Saving the Villain

The classes went by like how a normal first day in most schools. There were only a few teachers who started their lessons, but mostly, they were a quick note of what the lessons were for the following days. Time went by just like that, and before anyone could grasp the ticking of the clock, it was lunch break.

"Lunch box!"

Cosette flinched as soon as the school bell rang, indicating it was time for lunch, someone in the class yelled, 'lunch box.' She looked around and smiled, seeing that everyone had kept their 'tradition' established just last school year.

The teacher, who has yet left the room, furrowed her brows, seeing that everyone was arranging their desk to make a large circle. It wasn't against the school rules for as long as they would arrange it back before the first class after lunch starts. Hence, the teacher left them without saying another word.

"Cozie~!" Amie giggled, bending over the table and looking past Fay to see Cosette. "Did you prepare your lunch again?"

Cosette smiled and nodded, but Amie's brows furrowed seeing that Cosette wasn't bringing out her lunch.

"Aren't you going to eat?" asked Fay before Amie could raise the question.

"No, I will." As soon as those escaped Cosette's lips, a lunchbox appeared on her desk. Fay, Amie, and Sarah slowly looked up, blinking almost innocently at the sight of Maxen's poker face.

As usual, Maxen's countenance was cold and distant, looking at the three without any sign of emotion. Yet, in his head, he was wondering why these three always take Cosette away from him.

"Maxen is now in charge of carrying our lunch boxes." Cosette clapped, snapping the three back to the current lapse. When the three set their eyes on her, her lips stretched from ear to ear. "He needs that to build his muscles."

"Ohh…"

"Tss." Maxen hissed, shaking his head as he went back to his seat. As soon as he plopped his butt down, he perked up, catching Luke's figure leaving the classroom.

'Where is he going now?' he wondered, knowing this time around, Luke was already fighting for Cosette's attention. But now, he just slipped away as silently as possible. 'He's acting very suspiciously.'

Maxen gravitated on whether he would follow Luke and see what this guy was planning, or leave him alone. In the end, Maxen stayed. He didn't want others to misunderstand or make Luke think he was stalking him; Luke was a drama queen and often exaggerated things.

As Maxen tossed whatever thought he had about Luke at the back of his head, opening the lid of his lunchbox, he couldn't ignore the girls gossiping beside him. Still, he did his best to act as if he wasn't hearing their loud whispers and giggles.

"Cozie, look." Fay presented her lunch box for the three girls to see. "I made it myself."

Cosette studied the omelet over the rice that had a smiley face on it. Her lips curled up, raising her eyes at Fay while the latter explained.

"I followed the recipe you sent me, and my brother told me this breakfast was good!" Fay gloated, rubbing her finger under her nose.

"Really? Can I have a taste?" Amie's eyes sparkled, moving her finger to take just a piece, only to get slapped by Fay. "Ouch…"

"Wait! I haven't even tasted it yet!" Fay snapped her tongue while Amie frowned. Seeing that the latter was about to cry, she huffed in distress. "Do you really want to do the honors?"

"Mhm. I want to taste it since it's your first time cooking something."

"Goodness…" Fay shook her head and glanced at Cosette and Sarah. The two were smiling, watching how this would unfold. "Fine."

Amie's eyes lit up excitedly, watching Fay pick up her cutlery to give her a piece of the omelet. For some reason, Sarah and Cosette watched Amie guide her spoon to her mouth in anticipation, waiting for her feedback.

However, as soon as Amie chewed once, Cosette and Sarah noticed how Amie's eyes opened and closed like the aperture of the camera. They could only think of two things: one was it was surprisingly good, or it was bad. There was no in-between.

"So?" Fay arched a brow, waiting for Amie's comment as the latter chewed.

"Ugh…" Amie chuckled awkwardly, looking at the anticipation in Fay's eyes. "It's good."

"Hehe. See? I think I have a knack for cooking. I should become a chef." Fay rubbed her finger under her nose once again while Amie looked at her with a bit of surprise. Not just her, but Sarah as well.

Meanwhile, Cosette noticed the two girls' reaction and was intrigued by it. To Cosette's surprise, when Amie managed to swallow down the food, Amie interrupted Fay's gloating.

"It's bad," said Amie, stopping Fay from speaking. "It's too salty, with a bit of bitterness. I never tasted something so bad for an omelet."

"Wha — what are you talking about now?"

"My honest opinion." Amie blinked twice, not bulging at the dismay that resurfaced in Fay's eyes. "If you want to become a chef, that means you need to prepare yourself with criticism. If you don't believe me, then taste it for yourself."

Fay narrowed her eyes and studied Amie for a second before picking up her spoon. Just as Amie suggested, Fay ate a piece, and unlike Amie, who swallowed it down, Fay spat it out.

"Eww… that damn bastard," came out a profanity, thinking that her brother wasn't truly honest with her. However, Amie smiled brightly as she leaned beside Fay.

"Hey, did you say you want to become a chef?" Amie asked while Fay kept her mouth ajar, her hand under her chin. "This is your first time cooking, but the omelet looks good already. If you keep practicing, I'm certain you'll be one of the best!"

"What…" Fay scoffed, but her cheek blushed at the encouragement from Amie.

"It's because Fay never knew what she wants to become in the future," Sarah whispered in Cosette's ear when she noticed the latter was a bit confused.

"Ohh…" Cosette rocked her head, turning her head, only to see Sarah drawing her head back. "So that is the reason."

Sarah raised her brows knowingly, smiling in satisfaction while darting her eyes between Fay and Amie. Those two had always had the best bond, and she was glad Amie, although often a coward, chose to be honest with Fay.

'How nice,' Cosette thought, smiling at Amie and Fay, and then at Sarah. The two of them chuckled before they opened their lunch boxes to eat.

Since Fay's lunch received a giant X mark and a negative review, Cosette, Sarah, and Amie shared their food with her. Although they used to talk online during the summer vacation, they never ran out of topics talking about what happened to them.

As usual, Fay and Amie shared the most fascinating or the dumbest things that happened during the summer vacation. Cosette and Sarah listened attentively. When asked, Cosette vaguely summarized her busy summer break by saying she helped her dad with their family business. Sarah, on the other hand, didn't share much and used the card excuse, 'there isn't anything memorable that happened.'

All this time, Maxen wished they tone it down as he could hear everything they were saying. No matter how much he pretended not to hear, he couldn't. Instead, he felt like a creep eavesdropping on his girlfriend's conversations.

'Girlfriend…' Maxen chewed slower, biting his inner lip. That one word and everything just felt tolerable, and thus, he continued eating.

"By the way, Cozie." Cosette raised her brows when Fay lowered her voice and leaned closer to her. "Are you sure that is Max?"

"You know, I sort of feel offended now," Cosette muttered honestly, frowning. "I won't deny that I was also surprised when I saw him the first time after my… side hustle. But it's Max, no doubt."

"I mean, can a person grow that tall in just a few months?" Fay mumbled, knowing Cosette wasn't that upset but simply being honest.

"That's what growing up with a brother is like." Sarah chuckled, garnering their attention. "My little brother is like that too. One day, he is like a child. And then, without realizing it, he was helping me reach things that I can't. It's unfair."

"I know, right? How can a guy just grow tall overnight?" Cosette agreed, only to notice Fay and Amie looking at each other. "What?"

"I thought it was because he beat himself," Fay replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Beat himself?" Cosette tilted her head to the side.

"Yes." This time, Amie was the one who answered, leaning closer to them. As if on cue, Cosette and Sarah leaned forward as well as if what Amie was about to share was a top secret.

"They said guys at this age grow so tall because they're usually horny and —" Amie shook her fist to mimic something 'indecent.' "They masturbate."

Maxen nearly choked on his own food as soon as he heard the girls' assumption. He definitely knew that wasn't the case, but as a healthy young man, he did have so much time for that.