Chương 14: Paper ball

Gingerly, Julie stepped inside the detention room.

This was the last place she wanted to be at, and this time she had herself to blame for what happened yesterday. She should have known that the person who had her uncle's letter would not have sent the letter through one of the girls.

Julie had fallen right into Eleanor's trap, and she clenched her teeth on seeing Eleanor and her friends, who had already arrived in the room. As if the girl's company wasn't enough, today, two more people were present in the room. One was the porcupine with his two lackeys, and the other one was Roman, who sat at the far back corner of the room.

Her eyes quickly searched for an empty seat so that she could occupy it. But thanks to her trip near the counsellor's room, there were only two left.

One was right in front of Roman, and the other one was next to Mateo's seat. It seemed that Satan had personally decided to put her in this situation. Sitting next to the porcupine was something she would never do, considering what happened the last time they had met. Like many other times, she had avoided getting in his direct line of vision, but here she was today.

The detention teacher arrived in the room, throwing a big book on the table that quietened the students' chatter.

Seeing Julie still standing, Ms. Martin questioned her, "Have you decided to stand here for the rest of the time? Take your seat."

Julie started to walk, her feet feeling as if she was walking in water, and she pulled the chair in front of Roman's desk. On her way, she didn't make eye contact with him, and she sat down.

"Let me take a look at the faces that we have in here. Well, well. Looks like we have our usual regulars who like to break rules," Ms. Martin sarcastically praised them. "Roman, Mateo, Justin, Tucker, Eleanor, and Wren, how lovely to see you. I thought some of you fixed your ways, but it seems like it is hard to straighten the curled tail," this earned snickers from some of the students, and Ms. Martin sent a glare.

"I would like to see how many of you would like to snicker once you are done with today's detention," warned the teacher, and her eyes fell on Julie. "What are you doing here? Have you decided to be a regular like the rest? Anyways," said the woman without letting Julie speak.

Julie wanted to say something, but she was already here, and there was no point discussing it. The sooner she would finish serving detention, the sooner she would be out of here.

Ms. Martin said, "I want you to write an essay of a thousand words about this university. Be creative and learn how to write. I will count every word before letting you out of this place. Your time starts now until you are done."

On hearing her words, some of the students groaned in disapproval. When someone came to call her, she said, "I don't want any fights when I am gone. You know the rules," and she stepped out of the detention room.

Like the good girl Julie was, she pulled out her notebook and pen, and she started to write the essay. She decided to write about the buildings while trying not to complain about the university's bizarre rules or what she heard last night.

Today's students were primarily delinquent ones, and they didn't bother to pull out their books until minutes passed. When she was done writing one page, she looked to her side and noticed Eleanor, who looked like she was ready to break her pen into two pieces because of mere jealousy. Now that Julie thought about it, she realized Eleanor had not dared to take the seat that she had occupied.

When Julie was done writing her second page, she looked at the room. Daring herself, she turned to look back at her considering how quiet it was. As expected, Roman hadn't bothered to open his book. Instead, he had placed one side of his head on the desk, and his eyes were closed to face away from the students and towards the wall.

Julie wondered what Roman was doing last night in the forest. She wondered if he had heard someone scream in the forest too, but as much as she wanted to ask him, until now, they had never had an actual conversation. His demeanour was enough to let one know that he didn't want to be bothered.

Turning to sit on the side of her chair, she raised her hand with her pen and poked his arm.

Roman slightly raised his head, his eyes holding a sliver of annoyance in them. "What?" he asked her, his voice husky.

"Sorry for waking you up, but there is something that I want to ask you," whispered Julie, while having her chair slightly lean back as she sat on the side. "What were you doing last night in the forest?" she asked him in a low voice, staring into his dark black eyes that reflected her.

"I don't know what you are talking about," replied Roman and laid his head back on the desk.

Julie frowned. She didn't want others to hear her, and her chair leaned back a little more this time.

"I saw you standing on the branch of the tree. Is that why you are here?" inquired Julie.

"Aren't you nosey," murmured Roman, and Julie pursed her lips.

She was asking him because she wanted to know if he had heard somebody scream in the forest. "You see," whispered Julie, "Some of your beloved fans lost their not so precious things in the forest and this morning they were demanding me about it."

"People lose a lot of things in the forest. Sometimes even a person gets lost. Don't bother," his eyes were closed and his words nonchalant.

Julie wondered if he was in the mood to joke with her. She wanted to discuss what happened without being the first one to mention it. That way, she wouldn't be necessarily breaking any rules set by the university.

"You are here because you were outside the dorm past eleven, aren't you?" Julie asked in a polite tone. She was sure he was a person who broke more than one rule in a day.

While Julie was waiting to get an answer, her chair had leaned a little too much, and it was ready to crash against Roman's desk. But Roman was quick enough to stop the chair from falling further back by placing his foot against her chair. The sudden jerk of the chair had made her heart topple.

Roman raised his head, looking straight into her eyes, and he asked, "Don't you have an essay to finish?"

"I do," Julie solemnly replied.

"Good," and he suddenly pushed her chair back to its original state where the chair was no longer leaning towards his desk.

Him letting go of the chair gave a quick jolt to her. She should have expected this response as she had invaded his space.

Turning back to her book, Julie wondered if Roman had or had not heard the scream. The scream had been nothing less than a horror movie in the night. The only difference being she was not a viewer but one of the possible could-be victims. Thinking about it, she realized that she had seen him near the outer edge of the forest, which was far away from the restricted area of the forest.

Julie had been desperate to get an answer, which was why she had taken the initiative to talk to Roman. When she had earlier leaned backwards, she had smelt his cologne. It seemed like it was turning into a habit of hers, thought Julie to herself.

While she finished writing the third page about the library, a crumpled paper came flying and hit her hand. Who was this imbecile trying to disturb her? Her eyes looked around and found Eleanor staring at her and then looking down at the paper near her chair.

Staring at the girl for two seconds, Julie leaned forward to pick up the crumpled paper, and she opened it to see what it was.

'Liar. You are trying to get closer to him.'

Julie rolled her eyes. Seriously this girl, she thought in her mind. Placing the paper on the side, she continued writing her essay while some students continued to waste their time. Soon came another crumpled paper that hit her head.

'You are dead meat.'

Julie quickly crumpled the paper, and to Eleanor's shock, she threw it back at the girl's head.

Internally, Julie grinned on seeing Eleanor's expression when the crumpled paper hit the girl's face. It served her right, for behaving like a child and throwing paper at her. She turned back to her book to finish her essay.

Eleanor, who was not used to being retaliated by people, got up with the chair screeching against the floor, making some students flinch.

But before she could walk over where Julie was, Ms. Martin appeared back in the room and noticed her, "Looks like you have finished your essay, Eleanor. Bring it to me."

Eleanor's face scrunched, and she replied, "I am not done writing it," she lied as she hadn't written a single word yet.

Ms. Martin stared at the girl, one of her eyebrows raised, and she asked, "What are you doing standing up then?" Eleanor straightened her skirt and sat back in her seat. "Hurry now."

Being the obedient student she was, Julie was the first one to finish her essay, and she went to Ms. Martin handed it over while she hung her bag on one side of her shoulders. The woman read what she had written and handed it back to her before waving her hand for Julie to leave.

Before stepping out of the room, Julie's eyes fell on Roman, who had gone back to sleep with his head on the desk without bothering to write a word. Tearing her eyes away from him, she walked away from there.

She was happily able to walk back to her room at the thought that all the troublesome students were present in one room under the teacher's eyes.

"I was worried thinking something might happen in detention today, but you look happy," remarked Melanie, who was sitting outside the Dormitorium stairs, waiting for Julie.

"Strangely I do feel happy," replied Julie.

Melanie looked at her curiously before wondering, "Did you meet the counsellor? Did he help?" Julie shook her head. She took a seat next to Melanie on one of the stairs, feeling the light breeze around them.

"No, I decided to meet him some other time. It can wait," replied Julie, while remembering the teacher, who was the university's counsellor. "Mr. Evans is a good looking man. He even looks young."

"He does and he's also very kind. He is Veteris' former student," explained Melanie.

"From what I have heard, two years ago he was engaged to a person but unfortunately, she passed away in an accident. It's really sad to see that the kind souls are the ones that go through pain. Julie…"

"Hm?" Julie turned to look at Melanie.

"I know there are some things that you might be uncomfortable sharing with anyone, but Mr. Evans is one of the kindest teachers in this university. If you ever need someone to listen to your worries, without a doubt I am here, and the next person might be him," Melanie said with concern.

Julie nodded her head. A bright smile appeared on her lips. She wondered if the number of detentions she had received until now had put more stress on Melanie than her, "Thank you, Mel."

She was glad to have known Melanie since her first day in the university. She was a person who respected a person's private matters without crossing the line, and it was something Julie appreciated. "Did you hear any latest news about yesterday?" she asked casually.

Melanie's eyebrows knit together, "Nothing that reached my ears. In fact, yesterday was a peaceful day."

"Nothing about any girl who ended up in the infirmary?" asked Julie.

"I wouldn't know about that. People get cuts and little bruises all the time. I don't think it is a topic people discuss," replied Melanie.

Entering her dorm, Julie told herself that maybe it was better to make small goals than the big ones where she wanted to spend her time here in peace. Maybe she should start by avoiding getting into detention for the remaining days of this week. It wasn't that difficult, was it?

Placing her bag on the table, she drank a glass of water while her eyes fell on the photograph that sat on the same table. Picking it up, she climbed on her bed, leaning against the wall while staring at it.

In the photograph, Julie had a wide smile on her lips, and she had her hands around Jimmy, hugging him. She and Jimmy had grown up together, and she had good memories with him. Her parents had an issue with Jimmy being around her, her father especially, but she spent time with him anyway.

It was hard to believe that he wasn't there anymore.

"You were a good boy, Jimmy," said Julie looking at the picture of her and her golden retriever.

When she closed her eyes for a moment, she saw the blood and her eyes opened again.

Until now, the information she had been giving about herself to others was only partly true, while the other half was a fabricated lie. It was true that her mother was dead, but her father was still alive and in prison. People here weren't aware of it, and she preferred to keep it that way.

Hours passed, where Julie was still studying the textbook in her hand when she dropped her pen at the centre of the book. Her eyes shifted to look at the letter that was sitting right next to her.

There was no network, the teachers were strict, but Julie wanted to know who had screamed in the forest.

Bringing her notebook forward, Julie picked up the pen she had dropped and wrote,

'To the Letter Thief. Who are you?'

Tearing the page, she neatly folded it and placed it near the window. Every two minutes, Julie looked at the window, waiting for a hand to appear and stealthily take the note, but after an hour, her eyes started to close.

As Julie entered her dreamland, she found herself back in the forest, and this time all alone. It was dark, and there was no moonlight to guide her. Lost, she continued to walk until she came to stand in front of the many tombstones.

When the sky turned bright and the sun rose, the alarm rang, and Julie woke up with a yawn. Looking at the window with one eye, she noticed the letter was in the same place where she had left last night. After an hour, when she was wearing her shoes, she had second thoughts about leaving a note to the person who had made her walk around the campus.

Picking up, she was ready to throw the note in the dustbin when she noticed different handwriting. She opened it and read,

'Answer the question -_-'

"How demanding," muttered Julie under her breath. She admired the thought putting in the expression after the sentence. The question? Ah, the person did have a question for her last time. Bringing her pen, she wrote below it, in the same note—

'I received a letter that told me to come to the forest. I thought it was you.'

Even if the person tried to bully her by saving these notes, there would be that person's handwriting. Placing the folded paper on her window, Julie picked up her bag and left her dorm to attend her classes. By the time she had returned to her dorm after classes, there was a fresh-looking letter waiting for her.

'How eager. What is the next rule you have decided to break?'

Julie could feel the smugness dripping in the first sentence of the note. She wrote back to the person— 'None. Who are you and when are you going to return my letter back to me?'

She wanted her letter back, and once she would get hold of it, she would burn it up in flames to wipe out any traces of her having broken rule number four!

Hearing a knock on her door, Julie quickly placed the note near the windowpane and opened the door. Melanie stood outside, holding a water bottle in her hand.

"Hurry! Else we'll end up missing the middle rows!" said Melanie in excitement. "The game is going to start in thirty-five minutes." The management had decided to conduct a football match between the two male teams of the university in the middle of the week and their friend Conner had been recruited to play.

"Middle?" asked Julie, picking up the scarf and wrapping it around her neck.

"Yes, because the front seats must be already occupied since our classes got over nearly an hour ago," explained Melanie as Julie stepped out of the dorm and locked it.

The dormitorium appeared deserted as most girls were either at the bleachers or headed near the field. While Julie and Melanie walked in the corridor, she caught sight of a vehicle that stood in front of the building.

"Are they getting new things fixed in the dorms?" questioned Melanie, while not paying much attention to it as she looked ahead.

Julie noticed luggage placed in the back of the vehicle, "Is there a new student admitted into the university?" That mean there was a spare room in the building now, thought Julie to herself.

"That's highly unlikely because we are already ahead in the subjects. I doubt the management would be taking in any students until next year," replied Melanie.

Melanie was right. Possibly it wasn't a new admission, thought Julie to herself. Maybe a student's things were being cleared, which usually happened when a student didn't or couldn't continue studying.

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Chương 15: Hawks vs Ravens

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As Melanie mentioned when they were leaving the dormitory, the front rows at the bleachers were filled. Even some of the teachers had come to take a look at the game that would start in fifteen minutes. Julie heaved for air as Melanie had made her run halfway so that they wouldn't be late. With the sky slowly turning dark, the floodlights were on, allowing the spectators to view the mowed field.

The students were loud, creating a buzz. Julie, who was searching for empty seats, pulled Melanie, "Look there! There are three seats," and she dragged her friend along with her.

"God bless your glasses with more spray to clean it," replied Melanie.

They made their way from the front and climbed up the stairs, squeezing through the students before they reached and sat down. Though they weren't the centre seats, they would still see the players on the field.

"I never knew that Conner was interested in playing football," remarked Julie, her eyes watching at the swarm of students around them.

"I am surprised they are even letting him play. I am worried that he will end up in the infirmary before the first half of the game," muttered Melanie because Conner was lean in the physique. He had been rejected the last two years when he had applied to be part of it.

"Maybe he is stronger than he looks," replied Julie, giving their friend the benefit of the doubt.

Melanie crossed eight of her fingers in Conner's support and said, "Let's hope for the best."

Julie looked at the space after the front row of the bleachers, where two cheerleaders were cheering for the respective teams. One set of girls was dressed in blue, and the other girls were dressed in red. "Which team is Conner in again?" she asked.

"Ravens. They are the ones with blue uniforms. Red are the Hawks," explained Melanie.

As her eyes continued looking at the girls cheering, Julie's eyes fell on Eleanor, who was part of the cheering team. She wore the red uniform, swinging her hands back and forth with a smile on her lips. Even though Eleanor had been slow when it came to running, Julie had to applaud the girl for being able to stretch her body. And it took her only a few minutes before she understood what Eleanor was doing in the cheer squad.

Roman stepped on the field from the right side with the rest of the team. She also caught sight of Simon in the same team.

When her eyes shifted away from Roman to look at the Raven's, she spotted their friend who looked like a shirt that had been hung on a shoulder. In the back of her mind, Melanie's earlier words made her worry.

"Oh no," Julie heard Melanie utter. Conner had been paired with porcupine and some others, who had a bad reputation.

"I am conflicted," muttered Julie. Of course, she would support Conner and him alone, she thought to herself. "Looks like Conner is playing the first half."

"Your friend is playing?"

Julie's eyebrows drew in together when she heard someone speak. Turning her head, she saw a guy who had occupied the empty seat that was on her right. His face seemed familiar, as if she had met him before, but she couldn't remember where.

He had a round face, and his dark brown eyes looked at her now through his glasses.

"Yeah, he is," replied Julie.

"I am sorry I couldn't help but overhear the worry for your friend. My name is Dennis Mcoy," he introduced himself.

"Julianne," replied Julie, and when his eyes shifted to look at Melanie, Mel said, "Melanie."

"Is it that scrawny looking boy from the Raven's?" Dennis questioned, and Julie felt an immediate distaste towards the person. She didn't know if it was because he had decided to question by involving himself as if they were friends or if it was because he had called Conner scrawny.

"It is him," replied Julie, turning her head to the front while trying not to make another eye contact with the person who sat on her immediate right.

"This year's matches are going to be tough. It looks like they have selected the best one's on both the teams apart from the new ones," Dennis tried to rekindle the conversation with Julie, while Melanie didn't hear Dennis speaking because of the noise that surrounded them. "You must be supporting your friend's group."

"Isn't it natural," asked Julie.

"It is. It is the obvious thing to do. As your friend needs more support, I would like to join in to cheer him," said Dennis with a smile. On a second look, Julie realized he, too had a lean figure. The only difference was that he was taller than Conner.

"You don't have to do that. Melanie and I are sufficient. I am sure you have your own player you want to support," said Julie, wanting to draw the line so that he wouldn't try to get too friendly with them. Dennis offered her a smile.

It took her a while before Julie remembered where she had seen him. He was the same person she had crashed into a few days ago while climbing up the stairs!

Melanie leaned towards Julie's side and whispered, "I think he is hitting on you."

Trying to ignore the guy, Julie saw both the team players walk to the centre place of the field with the referee who was iterating the rules.

She noticed how some of the well-built guys took a seat on the bench while letting the students from the freshman year play. Soon the referee blew the whistle and the game started with the ball being passed from one person to another, and within two minutes, the Ravens scored a goal.

Some parts of the crowd cheered, while some booed at the teams. The next goal was scored by the Hawks. After the first half-time of the game, some of the players switched. Two minutes passed at the beginning of the second half when the opponent team member's leg tackled Conner and he rolled on the ground, not getting up.

Holding her friend's hand, Julie said, "We should go see how Conner is doing." It was also a good opportunity to get away from Dennis.

"You are right. They take the injured players from the locker room before going to the infirmary," agreed Melanie and picked up the bottle she had carried with her. Right on time, even Dennis turned his body, ready to go with them.

To stop him from following her, she quickly turned to him and said, "Enjoy the match. We'll be going now," she offered a quick smile at him before climbing down the stairs. The game continued with the player being replaced as she walked away from the football field.

Instead of going and waiting in the infirmary, both the girls reached the front of the boy's locker room. "Is this a good idea?" asked Julie in a doubtful voice.

"It is fine," Melanie waved her hand as if she had done this before. She leaned to take a look inside. "Hm, looks like there's no one here."

Julie looked back and forth, noticing the place was deserted, and the only sound came from the crowd at the bleachers. She said, "We should go to the infirmary, Mel. I mea-"

"Look what the cat dragged in," said someone from behind her. Julie quickly turned, and her eyes fell on the porcupine. "I was wondering when I would find you by yourself. The last time at the detention had been hard to get you alone. I even got an empty chair for you to come and sit next to me. I had some things to discuss with you," said Mateo with a smirk on his face.

"How thoughtful of you, you didn't have to do that," Julie offered him a polite smile while feeling her palms turn slightly sweaty. "I am a mere person, who doesn't mind sitting in any seat. I don't need special treatment."

Almost all the students and the teachers weren't here, but at the bleachers, leaving the place here with only Melanie, her, the porcupine and his two friends. She wondered if there was any chance for the game to finish right now.

"We'll take our leave then, good game," praised Julie, sending them her false support and ready to leave. But Mateo blocked her way.

"You don't leave until I decide it is time for you to leave," stated Mateo. A grin appeared on his lips, and he said, "The last time you escaped, but don't think I forgot what you did."

Oh, so they were back at it again, thought Julie to herself.

Julie replied, "I am not much of a violence person. Let me apologize to you if it makes you feel better. Maybe a written apology?" She suggested the porcupine. "No?"

"This time I have something better on my mind. For both you and your little friend," taunted Mateo, his eyes shifting to Melanie and then back to Julie. He then ran his tongue over his lips, and Julie clenched her fists.

Was he suggesting to have sex with him?! Maybe she was smaller than the porcupine in size, but she would make sure to punch his face if he tried it.

Melanie, who had earlier told Julie that it was fine to come here, now looked pale and regretful. "I am going to scream for help!" She tried to threaten them, but at her words, the three guys who were in the corridor laughed as if she had told a joke.

"Do it by all means. But no one is going to hear you no matter how much you scream. The game isn't over and we have plenty of time," Mateo took a step towards Julie.

He was right. With the number of people who were screaming and shouting outside, none of them wouldn't be able to hear them, thought Julie to herself. Did the locker room have a lock on its door? She questioned herself. Her eyes quickly moved to where Melanie stood. Wait, where was the door?!

And on the contrary to what Melanie had said earlier about the locker room being empty, out of it stepped the antagonist of the porcupine's life.

Julie's eyes fell on Roman, who was still in the Hawks uniform, and he stepped out of the locker room.

"Thought I heard something squeak out here," commented Roman, his eyes falling on Mateo, and he asked, "Was that you, Jackson?"

The porcupine's eyes narrowed, and he taunted back, "And what are you little fucker doing here? Did the coach kick you out of the team for not scoring a decent point? Isn't that pathetic?"

Roman let his body lean to the side and questioned, "You know what is pathetic? To fall on the floor by a girl smaller than you in size. Isn't that right, Winters?"

Julie's eyes widened at being dragged into the conversation, and she didn't know why Roman was trying to stir more trouble for her. If he hadn't snickered and commented anything the last time, Mateo Jackson would not have been wanting to hunt her.

When her eyes fell on the porcupine, his eyes narrowed, and Julie cleared her throat, "We just came here to find our friend Conner. We aren't looking for any trouble," she said to the boys who were there.

"I find it hard to believe," murmured Roman, without moving from his place. After the first half of the game, he had decided to get back to the locker room, but he hadn't expected to have visitors this early. "Your friend isn't here. Infirmary," he replied in a nonchalant tone to the girl with the glasses.

"Thank you," said Julie, noticing Roman quietly watching her.

"Back off, Moltenore. They are our prey. Find someone else to prey on," porcupine warned with a glare at Roman.

"You can prey on the chicken in the lunchroom," retorted Julie while keeping her ground.

One of the porcupine's lackeys said, "We prefer alive ones that are fresh to taste," and the words were enough to make Julie's skin crawl. When the boy started to walk towards her, Julie tightened her fists. But before he could get close to her breathing space, it wasn't hers but Roman's fist that came to knock the boy away from her.

It had happened so quickly that Julie had missed Roman coming near where she stood and hitting the boy's face because right now, the boy had both his hands covering his nose as it bled.

"What the fuck was that for?!" asked the boy whose hands weren't enough to contain the blood.

Both Julie and Melanie's eyes went wide on seeing that much amount of blood. Sure she had hoped for Roman to help them, considering how she had noted that he and Porcupine had a brawl on her first day in the university. But seeing the blood drip from one of the boy's hands, she was worried.

Roman stretched the fingers of his hands that he had used to punch.

"That was a knock of sense. The next one will be an in-depth knowledge if you would like to indulge yourself in," responded Roman, coming to stand face to face with the three boys.

Mateo looked furious, and he took an angry step forward. He said, "You have no claim on them. So get back to whatever you were doing while we can continue."

Roman's lips twisted into a smile. His head subtly tilted to the side, and he said, "Don't bring in more trouble than what you can handle, Jackson. Go back to your own locker room. This isn't your den," his underlying words holding a threat towards the mohawk boy.

"I will see how you can stop me," growled Mateo, and he stomped towards Julie, who stood behind Roman. "You have been acting too cocky," and he raised his hand to punch Roman, but the dark-haired boy effortlessly moved to the side before bringing his own hand from below to hit the other boy's chin.

Roman didn't stop there, and he used all the space around them while pushing the porcupine to move away from the original position. When the other lackey of the porcupine appeared from behind to catch hold so that their leader could punch, Roman used his legs to kick right into Mateo's face before elbowing and throwing the other boy, who was behind him, against the wall.

"Don't tell me that is all you had with the amount of barking you did," commented Roman that infuriated the other three boys.

Julie could see that Roman was enjoying this more than he was supposed to, as if he had been waiting to get into a fight.

The one with the bleeding nose continued to hold his hands near his nose without moving, while the other two stood up, ready to dive back into the fight. Mateo returned to his bull form, his eyes turning into a rageful look and locking Roman as his target. Mateo came running, but within one second, he was on the floor groaning in pain because Roman had broken one more nose.

Julie flinched on hearing the crack sound and saw blood started to rush down from his nose, similar to the first guy.

"I will kill you for this, Moltenore," the porcupine growled.

Roman glared back and said, "Now run before I damage more than just your nose."

Julie watched Mateo, who looked as if he wanted to continue to fight. But after playing on the field, he had drained most of his energy. The other two boys pulled him away from the corridor, and she heard the retreating footsteps, which was replaced by the noise of the crowd from outside.

She felt Melanie pull her sleeve, jerking her head to indicate that it was time for them to leave too so that they wouldn't be questioned.

"Thank you," came the quick squeak from Julie, ready to escape from there, and they started to walk.

"Where do you think you are going?" demanded Roman that had both the girls stop in their tracks.

Both the girls turned around, and Roman locked his eyes with Julie's. He raised his hand before he curled two of his fingers in a 'come here' motion to her with a serious expression in those black eyes of his.

As grateful as she was, every time she saw Roman fighting ruthlessly, it only made her that much wary of his presence. Julie softly gulped and walked to stand two steps away from him.

"Did you want something?" Julie asked him and noticed his usual cologne was mixed with sweat and maybe blood.

"Yes," replied Roman. The space between them diminished when Roman took a step forward, making her heart skip a beat, "Who told you could leave?" he asked, tilting his head to the side as he questioned her.

Mateo and his lackeys had left them for now, and she had thanked Roman for chasing them away. What else was left to do here? asked Julie to herself. She took a subtle step backwards so that she wouldn't have to crane her neck to see him.

"I got into the fight thanks to you. Agree?" Roman questioned Julie, one of his eyebrows raised to intimidate her.

"Yes, we are very thankful about it-"

"Good. You see those spots on the floor?" he asked, and Julie looked down at the floor. There were blood drops from the broken noses. "You will find the mop and bucket in the locker room. Clean it before you leave here. The last thing I need is people questioning what happened," and he got inside the locker room.

"Julie!" whispered Melanie, coming to her side. "The game will get over soon. Let's do this quickly."

Were they really going to mop the floor right now? And yes, they did after five minutes, quickly moving back and forth outside the locker room because Roman did shoo the porcupine away.

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