Megan.         

“……Only if you had done the method right would the solution be right.” Our calculus teacher had said as if it wasn’t the most obvious thing in the universe.

I am completely clueless of why I had chosen calculus to be one of my subjects. Friends’ influences, I guess.

There was a sudden lurch in the pit of my stomach and it left a bitter taste in my mouth. I had hoped it would subside but a stronger lurch found its way and I had no choice but ran to the teacher’s desk.

I knocked on the desk, not trusting to open my mouth, which I had puffed to block anything that would come out.

The teacher turned around, glaring obviously hard on me; I just pointed at my puffed mouth in hopes that he would just let me go but luck wasn’t on my side.

“Oh look, you seem so disgusted of my subject that you want to throw up right when …..”
I no longer listened to him as I ran across the corridor as fast as possible to the girls’ bathroom.

Slumping down next to the nearest sink, I felt my soul leaving my body as soon as I emptied my stomach; I didn’t remember eating strange foods this morning.

The room fell in a dizzy trance in my vision but I didn’t pass out which is strangely unlikely. The door swung open and in comes three blurry figures.

“Oh look who do we have here?” As if on alert, my vision became clearer at the voice of Lee Hyeri and her two guards.

Despite knowing that I wasn’t feeling well, the two of them scurried my way and pinned each of my sides to the wall; Hyeri giggling madly beside them.

“The filthy little rat,” She spat as she grabbed my chin forcefully. “Should I mention that Jeabum is MINE and MINE ONLY?!” I broke free from her grip.

“Jaebum didn’t say so though.”

She furiously dragged a rather huge bucket but I stayed calm, I knew what was coming. In a split of seconds, she held the huge bucket up, surprisingly by herself and poured what seems to be half of the content on top of my head; freezing water.

“Funny that someone as smart as yourself would drink a juice from some stranger.”

So that was it, the juice a guy gave me during lunch. Very subtle indeed.

I was weak and was sure of it but I was surprised by my strength which brought the two girls at my sides collide at the forehead and fall backward; winching and sulking.

I kicked Hyeri’s leg which caused her to fall, alarmingly close to the sink but not quite. She cried louder when I poured the other half of the freezing water on top of her head, the cry was so loud it resembled a strangled cat calling for help.

“When you set up yourself on hurting people, you shouldn’t have underestimated their power and later cry like the loser you are when you receive the consequences, you dimwit.”

Speaking through gritted teeth, I kicked their legs once more, respectively, before leaving. Great, I am sick and yet, I have to walk in wet clothes all over the school. Just great.

I accidentally bumped into someone, not even a half way to the class to ask for Jackson’s spare clothes, groaning lowly at my misfortune.

“You alright?”

Oh My Dear Lord, out of hundreds of people in the entire school, you offered me Mark Tuan?!

“Nop, I’m Megan.”

He rolled his eyes before helping me up on my feet. “Hold on,” he paused, “Your uniform is wet.”

I looked at him with a “you don’t say look?” but I let out a sneeze, slightly shivering when the wind started to blow harder out of nowhere.

Deciding that I should proceed with the task at hand, I turned around with a muttered “Bye”. However, he caught me out of guard when he held my wrist and removed his blazer to cover me and proceeded to drag me to where I recognized as the hospital wing. This might be a bad dream.

I realized it wasn’t a dream after all, when he held my wrist harder and I sway-walked behind him, like an obedient puppy. His grip unfortunately got tighter.

“Are you trying to stop the flow of my blood?”

It seems like he had just realized what he had done, let go of my wrist as if it had burnt him, later rubbing his nape rather sheepishly.

He moved to his last resort, which was my arm and continued dragging me. Because I am an official drag-doll. The halls felt like closing in on me  but I tried to focus my vision on the back of Mark Tuan’s head while chanting not now, not now, not now.

“……not me, but uh…., my friend right here.” I was so close to blacking out that I had only caught a few phrases of his conversation with the nurse.

“Oh dear! Please help her to one of the beds before she passes out!”

*

I opened my eyes to be greeted by Mark’s face, concerned and twisted with a pinch of worry.
“I thought you would never wake up, not exaggerating or anything even though you had just passed out for 25 minutes but yeah…”

“Wow, that’s the longest you have spoken since the starting of school.” He grimaced.

He slumped down on a chair and threw his head back, emitting a low sound that resembled something between a groan and a sigh. “We missed half an hour of the last class.”

I propped myself up, clearing my throat in the process before blurting out a small “Sorry.” Which earned a raised brow.

“Don’t be silly. I did it all because…..” his words were abruptly cut off by an intruder.

“I believe you’re Miss Wu,” she paused with a menacing glare “2 days worth of detention for assaulting your school mates while permitting yourself to the bathroom as a cover up. And yourself,”

“Mark. Mark Tuan.”

“You will side along with the young lady because you had helped her and missed one of your classes instead. I will see the both of you after school hours in my class, top floor, right wing.”

I turned away when Mark stood up, expected him to defend himself but what he had said startled me beyond imagination. “But Miss Wu had done nothing she had been accused of.”

“Oh, is that so? Do you, by any chance, hold any proof?” her glare returned and it got even fiercer which I thought was impossible.

“Why is it that Miss Wu is laying helpless and vulnerable here while those who had accused her, her supposed to be ‘school mates’ are enjoying themselves out there?”

It took me a whole lot of will to not drag Mark by the wrist and will him to keep quiet to not make things worse. I heaved a deep sigh before deciding that it was for the best that I speak up on myself.

“I would receive the detention without Mr.Tuan’s company, he did nothing but help me to the hospital wing. I don’t see that as an “assault.”

“Such a touching display of romance which had made my decision to strengthen; a week worth of detention for your cheeks and this stupid romance thing.”

We both gaped at her and this time, I really got hold of Mark’s wrist; it would definitely get worst if he doesn’t shut his mouth.

Once she was out of sight, I released his wrist and shut my eyes tightly, somehow her presence had increased the dizziness.

“WHY DIDN’T YOU DEFEND YOURSELF?!”

I smiled rather weakly and bitterly to myself. “Do you think I stood a chance against those seniors?” he grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me hard which caused me to wince.

“But at least you should have proven that you did nothing!”

“It’s true that I haven’t provoked but I did defend myself when they had attacked. And even if I had spoken for myself, it was obvious that the ‘old lady’ would side to them.”

There was a moment of silence before I spoke my chosen words “You shouldn’t have done that,” I paused and raised my palm when he was about to lash out “I didn’t say I am ungrateful of what you have done, in fact I am so glad I couldn’t explain it in words.  But you have done enough, you had escorted me here,” he snorted “ and missed a class, you don’t deserve the detention.”

I would curse my life in ten different ways in the future, once I remember about this but right now, I had only said that because Mark had willingly threw himself into detention just by defending me. That’s saying something.

“Well, I think we’re going to be busy this week.”

I smiled faintly, to myself, again. I had every reason to be mad but I would rather like it if my headache subside first and everything else would come second.

*

It wasn’t long until school ends and we were both on our way, asking people about the teacher who usually gives detentions.

We found out later that she was Mrs. Lee, mother of Lee Hyeri. Now, that does ring some bells.

Of course Jackson and Jinyoung had stared at us as if we were some weird creatures when we walked together but we had explained to them about everything in an unnecessary long and brief descriptions.

The detention went pretty normal, with her babbling nonsense that bullying is not something a girl should do and the throb in my head grew stronger if possible. I tolerated most of her rants and tried my best to ignore it.

I laid my head on top of the desk, willing the headache to go whilst trying to do my homework.

“Now, now. I didn’t simply call you up here to sleep.”

I could feel Mark’s stare on the back of my head but I said nothing. I straightened myself and tried to rid the throbs on my head by swallowing a painkiller.

The teacher busied herself with some paper works and my eye lids got even heavier before Mark leaned and whispered “Are you okay?”

I merely nodded, intended to reply verbally when the teacher spoke, without even glancing up.

“Mr. Tuan, do you know that your precious girlfriend had been manipulating guys behind your back? And here you are, going through detention with her, tsk.”

She had indirectly called me a cheap someone and suddenly, my head buzzed with something else other than pain. Rage. I could see Mark pulling his best poker face out of the corner of my eyes but I had no heed to pay.

I banged the desk and managed to get her look up at me with huge, widen eyes.

“Look, I am not one disrespectful brat if I am not provoked. I have been quiet about the injustice detention and yet here you are, gossiping about students. WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME AND GUYS?” my voice raised with every syllable I spoke out and it was hard to maintain my anger. She cowered back and a part of me had told me to stop and respect her, she is a teacher but a huger part of me just did it’s role on its own.

“Honestly, do you call yourself a teacher when you just told a student that SHE WAS MANIPULATING GUYS? I knew every teacher deserved to be respected but I don’t see a reason why YOU should be respected since I couldn’t even call you a teacher.”

There was heat, all around my body and I ignored the aching in my head. “Next time, you need to hear out both parties when you decided you could put them into detention.”

She looked away before bowing her head down and proceeded back to her task. I sat down, feeling Mark’s hand barely ghosting above my arm before there was the endless black.

*note : Firstly, My deepest condolence to Ladies' Code's EunB and Rise, their family and loved ones. May their soul rest in peace and may the rest continue to live healthily.

Secondly, school had started for me which meant that I would be updating lesser than usual as i find it hard to divide time for my studies and writing.
I ask for your kind understanding and will continue to work hard on this story.

Lastly, comments are always welcome :)]