Saving the Villain

*SMOOTCH*

Cosette froze at the foreign sensation that touched her lips. It was brief as Sarah retracted her head back on instinct, but she stayed hovering over her. Cosette blinked, seeing the dread that was dominating her face.

"I'm dead," Sarah breathed out as she instantly broke out in cold sweats, feeling death looking at her from either side of her. She couldn't even move from fear anymore. All she could do was return Cosette's gaze.

"Oy..." came Luke's dead voice, wide-eyed. "Anyone tell me that didn't happen."

Silence fell into them as more of their classmates gazed in their direction. Someone even lowered the music's volume, unable to wrap their heads around what had just happened. It immediately sobered most of them.

Did... Cosette and Sarah just kiss?

"Wow... Yuri," Fay mumbled in disbelief, trying to close her gaping mouth, but to no avail.

For minutes, it was pin drop silence. Some even subconsciously held their breaths — including Maxen and Luke — in dismay that Cosette got her first kiss stolen, just like that. After some time, Cosette finally broke the silence with a low yet piercing remark.

"It's nice." The side of Cosette's lips curled up into a smile, followed by a short giggle. "Your lips are so soft, Sarah."

"I'm going to kill her --!"

"Oy, oy!" Fay sprung up from her seat the second she saw Luke getting up while cracking his knuckles. When she raised her arm against his chest, stopping him from what she imagined him doing; beating Sarah to a pulp.

"That's a girl, yo!"

Luke frowned. "What are you saying? I'm not going to beat up a girl!" he scrunched his nose up, but Fay looked back at him in dismay.

"How the hell would I know when you just said 'I'm going to kill here' and then crack your knuckles?"

"I said, I'm going to kiss her! That's unfair!" Luke exclaimed, almost throwing a tantrum. The alcohol in his system wasn't helping. "I've been holding myself back all this time but she just --! ugh! This is upsetting. I felt cheated! Sarah, I thought we were friends?!"

As the two clarified their misunderstanding, Sarah laughed awkwardly and pushed herself away from Cosette. The latter sat up when Sarah got off her weight from her. But unlike Cosette, who was cool with her first kiss experience — although it was an accident — Sarah was scared for her life!

She twisted her neck to the other side, which moved like rusting metals. The second her eyes fell on Maxen's dull countenance, her breath hitched. Although Maxen didn't show anger or surprise, staring into his eyes, she almost saw how she would die in them.

'I'm totally... dead.' Sarah wept internally, covering her mouth as she looked away from Maxen. In her head, she was about to see the pearly gates or the fiery doors of hell.

'Just what luck did I have to meet my doom this soon?' she asked herself, considering this world was unfair and too unforgiving to her. It was as if this world didn't know she was already scared of Maxen, that she had to slip and kiss Cosette! It was better if this was anyone else, but Cosette? Of all people her lips could land on, they landed on this beautiful girl who had boys worshiping her?!

pA n,dan(-)0ve1.c0m Anyone would question their life purpose if they were in her situation.

"Sarah, are you alright?" Sarah glanced at Cosette when the latter asked. "Did you hurt your foot?"

"Cozie..." Sarah nearly wept while Cosette was checking her ankle. Unlike everyone, including herself, Cosette was more concerned about her foot other than the highlight of this chapter in their lives. When Cosette looked back at her, genuine worry filled her eyes.

"I think you sprained it," Cosette addressed worriedly. "Can you stand?"

'I don't think I can with death staring at me,' was what failed to leave Sarah's mouth, sensing the dread crept up from her spine as Maxen's gaze never left her. 'My foot is not of my concern, Cozie. It's my life.'

"Sarah? Hello?" Cosette waved at her when Sarah just stared at her. "I'm sorry our lips touched."

For Cosette, their kiss traumatized Sarah. If only she knew what truly terrified her was what could happen to her after this. Who knows? Maxen might barge into their room in the middle of the night and strangle her. It wasn't like Maxen was a murderer or totally bad, but Sarah was utterly terrified of him and her thoughts kept feeding her the extreme.

"I — I'm fine," she stuttered and forced a weak smile that barely concealed the dread in her eyes. "Of — of course, I can..."

Sarah winced when she tried to move her foot. She sprained it. Great! What a luck she had. If only she knew this would happen, she would've just stayed in their room and scrolled through her social media.

"You sprained it." Cosette let out a deep exhale and looked at Luke, who was chugging down a bottle of beer to calm himself down. "Luke, don't drink too much. Sarah sprained her ankle."

"Hah...?" Luke's face contorted as he darted his eyes between Cosette and Sarah. "Who cares about my rival?"

"I do, Luke." She rolled her eyes.

"Let's take her inside, Cozie." Maxen chimed in, getting up from the lounge chair he was sitting on.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, Sarah swallowed a mouthful of saliva which echoed in her ear. When Maxen stood beside them, he offered a hand to Sarah. The latter looked at him cautiously while Cosette flung her feet out of the lounge chair and stood beside Maxen.

"Sarah, we'll take you inside. I'm sure they had kits and a nurse to treat your sprain." Cosette smiled, ignoring the chaos across from them, as Luke was still being a drama queen while Fay was berating him.

"Is there a morgue here?" Sarah blurted out, hesitant to take Maxen's hand as he could take her straight there instead.

"Did you hit your head? Or did you drink a bit too much?" Cosette returned, finding her question a little ridiculous. "You're not dying, Sarah."

'Not now, but maybe later!' Sarah wept internally before reaching for Maxen's hand reluctantly. Maxen helped her get up while Cosette assisted them both. Sarah limped as she held on to Maxen's and Cosette's arms. As they walked away, Cosette looked back.

"Guys, don't drink too much! We'll leave first — Luke! That's your last bottle!" she yelled, seeing Luke was wallowing in his woes while Fay also chugged a mouthful of beer out of frustration.

Cosette shook her head mildly. "They'll be fine, I guess." She then looked at Sarah, treading slower to match the latter's skips.

"You'll be fine. The Quinns were always ready for even the mildest accidents, so there should be an infirmary here or a nurse in charge." She reassured, not knowing her reassurance did nothing with this devil beside her.

'This feels like my demon and angel came to life...' Sarah let out a shallow breath, thinking that Cosette was her angel on her shoulder while Maxen was the devil who would always whisper negative things to her.

Surely, this trip for everyone was memorable. For some, it was the happiest trip they had, while for others, like Sarah, this trip would forever remain in her head because of this dread filling her chest.

*****

Just as Cosette guessed, there was a veteran nurse and doctor in the Quinns family vacation home. All she had to do was ask a servant, and they rushed to the girls' room, where Cosette helped Sarah change. As the doctor was wrapping a bandage around Sarah's foot, Cosette excused herself to answer her father's call.

"It's good that it's not that serious," said the doctor as he gazed up at Sarah, who was sitting on the edge of the bed while he was squatting down after bandaging her foot. "You'll be fine. Just don't strain it and you will walk normally in a few days."

"Thank you." Sarah smiled before the doctor in civilian clothes rose to his feet.

"That's youth, but be careful next time."

"Yes. Thank you."

With that being said, the doctor left her a prescription and painkillers just in case before excusing himself with the nurse. Watching them leave, Sarah had this strong urge to ask them to stay. How could they leave her in this room, while Maxen was staring at her from the chair in the corner of the room?

'Oh god...' she sighed for the umpteenth time, avoiding Maxen's gaze as she kept looking in the door, waiting for Cosette to return.

Maxen was sitting on the chair in the corner. His leg was resting over the other, arms crossed, eyes at Sarah. If he knew this would happen, he should've fulfilled Cosette's request earlier today. But there was no point in regret. What done was done and they couldn't reverse the time.

"Was it good?" he asked after the prolonged silence, giving the air a different kind of thickness. He noticed Sarah flinch at his question before she slowly looked back at him with pale lips.

"I'm asking…" he dawdled, watching how she held her breath. "… was it good? The kiss."

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