Dara's POV

Riko Takizawa. Is she that special to Jiro? How was their relationship before? Did he takes care of her like how he takes care of me? So many questions were running through my head and it was just adding up to the weight I was feeling.

I returned the book in the shelf and decided to leave the library. Even reading did not help in calming my mind. I didn't do anything wrong but I felt like I should apologize to Jiro. Pathetic as it might sound, I didn't care about my pride when it came to him. I couldn't sleep well knowing that I unintentionally hurt him. If he saw me hugging and kissing Bullet, I understand why he got mad. Anyone could have misunderstood what I did.

As I was ascending the stairs, I came across Jiro. Seeing his cold expression, all the things that I wanted to say vanished into thin air. He was still furious. I didn't know how to start explaining to make him understand that there was nothing going on between me and Bullet.

He glanced at me and continued descending the stairs without uttering a word. I hurriedly followed him and walked behind him, still unable to force a word out of my mouth. He shoved his hands inside his pockets and strode slowly as we walked in the hallway with me still behind him.

"Jiro", I called out.

"Yes?" He mumbled without glancing back.

"About Bullet-..." I started. He abruptly stopped and slowly turned around to face me. "I didn't hurt him, if that's what you want to know", he said in an irritated voice, making me flinch.

"No-... I-... There's nothing going on between me and Bullet", I said meekly as he stared at me with an impassive expression.

"Okay", he replied with disinterest; but I knew everything was far from okay.

"You didn't drop by my house last night."

"I had to meet Riko."

I felt like blood rushed through my head with what he said. We had a fight and I wasn't able to sleep well last night because of it and here he was telling me he met with his ex-girlfriend? The guilt that I was feeling completely disappeared. I was making a complete fool of myself trying to straighten out our misunderstanding while he didn't seem bothered at all that his ex-girlfriend was still attached to him? Wow.

"Why do you have to meet Riko?"

"I had to."

"That explains a lot", I said sarcastically. He furrowed his eyebrows as he looked directly at me.

"We didn't do anything, if that's what you're thinking. I didn't hug her and I certainly didn't kiss her."

"I told you, I'm just consoling Bullet when I did that!" I exclaimed in exasperation.

"Okay", his face turned stoic again. I didn't bother stopping him when he turned around and began walking away.

Riko Takizawa. Was there something more to gratitude and guilt?

***

Namee sighed as she stared at Dara who was still rooted on her spot while watching Jiro walk away. Her friend already told her what happened and she was worried for both Bullet and Dara with the sudden turn of events.

She approached her and opened her arms. "Hug?" She asked. Dara slowly stepped towards Namee and embraced her. Namee wrapped her arms around her and patted her back. "There, there, my child."

"He's still mad at me even though I didn't do anything wrong. I tried to explain but he's ignoring it", Dara complained.

"He's hurting himself more with what he's doing", Namee remarked.

Dara pulled back and glared at her. "Are you on his side or my side? You're supposed to be on my side! I even wrote that you're my best friend in my journal, you traitor", she said in mock anger.

"Of course, I'm on your side, silly."

Dara pouted and rested her chin on her friend's shoulder once again. "Pat my back. I'm miserable."

"Fine, fine. I'll give you all the loving you need", Namee chuckled.

"How's Bullet?" Dara asked as she removed her arms from her friend. Namee shook her head, her expression becoming somber. "I'm not sure. He's as cheerful as before but it feels empty."

The two headed towards the building's back exit and roamed around the school ground as their conversation continued. "I have to talk to Bullet again", Dara said.

"No. Leave him alone for now. He needs time. Think about what you'll do with Ice Lord first."

"I don't know, honestly. He's really furious. Perhaps he saw us at the back gate", Dara sighed. "Say, Namee. Do you still have feelings for your ex-boyfriend?"

"What?!" Namee grimaced. "Eww, no. He is a bad memory. He popped my cherry and then, I found out that he was cheating on me."

Dara's steps abruptly stopped, her eyes widening in shock.

"What's with your face? Is it really a shocker that I'm no longer holding the V card?"

Why didn't she think of it before? Jiro and Riko might have done it. Her heart sank at the realization. Feeling her knees are about to give out, she slouched on the ground and exhaled loudly.

"Hey!" Namee slouched beside her worriedly and studied her face. "Are you okay?" She asked.

Dara felt like air had been knocked out of her chest. It was becoming harder to breathe the more she thought about Jiro and Riko doing the deed.

"Dara, are you okay? Do you want to go to the infirmary?" Namee pressed on.

"N-Namee-..." Dara paused when a commotion caught their attention. The students were running towards the back gate, everyone shouting in alarm.

"Hurry! Let's go!"

"They're outnumbered!"

"What happened?" Namee asked one of the students who was running in the same direction.

"An outside gang is attacking the Fire 39 turf!"

Namee and Dara looked at each other briefly and both shot to their feet. They rapidly ran towards the back gate while praying that their friend was safe. Their eyes were focused forward and they didn't even notice Bonsai as they ran past him.

The guy frowned and he grabbed one of the InterSAT students who was heading towards the back gate. "What's going on?" He asked.

"The back gate is under attack. An outside gang entered InterSAT and they're wreaking havoc. Fire 39 is holding them back but I heard they're outnumbered."

"Shit", Bonsai released the student and sprinted towards the Black Dragon's turf.

Meanwhile, Namee and Dara finally reached the back gate. Their mouths gaped with what they saw – it was a total chaos. The Fire 39 gang was obviously outnumbered but they were not backing down. The InterSAT students crowded at the corner, watching the fight while the others joined in to help the Fire 39. Dara frantically darted her eyes, looking for Bullet and she gasped when she saw him battling with three opponents.

"We need to call the Black Dragons", She heard Namee mumble while gripping her hand. "They need help."

"Let's go", Dara said and was about to turn around when a hand wrapped on her upper arm.

"Not so fast, cutie", the thug said while smirking at her.

***

"The back gate is under attack by an outside gang!" Bonsai announced as soon as he reached their turf. He was panting as he slouched and rested his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. Jiro stared at him lazily before shifting his gaze again outside the window.

"Ice Lord, the back gate is-..."

"Let Fire 39 handle it", he stated boredly.

"But they're outnumbered. And I saw Dara running towards the back gate. She might get in trouble."

Jiro swung his head towards Bonsai and stared at him in shock. Without another word, he dashed towards the door, his heart racing in worry. That stupid girl! What if she gets entangled in the brawl? What if she gets hurt? All the troubling thoughts filled his mind as he sprinted towards the back gate, his lungs bursting with the lack of air but he refused to slow down. He needed to get to her fast.

Dara...

That girl better be safe. He didn't know what he'd do if someone touched her.

Dara...

He continued running, his fists tightly clenched in anxiousness. As he was nearing the back gate, the noise of the commotion entered his ears.

"RAMIREZ!" He yelled amidst the chaos, frantically searching for her. When Jiro heard Dara's anguished scream, his heart pummeled painfully inside his chest and panic overcame his body. He whipped his head towards the direction of her scream and when he saw a thug dragging her, his face immediately contorted in rage.

"LET ME GO!" Dara shouted. She screamed in fright when the guy dragged her while Namee held onto her waist, tugging her away from the guy. She flailed her arms wildly and managed to scratch the guy's face. The thug let out an annoyed hiss and was about to slap her when a hand grabbed his hair, yanking him away from the girl.

His head tilted in pain and he saw Jiro's cold eyes. "What the fu-...UGH!" A fist connected in his face, shutting him up. With Jiro's left hand still grabbing the guy's hair, he continuously punched his face, not even blinking when blood started spurting all over his shirt. His eyes seemed to have shut down and all he aimed to do was cause pain to anyone within his reach.

"J-Jiro..." Dara whispered as she watched him pummeling the guy mercilessly. The thug's arms were already hanging limply and he seemed to have lost consciousness, but Jiro didn't stop pounding him.

Another member of the outside gang tried to attack him, throwing a punch at his face. But Ice Lord swiftly lifted the unconscious guy by the hair and shielded himself from the punch using the guy's face. The thug gasped when his fist connected to his gang mate's cheek and saw that his friend was almost unrecognizable with all the blood in his face. His trembling eyes focused at Jiro and he took a step back as he saw the dangerous calmness in his expression. He scampered away while the InterSAT students cheered as the Black Dragon leader joined the fight.

Jiro discarded the unconscious man's body and stepped forward. When he saw another thug looming behind Dara, he quickly reached for her wrist and yanked her towards him, causing Dara to bump on his chest. He placed his hand behind her head and threw a straight punch to the thug, breaking his nose.

"We will talk later, Ramirez", he whispered angrily. Another round of cheers was heard when the Black Dragon gang finally arrived.

"Picaro", Jiro called out. "Guard Ramirez and Cheng", he instructed and pulled back, letting Dara go. Namee immediately held her as they were ushered by Picaro away from the chaos.

With Jiro leading Black Dragons and Bullet heading Fire 39, the two gangs fought side by side against the outsiders who dared disturb InterSAT. Dara clasped Namee's hand as they watched in the sideline, with Picaro pummeling whoever poor soul that came their way. Bonsai was shrieking merrily as he bounced from one opponent to another, tumbling and kicking like a wild animal. She then saw Bullet looking at her intently before dodging an attack, kicking the thug in the face.

When Dara settled her eyes on Jiro, her heart hammered hard as she watched him crippling his opponents like a demon. She took a sharp intake of breath when she saw how he mercilessly defeated each one of them; a pile of bloody faces and unconscious bodies scattered around where he was standing.

When the fight ended, she saw Jiro striding towards Bullet with a deadly expression. Bullet turned around and saw Ice Lord heading his way. His eyebrows furrowed when he saw that Jiro was lifting his clenched fist, seemingly about to hit him. With that, Bullet assumed a fighting stance – spreading his legs and lifting his fists to defend himself.

Before the two of them could throw their punches, Dara rushed towards Jiro in panic and blocked his path, stretching her arms and shielding her friend while staring at Jiro angrily. Bullet looked at the girl in bewilderment and shifted his gaze to the Black Dragon leader.

"What are you planning to do?" She scowled at him.

Jiro halted his steps and glared at her. "Damn it, Ramirez", he hissed as he removed his jacket and approached her.

"I told you not to-...Hey! What are you doing?" Dara shrieked when Jiro swiftly tied the jacket on her waist. Another shriek escaped her mouth when the guy suddenly lifted her and placed her on his shoulder, carrying her like a sack of potato.

"Hey!" Bullet protested, but stopped when Jiro eyed him threateningly. "Don't interfere, Lee", he muttered and started to walk away.

Bullet was about to say something again when Bonsai appeared before him. "You owe us. Give this one to Ice Leader", he reminded him.

Dara kept yelling at Jiro and flailing her arms to hit him, but the guy remained unfazed. The other students watched in awe as Ice Lord carried the girl out of the scene.

"Put me down! Put me down!" Dara screamed. "Namee! Help me!" She yelled when they passed by her friend. Namee was frozen on her spot but when Dara called her name, she began to move. She was about to follow them but Picaro held her arm.

"Let them be. Montecillo won't hurt her, you know that", he said.

***

"Jiro! Put me down!" She didn't know for how long she had been yelling but her throat was starting to hurt. Her eyes widened when she realized that they were now in the covered pool area. What the hell is he planning to do? When Jiro stood at the edge of the pool, she immediately knew the answer and she screamed hysterically.

"No, no no! JIRO!" Dara squeezed her eyes tightly as Jiro tossed her in the pool. She held her breath when her body hit the water.

*SPLASH!*

I will kill Jiro. That jerk! Before she could stand on the pool's floor, she saw Jiro diving in the water as well. He swam towards her and held her arm, pulling her up with him. She was coughing and gasping for breath when they emerged from the water. She felt his hand brushing her hair away from her face while his other hand held onto her wrist.

"Why did you throw me?" She demanded. "I don't have a change of clothes!"

"We both need to cool down", he said, making her blood boil.

"You're the one who needs to cool down. You were about to attack Bullet, weren't you?"

"Yes."

Dara exhaled angrily and walked towards the edge of the pool.

"Ramirez..." Jiro followed her and placed his hands at the edge of the pool, trapping her. The girl turned around to face him, her eyebrows mashed together. "Why did you go to the back gate? What if something happens to you?" he asked.

"Nothing happened."

"Something almost happened to you if I didn't see that bastard dragging you! Damn it, Dara! If you see a fight, run away! Or run to me!" He hissed. "And why did you step between me and Bullet? Is he that important to you?"

"Yes, he's important to me! He's my friend. Be angry at me for hugging and kissing him. He didn't do anything wrong. He has feelings for me but I told him I could only see him as a friend. I was just consoling him because I knew I hurt him. Can't you understand, Jiro? He's hurting and I did that to him!"

Jiro watched as the girl breathed heavily while eyeing him. He remained silent as Dara averted her gaze. "And what about you? Why are you always meeting Riko?" She asked in a quiet voice.

"Riko?" He frowned. "I met her because she needed someone to talk to."

Dara shifted her gaze back at him. "Why must it be you?" She asked. "We fought and you met your ex-girlfriend. How do you think it will make me feel?" She bit her lips and lowered her head.

"Dara..." The water rippled as Jiro closed the gap between them and pressed his body against hers, gathering her in his arms. "Look at me", he whispered and tilted his head, kissing her at the side of her lips. Dara lifted her gaze and met his eyes, placing her hands on Jiro's shoulders.

"Riko helped me and I wanted to help her. Right now, she's undergoing depression because her parents are always fighting. I'm meeting her because she needs someone to talk to."

Dara's mouth gaped at what he told her. "Is she okay now?"

"Yes", he said and kissed Dara on the lips.

"Stop kissing me. I'm still mad at you for trying to hurt Bullet."

Jiro frowned at her. "Why must you hug him? I hate it. And you even kissed him", he growled.

"It's just a kiss on the cheek."

"I hate it."

"I'm still mad at you remember?" She scowled at him.

"Fine. What do you want me to do so you'll forgive me?"

Dara pondered for a moment. She noticed that Jiro didn't act sweet with her when there were people watching. It was actually fine with her since she wanted a peaceful school life. But she was still receiving so much attention anyway, so why not make Jiro do something that would surely ruin his name 'Ice Lord'?

"Let's act sweet in front of the students! You know, hold hands and-..."

"Are you kidding me?" He scowled at her.

"I'm serious."

"No way."

"Why not?!"

"Because it's awkward", he reasoned.

"We should do awkward", Dara pouted. "Come on. Just for today? Let's hold hands and let other students see! Your punishment, remember?"

Jiro sighed in defeat. "Fine", he mumbled.

***

They walked with their hands clasped together, their clothes soaking wet. The students parted and made way for them while staring at the two in awe. Dara giggled with their reaction, making Jiro look at him.

The students whispered at each other and pointed at their linked hands and at Dara who was wearing Jiro's jacket. The Black Dragons, who were walking back to their turf, stopped and eyed the two. They looked at each other and laughed, high-fiving one another as they watched their leader's annoyed expression. Namee squealed merrily while tugging Picaro's shirt, surprising the guy.

"Hello!" Dara waved playfully, oblivious to the wrath of Ice Lord's fangirls. She then tugged Jiro's hand, stopping him from walking. "Lean down", she said.

"Why?"

"I need to kiss you on the cheek."

"You're embarrassing me."

"Lean down!"

Jiro sighed and leaned down, letting Dara kiss him on the cheek. Shouts of disapproval from the girls mixed with whistling and cheering from the Black Dragon's gang filled the school ground.

"This is so childish", he hissed.

"Now kiss me", she puckered her lips playfully at him. Annoying Jiro was more fun than she thought.

"Ramirez..."

"Kiss meeee", she whined.

"No."

"But we had a deal!"

"No", he said firmly and started to walk, but Dara suddenly released her grip from his hand. He glanced back and furrowed his eyebrows at the girl who was standing on the same spot while crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oooohhhhhhh", the students teased, but immediately shut up when Ice Lord glared at them.

"Seriously, Ramirez."