Chapter 37: Drenched with Coldwater
Chapter 37: Drenched with Coldwater
Lucas stopped reading those feeds and focused on training his skills as he went back to school. For some remaining time, the Overall Skill Selection will be held.
But with that afternoon, as he was readying to practice, his Official Media channel began crowding with posts demanding that he should apologize to Mister Vacio. Apart from that were posts demanding that he should leave the White Day High as well. Lucas got tired of reading all those posts, so he locked himself inside the training room and practiced his agility once again.
Once finished, Doll happened to call him and asked, "Lucas, are you okay?"
Lucas tried his best to relax himself and wipe his sweat inside the training room full of fallen swords and knives, as he half-leaned on the nearly-crushed wall; his fingers trailing on the swelling wound he had gotten. He replied to Doll with a sigh, "I'm good."
"Do you need any help?"
He heard the concern from Doll after her reply; his lips curled into a small smile, yet he shifted to an expressionless face quickly. "Nope, thanks."
He realized that he was getting too attached to this girl, which was bad for him and his cousin. He walked through the door and stared at his cellphone screen, planning on hanging up the call.
As he heard the phone beeping as he hung up, one thought caught him off-guard: he has no parent to attend the meeting tomorrow. He was born to a parent but did not have a parent to help him with moments like this…
A reckless man like him 'should' be betrayed by everyone including his own family…
"Victor, just where are you?"
Every sentence he made pricked him deep in the chest. However, Doll's call was like a hot chocolate in the blazing winter, giving him some consolation he thought he never need. He will get through this, and everything that he had to go through today he would claim back from Vacio in the tournament!
The next day, Thursday, his Official Page was repaired by the technical guys in the school. It was the day before the actual implementation of the Overall Skill Selection. But the people continued cursing him and being reposted. The anger from the students and the parents didn't cease and was even worse than the day before it. They were jeering at him for being a coward that was hiding since he hadn't said anything in response to them.
But Principal Lyns made him shut quiet for some time.
That made some media critics say, "Is Lucas using this to amass more support from the school? Does he think that he can be supported by both schools for picking a fight with Mister Vacio?"
Some would say, "Don't be a fool. Doing something like that to gain a notorious name for yourself will only make you a clown! Let's boycott Lucas Martin for real!"
All sorts of jeers and insults were thrown at him until they were gathered to meet at the Conference Hall to talk about the Selection's format. Most of the students accompanied their parents with them. Lucas, however, remained alone with Moon.
Before he sat, he noticed that Ghaile, who was sitting beside him, was always looking at the back of the room. She smiled and slightly waved there. When Lucas followed where she was looking at and sat, he saw a tall but slightly thin man in his mid-forties, wearing a fine tuxedo.
"My Dad," Ghaile confirmed happily when she noticed him looking back, too. She smiled at him more and gestured him to her dad while he was still looking behind.
He examined her Dad's face. He was mouthing something that he cannot hear at all, given their distance.
"Lucas? Yes, he was that Godly Potential man I said to you." Ghaile motioned to her Dad as she spoke as if he could hear her. They were far from the corner where all of the parents were sitting.
He noticed that her Dad smiled again and slightly waved his hand to him. Was that being sweet or just faking it? He was too cautious to trust people that looked too genuine, but with him being Ghaile's Dad, he thought he can trust him. He smiled back and waved at him.
"My Dad is a fan of your magic power. Just like me." Ghaile beamed. "You're so powerful, according to him."
"He is not mad at me?" He asked.
Ghaile's forehead furrowed then faced him. "Why would he be angry? You are more than what he asked for in terms of being powerful."
He smiled at what he heard. He looked back and saw a man looking like Winter. He peeked to look at him. He was indeed a resemblance of Winter!
"Winter's twin brother," Ghaile said. "He, according to Miss Winter, has been looking forward to meeting you; that's why he asked to be with Miss Winter rather than bringing her father."
Lucas observed the table where Winter's twin brother was. He was surprised when Winter's twin brother looked back at him. He was about to avoid his gaze when he slightly smiled at him instead. He wasn't thin yet was not fat as well; just the right built-up.
They were not angry about what he did to Vacio? Then why does the feed yesterday was too harsh to him?
"There's Sting's Grandparents." Ghaile pointed at another table by the center. They were the two elderly people Lucas noticed a while ago when he was entering. They sported gothic clothing, probably the inspiration of Sting's current fashion style.
"Then, there's Eyepatch's family. Eyepatch was one of the Three Beasts."
Eyepatch, as he peeked at him, has a slicked back, dark blonde hair; those were spiky and messy. Lucas can see him wearing a seemingly sleeveless, black-colored muscle shirt with a turtleneck collar underneath a woolly jacket with dark red pants and black shoes. He looked serious, as his family sat by the front around the other side of the Hall.
They somewhat looked alike to what he had expected them to be. His mother's face was strict as well as his father's. They weren't involving themselves in the whispery conversations of the others but he just knew they were definitely listening.
"And of course, Miss Doll's representative was his Dad: Headmaster Nova. She also has a distant relative who was studying here so there are some of her relatives here."
Lucas turned to the table where Doll came from before and saw her almost-perfect face. Her blue hair was put into a high ponytail at the back of her head, with some side bangs framing her small face; he can't unsee how beautiful she was.
No! He shouldn't be seeing Doll that way. She was just a friend and was close to his cousin, Moon. Other than that should be forgotten to oblivion. He tried to drive his attention when he peeked at the table beside them. His mood halfway changed.
Nath sat while partly facing her father. He could tell her father was tall even though he had his back on him. Her mother was sitting right next to her. Her mom was indeed beautiful with her gentle face. But unlike to Nath's, her mom was simpler to look at. She didn't have any make-up and other accessories, unlike her daughter. They didn't really look alike; probably she got her dad's looks.
"Those obviously are Nath's parents," Ghaile said. He noticed that Nath was trying to avoid looking in his direction. Maybe she was offended by what he did at the Founding Anniversary. "Her dad is one of the Trustees of the White Day High and also one of the major stakeholders."
That's not a surprise, he thought. Nath was a spoiled chick and was behaving flirtatiously. She has all of her accessories and her dresses with full elegance. Her parents must be something to support her fashion.
Not too long after observing all the parents that attended the meeting, Principal Lyns stepped on stage and held her microphone to begin talking about the Selection.
It indeed was about the topic of the Selection's format that Lucas watched with tolerance. Principal Lyns started to talk about the rules, then the venue, but Lucas felt that all of the students and their parents were staring at him with contempt just now.
Maybe the rest of the parents that Ghaile didn't introduce to him have no spare time of fanboying over him. Maybe those parents were the ones roasting him with all of those media posts.
He soon noticed two boys looking at him, who seemed like some students. They were just by the next table, giggling and staring intently; Lucas knew immediately that their whole group was looking at him. They were staring at him with wide eyes and slightly opened mouths.
They're selected but got that kind of attitude?
There were also some parents who, from time to time, peered back at him in a bad way. Some even were in a whispered conversation but it was obvious that they were talking about him. They seemed to be impatiently waiting for him to become the meeting's topic.
Ruining his whole mood, he was called by Principal Lyns to stop peeking from student to student and that he should focus on listening to the format given. He just sat properly on his seat, mood ruined. The meeting was about to continue until an uproar from a parent directed the topic to someone that everyone was waiting for too long—
Him.
"What kind of school is there that he could immediately be forgiven?" A civilized question from someone that shocked Lucas.
"He harmed other school's Principal —Vacio, to mention!"
"Much more, he will compete for the Selection like the school hadn't been doing any move!"
Principal Lyns bit her lips, just as Lucas did.
"Silence, everyone," the Principal calmly said. "Lucas is not the culprit. He was—" somehow, she paused there. "He was accused of an offense that he didn't commit. Lucas was innocent."
There was a moment of silence as if nothing had sunk in them immediately. But slowly, some violent uproar of complaints erupted again.
"Innocent?"
"Is this some kind of a joke?"
"What kind of accusation you said?"
Lucas didn't know what to say. His mouth suddenly went dry. Will Principal Lyns say what happened? In front of them?
"Lucas,"
He heard Principal Lyns call him. Even Moon and Doll alongside her father were now confused about what's happening.
He stood up, nerved. What would happen if he followed Lyns' orders?
"Why don't you tell these people what happened?"
Lucas was dumbstruck! Tell them what? About the whole thing? If he do, they would definitely be furious. For the first time in his life, Lucas was afraid of what the parents of the participants will say to him. Why?
"Go on." Urged Principal Lyns with a smile.
Lucas stood up straighter and acted as if he didn't care. But deep inside, he was trembling. He didn't know what was the Principal was trying to do. But this was better leaving them like this other than letting them think of other things.
He was left with no option but to face them. The crowd waited for him with their eyebrows raised. But in his mind, he won't explain anything. He would just say the reason why he was in the news. It's up to them to think whatever they want about him or how worthless they saw him in their eyes.
He didn't care; not anymore.
"I battle Mister Vacio. I attack him, kick him, punch him. So what?"
The surrounding was filled with silence. He watched all of them while they were staring at him in disbelief.
"That's why he needed that crappy reason: that medical assistance," he continued as he stressed the medical assistance phrase, facing the parents now. "I talked to him but I didn't plan any kind of—"
Coldwater directly hit Lucas' face. He was so shocked that he just stood there rigidly. His face was immediately drenched and the water dripped to his uniform. The liquid was cold. His eyes needed to adjust because of what hit him.
"You're a hypocrite!"
A parent closest to Lucas said. He looked down at the glass the parent was holding.
"Honestly, you are too cheap to be sprayed by this pure water!"
He quietly returned the parent's stare. He noticed far behind him that the other selected students were about to come in his defense, notably Winter and Pea, but Headmaster Nova gestured them not to join the fray.
This was for the better, he thought. At least they know now. He approached that parent's table calmly while holding a glass of hot water now. He just smiled before he faced the parent who tossed him the water and noticed her shock and concealed fear in her eyes.
By sensing the changed ambiance, he could almost hear Moon's concerned voice: what do you think you're doing; or Doll's frightened voice: Lucas, please calm down.
Crap! Why he was always thinking about her? He returned his focus to the parent before him.
"You said I don't deserve to be sprayed with that cold, pure water?" He just said. "I agree with you. It was too pure and luxurious to be sprayed on me."
Lucas raised the glass of the hot and visibly smoking water, pouring it on the top of his head, drenching himself. The parent stepped back at what Lucas did. Now, all of the people were staring at him. He just neglected those stares and let the hot water drip down his face before speaking.
"Satisfied?" Lucas asked. The parent didn't speak. "This is what you want to witness, right? Now, are you satisfied?" he asked again.
No one answered. He was drenched with embarrassment. He felt his hands shaking with the burning sensation he was currently at, but he decided to continue.
"Is it still not enough? So what exactly do you want to do with me? Do you want me to leave the school just like the media posts said? Boycott me?"
Lucas was trying hard not to look at the students ―Moon and Doll, as well as at the higher-ups like Principal Lyns and Headmaster Nova.
"A few weeks back, I was hoping the same thing; to flee from this place. To be bashed by all of you since I was just a transferee and I will never reach all of your levels. But you know what?"
He faced the eyes looking at him, the students, and the Principal.
"I've seen the hardships of the organizers around me just to build this tournament group, to make it whole and ready for the selection. And I realized myself, just like them, I'm also afraid for this school's group breaking apart and all their efforts and hardships merely end to nothing."
Lucas looked again at the parent in front of him.
"You know the importance of the Tournament not only for this school but also for the entirety of White Day city, correct? But I will ask you, what have you done so far to help?"
The parent opened her mouth to respond but was instead shocked silent due to the whispers she heard from the people behind her.
"Spray water on me? Tell me I'm worthless?" Lucas answered his own question on his behalf. "Actually, I don't care even if you do that to me. It actually feels good, to be honest. But before you go around complaining to everyone, please take a look at yourself and check what you have contributed."
The parent displayed much evident shock and deep embarrassment.
"If you have contributed the same amount of efforts as we did; at that point, you have the right to complain. Moreover, don't go around telling that your child and money run this school; it's no effort, it's accountability."
Every word he uttered was clear and strong, making the parent move back frequently after hearing him speak.
"I will immediately leave if those people who had let me come will send me to leave. So whatever you say or do, unless that time has not come yet, you can do nothing but acknowledge me; a selected student just like your child."
Lucas banged the glass he was holding and turned quickly to depart from the hall and from the sight of all of them. This was a waste of his time. But as he continued walking out, he was astonished when he heard a clap. He didn't know if that clap was trying to piss him off or not.
The clap repeated; slowly resonating inside the hall.
"Nice speech, Blaze Harper…"
Lucas turned harshly to where it came from and saw a familiar man clapping with a smile from the far corner of the Conference Hall. He was greatly taken aback.
Isn't that Coach Clive?
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
-- Power
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