"You are late! I don't care what excuse you had! You cannot be late to class whenever you like. Stand beside the door and don't make any noise."
Lisa was almost 21 years old, but the teacher did not notice it and decided to punish Lisa as if she were a kid.
The other students in the class let out a chuckle at Lisa's expanse, but she did not care anymore.
As long as the punishment Lisa received did not involve her being physically hit, she was willing to take anything. It was not like arguing with the teacher would get her anywhere.
Lisa was used to standing in this corner. At this point, it felt more like her place than the desk in this classroom. It was calm and quiet, but students often gazed at her and made fun of her.
Today was one of Lisa's better days since no one decided to throw a random paper at her. Usually, it happens by now.
It was a calm class until Emma Rose opened the classroom door five minutes later.
The tall and imposing female entered the room, and her cold aura threatened anyone to comment on her being late.
Even the teacher looked nervous and taken aback by Emma's sudden entry.
"Y-You are late-"
Emma looked at the teacher, which made her lose her tongue. No one else commented on Emma's entry, either.
Lisa was the only one who looked at Emma and saw her tense shoulders. Emma Rose was not looking at Lisa, but she might as well be glaring at her now.
That was what her attention felt like to Lisa.
*Cough*
"It cannot be helped. Since this is your first time being late to class, I will not punish you. Go and take your seat now."
The teacher tried to regain the class's momentum by coughing into her hands and showing that she was in control.
She and all the other students looked at Emma, but the tall female did not step toward her seat.
Instead, Emma looked at Lisa with a raised brow.
The question in Emma's eyes was clear. But the teacher coughed into her fist to change the topic and divert attention.
When that did not help, the teacher decided to speak up.
"You don't need to worry about Lisa Grace. Like you, She was late, but it was not her first offense. As I said, I am not punishing you because this was your first time. You might not be as lucky the second time."
The teacher tried to make Emma feel like she was in the teacher's debt. It was an excellent way to force the students to misbehave and obey the teacher.
Only…Emma seemed not to have gotten the reminder.
"Give me the same punishment. You should treat me and Lisa equally."
Emma Rose spoke for the first time, and her words left everyone stunned.
No one knew whether Emma was joking or serious, and no one had ever asked the teacher to be punished.
The teacher looked the most shocked. She opened and closed her mouth, not knowing what to say to Emma about her request.
"What do you mean you want to be punished? I am telling you that I will forgive you for being late today. Why are you trying to get yourself into danger? Just go and sit down now."
The teacher tried to make Lisa move again, but Lisa was stubborn and decided to hold her ground.
Ultimately, the teacher gave up, and her anger flared at being insulted like this.
"Fine! Don't listen to me; keep standing like this if you want to! I no longer care what you choose to do either! Just stand in the corner since you like it so much."
The teacher sounded angry, and for good reasons. She felt she was being insulted by Emma, which resulted in the following:
Emma joined Lisa in her corner without speaking a word.
Her presence so close made Lisa feel weird. She was unsure if she liked Emma this close or if it made her feel worried.
However, one thing Lisa did know—Emma standing with her meant that students continued to look at her repeatedly. This made Lisa feel nervous, and she shifted in her place.
That, in turn, made their teacher angry enough to glare at her. But Emma acted like a shield between the pair, preventing the teacher from doing too much to her.
Ultimately, the teacher did not even last ten minutes under Emma's eyes pressure. She ended up sighing and gesturing for Emma and Lisa to sit back.
Emma leveled the teacher with a cold glare and forced Lisa to walk before her.
It almost felt like Emma galred at the teacher to ensure the teacher would not play tricks on her.
Lisa felt secure but spooked out at the same time. However, she did not say anything since she did not want Emma to feel inadequate about her choices.
Emma did not speak about what happened until lunch when she dropped beside Lisa in the cafeteria. No one else dared to come close to their table.
No one, except an extremely popular anonymity - Nick Lawrence.
Not only did he ignore all the people calling out to him and asking him to sit at their tables, but he also ignored the warning signs Emma was shooting out of her eyes.
Nick focused on sitting before Lisa, shooting for it like a bullet.
He was fast, but Emma was somehow quicker, and she managed to drag the chair away before Nick could grab it and sit down.
That did not deter Nick's enthusiasm, so he sat beside Lisa instead. He did not seem to mind either way.
"Go back to your people, you darn leech! How often do I tell you you are not welcome here before you get the message?"
Emma asked angrily, but Nick looked calm and unbothered by her.
"Well, I don't care what you think or do not think. I am not here for you! I am here for Lisa."