chapter 387

(Hell to home!)

(Jay Jay’s POV)

Sometimes I feel like the universe has a personal grudge against me. Like… can’t a girl just sneak out, play a little chess (ahem), and come home without a full-blown interrogation waiting at the door? Apparently not.

Because standing right there, arms crossed like he owned the entire barangay, was Kuya Angelo. And his face? Full-on thunderstorm mode.

“Jasper jean mariano!,” he growled. Uh-oh. Full name alert. Automatic deduction of fifty life points. “It’s ten o’clock. Where were you?”

I froze, halfway through tiptoeing inside, slippers still half-off my feet. In my head, I was screaming:

Say groceries. Say church. Say anything but the truth. Because if I even whispered Drew’s name, it’d be game over. Drew—traitor of Section E, backstabber extraordinaire, who literally reoprted me to Ram,

public enemy number one. And me? I’d look like the biggest idiot for sneaking off to his house.

So, I did what any genius would do. I lied.

“I… uh… library?” I said, pretending to yawn. “Lost track of time. You know how books are.”

“Books?” Kuya’s eyebrow shot up so high it could’ve hit the ceiling fan. “Since when do you stay past curfew for books to study?”

Okay, point taken. I’m not exactly Miss Nerd of the Year or ever.

“Fine, fine,” I backpedaled, flopping onto the sofa like I wasn’t two seconds from having a heart attack. “I was with classmates. Group project. Super important. Totally not fun. Torture, really.”

Yea lied again huhuhu!

“Group project?” he repeated, voice flat. FBI agent mode activated. “Who?”

My brain scrambled. I couldn’t say Drew. I couldn’t even say Yuri, because—ugh—how do I explain that mysterious disappearing act? And if I said Keifer… oh boy. That’d open an entirely new can of worms and kuya will go on a hunting spree.

So I just gave my sweetest, most innocent smile. “Secret.”

“Secret?!” Kuya’s voice boomed so loud I swear even the neighbors’ dogs barked. “Jay Jay!, do you think this is a joke? It’s dangerous out there. You can’t just wander around at night and come home past curfew like nothing happened.”

Here we go. The Sermon of Doom™. Volume 386.

I hugged a throw pillow to my chest, letting Kuya rant about “responsibility” and “being a young lady” and “not wanting the last time act happen. almost did that one time—” Oof. Emotional damage unlocked. I hated when he went there.

“Kuya…” I whispered, guilt poking me like a sharp pencil. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry.”

He sighed, shoulders dropping, the fire dimming just a little.

“jay do you even know after that day at sir alvin's we cant let you out and you litreally came home this late?!.”

My chest tightened on the memory. Ugh. Why did he have to say things like that and remind me? Now I am scared.

“Promise,” I said softly, raising my hand like I was swearing in court. “I’ll be careful. I’ll stick to curfew. No more late-night group projects. Cross my heart.”

But in my head? Different story. Sorry, Kuya. I can’t promise that. Not when there are too many secrets, too many people depending on me, and too many mysteries I still need to solve.

Like Yuri. Where the heck did he disappear to tonight? One second he was there, glaring at me like usual, the next—poof. Vanished.

I leaned back on the sofa, Kuya still lecturing about “trust” and “choices.” I nodded at all the right times, but my mind wasn’t there anymore. It was back in that room, staring at the empty space where Yuri should’ve been.

Seriously… where did he go?