"Remember, everyone. I will be direct, even if it makes me sound arrogant. My course is the most desired course in the entire university. I know some of you are not here because you are interested in the topic of ethics in the modern world of data, but whether you are here for my teaching skills, the topic, or my good looks, I demand you to be the best."
At the end of today's lesson, Miss Giselle gave us her heartfelt speech. She was not ignorant; she knew many young men in college were horny all day long, and she also knew that she was hot. She was an angel who fully supported her students, but she had a darker side, a side that held a whip and tyrannized her students until she got the best out of them.
It sounds sexy when I put it this way, I know. But honestly, it wasn't. She held up to the highest standards in all our assignments, making us write as though we wrote the article at the request of the university's president to be published worldwide. Her exams were by no means easy, but I must add there were never any petty questions about unimportant details.
"The reason I tell you this is your quizzes. I'm done reviewing them, and you can see the feedback on the course's website once my assistant finishes uploading the forms. Remember, there's a quiz every other class, and three strikes mean you are out of my course. I don't teach lazy students."
Without seeing the results I knew that this marked my first strike. The semester had 13 weeks, and today my third week as a first-year started. I know I will be in trouble if I don't improve my performance, but my mind is too busy thinking about my upcoming confession to Nyssa later this day to care about my studies.
"Hey, Nick, why do you think Miss Giselle is still single despite being so… well, hot?" Leo asked me as we walked to the next class, Social Justice and Unequal Distribution. We are majoring in Psychology in case you wondered.
"Maybe she is waiting for a broke chubby guy to be brave enough to approach her," I shrugged. How should I know what she was thinking?
"Ha ha ha… Besides, I cannot cheat on Merry next to her brother," he answered in a dreamy voice as though being rejected by one more girl was cheating.
*Crush*
I was abruptly knocked backward, losing my balance and tumbling onto the street's grey brick surface.
"Ah!" I groaned with pain as my elbow throbbed after absorbing the impact of the fall. My knee also adorned itself with a new painful bruise, and my pants were torn at that spot.
"Nick! Are you okay?" Leo hurriedly crouched by my side and tried to find a way to be useful. I was thankful for the gesture, but he'd probably only be able to help me up.
"Oops, I didn't see you there. You should look where you are walking," a haughty voice taught me to be a better person. Ah, it's Steven. I knew he was a scumbag.
"I… I will be more careful next time."
His build was muscular and he was ten centimeters taller than me, it'd be suicide to pick a fight when I'm already sprawled on the ground. I hoped he'd be satisfied soon and leave.
"Oh, you are Merry's brother, aren't you? Here, let me help you up," he said and gripped my hand. He pulled me to my feet without wasting time, making us look like best friends or something. But I knew better, so I just waited.
"I hope you won't tell your sister about this incident, I wouldn't want my image tarnished for such a clumsy accident," he smiled amiably. His two friends weren't as good of actors as he was, and their smiles could only be defined as sneers.
"Steven, I'm sure he wouldn't be as stupid as to pick up a fight with you."
"Indeed, and now if you don't see Merry tonight at the karaoke, you'll know it is his fault."
Their words made no sense. I think they were just venting their frustration at failing to charm Merry, but their reason did not matter to me. I was not even intending to get in their way, so what do they want from me?
"Don't be silly, Nick is my girl's brother. I naturally intend to take good care of him. But…" he then got closer to me and his volume turned lower, "It'd be weird to fuck her while her nerdy brother is around. So, please don't come to the karaoke today. We will invite you next time."
I clenched my jaws, not knowing what to do. It was a clear taunt, but it was backed by an even clearer threat. They made sure I knew the consequences of telling Merry about their disgusting personalities, and I was scared. They basically told me to my face to help them fuck my twin sister if I don't want to be beaten.
"I…" I stuttered, unable to process all this information quickly enough to come up with a respond.
"I'm sure you know what to do," Steven laughed without waiting for my answer. He patted my shoulder as though helping me to remove the dust from the ground and turned around to leave.
"Despicable!" Leo hissed at their backs as they walked away. He did not intervene in the bullying, but I didn't blame him for that. It wouldn't be of much help if he was limping home by my side, albeit it might have been a great story of comradery.
"Forget it. Let's go," I dismissed his rage with a shaky voice. I don't know what happened during the rest of the day, and I have no idea what the teachers taught. All I could think of was how to go about the situation.
I was not strong, but I also was not a coward. I'd never try to convince my sister to be with those scumbags only to save my own skin. It'd be like whoring my flesh and blood, and I hated the idea more than anything. The problem was whether I should intervene to ruin their chances with her or stay put and say nothing, hoping they might spare me if I did nothing.
'No, what am I even thinking?' I scolded myself, 'You cannot stand by when your sister might make a decision she'd regret for life! Even if they use their families to make my life miserable, even if they break my bones with their fists and kicks, my first responsibility to my family is guarding them!'
A spark of determination could be seen in my eyes at that moment, and I knew it despite not having a mirror by the heat that filled every part of my body. Suppressing every ounce of fear, I made my decision to go to the karaoke night and stop them from having it their way. 'Even at the cost of my life,' I swore.
You can bully me, you can beat me, and you can step on me. But there's a limit you shouldn't cross, and it's my family.