[Clayrin Aisfine Ezz]
"You seem out of it." Jovenyl’s voice snapped me back to reality.
> Yeah, damn right I am.<
"Yeah..." I muttered. She pulled me into a hug, pressing my head against her chest.
> Okay wow—those are definitely soft. Too soft.<
“What’s wrong?” she asked again.
“Lately… Jow’s been avoiding eye contact with me. Sometimes he skips the clubroom altogether. It’s annoying. I’ve got a hundred ways I could mess with him but I can’t even bring myself to try.” I exhaled, my voice tapering into a soft whine.
“Mess with him, huh?” Jovenyl gave me a teasing look.
> Why the hell did I say that—right in front of his ex-girlfriend?<
"Forget it. That was nothing." I waved it off, hoping she’d let it slide.
But instead, her smile turned... strange. Too knowing. Too calm.
> Is she actually *happy* about this? Why?<
"Ate... something’s wrong with me," I confessed, almost in a whisper.
Her face instantly shifted to seriousness.
She scanned the room. Most of our classmates hadn’t arrived yet. The ones near us were either still outside or too busy to eavesdrop.
It was Monday, November 19. The teachers were caught up in meetings, so our first period was free.
"What is it?" she asked softly.
“You see... I can’t stop thinking about this person.”
“Go on,” she said, gently running her hand through my hair. The motion was calming, grounding—but my heart was anything but steady.
> I need to clear my head... maybe she can help me understand this.<
“When I remember him, my chest tightens because he’s not here. When I don’t get to talk to him, I lose all motivation to even speak to anyone. When I *am* with him, every movement he makes puts me on edge. And when we part ways, I feel this strange emptiness—I want to hug him, but I don’t understand why. I’m confused, Ate.”
She let out a soft laugh, not mocking—relieved. “That’s okay. It’s part of the process,” she said gently. “I’m glad. You finally figured it out. I’m happy for you.”
Her reaction just confused me more.
“What are you talking about?”
“Only you can name what you’re feeling right now. Something triggered it. Maybe the rumors?”
“Definitely not.” I replied firmly.
> Nova started all of this.<
I shook my head as the memory of Friday’s encounter with Nova came flooding back.
More classmates began trickling in. Yvette still wasn’t one of them.
I thought we’d finally have a peaceful free period—but I was wrong.
Ruffa, that lunatic, took things too far this time.
She came into our classroom, waving a badly photoshopped picture around. In it, my face was edited beside some old man walking out of a love hotel.
“You’re unbelievable, Clayrin. You really can’t keep your legs closed, can you?” she spat, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Gasps and whispers filled the room. Some classmates looked skeptical, others disgusted. A few muttered that the photo was fake and Ruffa was just jealous.
“Look at her! Desperate for sugar daddies,” Ruffa insisted.
“Hey, Ruffa, that’s too far—” I stood up, ready to snap back, but I didn’t even get to finish my sentence.
Jovenyl had already launched herself at Ruffa and landed a solid punch across her face.
Ruffa hit the ground hard. Jovenyl stood over her, her fist clenched, shaking.
“Even if you were my childhood friend, this? This slander and low-blow against my cousin? Unforgivable.” Her voice cracked from yelling. Her hands trembled in fury. I had never seen her this mad before.
I rushed to her, wrapping my arms around her from behind and rubbing her back.
“Shhh… calm down,” I whispered.
She started to sob in my arms.
Ruffa, still on the ground, wailed dramatically and clutched her nose, now bleeding from the blow.
“See?! Everyone around you is violent psychos!” she screamed. She milked the scene for all it was worth, drawing sympathy from some classmates. “This isn’t over, Clay!”
“No—it *is*,” I said firmly. “We’re done. Don’t come near me again.”
I walked toward her, slapped her hard across the face. The sting shot through my palm.
Gasps filled the room.
Ruffa broke into louder sobs.
“Stop spreading lies about me. Grow up. You’re so immature.” I stared her down. “Keep this up and you’ll see what I’m like when I really get mad.”
I turned away from her and headed back to Jovenyl.
“Then stay away from Eyeden Ylliard Hayle!” Ruffa shrieked. “He’s mine! He’s supposed to be *my* boyfriend! Kick him out of the Supernatural Club and tell him never to come back—then I’ll stop!”
Just then, Lumiel walked into the classroom. She paused, eyes wide at what she'd just heard.
Seconds later, she turned and left without a word.
> What now? What’s *that* idiot up to?<
“You’re insane,” Jovenyl spat. “You need a doctor.”
She moved to go at Ruffa again, but I held her back.
“You don’t own Jow. He’s *my* club member. Back off. And if you really like him, why not confess like a normal person?”
“How can I?” Ruffa screamed. “Nova Mei threatens me every time I try!”
“Not. My. Problem,” I replied coldly.
I exhaled deeply.
Ruffa walked toward me again. I raised a hand to stop her—if she stepped any closer, Jovenyl was going to deck her again.
“Tell me, do you *really* like him?”
I didn’t answer. I just glared at her.
She stomped off, shoving away the classmates trying to help her.
But before she could reach the door, she almost bumped into another girl—teary-eyed, panicked.
Her eyes found mine, and she ran straight toward me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as she grabbed my hand.
“It’s my kuya... and Lumiel…” she choked out between sobs.
> What now?<
“Kuya?”
“Clay,” Jovenyl leaned in and whispered, “She’s Jow’s cousin.”
“Cousin? What happened?” My heart skipped a beat.
“Please, Miss Clayrin, come with me,” she begged, yanking on my hand.
I turned to Jovenyl. “I’ll be back,” I said quickly.
Jovenyl just nodded, still shaken.
We ran through the hallway together.
“Aren’t we going to your classroom?” I asked when we passed it.
“They’re on the rooftop,” she said between gasps. Tears still streamed down her face.
“What the hell happened?” I pressed.
We stopped briefly at the stairwell. She wiped her eyes.
“Lumiel punched my brother the moment he walked into the classroom,” she explained. “She screamed, ‘Why are you going near Clayrin? You’re a demon who brings nothing but destruction!’ My brother didn’t see it coming—the punch landed right on his jaw. He bled. Then Lumiel challenged him to a fight on the rooftop. My classmates wanted to get a teacher, but Nova stopped them. She warned them not to interfere. Please, Miss Clayrin… stop them…”
She swallowed hard three times. “The look in my kuya's eyes… it was the same as back then…”
“We’re going,” I said, my voice sharp with urgency.
We raced up the stairs to the rooftop.
At the top, we found Nova standing guard at the door—arms crossed, expression cold and stern.
“N-Nova…” Jow’s cousin called out weakly.
Nova punched the air hard and snapped, “I won’t let anyone interfere with the punishment Jow is about to deliver! Not even you, Clayrin. Even if you beg on your knees, it’s too late!”
She started laughing—high, wild, unnerving.
“Nova! What the hell are you saying?! We have to stop them!” I yelled.
“It’s too late! Lumiel triggered him. It’s his fault. And now... he’s back. Eyeden Ylliard Hayle is back. The second generation president of the Cruel Sun Gang—the same guy who crippled two of San Juanita’s most feared gangsters.”
I froze.
“He shattered one guy’s arm and dislocated his leg. The other? Disfigured. Every finger and toe—useless. And you know why they called him Jow?”
I clenched my fists. “Nova, I don’t care about any of that—let me through.”
“They called him ‘Jaw Breaker’ because he could knock out anyone with a single punch to the jaw. But he hated that name—said it reminded people of that dumb shark movie. So he changed the spelling to ‘Jow.’”
“Nova!” I shouted. “Enough!”
“You’re mad? So what? You can’t stop him. Rain knows how dangerous Jow is.”
I turned to see Rain—Jow’s cousin—now on her knees, her whole body trembling.
“Kuya… kuya… kuya…” she whispered over and over.
My hands went numb. My legs followed. But my head burned.
My heart pounded. Harder. Faster.
> Jow… please… snap out of it...<
To be continued.