Emma stepped into the classroom. Since she first entered this campus, she patented her seat, which was next to Roger's. Instinctively, Emma wanted to protect that bullied guy. Even if she did it in secret, and there wasn't much she could do for the guy with the bright blue irises either. But at least she could put an eye on Roger if he started being colonized by the bullies.
Putting down her black leather backpack, Emma glanced at Roger's seat. Since two days ago, that guy was absent, with no information at all. Emma had a bad idea. Could it be that he was beaten again like last time?
"Emma..." Called a guy with spiky hair as he approached her desk.
Emma sighed lazily in her heart, but turned around with a fake smile.
"You always come early, don't you?" Asked that guy who named Brian. The chit chat was sickening.
Emma nodded once. She picked up her book, pretending to be studying. Hoping it would drive Brian away. But instead of leaving, his friend Lary joined in.
"Damn it!" Emma sighed inwardly.
"Good morning Emma." Greet Lary.
"Morning," Emma answered carelessly.
"Emma, in the fall season like this, the guys love to hang out at night. Would you like to come with us? We have a great place. I heard you just moved to Handway city." Lary sat in the seat in front of Emma in a cowboy style.
"Sorry, I don't like hanging out at night." Rejected Emma straight away. But still with a sweet attitude.
"Oh.. It's just once, Emma. Don't worry, there will be a lot of other girls coming along. It's going to be fun." Brian knew that girls like Emma were usually afraid to be asked out by boys if she was the only girl in the group.
"Roger!" Emma's eyes widened when she saw the guy who always looked down was walking into the classroom.
Roger who heard his name being called, then looked up at Emma who looked excited by his presence. Unfortunately, Emma was surrounded by two barbarians who often bully him in the class. He didn't answer, but looked down again as he continued walking to his seat.
Brian and Lary glanced at each other. They were very unhappy to see the loser Roger get the attention of a girl as beautiful and cool as Emma. If the girl wasn't there, they might have dragged Roger into the bathroom and stuck his head in the toilet.
"Good morning, Roger. Where were you yesterday?" Asked Emma. Deliberately turning her body to turn her back on Lary and Brian.
"At home," Roger answered in a barely audible voice.
Suddenly Lary had moved to Roger's side and wrapped his arm around the guy's shoulder roughly. "Roger! Where have you been? We missed you!"
Emma frowned. While Roger desperately held his body that was about to tremble in fear. Didn't know what problems he will face. He hoped that a girl as beautiful as Emma wouldn't have to be around him anymore. Because she actually would bring more big problems for Roger and make his life even more tormented. But Emma didn't seem to understand at all.
"Tonight, the guys are going to hang out on Jen Marrie Street. You must come!" said Brian. Roger stared at him blankly. For God Neptune! He was never once invited to go out with his college friends. What kind of storm would become?!
"How? You will come, right?" Brian pushed him.
"Why? Why are you asking again? Roger will be excited to join and will definitely come. There's no way he would refuse our invitation. We're fun people, Roger would love to hang out with us." Lary tightened his grip. Signalling for Roger to obey. And the threat worked. The poor Roger forced himself to nod rather than hurt his neck.
"Well! Nice then!" Brian exclaimed happily. Then he looked at Emma. "You would come, wouldn't you Emma? Even Roger would come. Why wouldn't you?"
Emma growled inwardly. These bastards deliberately invited Roger to come with them. It seemed they realized that Emma had a special feeling for Roger. But what annoyed Emma, even more, was that they had succeeded. Emma knew what they would do to that poor guy if she didn't join up. So, like it or not, Emma must come to protect him.
"But not until midnight huh .." Emma replied.
"YESS!! Don't worry Emma.. We're good guys, for real." said Brian.
***
Night fell fast. Emma came out of her house gate in blue jeans, a bright beige knitted turtle neck inner, wrapped in a light pale brown coat. She let out a long sigh, then walked to the bus stop on the main road.
The girl blew her hands which were joined together in front of her mouth "Why am I here? Freezing like this?" She grumbled to herself. Still didn't believe she could be that kind to take the initiative to make sure that the bullied guy was safe.
A big blue bus with a commercial advertisement on its body approached. Emma got up and rubbed her arms because the cold made her start to shiver. It seems winter was almost here. Maybe it would be snowing soon. Emma stepped her foot in the bus with some eyes on her as if she was a famous model walking on a catwalk stage.
Feel uncomfortable? Definitely. It seemed that Emma had never gotten used to getting hungry stares from those wild crocodiles. She wanted to gouge their eyes out... Or at least glare at them back. But that wasn't something she could do in this place. In her new world.
Annoyed, Emma sat in the passenger seat. She deliberately took two-person seats, which one of the seats was already occupied by a sleeping granny. She could predict what she would experience if there was an empty seat beside her. The bus sped past four stops until a female computer voice said 'Jen Marrie stop'. That was where Emma had to go down.
As the deal, everyone would gather in front of the mini-market which was the closest place to the Jen Marrie bus stop. Holding the strap of her sling bag, Emma walked towards the mini-market. Which turned out to be... quiet. The guys still hadn't arrived. Except for Roger.
Emma smiled spontaneously when she saw the figure of a guy with bright brown hair and his blue eyes blocked by thick black-framed glasses. He wore blue jeans with an oversized black jacket. His style was geeky. Emma admitted that.
"Hey!" Greet Emma. "The others haven't arrived yet?"
Roger looked a little surprised. "They haven't come yet," he replied, bowing his head again.
"Hmm.." Emma scanned Roger's face. "You wear glasses?"
Roger sighed 'Damn' in his heart. He hoped Emma didn't see her cheeks turning red with embarrassment. He immediately turned his brown spotted on the cheeks face to another direction. His hands couldn't help reflexively touching the glasses Emma was talking about. "I.. I can't see well at night."
"Ohhh..." Emma nodded. Her mother was like that too.
Silence replaced their super short conversation. Until Emma glanced at Roger's hands which were already reddened with bluish nails that trembled slightly.
"You've been waiting for a long time, haven't you?" Guess the girl.
Roger nodded once "Not too long. I'm afraid might coming late."
"What late.. You can see me even came ten minutes too early."
"Hey!" The two people immediately looked back, where a middle-aged man was standing in the glass doorway of the mini-market.
"Go inside. It's cold outside. Especially you..." he pointed at Roger. "Who are you waiting for? Aren't your toes frozen, standing there for an hour?"
Emma immediately looked at Roger with a face of disbelief. Crazy! Did he wait for one hour? Was this guy that scared?
"Yeah.. We're fine. Thanks for the offer." Refuse Emma politely.
Emma glanced at Roger again, noticing that he looked embarrassed that he had been waiting for an hour. He even tried to calm himself down, trying to remind himself that Emma had seen enough evidence of how cowardly he was.
"Hah.. You're like my uncle. Whenever he made an appointment, he always comes way too soon. You guys are the type of person who'd rather wait than be waited on. Sometimes the world needs someone like that.." Emma said. Roger looked straight at her with wide eyes. The girl just shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.
"Ah! there they are." Emma pointed to the east.
"Emma!" Brian ran over to her. With a black leather jacket and shiny black tights, typical of a rock band boy. "Sorry for the long wait."
The five others followed Brian. There were three guys and two girls. Emma knew quite well the other two guys. They were Lary and Donny, her classmate. Each embraced their partner. Which one of them was.. very familiar in Emma's eyes.
Poppy! Was she a member of their gang?