Saving the Villain

Maxen would kill for Cosette. They both knew that especially Cosette. She knew if she asked him to beat someone, he would, no questions asked. However, she didn't want to turn Maxen into the devil she used to know him.

Still, it didn't feel right to let everything go because that was Olivia's wish. Of course, she understood where Olivia's decision came from, and Cosette respected that. She believed that was a brave decision for Olivia.

But that didn't necessarily mean Cosette shouldn't do anything anymore. And this would be a lesson for the four of them: Cosette, Luke, Remo, and Maxen. Especially for Remo and Maxen, who didn't believe in the existence of justice anymore.

There were other options to make people pay for their atrocities aside from violence. After all, those bullies and delinquents weren't only guilty for ruining Olivia to their heart's content. They were doing other things.

"Oh, my god! Have you heard about the news?"

"Yes, I saw police on my way here."

"Gosh… this is huge! I mean — oh, god, there's also police here."

"Do you think the same thing is happening here?"

Days after Olivia's suicide attempt, an article was posted regarding this illegal drug that had been a hit on youngsters, particularly students. The article was very distinct, addressing all the issues in the education system and how things such as things could happen within the premises.

The article blew up so much that it even reached massive media outlets to cover the story. And because of the popularity of this story, the education system and justice systems were under fierce public scrutiny. It was huge and stories of those parents and victims all over the country also came forward to express their pain for their child's suffering within the school premises that were supposed to be their second home. Some of them even lost a child, or a friend, because the bullying was too much the victim would just commit suicide.

Everything was a mess. The chief of the ministry of education had to make statements and schools — both private and public schools — received memos for investigation and surveys.

And as all these issues reached their boiling point, one particular school caught a lot of people's attention after a buy-bust operation. Most of the people who were arrested in the raid were students from the same school. After the painful interrogation of these minors, the authorities finally got useful information from these students after giving them tempting deals.

Since the public had been watching the authorities carefully, they had to disclose a little bit of information. That was how everyone's attention slowly shifted to the reason some students turn to drugs.

With all these happening, no one knew who wrote the article that started this issue. Well, it wasn't like the root of this problem started with just a simple release of the article. This problem had been existing and the article simply forced everyone to address the matter because many victims had to suffer while their assailants walk away freely from their crimes.

The person who wrote this article simply lit up the match. It became a wildfire because many fueled it with their own experiences and battle stories.

"Oli."

Olivia flinched when her adviser called her, making her gaze up. The teacher had her hand on her desk, raising her brows as she met Olivia's eyes.

"Come to my office. I want to ask you something," said her adviser with a kind smile, making Olivia nod.

Olivia slowly rose to her feet, following her adviser behind. As they walked through the hallway, Olivia turned to her left and caught a few police officers on the school grounds through the mirror. She gulped, holding her hand to stop it from trembling.

Her adviser didn't say anything until they reached the faculty room. Since classes were still ongoing despite the fact that the school was under investigation after a few of their students were arrested in a buy-bust operation, there wasn't anyone in the faculty at the moment.

"Oli, come here." The teacher nodded at Olivia as she had taken a seat in her cubicle. "Sit down."

Olivia reluctantly nodded, sitting down on the stool beside her adviser's seat. She raised her brows, clueless about what her adviser wanted from her. Although she had a little hint before this all happened, she was also summoned to the principal's office for questioning.

"I think you already know why I asked you to come here, Oli," said the adviser softly, looking at Olivia.

"No — no." Olivia shook her head, feigning ignorant.

The adviser's eyes softened. "Just a few days ago, you were absent because you fell sick." Her gaze then fell on Olivia's arm cast. Olivia's excuse to her teacher and parents was that she broke her arm because she was clumsy.

"Oli —" the teacher abruptly stopped when she tried to reach Olivia's hand, only for the latter to jump away on instinct. Even Olivia was surprised at her action, looking back at her adviser's dilated eyes.

"Uhm. I'm sorry." Olivia scratched her head awkwardly. "I was just a bit surprised."

The teacher pursed her lips into a thin line, watching Olivia sit down cautiously. In the past, she used to ask Olivia questions and often told her to go to her if she was being bullied. However, Olivia would often smile at her and told her nothing like that was happening.

But now, the adviser realized she shouldn't have waited for Olivia to come to her. Olivia's reaction just now was a clear indication of abuse.

"Oli." The advisor took a deep breath, staring into Olivia's eyes solemnly. "You don't have to tell me all the details if you don't want to. I know you are scared. But… please let me help you."

Olivia's eyes shook, assessing the pain and bitterness in her adviser's eyes.

"I will protect you," reassured the teacher with a slight smile. "This time, I promise, no one will hurt you anymore. But you have to help me and allow me to help you, too."

There was a long silence between Olivia and the teacher as they looked at each other. Since coming into this school, Olivia had always denied people's help — especially her adviser — because she knew it would just backfire on her. But with the current situation, her resolve to keep her mouth shut waned.

"Please keep me anonymous, teacher," whispered Olivia. "I'm scared."