Ang Mutya Ng Section E (Book - 2) English

Jay-Jay's POV

Today is Saturday. I don't have school, so no one should be waking me up early. What I don't understand is why my door suddenly swung open, practically pushed aside by someone, jolting me awake.

I looked at the culprit—Judas, or whoever he was—standing in the doorway. Since the doorknob is broken, it's easy to open.

Aries. Of course, it had to be him.

"Get up and have breakfast," he said, annoyed, before immediately walking away.

"Abnormal," I muttered into my pillow.

I was forced to get up even though I really just wanted to drown myself in sleep. I had big plans for today—sleep, sleep, sleep, and more sleep.

Dragging myself out of bed, I went straight to the bathroom to freshen up. After changing my clothes, I headed out of my room. When I reached the dining area, everyone was already there—including Kuya Angelo.

Dead…

The way he looked at me made it clear that he already knew I hadn't been going to school. A whole week—solid! And I was sure his punishment would be just as solid.

"Jay..." Mama called my name as I took a seat. "...Come with Uncle Andy, We're going to check out our new house."

"Can't you go without me?" I asked, bored.

"Jay!" Kuya snapped at me.

Do I seriously have no allies in this house? Aunt Gema might have taken my side, but she wouldn't go against Mama. Lola could have, but she had already gone back to the province.

I was completely alone…

I just lowered my head while eating, not wanting to deal with them. Looks like I was being forced to go on this trip with my mom and her new husband. There was probably nothing worse than this situation.

"You're coming too, Aries," Mama added.

Whaaaaaaaaat?!

"I don't want to," Aries quickly replied.

I don't want to either!

"You're going with them," Kuya ordered. "…Unless you want me to take your car back."

I watched as Aries took a deep breath, clearly trying to control his anger. I wanted to laugh out loud—it felt good to know I wasn't the only one getting scolded in this family.

But I still didn't want to go with him.

"If he's coming, then can I not go?" I asked, and Kuya's eyebrows immediately furrowed.

"You're going," he said firmly.

I waited to see if he would say the same thing to Aries, but he didn't. There was nothing he could take from me—I didn't have a car, he couldn't cut my allowance since I just asked Percy for money (yes, I ask him!), and it wasn't like he could ground me because he barely even came home.

"What if I don't?" I challenged.

Kuya gave me a sharp look, as if he had just accepted my challenge.

"If you don't go..." he started, his eyes suddenly gleaming with mischief. "...I will make you sleep in Aries' room."

WHAAAAAAAT?! I DON'T WANT THAT! I DON'T WANT THAT! I DON'T WANT THAT!

"I said I'll come!" I quickly blurted out, turning my attention back to my food.

After that, no one spoke. Once I finished eating, I rushed back to my room to take a shower and get ready. I had no idea where we were going, but I brought money—just in case I needed to ditch them.

Aries and I stepped out of our rooms at almost the same time. I didn't look at him and just kept walking. I knew I didn't want to be around him, and by the looks of it, he felt the same way.

"Are you all ready?" Uncle Andy asked, taking a bite of his apple.

"Yes, I'm ready!" Mama answered excitedly, clapping her hands.

Aries and I didn't respond. We both just stood there, looking bored and clearly in a bad mood.

"Take care on the flight," Tita said and kissed Aries on the cheek.

I hugged her, though I almost didn't. I'm not mad at her—just sad about what happened—but I don't want her to feel that. She's an ally, and pushing her away wouldn't be fair.

We got into Andy's SUV. My brother, Horoscope, was sitting in the backseat. Aries and I sat far apart, both pressed against our respective doors.

It was as if we were sick, avoiding each other like we carried a contagious disease.

Well, in a way, he is sick—lung and brain disease. His power is so strong that it sometimes makes me faint.

As the car drove on, Mama and Andy kept chatting—mostly about their marriage, of course. The noise started to get on my nerves, so I put on my headset and turned the volume all the way up.

Awesome music, of course.

After three long hours—thanks to traffic and the three-hour flight—we finally arrived at what they called their new home.

We entered an exclusive subdivision and stopped in front of a simple yet beautiful two-story house. At first glance, it seemed perfect for newlyweds—not too big, not too small, just right.

I removed my headset and stepped out of the car. Aries followed right after, still looking annoyed.

"Do you like it?" Mama asked with a smile. "Your Uncle Andy designed it."

Really?! The apple is a designer.

"Is he an architect?" Aries asked.

"He designed the house!" Mama replied.

"Yes," Andy added. "Right now, I manage our own firm."

"What is an architect?" I asked absentmindedly.

Andy was about to answer, but Aries, being the annoying apple that he is, beat him to it.

"They design brains for idiots like you!" he said irritably.

I frowned. I was just asking because I wasn't sure—it doesn't mean I'm stupid.

"Oh really?" I said sarcastically. "Since you're so smart, what's my fate now?"

"Fate?" he asked.

"Aren't you a Horoscope?"

His eyes widened in shock—he obviously understood what I meant. He quickly raised his hand as if to retaliate, but before he could do anything, Mama put her arm around me.

"Picture!" she squealed, and I heard the camera click.

Bad trip!

Queen! What do I look like? I probably look like a fool!

I moved toward Andy to grab his phone, but he had already opened the gate and stepped inside.

"Come in! Come in!" Mama urged, motioning for us to follow.

Mama went in after Andy, leaving Aries and me outside. I shot him a glare. It was his fault I looked stupid in that picture.

"You're busty," I muttered under my breath, but apparently, he heard me.

"You're buster!" he snapped back.

"Horoscope!"

"Tomboy!"

"Queer!"

"Ugly!"

"You're uglier!"

"When exactly do you two plan to stop?" Mama groaned, looking irritated.

I didn't answer. Instead, I marched past the gate and took big steps toward the front door. That was when I finally noticed the spacious yard and an unfinished garage.

Andy stood at the door, waiting for us. I crossed my arms and turned to look at Mama, who was right behind me.

Seriously, why did I even come here?

We have nothing to do with this! Kuya Angelo is on a bad trip. Sometimes, I don't even know if he's getting back at me or if this is just my punishment. Does he really have the power to ruin my mood?!

"Hon!" Andy called out to Mama, handing her the house keys.

Mama happily took them, walked to the door, and smiled like a model. That's when I realized—she was taking another picture.

The Mud! Door Model

"Here we go... We're about to enter our house," Mama said with a smile as she slowly opened the door. "...Tada!"

I cautiously peeked inside. Mama was the first to step in, followed by Andy. I slowly followed behind them.

There were only a few pieces of furniture inside—a sofa set still wrapped in plastic, a table, and a refrigerator. Andy pressed the light switch, and everything seemed to be functioning properly.

But it still felt empty.

"Let's go upstairs," Mama said, leading the way.

I followed her, and as luck would have it, I ended up beside Aries on the stairs.

"I was first," I muttered, annoyed.

"So what?" he replied indifferently.

"Saturday... Bones!"

"Boplaks!"

Before I could respond to his outburst, he had already rushed up the stairs. I quickly chased after him, but his strides were too big. When I finally reached the second floor, I saw another sofa set. A flat-screen TV was mounted on the wall across from it. There were three bedroom doors and one leading to the terrace.

Mama took my hand and led me to the first door.

"This is your room," she said as she opened it.

It wasn't as big as Tita Gema's house, but it was enough for me. The room had a cabinet, a study table, and a bed frame with a mattress still wrapped in plastic.

"This one's for Aries," Andy said as he opened the door opposite mine.

The room was just like mine, but Aries didn't look happy. He crossed his arms, visibly irritated.

"Why do I have a room here?" he asked seriously.

"Of course, because when we're here—"

"Wait!" Aries cut Mama off. "...Are you saying we're going to live here too?"

Right?

I hadn't even thought about that. Mama had already told me I would be staying with them for a while—at least until I got married. But that wasn't going to happen anymore, not after what I had found out.

"Yes... Just for a little while. Besides, only during your school holidays," Mama explained.

"No! That's never gonna happen," Aries said, shaking his head.

"Aries... I just want to—"

"There it is again! What you want! What about what we want?" He was frustrated again by what Mama had said.

"Aries." Andy looked at him calmly.

Aries stopped and glanced at Mama. He turned to me briefly before suddenly heading down the stairs. The three of us were left standing there, watching him leave.

I understood Aries. It was just like before—Mama making decisions without asking for our opinions. I wanted to protest too, but unlike my hot-tempered brother, I kept my feelings to myself.

Mama looked at me, but before she could say anything, I turned away. I walked straight to the terrace and stood there, looking around. Everything felt oddly familiar.

I saw Aries outside, talking to someone on his phone. He kept pacing, and though I couldn't hear his words, he looked visibly annoyed.

Sensing my gaze, he suddenly glanced up at me. I quickly looked away, shifting my focus elsewhere, but all I saw were rooftops and power lines.

The view was ugly...

I sighed and went back inside. Mama and Andy were no longer upstairs, but I could hear their voices from below. They were in the kitchen. I returned to my room and glanced around, though there was nothing particularly interesting.

After a while, boredom got the best of me, so I went downstairs. Mama and Andy were still in the kitchen, talking. When they saw me, they looked up together.

"Jay, what do you want to eat? Your Uncle Andy will buy it," Mama asked with a smile.

"I'll ask Aries," I replied, uninterested.

I immediately went outside to find him. He was still in the same spot, still on his phone.

"What do you want to eat? They're asking because they're going to buy something."

"Anything, as long as your brain gets fed," he replied coldly.

"It's really noisy!"

"Don't eat that! You'll starve to death over there!" I screamed and ran back into the house.

Andy stood at the door, holding his car keys, clearly waiting to hear what I had to say. Aries, however, didn't respond sensibly—instead, he insulted me.

"He wants pizza and a bucket of chicken," I said.

He scoffed. "As long as your brain is as fleshy as your stomach."

Maybe that's fine. At least my stomach and brain will be satisfied here rather than having nothing to eat.

Andy left with Apple, leaving the three of us at home. Mama and I sat in front of the table, while Aries, having just finished talking to someone, took a seat.

We looked like we were waiting for food. At this point, I felt like I had already given a dialogue to every ant that passed in front of me.

"It's like we used to be like this, right, Aries?" Mama said, glancing at him.

I looked at them, confused. I didn't remember us ever sitting together at the table before. Maybe because I was only three years old when Aries was adopted by Aunt. I had no memory of it.

Aries lowered his gaze, resting one hand on the table. "O-Oh..."

"You still remember," Mama added with a forced smile.

I couldn't relate.

"Of course, I remember..." Aries said, looking at Mama. His expression darkened. "...I also remember how you used to beat me whenever I disobeyed you. I remember how you scolded me whenever I made a mistake."

His eyes changed. I could see the anger rising in them. I wanted to say something, to ask, but I was afraid he'd turn his anger on me instead.

"...I remember it all. I remember how you hit me with a slipper, a belt, or a hanger. I remember how you called me 'useless,' 'brainless,' and 'thoughtless.' Well, let me tell you something—I do have a brain, because I remember everything you did!" His voice shook with emotion.

Mama didn't react. Even I was shocked by what I was hearing. I had no idea what he was talking about.

"...And do you know what I remember the most? The night you made me sleep outside just because I left Jay-Jay alone at home!" A tear slipped down his cheek. "...But do you even know why I left her alone?! Do you know why I went out? I went to buy her food! Because you had nothing to cook for her!" He took a deep breath. "I did what you should have done, but in the end, I was still the bad one!"

Mama's breath hitched, and that's when I noticed she was crying. She reached for Aries' hand, clutching it tightly.

"I was just angry... I didn't mean it," she said, her voice trembling. "Please... forgive me. I was too young then—I didn't know—"

"That's no excuse!" Aries shouted. "The only one that ever mattered to you was Jay-Jay! Why?! Because her dad is rich, while I was just some stray you picked up?!"

Shit! I'm confused!

I knew Aries and I had different fathers, but I had no idea about any of this. I didn't know he had gone through so much with Mama.

Aries tried to pull his hand away, but Mama held on. His strength seemed to wane, and he slumped slightly. Mama kept crying, and to be honest, it hurt me—even though it shouldn't have.

"Maybe that's why you adopted me," Aries added bitterly.

Stop it... Please.

The atmosphere felt suffocating. I turned away, taking a deep breath.

"That's enough, Aries," I said.

His sharp gaze shifted to me.

"Aries..." Mama called him softly. "...I didn't want to adopt you. I had to—so I could take better care of Jay-Jay. I needed her more."

Listen to her...

"And I didn't?!" His voice was full of pain. "I didn't need a mother?! Is that it?!"

"That's enough," I pleaded.

"I know you needed one... but please, try to understand."

"Why is it always us who have to understand you?!"

"Stop it, Aries."

I felt like I was suffocating. Their words, their accusations—it was overwhelming. My head hurt, my chest felt heavy. I had expected a fight, but not like this. Not one filled with so much bitterness and regret.

"I'm useless to you! That's why you adopted me!"

I hit the table hard. "STOP THAT!" I shouted, glaring at Aries. "...DEBT INSIDE!"

Even Mama stopped talking. She wiped her tear-soaked face, and I heard her take several deep breaths.

"Take care of what Mama scolded you for failing! Maybe you're forgetting that you have your own failures too!" Me! "...If you dare to speak, shame on you!"

From where he was sitting across from me, he grabbed the collar of my dress. I stood up as he pulled my face closer to his. His eyes weren't enough to kill me, but they held an intensity that made my heart pound.

"You don't know what I've been through—"

I cut him off. "And you don't know what I've been through either!" Tears spilled from one of my eyes. "...I don't even remember, but I know! I know it was hell!"

But were you there to protect me?!

Even though I didn't say those words out loud, I knew he understood. He got exactly what I meant.

Slowly, I loosened my grip on him. Yet, we still couldn't take our eyes off each other.

"Ma..." I called out to Mama without looking away from the person in front of me. "...Stop crying, and if you can—"

"Don't expect us to get along," Aries finished my sentence.

Silence filled the room. I didn't know how long we stayed like that until Andy arrived with the food.

"W-what happened while I was gone?" he asked Mama.

She just smiled at him.

If only you had come earlier, you might have caught the drama.

You might have even grabbed some popcorn while watching.