Saving the Villain

The next day…

Sarah sat on her spot quietly, eyes on the board as their homeroom teacher spoke their reminders before their next class. As their homeroom teacher picked her things and sauntered off, she looked back, only for her face to scrunch up.

The back of the class was just filled with gloomy people. Starting from Cosette, who was sitting behind Sarah's desk. The bags under her eyes were obvious and dark as if she didn't sleep all night, staring at nothingness.

Sitting next to Cosette was Luke, and just like her, Luke seemed to be distraught. He was just staring at the front, but it was obvious he wasn't mentally there. Meanwhile, although Maxen was always silent, Sarah could feel the negative aura coming from him.

Sarah shifted her eyes to Remo and Fay, that were also in the last row. Remo might look like how he would usually be during class, but Fay seemed she didn't get enough sleep last night. Fay would usually be on fire around this time, as it was just their second subject. Hence, she would be full of energy. So it was strange. No. All of them were strange today.

'Did I miss something yesterday?' Sarah wondered to herself. 'Except Maxen, all of them were okay. I wonder what happened after school?'

There were days Sarah couldn't help but wonder if she was just missing out on too much about her friends. After all, she had been busy with school and her part-time, working thrice harder than the previous school year because she wanted to graduate high school and get into a good university. Sarah had no support financially because of family and financial problems back home.

'I should just ask them later,' she told herself, peeling her eyes from the last row. However, before she could even set her eyes ahead, her gaze fell on the empty desk.

'She didn't come today.' Sarah sighed in worry, staring at Amie's desk. 'Amie… I hope she'll get a grip. I feel bad that I couldn't focus on my friends just as much.'

Another sigh slipped past Sarah's lips before she set her eyes back on the board. She tried her best to throw her other concerns at the back of her head, focusing on their studies until recess.

After several subjects, recess finally came. When Sarah turned around, the mood in the last row was still gloomy. Perhaps gloomier. Cosette, Luke, and Fay were slumped on their desk. Meanwhile, Maxen was fixing his notes and books while Remo was enjoying a carton of juice while reading.

"Cozie," Sarah called, making Cosette glance up without moving her head from her desk. "Are you okay? Is there something wrong?"
Cosette exhaled before she hummed listlessly. "Mhm."

'She's definitely not okay.' Sarah sighed for the umpteenth time, shifting her eyes to Luke. "Are you, Luke?"

"Me?" Luke lazily glanced up at Sarah and laughed dryly. "I guess."

'That's definitely a no.' — Sarah translated Luke's words in her head, moving her attention to Fay. "How about you, Fay? You look tired. Did you three review all night last night?"

"Huh?" Cosette and Luke replied in unison before they turned their heads in Fay's direction.

Cosette blinked, straightening her back. "Now that I think about it, are you okay, Fay?"

Cosette could understand if Luke was a little groggy today. After what happened last night in the KTV bar and how they got scolded by Maxen, she assumed it had something to do with Maxen. Cosette's gloomy mood had something to do with Maxen, after all.

Fay blinked weakly, darting her weary eyes at Luke, Cosette, and then at Sarah.

"The manhwa I was reading last night was so good it stole my sleep." Fay yawned. "It's the reward I gave myself after acing my exam, but now I'm suffering.'

The three — Cosette, Luke, and Sarah — tried to maintain their expression. However, they couldn't. Just when they thought Fay had a problem and thus, affected her mood today. Still, it was good if the culprit was because she enjoyed something so much she sacrificed her sleep.

"Good for you," Luke grumbled, moving his head on the desk to find his comfortable spot. "How I wish I just could do the same."

"What happened to you?" asked Cosette, noticing that Luke's aura didn't seem like it came from the same dilemma.

"Me? Nothing." Luke sighed, looking up as he recalled his night. "Just… a strange night."

"How strange?" Sarah blurted out. Her relationship with Luke was safe to call a real friendship and not just a mere classmate. Although she wasn't as close as her friendship with Cosette or, like Cosette with Luke, they were still comfortable with each other's presence.

"Strange… as in my brother staying over at my place for reasons I can't understand."



???????????????? ???????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????? ???????? ????????????????????-????????????.????????????

"What?" Cosette gasped, wide-eyed. "Asher stayed over at your place?"

"Mhm."

"Why?"

"I don't know?" deep lines appeared in between Luke's brows, assessing Cosette's expression. "Why are you reacting that way? Since when are you friends with him?"

"What?" her mien and expression instantly changed when Luke pointed out. "I'm just shocked. You know… no one in your family bothered you for months. So I thought he was asking you to go home."

Luke narrowed his eyes suspiciously, drawing his body from the desk. Cosette flinched when he suddenly pointed a finger at her.

"Cosette Blac, don't you dare become friends with my brother," he warned, making Cosette's and Sarah's brows raise. "We're already friends. You can only have one friend from a set of siblings, alright?"

Dismay dominated Cosette's face at Luke's nonsense again. "Then, the more reason I should be friends with your brother. Between you two, at least, he is more sensible."

"What did you say?" he scoffed in dismay.

"I said…" Cosette trailed off, moving away from Luke as if distance would save her before completing her sentence. "... it's better to be friends with —"

Sarah sighed deeply, shaking her head when Cosette and Luke jumped from their seat before Cosette could finish her remarks.

"I guess I shouldn't have been worried," she mumbled, watching Luke chase after Cosette out of their room while yelling to kill her for real. Sarah then glanced at Fay. The latter was yawning, trying to get some sleep before their next class.

Just then, Sarah glanced up when Maxen walked past the empty seats of Cosette and Maxen. Sarah had been friends with Cosette since last year until the present. All of Cosette's friends had also become Sarah's friends; it was the same with Cosette.

There was only one person who Sarah didn't have the confidence to befriend. Although her relationship with Maxen was civil, the latter had always been aloof and distant from others except for Cosette, Luke, and even Remo.

"Max."