The Black Swan Behind (Beauty of Fire)

Chapter 14: Bullying In Campus Hallway

“Ah! That sucks!” Emma muttered as she rubbed her watery face. “Let it be then!” She took a bottle of shampoo and poured its blue liquid over her head before rubbing it until it foamed.

After taking a shower, Emma dried her hair and packed up to go home. With the clothes that had been changed, she would go straight to the supermarket to fill the kitchen ingredients and the refrigerator at home.

Emma realized it wasn’t just the bathroom that was empty. Apparently, the entire campus building was also very quiet. Maybe because tomorrow was a national holiday, surely everyone was busy gathering with their respective families. Things that, of course, Emma never felt with her family.

After she finished packing, Emma stepped out of the bathroom in a white t-shirt and black training pants, all of which were labelled by a well-known sportswear brand. Amid her leisurely pace, Emma could hear the squeaking of her sneakers sole, because the campus hall was already very quiet. But Emma was not afraid of anything, neither humans nor ghosts.

For Emma, ??as long as we are brave, then we can beat anything. Because the fight is not just relying on strength alone. But courage and ingenuity too.

Suddenly a faint voice caught Emma’s attention. Because of that, she slowed her footsteps. Emma strained her ears as she tried to hold her breath. The faint voice sounded again. It came from the north that led to the hallway of the classrooms which must have been empty by now.

Curious, Emma decided to check what the sound was. She glanced at her watch and it was still five in the afternoon. If she went shopping around six or seven, she would still have time to study until ten.

.....

“Okay!” She mumbled lightly.

Then she stepped back a little faster towards the source of the sound which turned out to be a mixture of annoying giggling sounds. From her experience, that giggling sound was exactly like the sound of his father’s men torturing other gangsters’ members that they were holding as captive.

“I’ll just check, and go home.” Emma said to herself.

The closer she’d been, the clearer the sound became. But Emma could tell that the laughter was like a suppressed laugh. Well.. it means the laughter that, as possible, shouldn’t be heard by anyone. Until Emma came to a corridor crossing, she knew that the sound source was behind the walls of the other aisle. She decided to hide and peek.

There were three guys who looked familiar. They were bullying a guy with a body that was covered by their large body. The veins on Emma’s forehead were sticking out. What was that? Ah.. She became even more annoyed when she realized that the three guys were the same persons who bullied Roger last time.

“Kkkkk! Take off his pants!” Chucked one of the guys in a baseball jacket.

“Hey, loser! Take off your pants! I know you hid it there, right??” The other guy chuckled too.

“Please don’t do this. I don’t have any more money!” The voice of the guy under their feet sounded very trembling.

Suddenly a guy with a tattooed hand swung his kick at the guy’s shoulder. Bughh!!

“How can a rich kid like you run out of money! Come on.. We know you still have a lot of money. Why are you saving so much if you can’t spend it on anything? You don’t have a girlfriend to feed, do you? But we have. That’s why, give us your money now!” He said as he kicked again.

“AKH!! I.. I swear.. My money has run out. You guys took it two days ago..”

“Oh... So it was our fault?!!” A guy with a hat took off his backpack and slapped it hard against the guy’s head.

“Ah.. you bastard! My bag is torn now..” He quickly regretted it as he picked up that black thing again. He stepped back to take a closer look at the tear.

With that, the figure of the guy they had been covered by those bullies could be seen. Emma didn’t expect that she had to see Roger’s condition in such a position again.

It turned out that the poor guy who was bullied by those three raccoons was Roger. Emma’s seatmate, who was until this moment, she had have not replaced his eraser. Emma didn’t deny, now she felt that she knew Roger well enough.. Well.. even if it was just a few paragraphs of talk with him.. But for Emma, ??it was one of the highest friendship levels in her life.

“Damn it! You have to compensate for the damage to my bag!” The guy returned to Roger who was sitting scared on the floor in tattered clothes. His hand was holding a large match made of iron in the shape of a box. He swung it down, about to slam the hard object against Roger’s body.

Emma was unconscious. But now, she found herself standing near them, with her tote bag that filled her dirty clothes lying on the floor. Apparently, earlier Emma threw the bag with a picture of the swan, right on the head of the kid who was about to smack Roger.

Silence immediately replaced the chaos that had been echoing in the hallway. All eyes were on the figure of a beautiful girl who stood frozen with a shocked face at her own actions.

But out of all the shock, Roger’s face was the palest and disbelieving. Roger didn’t really know Emma, ??but he knew she was a good girl. And he didn’t want a girl with a bright future like Emma to end up being ruined, just because of helping a coward like himself. But how come that girl always showed up when Roger was been beaten?

“Hmm.. what are you doing?” The guy with a tattooed arm squinted at Emma. His arms were folded in front of his chest.

The other two guys also reacted. But a crooked smile graced their lips. Like a predator sniffing weak prey.

Emma cleared her throat, she stepped back as the three guys began to take two steps toward her, “I should be the one asking. What are you guys doing?” She said it as calmly as possible. There was no quiver in her voice. Because she wasn’t afraid of the three cowards. She was just afraid of losing control and ending up breaking their necks.

“What we do is none of your business, beautiful. The problem here is, you were throwing my head with that pink bag of yours.” The guy pointed at Emma’s bag which was still lying on the floor.

“You deserve it. I can’t let you guys bully.” Emma answered firmly.

But that answer even provoked laughter from the three guys. They stared at each other while holding their stomachs in amusement.

“Then what can you do, huh? Are you going to beat us up? Or report to the teachers like an elementary school kid?”

“Mind your own business, pretty girl. This loser doesn’t deserve any help from a pretty girl like you. You guys are on different levels.” Said the other guy.

“Keep your bullshit in your mouth. Roger is my friend. If you bullying him. Then you’ll have to deal with me too.” Emma growled.

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Cursed Together With Mr.Vampire; I need to drink his blood!