CHAPTER 30 - Changes

Their eyebrows were deeply furrowed, their unsatisfied gazes settled on the pathetic-looking cake that Dara tried to bake.

"It's charcoal", Jiro stated flatly.

"It's chocolate", Dara said defensively.

"Charcoal."

"It's just crunchy."

"No, it's not. You can kill someone if you throw this at his face", he stabbed the cake with a fork and let it fall on the pan again to demonstrate how hard the alleged cake was.

"Hey, it's not that bad."

"Ramirez, are we looking at the same thing?"

"It's the first cake I baked. Of course, it's to be expected that it will not be perfect. It may be a bit...hard but-..."

"I'm not going to eat it."

Dara scowled at him and grabbed a fork briskly, cutting a slice of cake with it. She winced when a hard, crunchy sound emanated from it as she sliced.

"I heard that", Jiro informed her.

"I told you, it's just crunchy", she reasoned. "Here. Try it."

"No."

"Open up", Dara hovered the fork on his mouth, but Jiro just stared at it with obvious disgust. "Jirooo", she whined.

He sighed in resignation and bit the slice of cake...then he spat it out unceremoniously on the sink.

"Hey!" Dara exclaimed in protest. "You didn't even taste it", she mumbled somberly.

"I did. It's charcoal."

"Is it that bad?"

"Try it. I dare you."

"Fine. I'll just bake another one after consulting with Namee", Dara said, abandoning the cake and marching towards the living room. She plopped herself on the couch and turned on the TV. A few seconds later, Jiro followed her with cans of beer in his hand. He placed it on the table and sat on the other side of the couch, spreading his legs and opening a can of beer with one hand. Dara glanced at him, following his every movement with her gaze. It fascinated her that after a heartfelt talk with him, they were doing such mundane tasks as bickering over a cake, lounging in the couch, and watching TV. It was the kind of reality that was seldom shown in the drama shows. When she watched a movie, she often wondered what the girl and guy did after they exchange dramatic dialogues or after an intense scene, but the answer was simple: they go on with their lives.

"What?" He suddenly asked without glancing at her, sensing her scrutinizing gaze.

"Are you going to sleep here?"

"Yeah", he answered lazily.

A smile crossed her lips that she wasn't able to hide.

"Why are you smiling?" He asked as he looked at her.

"Nothing", she replied and gnawed her lips, her mind wandering back to what he did to her as her 'punishment' for hugging and kissing Bullet. She could feel her cheeks burning with the thought of him doing it again...and maybe more. Accckkk!!

"I'll sleep at the guest room", his voice mercilessly slashed through her consciousness.

"What?!" She exclaimed, her pitch higher than her normal voice. She cleared her throat to cover her embarrassment and faced him again.

"The guest room has no balcony", she said in a calm tone. "I mean, I thought you like lounging at the balcony to breathe some fresh air before you sleep", she reasoned. She knew it was a lame excuse but WASN'T HE SUPPOSED TO SLEEP BESIDE HER?! Sometimes, Jiro was so unpredictable that made her want to pull her hair in frustration. One moment, he'd be all over her. Then, he'd suddenly act detached and uncaring. UGH! The stress...

"Why? You want me to sleep beside you?"

"I did not say that!" She shot back.

"Okay", he said nonchalantly and focused his eyes on the TV.

Dara crossed her arms over her chest, pouting a bit with his stoic attitude.

"Come here", Jiro said, putting the can of beer on the table.

"I'm fine here."

"Stop sulking and come here", he leaned towards her and grabbed her arm, pulling her to him. Dara complied without uttering a word and scooted near Jiro, extending her legs on the couch, her back facing him. Jiro sat sidewards and wrapped one arm around her from behind, letting her lean her back against him.

"I'm not sulking", she mumbled when they both settled on their positions.

"Yes, you are", Jiro said, his right hand splayed on her stomach.

"I'm not."

"Fine", he said and kissed the side of her head. There was a brief pause between them as they focused their eyes on the TV, not really watching whatever show it was that was airing.

"I didn't know you and Stone met each other when you were kids", Dara mumbled after a while.

"It was a long time ago."

"Were you two friends?"

"He was like my brother."

Dara paused, surprised with the piece of information that Jiro shared. "What happened?" She asked.

"Stuff."

"Like?"

"I ran away and left him in the orphanage."

"You were young then. Have you talked to him? I'm sure you two can patch things up if you talk."

Jiro grew quiet for a moment before he spoke again, "Can we just drop this topic?"

"Fine", she said, noticing his discomfort. "You should talk more, Jiro. It's easier when you talk. I get to know things that you're keeping. It helps me understand what you feel."

"I hate talking", he replied. "It takes the meaning away."

Dara turned her head sidewards to gaze at his face. "It doesn't. Words confirm things."

"You girls want everything confirmed, don't you?"

"Because you guys confuse us", she retorted. She then tore her gaze from him and focused her eyes forward while resting her head against his chest.

"All right, enough", he said, squeezing her waist with his hand. "When you want to know something, just ask. I'll try to talk."

Dara smiled at what he said. "I'll hold you to that."

"Yeah."

"Uhm...Anyway, are you sure you're fine sleeping in the guest room?"

"Why do you keep bringing that up? Mmhhmm?" He murmured and dipped down, kissing the crook of her neck, making her flinch.

"I was just asking because...uh...I thought the bed in the guest room is uncomfortable", she reasoned, her back becoming stiff as Jiro continued showering her neck with soft kisses.

"Relax. Nobody's going to see us. We're not in the library anymore, Ramirez", he whispered on her ear. GAH! What does he mean by that? Oh my God, was he going to do what she thought he was going to do which was the thing that she 'thought' she was ready for? *Gasp!* What underwear was she wearing?! This is an emergency!

Dara's eyes fluttered to a close when he skidded the tip of his nose at the side of her face before planting a soft, warm kiss on her cheek. "The rumor in school is that we did it. We both know it's not true", he drawled huskily. Her heart thundered inside her chest as she opened her eyes again and waited for what he'd do next.

"Are you sleepy?" He asked out of nowhere. "Do you want to go upstairs?"

"H-Huh? Y-Yes", she responded and swallowed hard. THIS IS IT! Oh God. Oh God! They were going to do it! GAHH! She was hyperventilating when Jiro ushered her upstairs and walked her to her room. OH MY GOSH! It's going to happennnn!!

She stepped inside her room and turned around to face him. 'Please be gentle', she thought, sending him telepathic messages about her worries, her eyebrows furrowed deeply in anxiety. His face remained impassive as he stood by the door while staring intently at her, making her nervous than she already was.

"Good night", he said and leaned forward, holding the door knob.

What? She parted her mouth to speak, but she was too dumbfounded to even utter a word.

"You said you're sleepy", he reasoned.

WHAT?! THAT'S IT?? Dara couldn't believe her ears. Was he seriously doing this? She wanted to stomp her feet and throw every possible objects within her reach, preferably at his face. But she chose to just glare at him sharply.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing", she muttered with dismay. "Good night."

With that, Jiro slowly closed the door. But with the small space that was left before he could finally shut it, Dara saw the corner of his lips tugging up in an amused smirk.

He got her. Damn it.

As soon as the door closed, Dara shook her head and smiled. Fine. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the door. She'd win next time. Definitely.

***

A nervous air surrounded the students of InterSAT, the news about Dara Ramirez being marked discussed in hushed tones. Not only the Black Dragons, but the Fire 39 as well was mobilized, going from turf to turf to talk to the other gangs if they had a clue who the culprit was behind Locker X.

The two of the strongest gangsters in InterSAT were pushed on the edge and they were not the type to sit idly when provoked. Whoever was behind the Locker X mark better be somewhere far away unless he was prepared to face the immeasurable pain that would surely be inflicted by either Ice Lord or Bullet.

"You started World War 3", Namee remarked as they watched the hurried movements of Jiro and Bullet's gang members who were dispersed all around the school. They slumped on the grass at the university garden behind the Arts Building and sighed simultaneously.

"I'm worried about you", Namee said after a while.

"I'm worried about Jiro and Bullet. Look at what they're doing. I heard they're even disrupting classes to question some students", Dara exclaimed exasperatedly. Jiro had been following her around the entire day except when he had classes, in which case she was instructed to stay at her classroom or the Black Dragon's turf. "They need to stop this."

"Oh, speaking of Bullet. Here he comes", Namee said, tipping her chin at the direction of the guy who was charging towards them, clearly mad about something.

"I told you two not to roam aimlessly and to stay at places with a lot of people, didn't I?!" He snarled at them, stunning the two in silence.

"Hey, relax-..."

"Relax?!" Bullet exclaimed incredulously. "You're marked, Dara! Have you seen those guys who were marked and were attacked? Do you want to end up like them?"

"I told you to stay inside Arts Building", Namee told Dara in a motherly tone.

"And you, Namee", Bullet turned to her.

"I didn't do anything!"

"Don't be complacent because you're not marked. You're dating Picaro, so expect that the Black Dragon's enemies might also come at you. God, you two will be the death of me!" He raked his fingers through his hair in frustration, his face drawn with worry and exhaustion. He then slumped on the grass, taking the spot between them, bending one knee and resting his arm on it.

"Hey", Dara stroked his back to soothe him. "We're sorry. We didn't mean to get you worried."

"Yeah, don't get worked up. We'll try to be more careful", Namee said.

"Sorry. It's just that-..." He sighed heavily before continuing, "We never expected that a girl would also be targeted by this Locker X bullshit."

Both girls fell silent. Bullet was right. Dara was the first girl who received the mark. Who knew what the culprit was planning.

"God, this is giving me a migraine", Namee complained, massaging her temples. "Who could possibly be doing this?"

Bullet did not respond and stared at Dara, uneasiness and worry eating him up inside. "Does Montecillo always walk you home?"

"Yes."

"Good", he mumbled. "The former marked students were attacked outside of school. You have to be extra careful on your way home."

"Do you still have no clue on who is marking the locker?" Namee asked.

"The Black Dragons are looking into it. I heard that Ice Lord went to the Admin Office to check the people who have access to the lockers' master key and to check if anyone borrowed the master key set recently. But the other gangs who were attacked did that before and got nothing."

"But why me? Why would anyone mark me?" Dara asked in bewilderment.

Her two friends looked at her knowingly. "You're dating the strongest gangster of InterSAT, silly", Namee remarked.

"Ice Lord defeated almost all the gang leaders in InterSAT who dared to challenge him. That was how he gained the respect of students. But it doesn't mean that no one bears grudges against him. Have you noticed how anti-social he is?" Bullet added.

A pout graced Dara's lips as she faced her friend. "Jiro is just quiet that's why people misjudge him", she explained. She gasped when Bullet suddenly pinched her nose and leaned forward to level his eyes with her.

"His fists do the talking for him. Look what happened. You're marked", he said.

Dara lifted her hand and pinched the guy's nose as well. "It's not his fault", she struggled to say.

"Hey, Ice Lord is coming", Namee whispered.

"RAMIREZ", they heard Jiro's irritated voice and both of them instantly turned their faces, still pinching each other's noses. Jiro stopped in a near distance and glared at the two, disapproval written on his face. Bullet and Dara let go of each other and straightened up.

"I've been looking for you. I told you to stay at the turf", Jiro muttered as Dara got up and approached him.

"I'm just hanging out with Namee and Bullet."

"I can see that", Jiro said flatly, eyeing Bullet with contempt. The Fire 39 leader did not cower and met Ice Lord's glare with equal intensity.

"Let's go", Dara pushed him lightly. "I'll see you later", she waved at her friends and linked her arm on Jiro's arm, dragging him away.

"Asshole", Bullet muttered while staring at the guy's retreating back.

"Don't worry, Bullet. I'm still here. I'll always be your girl."

"You're also dating a Black Dragon, you traitor."

Namee giggled and linked her arm with his, "Even if I'm dating Picaro, it doesn't change anything."

Bullet was quiet for a moment, his eyes focused far away, pondering over something. "Everything changes", he murmured. "You, me and Dara. We're already changing."

Namee stared at the guy's face with a careful gaze before resting her head on his shoulder. "It means we're growing up."

***

Dara's POV

The steady murmur in the classroom halted when I stepped inside, all eyes directed on me. I spun around and watched as Jiro strode away after walking me to my classroom. With a resigned sigh, I took my seat and folded my arms on the desk, resting my head on it while trying to ignore the hushed whispers of my classmates who were obviously talking about me.

Admittedly, I was terrified because of the Locker X mark. On top of that, the things that Jiro revealed to me were making me uneasy. Few people would understand his worries, but I knew where he was coming from. Without a family behind him and with no one to rely on, Jiro needed to carefully weigh his decisions before taking a step. Despite the pain he was bearing, he was trying to hide his fright - from the people around him and from himself.

Jiro was a proud man. He didn't want to burden anyone with the weight he was carrying, so he chose to breathe through the pain, his silence an effective façade and shelter to obscure our sights from the scared boy inside him.

I straightened on my seat and looked outside the window when the professor finally entered the room. The sky was so clear and I could hear the chirping of birds from a nearby tree. Soon, the classes would finish; the day would end and we would face another tomorrow. Time flew by so fast and everything that happened in the present would be a blur...a part of a fading memory. Jiro was thinking ahead all of us and did not waste any time, desperately trying to build a steady future for him...for us.

In the midst of the things that he was facing, he was creating his path with a ferocity that was seldom seen with guys of his age. A man beaten by his past and left him in years of despair - he was considering his future seriously because he had witnessed at such an early age the harshness of life and reality.

Unfortunately, his first step was met by failure. The rejection letters from the companies must have sliced his hope. And now, the scared boy inside him was resurfacing...threatening to consume his being.

It pained me to know how broken he was, and it made me wonder if someday, I'd be able to heal each of his broken pieces. He hadn't learned to accept the fact that I was willing to hold his hand and walk through the vast mist of darkness that he surrounded himself with. Jiro was a proud man - one that would rather push me away to be able to protect me.

But then I realized, he gave me a space in his shattered heart. And that was a good start. In time, I would let him see what he failed to see - a colorful world that was waiting for all of us. I would let him feel what he had been longing to feel - the warmth of an embrace that would take his exhaustion away. And I would tell him what he needed to hear - that everything would eventually be fine.

In time, I hope to make him realize that he didn't always need to walk in shards of broken glass to get to a beautiful destination. He could create himself a new path...a path that would make him smile.

***

"Ice Lord started a fight at an outside gang's turf!"

"What? Where?"

"Outside the east gate, at the left alley!"

Picaro and Bonsai looked at each other in alarm upon hearing the commotion. They cursed under their breath and immediately dashed towards the east gate without wasting any time.

"Ice Lord's in trouble!" Picaro shouted when they saw some of the Black Dragons along the way who were still unaware of the situation. Bonsai did the same, yelling at their gang mates who were dispersed all over the school ground.

Their group ran outside the east gate and darted towards the left alley. The Black Dragons abruptly stopped when they finally saw Jiro wreaking havoc at the narrow alley, punching everyone within his reach, his face contorted with rage. Some guys were slumped on the ground, their faces almost unrecognizable with the wounds and bruises. Jiro was also full of bruises and cuts, but it was nothing compared to what he inflicted to his opponents.

"What the hell happened here?" Bonsai exclaimed with disbelief. Picaro grabbed a guy who was about to run away and questioned him urgently. "What happened? Why did he attack you?"

The guy looked at their uniforms and upon recognizing that they were from the same school as the guy attacking them, he tried to remove Picaro's grip from his shirt, but to no avail. The tall guy was obviously stronger than him. "H-He overheard us talking about the InterSAT gangster we beat up. And he demanded to know who's marking the locker. W-We didn't do it", he said in a pleading voice. "We're not the ones who marked the girl's locker. We don't even know who the girl is. My gang mates just teased him to provoke him."

Shit. They provoked Ice Lord. "What did your gang mates say?" He asked once again, his grip on the guy's shirt tightening.

"T-They said whoever marked the girl's locker must be trying to get under her skirt. A-And they couldn't wait for their turn", he stuttered, cowering from Picaro's sharp glare.

The guy glanced back with terrified eyes when he heard a low grunt. His mouth parted in shock when he saw Jiro pummeling the face of his gang mate, not stopping even if his friend's mouth was already bleeding from the wounds that he caused.

"Stop him", he said in a trembling voice. "Please stop him."

"SHIT!" Picaro let the guy go and hurriedly ran towards their leader. "JIRO! STOP!" He yelled, pulling Jiro away from behind and trying to stop his arms while Bonsai took the guy he was punching away from him. The rest of the Black Dragons helped the other guys who were slumped on the ground, letting Picaro deal with their enraged leader.

"What happened here?" Picaro asked, but Jiro did not respond and angrily marched towards InterSAT, leaving everyone behind.

"What the fuckkk?!" Bonsai placed his hands over his head, unable to believe the pile of bloody people that Ice Lord beat up.

Picaro beckoned the guy who was about to run away earlier to come closer. "Why did you attack an InterSAT gangster?"

The guy took a step back in fright, but he was immediately surrounded by the other Black Dragon members. "We just settled a score with them. It has nothing to do with you. We didn't cross your gang", he said defensively.

"Who's marking the locker inside our school?" Picaro pressed on.

"We don't know."

Picaro cracked his knuckles and stepped forward while the poor guy raised his arm in surrender to stop him from approaching. "We really don't know, I swear. Our leader got a call from an InterSAT student and he offered to help us settle a score with the gang from your school by informing us where a particular member would be so we can ambush him. We don't even know about these marked lockers."

"What's his motive for helping you?" Picaro said.

"We don't know. But he asked us for a payment in exchange of arranging everything."

Bonsai frowned and joined in. "You pay him? So how does he get the money?"

"He doesn't."

"What do you mean?"

The guy frowned and glanced at his gang mates who were all beaten up badly, probably weighing if he should tell them the truth. "A guy from the school downtown went to our turf to collect, claiming to be a friend of the InterSAT student who helped us. We recognize that guy...because he's known to be the one supplying the druggies around here."

"Fuck", Bonsai muttered and turned around. "It's Stone", he said in a hushed tone, enough for Picaro to hear.

***

Jiro barged inside The Claws turf and pushed the first guy he came across with against the wall. "Where's Stone?" He demanded. The guy winced in shock while the other members of The Claws took a step backward in surprise.

"H-Hey. What-..."

"WHERE IS HE?"

"At the gym", the guy said. He let go of him and stormed out of the turf, his eyes mirroring his fury. He was trembling with rage, the walk towards the gym not even helping in calming his nerves. The possibility that it was Stone who was behind Locker X flooded him with a mixture of emotions - worry for his well-being, anger for threatening Dara, regret because he believed he was part of the reason why he became the way he was. But Jiro chose anger above all, because it was anger he knew how to deal with.

The gym was empty except for Stone who was shooting basketball alone. Jiro's steps did not falter as he headed directly towards the guy and swung his fist at him, hitting him on the face. Stone slumped on the floor with the impact, rubbing his face with his palm while smirking as if he was expecting it to happen.

"You bastard", Jiro muttered and gripped his collar, pulling him to a stand. "You're the one behind Locker X, aren't you?" He hissed. "If you dare touch Dara-..."

"Aren't you jumping into conclusions, Ice Lord?" Stone said calmly, prying his grip loose and taking a step back.

"Stop the bullshit."

"What's your proof?"

"The student from the downtown school who sells drugs is also the same guy who collects money from the outside gang in exchange of the Locker X victims with the help of an InterSAT student. You're the only one connected to that guy and you were seen meeting with him, Stone."

Stone chuckled and shook his head in amusement. "You're not very good in investigating things, are you?"

Jiro eyed him sharply and stepped forward, holding his gaze. "If you dare lay a finger on Dara, I will not let you off the hook. Even if it's you, Stone", he muttered in a threatening tone.

"Even if it's me?" Stone cocked his eyebrows in disbelief. "So you still remember who I am, huh? Are you accusing me because you think I'll get back at you after what you did?" He shot back, his voice starting to rise. "After you run away and left me in the orphanage?" He growled while pointing at him.

"If you want to get back at me because of your stupid childhood memory, then come at me and leave Dara out of this", Jiro responded flatly.

"My stupid childh-....YOU ASSHOLE!" Stone lunged at him and punched him in the face. Jiro staggered back, his arms hanging limply on his sides, not intending to dodge the guy's attacks.

"BASTARD!" Stone yelled and grabbed a fistful of his shirt, throwing another punch at his face. "FIGHT BACK!" He shouted, swinging his fist on the guy's face once again.

Jiro remained still as he stared coldly at him, not uttering a single word. A small crowd had already gathered at the entrance of the gym, but the two were oblivious to what was happening in their surrounding.

"Y-You...bastard", Stone huffed, his voice trembling in anger.

"I'll get that asshole who's supplying you with that shit you're using. Fucking clean yourself, idiot. If you want to destroy someone, destroy me. Don't do that to yourself."

Stone's mouth hung agape as he stared at the guy, unable to accept his words. After what he had done, he had the audacity to lecture him and act like he cared for what would happen to him? He abandoned him at the orphanage. He left him. He didn't even give a fuck when he tried to follow him at the gate and even prevented him from escaping. Stone clenched his fists tightly and aimed it at Jiro, throwing another punch at the guy he used to look up to. But the punch did not land on his face and was caught by someone who was standing behind Jiro. Stone shifted his gaze at the guy who dared to intrude at their fight, his eyebrows mashed together. "Stay out of this, Bullet", he demanded.

"Cut it out", Bullet stated calmly. "You two are making a girl cry", he said and tipped his chin on the direction of Dara who was standing rigidly by the gym entrance and staring at them with wide eyes, her hands covering her mouth while sobbing uncontrollably.

"Shit", Jiro muttered and forcefully removed Stone's grip from his shirt. "I'll deal with you next time", he said, wiping the blood on his lips with the back of his hand before striding away.

***

They were standing on the Arts Building's rooftop, facing the school ground below and watching the InterSAT students go about their daily routine. There were numerous thoughts running through their mind and yet, no words were uttered.

Dara wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and looked away. She couldn't bear to see the bruises in Jiro's face. When she heard that he attacked an outside gang, her heart almost stopped. What if something happened to him? How could he be so reckless? And when she was about to go to the east gate, it turned out Jiro headed to Stone to confront him. She was praying hard when she was running towards the gym, hoping that he'd be fine. When she saw him being punched, it felt like air had been knocked off her lungs, her body trembling in fear and worry. Why is he doing this?

"I'm fine", she heard him say. Dara breathed deeply before shifting her eyes towards him. "Why do you have to do that, Jiro? Why do you have to attack an outside gang and Stone?"

"I have my reasons", he said simply.

She let out a painful sigh and dragged her gaze to the school ground below, too weary to even try to rationalize things. "Jiro, do you even realize how I feel when you fight? I feel like I'm choking. I feel like I'm the one getting hit, and I feel like I'm about to die when I see you're hurt." She bit her lower lip, her eyebrows deeply furrowed and her heart hammering inside her chest. "It's frustrating", she whispered to herself.

Jiro tentatively glanced at her before shifting his eyes forward again. There was an unsettling feeling clawing inside his chest that he was struggling to ignore, but it was becoming obvious as days pass by. It doesn't feel right anymore. Her being with him, little by little, it was starting to feel wrong. How many times had he seen her smile? How many times had he seen her cry? He hated to admit it, but wasn't her life better when he was just merely her protector? When he was just silently watching from the shadows and not trying to reach and hold her?

If he just restrained himself from wanting her, how would things turn out? Dara was a bright and happy girl, but ever since they started their relationship, her smile was becoming rare, her colors starting to fade. She was forcing herself to become stronger for him...for them. But if he was not how he was right now, she wouldn't have to do that. If only he could choose his life; if only he could erase his regrets...

He was not as bothered by his life and his choices before, but having her beside him changed all that. Each of his steps became heavier because he carried her heart with him. His vision became wider - dreaming and planning a future with her instead of just accepting what life had to offer. He had never felt more alive. But, how about her?

"Ramirez, are you happy?" He suddenly asked.

"What? What do you mean by that?"

He was silent for a while before he finally responded. "We're changing", he said in a quiet voice.

Jiro lifted his gaze at the clear sky marred by beautiful clouds. Everything between them seemed like a dream. He wondered if it was time to wake up.

Writer's Note:

Please don't forget to vote, ice cubes! And follow me so you'll know when I post a new story!

Only a few chapters left and #goodbyeMGP ^_^