Saving the Villain

'You can do this,' Asher told himself, repeating it over and over again. 'You can... not now.'

Asher lowered his eyes, overwhelmed by the stress he had been going through and almost everything. He felt like he would collapse at any moment, but he kept telling himself not to mess things up. He couldn't mess anything up, especially when he was already walking on thin eyes.

Making a mistake that could lead to the impossible suffocated him. He felt like exploding.

"Go, Asher!"

Suddenly, from the crowd, Asher heard this faint voice echoing in the venue hall. He raised his head and searched for the owner of the voice. Despite the dimness in the audience, he caught some light sticks with his name and face twinkling like Christmas lights.

There, in the farthest corner of the hall, was a group of young students waving their nightsticks and even banners. The person in front of Cosette happily waved her light sticks while wearing a hair band that had two long antennae with Asher's face on its tip.

Cosette had the brightest smile that even when Asher saw Maxen, Luke, and another guy behind her, holding the banners, Asher couldn't dwell in their presence. He was just glad Luke was also here.

'What the hell are those corny banners? Did she think I am having a concert?' thought Asher, but the nervousness that was slowly eating him from the inside gradually faded.

He was able to breathe. The sight of them was silly, almost making him utterly embarrassed. However, their flashy presence took half of the attention on Asher. Therefore, they bought him time to gather himself.

Asher cleared his throat and sported a smile, leaning over the microphone to start his speech.

"The last year of high school was a tough road we all had taken almost barefoot..." he started, catching everyone's attention from Cosette's group. "We all had a fair share of hardships, the endless sacrifice of our sleep, never-ending reviews, and such. To be able to come to this day, wearing our uniforms underneath our togas..."

The more Asher spoke through the microphone, speaking eloquently of a student's journey to their last year of high school, made him confident. Everyone listened to how he described their journey to reach this far, his encouraging speech for the new chapter of their lives, and his gratitude for everyone in the Academy who guided them throughout the years.

"Last, I want to thank my family for their full support and my dearest friend." He lifted his gaze in Cosette's direction before shifting his eyes to Luke, smiling subtly. "Our high school journey might've ended here, but as we close this chapter of our lives, another one starts. May our next journey will be fruitful and be on our side."

Applause resounded in the hall as Asher finished his heart-warming and encouraging speech. Asher took a step back, facing the headmaster to receive the highest honors. Maynard had also come up to the stage to join his son.

As the stage got busy giving medals and taking photos, Cosette's smile warmed up.

"That's a surprise," Luke spoke behind her, muttering. "I never saw him get nervous to the point of fainting. I thought he would faint."

Cosette looked back at him. "Do you think your brother is immortal? Not because he can carry the weight he is carrying doesn't mean it wasn't heavy. Of course, he would need support from others. Especially from his brother."

"I don't think it's our support he needs, but these corny banners and -- can you take that hairband off? Gosh! It's so flashy!" Luke gasped, staring at the antennas that had Asher's face glued on them. "It's distracting!"

"What? But it's cute..." she pouted, touching her antenna. "Right, Max?"

"Will you wear one at our graduation?"

"Hehe." Cosette grinned. "I actually prepared a lot of them."

Luke gasped one more time when she took out three hairbands for Maxen, Luke, and Remo.

"No way! I might be poor and he might be my brother, but I still have a dignity to preserve! Cosette Blac, did you lose your mind?"

"Gosh... it's not like I am forcing you." She rolled her eyes at Luke and her gaze instantly landed on Remo. Cosette sported the sweetest smile as if she was an angel.

"Evil," murmured Luke; her smile giving him a completely opposite vibe.

"Remo, do you want to wear this?" she asked, and Remo replied with a quick, "no. That will hurt my pride as a human being."

"See?" Luke scrunched his face, looking at her in dismay.

"Whatever." Cosette rolled her eyes once again as she put the hairbands inside her bag. She only prepared them just in case, but not that she would force them to wear them. Accompanying her without really abducting them just to be here was enough.

Just as Cosette was putting the hairbands with antennas back inside her back, she paused when Maxen spoke.

"I can wear them."

Cosette, Luke, and Remo slowly set their eyes on Maxen. Luke and Remo instantly had this look of disbelief as if they were willing to go to war just to stop him from this abomination called Cosette. Meanwhile, Cosette's eyes twinkled.

"Really?" Her face was dominated by expectations.

Maxen nodded. "Mhm. Hand it over."

"Wait, wait -- hold on!" Luke jumped to Maxen's side, planting a hand on the latter's chest. "My brother, please don't do this to yourself. I know you are under her spell, but this is too much."

Remo nodded in agreement.

"Gosh. Shut up." Cosette put the hairband inside her back, rolling her eyes. Luke and Remo thought Cosette had changed her mind, only to their disappointment, she took out another hairband. This time, the hairband didn't have Asher's face on the antenna, but her face instead.

"I told you! I came prepared!" she grinned, holding the hairband in front of her.

The three studied her picture on the antennas, but only Remo and Luke couldn't fathom how prepared she was. Meanwhile, Maxen just chuckled and took a step forward, bending down until their eyes were on the same level.

"This one is better," he said with a bright smile. "Put it on."

Cosette giggled, putting the hairband on Maxen. The second she did, she pressed something that made the hairband light up. Luke nearly fainted.