Saving the Villain

The second week of the school year rolled in quicker than ever. Cosette stayed that night in Maxen\'s room. Since both of them were young — Maxen was — they sacrificed sleep just to kiss each other and hold each other longer. The following days went by normally with Cosette flirting with Maxen at every turn she would and being too clingy to Conrad like an angel.

And then… Monday came in.

Class F was usually loud and lively before the start of the class. However, today was different. Everyone was behaving well, or rather, they were keeping quiet and whispering to themselves.

The reason?

Cosette stared at the student coming inside the room, followed by a couple more students she had never seen before. The student was tall, taller than Maxen and Luke, who were already considered the tallest in the class. His head was shaved clean, holding his bag with a finger that was over his shoulder.

"Oy." The man kicked the seat of a student that was placed on the back and near the door. "Move."

"Ye — yes." The student, who was originally sitting in the chair, hastily picked up his things to give up his seat.

As the newcomer sat down, three of his lackeys also kicked the desk closed to it. Just like the first student, they all gave up their seat without asking a question.

\'Who are these students? Transferee?\' she wondered, arched a brow as she noticed Amie\'s pale complexion. The latter was sitting stiffly, fist on her lap, eyes down.

"Pst." Fay tapped Amie\'s shoulder to get the latter\'s attention. "Let\'s switch seats."

Amie pursed her pale lips, eyes shaking at Fay. Her eyes were already watery out of fear since her seat was closest to their classmate that just arrived. Seeing how terrified Amie was, Fay let out a faint sigh.

"Come on, let\'s switch seats," Fay urged under her breath, watching Amie nod profusely. However, just as Amie was about to stand up discreetly, a hand landed on her desk. Amie instantly flinched, looking at the owner.

"Do I disgust you or what?" asked a long-haired male student with an arched brow, eyes at the baby-faced Amie. "Why are you asking to switch seats just because I sat beside you?"

Amie squashed down the dread crawling up her spine, unable to look away from the student named Ja. They had been classmates since the first year, but they only saw them attend the classes a few times. Even so, everyone knew they were troublemakers who acted like gangsters in the school.

No one would want to mess with them or catch their eyes. Or else, their school life — no, their entire life would be hell. Look what happened to Maxen, who became their slave.

"She didn\'t ask me, but I\'m offering her," Fay chimed in with a dead tone, looking at Ja dead in the eye. "Why? Do you have any problem with that?"

Ja smirked, sizing up Fay\'s unsmiling and cold countenance. He rocked his head and pulled his hand away after several seconds.

"Feisty," he commented with apparent malice in his eyes and tone.

"Ew." Fay rolled her eyes and smiled at Amie. "Let\'s switch seats."

Reluctance flickered across Amie\'s eyes and then shook her head. "It\'s okay."

"Amie…"

"I\'ll be fine." Amie forced a smile, looking away towards the board. "It\'s okay."

Fay frowned while staring at Amie\'s side profile. Even though Amie didn\'t explain it, Fay already had an idea why Amie refused, even though she already agreed the first time. Amie knew Ja would target Fay if they sit close by. After all, Amie had long patience and was a coward, who would keep it in if she could.

Fay, on the other hand, wouldn\'t. Fay would speak up for herself and for sure, she would eventually offend not just Ja, but their entire group.

\'Shit.\' Fay clicked her tongue weakly as she looked away from Amie, arms on the desk.

Seeing things unfold, Cosette glanced at Sarah. The latter was sitting in front of Cosette, so she could see that Sarah was staring at Amie and Fay with worry in her eyes. Cosette then shifted her eyes to her left, only to see Maxen staring out of the window.

\'He seemed he didn\'t care much about them,\' she thought, letting out another sigh.

Cosette looked around, seeing others whispering among themselves. Some were just keeping quiet, while a few were placing new chairs and deals since the newcomers took their spots.

\'This is a little different from last year and last week.\' Another sigh slipped past her lips, cupping her cheek. \'I heard about Maxen\'s bullies and I guess these were those bullies.\'

She snuck a look at the long-haired student and then the other delinquents. \'They look familiar,\' she thought, wondering where she had seen them. After careful thinking, Cosette\'s brows rose, only to glance at the new students who were the cause of the stifling silence in the room.

\'I saw them at the back of the school when I searched for Luke.\'

Cosette\'s eyes fell on the empty chair on her right. Luke was absent again today, but since those delinquents were present, she was certain Luke was absent for a reason. She sold him out to Maynard, and it wouldn\'t be a surprise he was being punished for it.

\'I wonder if he is angry with me?\' she frowned at the thought, knowing how emotional and sensitive Luke was. \'Well, I knew he will get angry but still did it, anyway. I can\'t let him self-destruct too, even if I know he can still top the exams without studying.\'

Cosette shook her head mildly, peeling her eyes from the empty chair. As she looked ahead, she felt Maxen\'s gaze on her side. She looked back at him, only to see his solemn expression.

\'He looks so serious…\' her train of thoughts trailed off, realizing Maxen was staring not at her, but someone past Cosette. Cosette followed his gaze and arched a brow, seeing that the student whose head was shaved clean was looking back at Maxen in silence.

Cosette drew her head back, hands on the edge of the desk. \'I don\'t know what to do… honestly.\' She glanced at Maxen and then at the other student. When her eyes lingered more on the newcomer, her brows furrowed.

\'Now that I think about it, he looks... oddly familiar. I wonder where did I see him?\'