Chapter 25: Caspian
1173 Words
Having an awkward face, Tristan Fauxier entered the room where the Class Zero would meet Professor Josefina Buenavista back again.
Rain immediately noticed the uneasiness on his face, that is why as soon as he neared the group, Rain immediately asked him.
“What’s wrong?”
The sudden question of Rain had made Tristan jump in shock. His mind was probably flying somewhere, and Rain’s question had made him come back to his usual self.
“Huh? Ah, nothing.” Tristan scratched his head along with a weird smile curving on his lips.
“You’re not a good liar, man. You’re easily read,” said Timmy. She was also looking at Tristan, and had probably seen the discomfort on his face.
“Ah… there’s just… uh,” he hesitated.
Feeling the discomfort from Tristan, Tammy and Seven—who are talking to each other about random stuff—looked at him as well.
“Is there any problem,” asked Seven.
“Well, I think I should tell this to you, since this concerns the group.”
There were no other Class Zero students yet in the room. It was just them and their group, since there’s still an hour left before the class starts.
“Tell us. What is it?” Rain asked.
“Uh, someone wants to be part of our group.” With an awkward stare, Tristan veered his gaze from the group, then to the man that was standing at the doorway of the room.
“Hey,” the man said.
“Th—That’s the leader of the bullies,” said Tammy as soon as she saw the man that Tristan said was willing to be part of the group.
Caspian, the alpha, the leader of the bullies, the man whom Tristan and Rain saved from the sure fatality of pneumothorax, walked towards them. But the once brusque manner of his walking was gone. He walked calmly. As if shy and hesitating.
“He approached me a while ago, before I could enter the room. Then he said he wants to be part of us,” Tristan explained.
“Have you forgotten, man? He was the leader of the bullies who almost killed you and Rain yesterday at the cafeteria!”
“I saw that too. Dude, Rain and Tristan moved like assassins,” said Seven with a voice of admiration as he looked at Timmy.
“Yeah! I literally hang my mouth seeing how they moved. They’re like… protagonist in an action movie.”
Timmy and Seven appeared both their hands to each other as they both agreed to how he and Rain moved amazingly swiftly and powerful.
“I want to explain.”
Seven and Timmy stopped their conversation when Caspian interrupted.
“I really wanted to join your group without any bad intention.”
“Why? And how can you prove it.”
The silence in a four-cornered room was deafening. For about half a minute, the classroom was filled with deafening silence.
When Caspian started to move, Tristan and other of his allies had bulged their eyes as they saw what Caspian was about to do.
“Caspian it’s al—”
“Let him be.” Among the group, Rain was the only one who was not surprised when Caspian bowed on his knees.
Yes, Caspian bowed on his knees, in front of Rain in order for him to prove his desire to be part of their group.
“You answered the how. Now the why,” Rain commanded him.
“You might be doubting me for being accepted in your group because I was the leader of the so-called ‘bullies’. But ‘was’. I once was. But not now. I quitted.”
“Huh? You quitted being the leader of your group? Why?” Timmy asked.
“Out of respect,” Caspian answered.
“Respect?”
“They’ve gone out of respect to me when they all witnessed what professor Buenavista had done to me. While… someone had gained respect from me.” He looked at Rain, then to Tristan. “That’s why I wanted to be part of this group.”
“I’m thinking that the one who gained respect from you, is both Tristan and Rain,” said Seven.
“Yes.” Without any hesitation, Caspian confirmed what Seven tried to conclude. “It was them who gained my respect.”
“But how? Yesterday, y—you’re just … just want to beat them into pulp, but now you’re saying you gave your respect to them. Wasn’t it … s—suspicious?”
“That’s the reason why. That day that I attempted to beat them, is also the same day they helped me.”
“He was on the verge of death when we saw him, suffering from an internal chest injury. We could not just ignore him there, lying together with the mountain of corpses, about to die too. So we tried to help him,” Tristan explained.
“That is why I am thankful. Knowing that I became vile and evil to the two of you, you did not hesitate to help me.”
“Because if we don’t, it is as if we have murdered you.”
Caspian look down at the ground. “I know you’re capable of doing that, but you did not.”
“Maybe because these two idols here value life. Right, Rain? Tristan?” Timmy looked at both of them, but no one responded to her, which made her pout and sulk back on her chair. Seven acted to comfort her with a sad tapping on her shoulder.
“You’re accepted to the group.” Out of nowhere, Rain said.
Caspian suddenly looked up, and met Rain’s frigid stare.
“R—Really?” the smile on his face was genuine. Each of the members of their group noticed it.
“But if the others disagree, then I’m sorry.”
“No problem to me,” said Tristan with a raised hand.
“Then me too,” said Seven. “I was easily accepted here, so what’s my right to disagree?”
“Okay, me too! I’ll get to punchbag him freely, and he’s not going to complain!” Timmy made a pretentious evil laugh while making her palm and finger stiff, just like an evil witch.
“I—It’s fine to me too as long as he would not scowl at me,” said Tammy.
“Settled.”
Tristan saw how Rain looked straight at Caspian. She smiled at him, and said; “You’ll be part of our group now. Only that, I have one condition.”
Caspian blinked. With wonder, he asked; “What is it?”
Rain shifted her sitting position. She placed her elbows to each of her legs, and neared her face towards Caspian. With a crooked smile and a grazing gaze, she said, “I would not hesitate to kill anyone who will betray us. And the group.”
Frightened, Caspian nodded.
- Writer
