Arthur, Charles, and Carlos were standing in a closed, air-conditioned room. It was very well organized, with a table full of papers and office supplies. A computer was also on the table and some Excel spreadsheets could be seen through a mirror in the back.
The room also had shelves of books and files, with various trophies on display, as well as medals and certificates.
Behind the desk was a woman with an ugly expression on her face. She was obviously annoyed and her eyes were focused on Arthur.
"Can you tell me what happened?" She spoke in a hoarse, angry voice.
None of the three responded. Arthur had an indifferent expression on his face as he looked at the books on the shelf, not even seeming to have heard the question. Carlos was wearing a pale, fearful expression, as if he couldn't force a word out out of nervousness. Charles wore an annoyed expression and refused to speak.
"Okay, since none of you want to talk, the same punishment goes to all three! You will write an apology letter and deliver it directly to me. As it's the first day of school, I'm not going to suspend any of you, but know that next time I'll be much worse! Now leave!" Having made her decision, the director only looked at the three of them before concentrating on the work in front of her. She was holding back her anger at Arthur as much as possible, almost wanting to kick him out.
But she had watched a part of the occurrence hidden, so he knew she couldn't do anything to harm him. Mainly because everyone saw the scene, so he had the support of numerous witnesses.
By the time he heard the principal's decision, Arthur had already opened the door and started walking out, leaving Carlos and Charles behind. They didn't leave the room, but just closed the door and waited for the principal to lash out.
"Carlos, you can leave. And don't worry about looking for Charles again..." Marcia spoke in a slow and irritated voice. 'My son doesn't need useless people accompanying him!'
Carlos just left the room disappointed, but a little relieved. He imagined that his punishment would be several times worse, but it only ended with the end of a false friendship. He didn't really like Charles at first, and just went with him for status and cigarettes, besides the easy girls.
"Mom, you need to let me explain! That guy is just-"
"Shut up!...don't worry about going after him anymore. He already proved you're nothing to him, so don't bother. Don't worry, my son! Mommy will do anything to avenge your humiliation!" As she calmly approached, Marcia patted her son's head with affection and love.
Charles was silent, clenching his fists tightly.
'I swear i'm gonna hurt you!! Even if I have to commit a crime to do it!'
***
When Arthur left the principal's office, it was still a one-hour break period, and only 10 minutes for the bell to ring. Not far from the door were some figures waiting for him. They were spaced and far apart, but they seemed to have the same reason for being there.
When they saw that Arthur left the board, they all looked at him and walked towards him. The first to arrive was Aline.
"Are you okay? Did the principal gave you a suspension?"
"Principal? Suspension? I thought I went to the bathroom…" Arthur replied with a smile.
"Stop the idiocy! You know that picking fights at school is wrong and that you can-" Aline kept complaining, out of concern for Arthur. She didn't know why she was so angry about the situation, but she also wasn't able to count her own words. She was suddenly stopped when a hand landed on her head and caressed her.
"It's okay, you can rest easy." The smile on Arthur's face faded and he spoke calmly.
"Ahem! Aren't you forgetting about us?" A soft voice sounded in front of them.
"I haven't forgotten, Madison. Thank you so much to all of you for waiting for me, but everything is fine. The break is almost over, so let's get out of here." Arthur spoke as he walked up to the three girls and smiled.
"Arthur... Beatrice and I are going to go back to the living room and stay there. See you there!" Aline spoke as she walked over to Beatrice and took her arm. A slightly irritated expression was on her face.
Arthur said nothing and just nodded. His gaze fell straight into Beatrice's eyes, who were also staring at him. After only a moment, Beatrice turned and went with Aline.
Arthur also turned his attention to the three in front of him, but he spoke in a voice as if it weren't for them.
"Your boyfriend is still on the office. I think he's going to have some problems, so why don't you go see him?" The voice was cold and indifferent.
Patricia, who was behind the three girls, woke up with that voice and even felt a little scared. Her heart fluttered fiercely before she nodded and went to the principal's door. She dared not disobey.
"Who is she?" Madison asked out of curiosity.
"Someone I knew before I came here. It doesn't matter much. Come on, tell me how you girls are doing, I've been wanting to know some more gossip since last time." Arthur spoke with a light expression and a smile on his face.
Madison and Sara were excited to share some gossip with Arthur, as it became almost a habit during that month of conversations. Emily, who was a little further back, just looked at Arthur and smiled slightly. Her gaze seemed a little helpless with the two of them and she and Arthur always exchanged those looks when the two girls perked up.
So they spent the last few minutes of the break talking on a bench in a square. This formation caught the attention of many people, but no one had the courage to go there.
All the while, Arthur was always considerate of the girls and from time to time he stroked them on the head. His expression was kind and welcoming. When Madison and Sara got carried away during their conversation, Arthur would look at Emily with a suggestive touch and she would bring them both back to the subject.
The girls didn't notice, but in the direction directly opposite them, about 20 meters away, a group of boys were looking at them with fire in their eyes. Their expressions were obvious anger, but directed at Arthur.
'You're making too many enemies at this school, boy!'
***
When the last minutes of the break had passed and the bell rang, Arthur walked with the girls to the entrance of their classroom and said goodbye there before returning to his own classroom.
As soon as he walked in, all the students were already there and Aline and Beatrice were nearby and happily chatting.
As Arthur approached, Aline glanced at him before rolling her eyes and concentrating on the conversation again. Beatrice looked at him too, even giving a hint of a smile.
'You're in trouble now!' That's what the smile meant.
Arthur just shook his head and walked to his seat. He was calm and composed, as if nothing had happened. The whole room stole glances at him all the time and whispered things about him. The girls' eyes were even more passionate about his show of strength, and the boys wouldn't even look at him.
The whispers soon ceased when a vigorous teacher entered. He had a flawless beard, a cheerful expression and wore normal clothes. The most striking detail about him is that his right arm was missing the hand. It didn't seem like something caused by accident, but because I was born that way.
"Hello everyone, Good afternoon! My name is Matheus and I am one of the professors in your Logistics course. I am the professor responsible for the Introduction to Logistics subject." The teacher spoke calmly as he rubbed his left hand on the stump. It seemed to be a habit, as he did it naturally.
Some people looked at the stump quizzically, while others just acted normally. It wasn't very difficult to accept something like this a few years ago, as accidents or birth problems are always around.
While the teacher explained the subject and a few more procedures to the students, Arthur just twirled the pen between his fingers and looked at the back of Beatrice's head.
He was staring at that straight, shiny, silky hair, which fell like a waterfall and the rainbow glow was replaced by a white glow reflecting the light.
It was possible to see that Arthur's irises twitched slightly a few times, but soon stopped.
He approached slowly from behind and spoke directly into Beatrice's ear:
"Thanks..."
That abrupt, sudden voice teased Beatrice's nerves, but she felt a shiver run up her spine, making her immobile. Her cheeks flushed violently, but soon the blood circulated normally.
She looked at Arthur, who was already back in his chair and his eyes closed. He still rolled the pen calmly in his hand.
'Idiot!'
While she had some secret thoughts, Beatrice turned her attention back to class. But her body was warm and her heart was beating faster than before.