Saving the Villain

Minutes ago…

When Maxen sauntered off to meet Remo, Cosette, Sarah, Fay, and Amie were already standing on the other end of the corridor. Cosette's brows furrowed, seeing that Maxen was walking away with those three troublemakers.

"What is Max doing with them?" Fay wondered with genuine wonder in her voice.

"Are they going to bully him again?" Amie added nervously, gazing at Cosette in panic. "Cozie, should we report them? The last time Maxen was with them, Max came back with a black eye."

"We should." Sarah nodded, setting her eyes back at Cosette. "I don't know why the admin let those delinquents back here, but it's obvious the suspension did nothing to them."

Just as the three looked at each other and nodded in agreement, they noticed Cosette staring in the same direction. When her lips parted, the girls' brows furrowed.

"Cosette, what are you saying?" asked Fay in complete bafflement, looking at Cosette in disbelief.

"You three should go back to your room." Cosette snapped her eyes ever so tenderly, looking at the three with equal attention. "I will follow them."

Sarah couldn't help but tug Cosette's arm, causing the latter to look back at her. "What do you mean you will follow them? Cozie, it'll be too dangerous."

"Sarah is right. Those guys don't care if you're a girl or a guy. They will hurt you without conscience. Getting punched by them is the mildest thing they can do," Fay backed up solemnly. "They can do worse that will ruin you for life."

Amie held her fist and nodded. "That's right, Cozie. Let's just report them. We can't let you go on your own. If you're going, we'll go too!"

Cosette scanned the three and detected the determination in their eyes. Her lips curled up subtly, letting out a shallow breath.

"I didn't say I plan on jumping into the scene if they will beat Maxen," she explained solemnly. "I will follow them and get evidence. I won't let them twist facts to get a lesser punishment. You wait for me in here, hmm?"

"Cosette —"

"Once I get enough evidence, you call for help." Cosette raised her phone, cutting Sarah off before the latter could argue with her. "They will notice us if we go by group. Just stay on standby."

The three looked back at Cosette with reluctance, looking at each other before setting their attention back to Cosette. What Cosette said made sense. Those delinquents could twist their words and accuse Maxen was the instigator. After all, Maxen also had bad records and they could use their 'past' dispute as a reason to get out of it with a lighter punishment.

So, in the end, the three, although reluctant, put their trust in Cosette. They returned to their room, holding their phones, waiting for Cosette's signal before they make an action.

Meanwhile, Cosette hurriedly went to the old building where she saw Maxen and the three go. On her way, she saw the other three: Ja, Emyr, and Wyn walk away from a certain room. Cosette patiently waited for them to leave before she discreetly approach the hallway where those three came from.

Cosette didn't know which room exactly Maxen and Remo were in. But when she heard voices, she followed them. Her steps were light, barely making a sound.

"You know exactly what I am talking about, Max." Her steps slowed down as Remo's voice grew clearer. "That fight… you're the one who stabbed him. I saw you with my own two eyes."

Cosette covered her mouth, frozen on the spot outside the room. She didn't need to go closer to the room to hear their conversation.

"You're born lucky. From a nobody to someone who can be somebody."

"Somebody... who will be on the run all his life?"

"Come on, Max. Don't act as if you never considered it."

"Even if I considered it once, why are you doing this?"

The more Cosette hear about their conversation, the more this unspeakable dread crawled under her skin. She flinched when Maxen raised his voice.

"You can keep my dick in your mouth, but leave her name out of it. Remo, I don't know what those people told you, but I don't have any reason to be a part of their sick world."

Her eyes shook as she listened further to the conversation, taking a step back. Cosette clutched her hand closer to her chest, calming her breathing at the explosion of information in this conversation.

Maxen didn't mention anything before. Well, not that she asked him anything. After all, Cosette simply assumed Maxen was a subject of bullying. That was why she was confident Maxen knew nothing about the Devilsins.

"All they said is to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't turn up dead one of these days. I don't need to do anything to hurt you. They will come for you. The only question is when? But you know what they are capable of. They always get what they want… by hook or by crook."

When Remo uttered those words, Cosette panicked as she heard heavy steps. She gazed at the room with a broken door, catching Maxen's shadow exiting. Without thinking twice, Cosette fled to hide from him.

Fortunately, Maxen was zoning out and didn't notice her. Cosette ran and detoured, stopping on the floor where Maxen would surely use to go back to their building. She waited for him there, and when he appeared, her eyes softened with worry.

'Maxen…' she called internally, standing in the middle of the corridor, eyes fixed on his figure. '... I won't let them take you away and ruin you… never.'

It didn't take long when Maxen bumped into Cosette and snapped back to the current lapse. And now, since they decided to skip classes, the two of them snuck out of the school premises through the unguarded back of the school, waiting for Driver George in the convenience store nearby.

Cosette turned to Maxen while eating her ice cream. Maxen was staring outside in silence; he wasn't zoning out, but he looked like he was ruminating about something. Her lips parted to cheer him up and distract him, but before her voice could come out of her mouth, her brows furrowed.

Thud! Thud!

Cosette slowly gazed at the transparent wall of the convenience store while Maxen snapped his eyes. Both of them looked up, tilting their heads to the side, and saw someone knocking on it to catch their attention.

"Luke?" she called, studying him from head to toe, only to see him wearing civilian clothes.