. I don't remember them having a ï¬ght before. "Gema!" Mama shouted at Tita. "...Is that what you're teaching my children here?!" Children?! "At least they're teaching something! You're not!" Aries replied before Tita Gema could speak. "If I had known you'd be like that, I wish I hadn't adopted you !" PUT.A.TANG.IN.A.GLASS! I felt my heart stop beating. The hair on my neck stood up and then my hand started to shake. "Jay-jay?" Grandma called to me when she saw me. Their attention immediately shifted to me. Mama's anger earlier was replaced by embarrassment. Grandma Gema and Grandma immediately came over to me. "Jay... A-what..." Tita started and I knew she didn't know the right word to say to me. "What's that? She still doesn't know?" Mama asked annoyed and looked at Aries with a bad look. "...And you really don't plan on telling him?" "Tsk! How else can I tell you? You already told me!" Aries replied in a low voice. "ARIES!" My older brother shouted angrily. "...Go to your room. Now!" Aries gave me the last thing he wanted before leaving. I remained motionless and just stared into space. Aunt and Grandma were saying something to me but I couldn't hear anything. I wanted to have a big brother...that's what I always said when I was little. I was jealous of Aries because he had a big brother, Angelo. When my relatives told me that I had a brother , I dreamed of meeting him. But it never crossed my mind that the boy who always invited me to play, the boy who taught me to ride a bike, and the boy I recognized as my cousin were the brother I was asking for. Shit! Am I playing with you?! "I'm in my room." That was all I could say. No one stopped me. They let me walk around like I wasn't in my own head. The strength was enough to make me go crazy. Jay... You've been facing your brother for a long time.---Percy (Chapter 97) That's why he said that. He also knows the truth. He also knows that Aries is my brother. That's great! That's really great! I look like an idiot thinking about his situation. I wonder if he's happy with the amily he recognizes. If he has a brother too. A fvcking nice question but the answer is right in front of me. Shit! I can't imagine how stupid I am. "You now know the truth, but that doesn't change anything between us." Suddenly Aries said who was in front of me. My eyebrows furrowed at what he said. "Oh?" "Don't expect me----." "I don't expect you to do anything. I know... You don't want me to be your cousin, so why not be your brother." I cut off what he was going to say. "It's good you know." He said and left in front of me. I just felt so annoyed. I went to my room and closed the door. I just knelt down on my own while still holding onto the door of my room. I don't know, I was so soft and suddenly I cried. I was trying to stop myself from screaming because they might hear me but I felt like I was going to explode at any moment. The things I thought I would do when I was in front of my brother, I couldn't do. My expectation that we would talk didn't come true either. Just let it be! My brother would just give me someone like me who has a heart! It's a lie, it's a lie. I held my chest while still crying. Why is he still there? Why does he still have to be there?