Saving the Villain

Cosette and Luke looked at each other upon seeing Maxen napping under the shade on the rooftop. Her lips were drawn into a thin line, setting her eyes back to Maxen.

'Didn't he get enough sleep?' she wondered to herself before she carefully sauntered in Maxen's direction.

Both Cosette and Luke tiptoed their way to Maxen, sitting on either side of him without making any sound. Once they sat, they cast each other a look once again. Their eyes fell on Maxen; the latter had his arms over his eyes, lying leisurely on the floor.

'Is he asleep?' Luke mouthed at Cosette, moving his lips slowly so she could reach his lips.

Cosette shrugged. 'I don't know.'

A deep exhale escaped their nostrils, shaking their heads. But they didn't make any unnecessary noise. They didn't even check the time or urge each other to go back to their room, skipping classes, since that seemed to be Maxen's plan.

Both Cosette and Luke stayed silent, killing time by looking around the empty rooftop. There weren't many things to see aside from the walls of the railing and a few pieces of trash left by students. Not long after, Luke yawned and eventually fell asleep beside Maxen.

Back then, Luke wouldn't even sit on the floor. But now, he only took off his blouse to avoid some dirt and slept on his side, using his arm as a head cushion.

Meanwhile, Cosette rested her back against the wall, darting her eyes between them.

'I wonder what happened?' she wondered to herself, sighing. One thing that Cosette knew was that this was something different.

Initially, she thought it was because of last night. Her reckless actions and defensive attitude upset him. But now that she thought about it, Cosette was certain it was something else. After all, she knew Maxen from inside and out.

The more she thought about it, the more her curiosity and intrigue peaked. At this point, she assumed it had something to do with Maxen's meeting last night with Conrad. Maxen and her father left last night. Maybe it was because Maxen was just tired, working and studying at the same time. Or something terrible happenned.

Another sigh escaped her mouth. 'I'm going crazy thinking about it.'

"Cozie?" Cosette nearly flinched when Maxen's coarse voice caressed her ears, making her gaze down at him. "What are you…"

Maxen trailed off as he propped his elbows on the surface, catching another figure in the corner of his eye. He blinked and glanced to his left, only to see Luke's back. The latter grunted at the slight movements, opening his eyes weakly.

"Oh, Max?" Luke's voice was still sleepy, rubbing his weary eyes. "Damn… I fell asleep."

"What are you two doing here?" asked Maxen, sitting up and setting his eyes on Cosette.

"Isn't it obvious?" she returned. "We're here because you are here. We're worried about you."

"Max, did she do something to you? Tell me, so I'll teach that girl a lesson." Luke also sat up, shaking his head to wake himself up.

Maxen darted his eyes to Luke and Cosette before a shallow laugh flew out of his mouth. He shook his head mildly, dragging his bottom to rest his back against the wall.

"It's not that," he clarified with a slight chuckle, gazing at Luke and then at Cosette. "Cozie didn't do anything. Although what you guys did yesterday is upsetting, I can't really blame you. Amie is Cosette's friend, and knowing Cosette, she wouldn't just turn a blind eye if the person she cares for is taking the wrong path. Friends are supposed to be there not just in good times, but also during bad days."

The corner of her lips curled up slightly as her eyes softened. "Still, I'm partly at fault that Amie went down that road."

"I can't say you aren't because I personally think you, Fay, and Sarah could've done better. But then again, you're human." Luke shrugged, dropping his two cents since he had been thinking about that all night. "Humans make mistakes, although the term is highly subjective. My point here is that we can't expect everyone to make the perfect decision most of the time."

"I agree with Luke." Maxen rocked his head, pleased they were now open to this conversation. Last night, he felt like they didn't get the time to talk about it. "But let's just learn our lessons."

Cosette pressed her lips into a thin line, smiling subtly. After some time of thinking last night, she was now more open-minded about this conversation.

"Thank you for having my back," she expressed, realizing she hadn't thanked Luke and Maxen properly last night. "I would've been in big trouble if not for you. Though I don't promise I won't do it again, what I can assure you is that I won't just charge in trouble without a plan."

Her response brought a smile to Luke, and Maxen's faces, pleased to hear that. That was all Maxen wanted to hear last night, though he couldn't blame her for everything she said last night because the emotion was still high.

"Now that is settled, what's up with you, Max?" Luke clapped since the case last night was considered settled. Upon mentioning that, Cosette raised her brows, setting her curious eyes on Maxen.

Maxen's lips parted, running his tongue across his inner cheek. His eyes darted between Luke and Cosette's faces, noticing the curiosity in their eyes.

"Well…" he cleared his throat when he recovered his voice, wondering where he should start. "... I met my father."

"What?!" Cosette and Luke gasped in surprise, but Luke added, "you have a dad — ack!"

A frown instantly turned up on Luke's face as Cosette smacked his head. He rubbed the side of his head, glaring at her.

"What kind of nonsense question is that?" she hissed, snapping her tongue in irritation before setting her eyes back to Maxen. Her heart thudded for the obvious reason, having an idea of what sort of person Maxen's father was.

"Max, what happened?" she inquired worriedly, holding his gaze sternly.

Maxen remained silent, studying Cosette's expression for a while. When another shallow sigh escaped his mouth, his lips parted to fill them in with the details of last night's affairs with Conrad.