Chapter-20 Sorry

Jay-jay's POV

Can I turn back time? I wish I hadn't left the cubicle earlier, or better yet, I wish I hadn't gone to the restroom at all so I wouldn't have encountered these coloring books.

Another problem to deal with. What a headache!

"What are you waiting for, Jay? Kneel now," Freya said with a smile.

"N-no." I answered her, and her mood immediately changed.

"What?! What do you mean no?!" she shouted angrily, stomping her feet.

"Jay… Just do what she said," Aries ordered.

I took a deep breath. They're so irritating. Every single one of them surrounding me. It's as if humiliating others brings them joy.

People like them deserve a taste of their own medicine. You know that saying in the U.S., 'A taste of their own medicine'? They say that when they turn someone's tricks back on them.

"Okay…" I replied, making Freya grin from ear to ear.

Should I add some color to her face using my fist? Would she still be smiling then?

"What are you waiting for? Kneel already!" Freya said.

So eager? Can't wait?

I took another deep breath. I did that several times.

I used to get into fights a lot before. I don't know, I just felt like my anger would fade whenever I hurt someone.

But if there's one thing I learned from fighting, it's to pick my battles and not waste time on those that aren't worth fighting.

In my situation now, I'd rather fight back, even if people like Freya aren't worth it.

"I'll do what you want, but before that, shouldn't you apologize first?" I said, looking at Freya seriously.

She chuckled slightly. "To whom? You? Why would I?"

"Not to me… What was her name again?... Tss. Right! Ella."

Freya's face suddenly turned serious, as did the two Canvas members with her.

I don't just know how to fight physically—I know how to fight in other ways too.

Aries suddenly looked interested and stepped closer to us. It was clear to me that Ella was his girlfriend, so I knew there was a chance he would get involved.

"To Ella?" Aries asked, glancing at Freya before looking back at me.

"Why me?" A soft voice spoke.

We all turned to look, and the girl Aries had his arm around before—the one who looked Korean—came into view. She's Ella?

I just changed my mind—I actually want to get to know her. She looks even prettier up close.

"W-what are you talking about? W-why would I apologize to Ella? I didn't do anything to her," Freya asked frantically.

"But earlier in the restroom, you said, 'Ella's such a flirt, she's after every famous guy in school.' I heard you say that."

Freya froze at what I said. She was clearly scared.

Bull's eye!

Aries clenched his fists, his brows furrowed, and he shot a glare at Freya.

"W-what? No! Stop making things up! We never said that…" She turned to Ella. "…Believe us! That girl is just making up stories! Right, girls?" Freya asked her two Canvas members.

"Y-yeah… T-that's right," the two stammered.

"See? That girl is just making up stories!" Freya turned back to me, her eyes burning with anger. "…Stop lying! You're just trying to get out of what we're making you do!"

I raised an eyebrow at her words.

This girl doesn't seem to understand basic instructions.

"Why would I make up a story just to get out of this? And in case you didn't understand, let me make it clear—I'm willing to kneel, kiss your shoe, and apologize, but only if you apologize to Ella first for the things you said about her," I explained.

In short, I'm not trying to escape this. I just want fairness in apologizing.

We all did something wrong in the restroom. And honestly, it feels unfair because all I did was splash them with water.

Aries stepped closer to Freya and grabbed her collar tightly.

"You called Ella a flirt?!" Aries asked angrily.

I could see Freya's eyes welling up with tears—probably from fear of Aries.

I've never seen Aries angry before, but since he's Angelo's brother, they're probably the same.

"N-no… Please, Aries, believe us. We didn't say that," Freya pleaded, her voice soft, almost begging.

I was starting to feel a little sorry for her, but I had already started this.

Doing something bad to bad people doesn't make it right, but my irritation with them got the better of me.

I don't want anything bad to happen to them, but they need to learn their lesson.

"You, of all people, said that?! What right do you have to judge Ella?!" Aries shouted angrily.

By the look on Aries' face, he was absolutely furious at Freya. His protectiveness over Ella was obvious.

Why does that seem kind of… enviable?

"Aries!" Canvas-1 suddenly shouted. "Listen… Maybe Jay-jay really did hear those words in the restroom, but what if we weren't the ones who said them?"

Now, everyone was looking at Canvas-1.

Huh?! What are they trying to say? But they were the only ones in the restroom. It couldn't have come from someone outside.

"You guys are full of—"

"Jay-jay didn't see who said it, right? She just heard it," Canvas-1 added.

What are they trying to say? They had just entered the restroom when I came out of the cubicle.

Impossible!

Freya suddenly seemed to have an idea.

"That's true. She was inside the cubicle when those words were said."

Aries let go of her. It was clear that he was getting even more annoyed by what these "coloring books" were doing.

"If it wasn't you who said it, then who?! WHO?!" Aries shouted angrily.

Even students from other sections were visibly scared of him.

"It was Mica… She was the one who said it," Canvas-1 said.

Everyone turned to look at the girl beside Ella. She was the one who had been with Freya earlier, the one who stood out among them. Her face showed a mix of confusion and fear.

"H-huh?" she stammered.

"It's true... She was the one who said that while we were chatting in the restroom earlier," Freya explained.

It was true that they were all together, but it seemed impossible that she was the one who said it.

Two guys grabbed Mica and dragged her in front of Aries. I saw Freya smirk at the two Canvas girls with her.

"Did you say that?" Aries asked calmly.

"N-n-no..."

She really didn't. Mica's voice was soft, and I didn't even hear her say anything inside the restroom.

"It was really her, Aries. She was with us in the restroom," Freya insisted, turning to me. "You saw her inside too, right?"

"Yes… but—"

"See? It's her, not us!" Freya said smugly.

"Yes, but that's not—"

"She should be punished!" Canvas-1 shouted.

"Wait a second! I didn't—"

"Yeah, punish her already!" Canvas-2 added.

Damn it! Let me speak!

I was about to step forward to explain to Aries, but suddenly, one of the guys holding Mica collapsed, followed by the other one.

It was Calix!

He immediately pulled Mica into a protective embrace. "No one can hurt her! You'll have to go through me first!"

Mica tried to break free, but Calix held her tightly.

"Stay out of this!" Aries shouted at him.

The tension escalated. I saw Section E move—Keifer approached Calix, followed by Felix, Kit, and two others.

"You guys just love jumping into trouble, don't you?!" Aries sneered.

Okay… No need to guess where this is heading. This was definitely going to turn into a fight!

Isn't anyone going to stop this? A guard? A security officer? A teacher? Anyone?!

"We're from Section E, right? We don't back down from fights," Felix said.

"And we don't abandon each other," Kit added.

The tension between them was intense. The other Section A students also started moving to Aries' side.

Damn it!

I was about to step in to break things up, but suddenly, someone yanked my hair.

"Ouch! What the hell?!"

"This is all your fault!" Freya screamed, pulling my hair even harder.

"What do you mean, me?! You guys—"

A hard slap cut me off.

I felt my cheek go numb from the pain. There was no need to ask who did it. It was obviously Freya.

Don't fight back! Don't stoop to her level!

Right! I shouldn't—Aaarrrggghhhh!! Her smug face is so infuriating!

I slapped her back, making her fall to the ground.

Crap! That might have been too hard!

Everything went still. Everyone stared at us. Freya suddenly started crying, and her cheek turned red.

"How dare you do that to Freya?!" Canvas-2 yelled.

I thought the two Canvas girls were going to attack me, but to my shock, they grabbed a bucket and prepared to throw its contents at me.

It was too late to run, too late to dodge. All I could do was raise my arms to shield my face.

I braced myself to get drenched, but instead of water, a warm body slammed into me. Someone hugged me.

Just as I looked up to see who it was, the liquid from the bucket splashed onto the person who had shielded me.

David?

He looked at me and said, "We're even now."

That was all he managed to say before suddenly collapsing on top of me.

I struggled to support his weight and instinctively placed my hands on his back. It wasn't just wet—it was sticky. And something was moving.

I looked down and saw what was on his back. Mud and… WORMS!!

That's what Canvas-2 put in the bucket. Yuck! Ewww!

But that wasn't what worried me. David was unconscious! And he was burning up!

What do I do?

I turned to Section E, hoping someone would help, but they were too busy watching the fight. Aries and Keifer were already throwing punches at each other.

Seriously?! Isn't anyone going to help us?!