"Arthur… is expelled." The brown-haired girl's trembling voice broke the silence around them, the echo of her voice still lingering in the air. She wrapped her arms around Margaret and buried her head in her embrace, sobbing quietly as if she found her rock.
The two girls sat there in silence with neither bothering that they are on the floor of the hallway. Margaret was stunned by her words but as she slowly processed the information, the jolt of realization hit her and her expression changed from confusion to shock.
She quickly pulled away from the girl's embrace and looked at her. "What do you mean expelled?! Why?!"
Then she paused in thought as she found the answer on her own. "His fight with Tyler?!" She asked again but didn't receive any answer; the girl kept her head down, heaving in deep breaths as she tried to control her sobs.
"That's ridiculous; Arthur didn't hurt any of them." Margaret yelled in frustration and took a deep breath and began massaging her temples, trying to calm herself down. She was still reeling from the sudden news and a part of her was still in disbelief.
'Arthur is expelled? Expelled!?'
Was it so easy to frame someone unjustly and ruin their future possibilities? Was it so easy to get rid of someone just because they didn't conform to the popular beliefs?
But as much as she didn't want to believe it, Margaret could validate that news. With Tyler turning a petty fight into an all-out assault on his life, and James Farrell personally confronting the Dean to get 'justice' for his son, it wasn't much of a surprise.
Arthur's already bad reputation and the students' dissatisfaction with him, along with all the rumors and many previous incidents stacking on top of each other – There were reasons enough to expel him twice.
'So, that's why Arthur was in the Dean's office on Saturday.' Margaret mumbled as she remembered overhearing a bit of conversation between the Dean, Mr. Greenwood and Arthur when she called him that day.
Wait! Does that means he was expelled Saturday itself? And he still accompanied Margaret all of Sunday as if nothing happened? Moreover he wasn't willing to speak even when she brought the topic herself.
'What could a weak little girl do even if she knew? Isn't that right, Arthur?' Margaret let out a humorless chuckle at the realization. But she did know the truth about the assault, and what did she do?
Nothing. She ignored it like she ignored every other thing because it didn't concern her. And like a hypocrite, she just mocked others for being dumb and simple-minded to be so easily manipulated by rumors and fairytales. But she, who was smart enough to see beyond such tricks, stayed silent and hoped he would somehow pull through.
It had been one against all till the bitter end, and even Margaret played a part in Arthur's expulsion. She knew he was being wrongly blamed but did nothing.
Can she still call herself a friend? No, was she even worthy of his friendship? She pretended to be his friend and acted as if she cared, only because he helped her.
Margaret felt her chest constrict with guilt and regret as every realization cut her deep in the gut.
"This is all my fault."
A low, hoarse voice dragged Margaret out of her depressing monologue and she looked at the cry baby in front of her. She was holding her head in both hands, her hair hiding the agony on her face as tears continued to stream down her cheeks.
"First, it was Shane and now Arthur…" She mumbled, her voice laced with pain and guilt. She grabbed a fistful of her brown hair and cried out helplessly. "This is happening again…"
Margaret was startled as she watched the girl; the feelings of despair and hopelessness were enveloping her whole, like dark clouds shrouding the clear sky.
She didn't understand why that girl was having such a reaction but Margaret knew she had to break her out of it.
"Hey, stop it! Be quiet." Margaret immediately grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her vigorously as she tried to 'console' her but she could not get the girl to calm down. "Don't cry, dammit!"
As that didn't seem to work, Margaret sat still as she felt lost as to what else to do. She had experienced a lot of dangerous circumstances in her young life but never had she encountered such a difficult situation where she had to console someone. So she absolutely had no idea how to go about it at all.
Then she remembered how her mother used to coax her to sleep when she was in too much pain to fall asleep herself. But she quickly shook off that idea as there was no way Margaret would do something like that in the middle of the hallway. But when she saw the girl in front of her literally spiraling down into despair, she put her reservations aside and decided to try it.
"It's always because of me." The girl kept on mumbling with her head down and her hands deep in her hair as she pulled on it. "Every time, people around me get hurt because of me. I… What should I do?"
Margaret let out a sigh and moved the girl's hands away from her hair as she pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around the girl and held her tightly as if reminding the girl of her presence and forcing her attention onto herself.
"It's okay… Calm down." Margaret cooed in a gentle voice as she rubbed her back in a soothing manner. To her surprise, the crybaby didn't resist and comfortably buried her head in Margaret's embrace and hugged her as she continued to mumble between her sobs.
Margaret sighed and her eyes dimmed as she looked ahead in a blank gaze. The crybaby unexpectedly reminded Margaret of herself in the past; so lost in pain she felt abandoned by the whole world.
That was a truly dark period of her life. She was already in grief and the sadness, anger and betrayal pushed her further down. She drowned herself in an bottomless depths of disappointment and depression; unable to free herself from that quagmire of self-pity and self-blame, she could only detach herself from everything.
Now that she thought back to it, she wondered if things would've turned out different had she realized it sooner…
"Crying won't help you in anyway; it'll only make you pitiful and vulnerable." Her voice was monotonous and distant, just a mere whisper as she spoke absentmindedly. "If you want to change something, then you have to do something."
The girl in her embrace froze for a moment before she quieted down and wriggled out of Margaret's arms, pulling her back to present. Margaret blinked her eyes and looked on as the crybaby wiped the tears off her face with a stubborn look.
A huge grin formed on Margaret's face as she gave herself thumbs up and a mental high-five.
Mission Successful!
She then cleared her throat, ready to interrogate her and get some answers. But before she could speak, she heard a very determined voice.
"You are right. Crying won't help anyone." The girl's voice was firm and stubborn as she clenched her fists, her hazel eyes burning with determination. She then turned to Margaret and smiled, before leaning forward and planting a kiss on her cheek. "Thank you, Margaret. I know what to do now."
Margaret was stunned on spot and her mind went haywire from overheat.
'Dammit! What the heck is with the girls here? They either torture me with crazy pranks or kiss me out of nowhere… Are the chicks bipolar or am I unbearably handsome?'
Meanwhile, the girl got on her feet, dusted herself off and grabbed her bag as numerous footsteps echoed all around. And soon, the long hallway began to get busy with students making way to their afternoon classes.
The growing noise shook Margaret out of her daze and she quickly realized the situation as she looked around. And as she saw the girl walking away, she quickly jumped to her feet. "Wait!"
But the girl was already ahead of the crowd of students and Margaret couldn't follow her with the brace and lost sight of her as she was pushed back. When the crowd died down, Margaret looked around and sighed as there was no trace of that girl anywhere.
Finding her now would be a tough task as the university campus was very large with five separate buildings for each department and numerous classrooms and halls within. And the open space surrounding the entire campus was big enough to explore for a whole day.
After thinking it through, Margaret gave up on finding her and focused on processing the information she had. And after piecing together everything, she realized a few points.
First, the announcement Tyler was going to make tomorrow was most certainly about Arthur's expulsion. It would make sense why the rich prince was so happy he partied all night long. And after the news spreads out tomorrow, Margaret was sure many more would be glad too.
Second, the crybaby, who literally bawled her eyes out in her arms, kissed her and then ran away avoiding responsibility. She must be really close to Arthur; her behavior was enough proof of it.
But what exactly was her relationship with him?
But most importantly she knew Margaret, it was as if she knew more about Margaret than Margaret knew about her. So Margaret went back on her previous decision and decided she had to find that crybaby somehow and confirm if she was a stalker or her secret admirer?
- -
Margaret was walking along the corridor, wondering how to start searching for that crybaby. There were many students scattered across the long hallway, using the lockers and standing around chatting with their friends, waiting until last minute to leave for the class.
Among them, was a girl standing on one side of the corridor, arms crossed and leaning against the wall as she watched Margaret intently with a smirk on her face.
Margaret didn't pay attention to anyone and followed a straight path to her class. But she suddenly halted and she took a step back. She then turned to the side, towards the locker chambers, focusing on the paper slip sticking out from the slit in a locker door. Her locker door.
Margaret knitted her brows in anger as she glared at the piece of paper. Then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before walking away.
She already guessed who it must be from, but there were too many things happening and Margaret doesn't have the time to play their mindless games now. And since she had already learnt her lesson and stopped using the lockers, there was nothing forcing her to play either. And so, Margaret decided to blatantly ignore the note and faced forward as she went her way.
After Margaret walked past her locker, the girl who was watching her all along stood straight with a frown on her face. As she realized Margaret was not coming back, she stomped her foot and begrudgingly walked to Margaret's locker. She snatched the note into her hands and crumpled it into a tiny ball in her clenched fist as she glared Margaret's disappearing back.
"You won't be ignoring me for long, Margaret Laurence." She spat out hatefully before turning around and leaving in the opposite direction.
- -
Two hours later; Margaret was back in the hallway,walking with her head down and shoulders drooping as she was literally dragging herself towards the final class of the day. She kept sighing and shaking her head as she slowly walked to the literature classroom.
She was mentally tired, as her mind was preoccupied with the breaking news she heard during the lunch break encounter. She couldn't focus in her classes at all as the memories of Sunday kept replaying in her brain over and over again as the guilt and regret kept building up inside her.
She tried to convince herself not to think about it, but her mind stubbornly settled right back on the sleepy dude. She wondered where he was now? Was he somewhere here in the university or in his home, sleeping peacefully?
She started to question her attitude towards many things.
Was she selfish to avoid unnecessary things and just focus on her own life? Was she right in being a bystander and not doing anything when she could've done something?
Was she really... his friend?
Margaret sighed again and looked ahead as she saw the literature classroom in the distance. Then a sudden thought popped in her head. Maybe that crybaby got wrong information and Arthur wasn't expelled? There was no confirmation yet, so maybe that was just another rumor?
Maybe Arthur would show up beside her in the literature class? Maybe…
Although the reasonable part of her brain was telling her she was only setting herself for disappointment; she wanted a release from the guilt and regret, even if she had to hang on to a false sense of hope.
She found a solace in that uncertainty and she tightly latched onto it, as if it was her life-support.
She took a deep breath and felt invigorated as she walked into the literature class with firm steps. The room was buzzing with students as Mr. Edward Collins casually leaned back in his chair, his eyes scanning through a book in his hands.
Margaret didn't let her eyes wander as she turned in the direction of her desk and made a beeline towards it. Behind her, Mr. Collins glanced up from his book and saw Margaret walking to her desk as a smile formed on his face before he resumed reading his book.
Margaret settled in the desk she sat last week and moved to her side as she removed her bag from around her shoulders. Then she noticed something strange on top of her desk and surveyed it carefully. She found a small piece of grey rectangular paper glued at the bottom corner. It was almost invisible on the grey desk and hard to notice from afar, unless someone specifically searched for it.
Margaret tapped her finger on the desk as she observed it with a curious gaze. She understood that it was a message solely intended for her; and whoever it was from, made sure it wouldn't end up with anybody else.
A realization sparked in her mind and Margaret immediately picked up the paper into her hands. The glue still hadn't dried and it was diluted enough to just stick it in place and not leave any paper scraps behind when pulled out.
And most certainly, it was stuck there not long before she entered the classroom. That meant, whoever it was from must be in the class and maybe even watching her right now.
As Margaret brought the paper up close for careful inspection, her nose twitched and she raised her eyebrow in interest. Her eyes glowed with recognition and her lips curved into a smirk as she opened it.
The rectangular paper was folded in perfect thirds and it unraveled two lines of message hidden in the middle part.
Margaret's smile grew big as she read the strong and sharp hand written message, and she almost laughed out loud with excitement.
[Stay away from Arthur! Change your partner or better yet, drop literature itself. Ignore my warning and I'll make your life miserable than it already is.]
It was signed with a small design of a rose colored in black – Black Rose.
So it turned out, in addition to enemies, Arthur had friends and 'fans' too. First, it was that cry baby and now this Black Rose. Maybe it was not so easy to get rid of him after all. Maybe she could see her partner soon.
Five minutes later, the bell rang as Mr. Collins put down his book and began his class. He started with a brief introduction about the author and their life history before getting into the actual topic.
Even then, he first explained the central theme and idea behind the inspirational work as he wanted his students to understand the core essence before reading the material.
Mr. Collins was a very charismatic man with a unique and innovative teaching style that allowed students to thoroughly indulge themselves without being distracted. He could capture the attention and interest of his students from the get go and pique their curiosity with his creative narration.
Margaret admired this exact feature of Mr. Collins which pulled her into literature in the first place. She could get here and then get lost in a different world, forgetting about everything else and experience the joy of an adventure.
But today, Margaret could feel nothing but disappointment as she couldn't focus and she was much more distracted than the previous classes. She dropped her head on the desk and fixed her gaze on the empty space beside her as the hope in her eyes visibly dimmed.
A transparent silhouette of a sleepy guy manifested in the space beside her. He rested his chin in his palm as he stared ahead with his signature blank gaze. He then slowly turned to her with a lively smile as his voice echoed in her mind.
'I'm Arthur.'
Margaret's eyes moistened and she immediately closed her eyes, turning her head to face down on the desk.
'Arthur is expelled.' She could hear the faltering voice of that crybaby reverberating in her mind as tears silently rolled down her cheeks. Margaret gritted her teeth and took a deep breath, controlling herself as she tightly clenched her fist, crumpling the note in her palm.
- -
"Alright, my dear disciples! We will stop here for today." Mr. Collins' voice sounded out, concluding his class. "Do me a favor and read through the parts we discussed and we'll resume from there on Friday."
He checked his watch before turning towards them again with a grin. "We still have one more minute but I'll be generous so you are free to leave anytime."
He got a few chuckles from the students and then arranged his things in order before he sat back in his chair with his book in hand. The students also started to pack their belongings and move out one by one.
Margaret wiped the tears out of her eyes and slapped her cheeks twice, ridding the depressing look from her face before she stood up and slung her bag across her shoulders.
Before long, the final bell rang aloud and she quietly walked towards the door. As she was about to head to the door, an unexpected voice halted her in mid-step.
"Ms. Laurence."
Margaret took a deep breath and forced a smile as she turned around to face her professor. "Yes, Mr. Collins." Her voice came out heavy and hoarse.
Mr. Collins came forward and stood leaning against the table, with his arms crossed and his gaze assessing Margaret through his thick rimmed glasses.
Margaret suppressed the urge to look away as she cleared her throat and brightened her smile. "Is anything the matter, Mr. Collins?"
He let out a helpless sigh and looked at her. "You tell me, Ms. Laurence. Is everything alright? You were completely distracted throughout the class and now you are leaving without even a greeting. Are my teaching skills not up to your standards anymore?"
Margaret inhaled a sharp breath and shook her head in disapproval. "No, no no, Mr. Collins. I was fully focus-" she couldn't bring herself to continue with her lie. She dropped her head with a sigh and spoke apologetically. "I'm sorry, Mr. Collins. I just have a lot on my mind, that's all. Your lessons are as good as ever."
"I am glad to hear that..." Mr. Collins spoke calmly as he removed his glasses and wiped them with his handkerchief. Margaret let out a relieved breath and nodded as he put his glasses back and smiled at her. "I was worried that I'm no longer a favorite of my favorite student."
Margaret let out a chuckle and shook her head. "You know that won't happen, Mr. Collins."
He shrugged casually and spoke with a warm smile on his face. "So, how are you Margaret? You gave me quite a scare on Friday."
"Thank you for worrying about me, Mr. Collins. But I'm fine now." She replied, grateful that he didn't mind her lack of interest in his class today.
"So listen, Margaret. I've decided to arrange another partner for y-"
"No!" Margaret blurted out before she could hold herself back as she remembered reading similar words just a while ago. 'Stay away from Arthur. Change your partner.'
Those two sentences kept ringing in her mind to the point she couldn't control her emotions anymore. She closed her eyes briefly and calmed herself before she spoke again.
"I already have a partner; Mr. Collins." She retorted sharply, "He's not here today but he will be back by Friday."
"About that…" Mr. Collins felt a bit awkward as he didn't know how to convey the news. From what he saw Friday, he assumed that Arthur and Margaret must be very close. And what he was about to say was not exactly a good news, so he was a bit conflicted. "You see… Arthur was-"
"I know, Mr. Collins." Margaret interrupted him hurriedly. Even though she already knew it, she didn't want to hear it from him. It would confirm everything and she wasn't ready for it yet.
Mr. Collins was surprised for a second, but then nodded in understanding. "So if you want, I could arrange a new partner for you. I know you'd rather not have a partner to 'bother' you, and if that's what you wish, then I can make an exception for you."
Margaret gave him a thankful smile but shook her head. "Arthur is my partner and I'm sure he will be back. If not, I will bring him back-" she paused as she realized what she just said.
That's right; she just needed to bring him back. All she needed to do was prove his innocence and clear his accusations; then he could come back and scare everybody with his blank stare again.
Slowly, the fog in her mind lifted and she realized her next course of action. She then jerked up and looked around the empty room. "Uh…I have to go now, Mr. Collins." She slowly stepped back with an apologetic smile and turned around. "See you Friday, Mr. Collins." She yelled back as she rushed past the door and into the hallway.
"Damn it, why didn't I think of it before?" she kept grumbling as she skipped past others to reach the main gates as soon as possible. She wanted to lay in ambush at the main gate to find and abduct a certain crybaby and hold her responsible for her 'indecent' actions.
But just as she was about to reach the hall doors, a thick muscular arm shot out and grabbed her ponytail, holding her back. Margaret yelped in pain as she clutched her head and stumbled to stay on her feet.
"Going home, Margie?"
It was still Monday, and trouble came searching for Margaret.