Shit, my mind blared like a siren. They were going to stab Ryu. My knees buckled. Nausea wrenched my stomach. What was I supposed to do then? I didn't have the leisure to stay immobile! Think, think, think. I could at least do something, right? But what? There was no way I was fighting them. I'd die!

But if I didn't act fast, Ryu would die!

This was all his fault! I could've handled this by myself somehow—okay, who was I lying to. Regardless, because he decided to intervene for whatever reason, he was a dead man. There was always the option of me doing what I did best—turning tail and running away—but I didn't want Ryu's death to be on my conscious. I had to at least do something!

Dammit. This was exactly why I hated delinquents! They always resorted to violence and unlawful acts like mindless puppets.

I hated this all! Why was it always me who got involved with this kind of BS?

With all my anger surging within me, I charged up to Ryu. Planting my feet, I guarded back the delinquents with the most heinous glare in my possession. "Back off!" I'd shouted before I could stop myself.

They all obeyed instantly—most, in understandable shock.

"What the...?"

"Is she glaring at us?"

"A girl is?"

"Why does this has to happen all the frickin' time?" I snapped regardless, grounding my teeth. "Do you have to frickin' pull out a knife just because he wasn't letting you touch me? Are you all imbeciles or something? Why the hell would I ever want any of your grimy hands near me, let alone voluntarily go anywhere just because you ordered me to?"

All delinquents were wide-eyed. I would've probably been as astonished as them, seeing as I was saying things that would've resulted in my death, but I wasn't in the state of rational thought at the moment.

Reaching out my arm, I gripped a delinquent's hand that was dripping blood. He yelped as I twisted it around, and made a face.

"Look at all of you!" I scoffed, eyeing all their obvious wounds in distaste. "You fight all the goddamn time, hurt yourselves all the goddamn time and end up here in this damn office all the goddamn time like it's commonplace! And what happens as soon as you're treated? You do the same shit all over again! Why? 'Cause you're all a bunch of bird-for-brain idiots.

"You all do realize that if you keep this shit up you're gonna end up nowhere in life, right? Just in case you're an idiot incapable of thinking straight, I want you to get it through your thick skulls that you're all going to end up forever alone. In jail or even homeless with absolutely nobody to care! So if you fucking understand that this is an infirmary and not a place you're supposed to fight at, get out or stack your asses in a straight line and wait for us to treat you!"

Hands at my hips, my breathing came out in ragged breaths. I wiped a bead of sweat that trickled down my forehead.

"What the...?"

"Did she just yell at us?"

"A girl did?"

My eyelids peeled opened and closed. It took a while for the delinquents' gawking stares and everything I'd shouted to settle in.

Did I seriously just...

Without waning, one of their looks shifted to one more hostile. He jostled through everyone else to loom before me.

Screaming, I dropped into a ball, burying my head in my knees. "Holy shit, I'm so sorry!" I squealed, covering my ears. "Please have mercy on this idiot!"

Cowering, I waited to get punched, pummeled, stepped on, knifed, shot— I was truly anticipating any form of pain to say the least. My heart was hammering like a drill in my chest, eyes glued shut. When feet shuffled all around me, I was assured of my death.

One, two, three— I counted the seconds until my doom in my head, biting down on my lip forceful enough to draw blood. By the time I reached twenty, I started to become paranoid. What were they going to do with me? It was so quiet. Don't tell me they already slaughtered me and I was already dead— No, wait. My heart was pounding. A little crazily, but it was there.

Unless that in itself was a lie...

"Reina, what were you thinking?"

"God is that you?" I feebly asked.

"Reina!"

"I know! I wasn't thinking! I'm sorry for doing something so stupid! I'm usually smarter!"

"Reina!"

"Okay, I lied! I'm naturally an idiot; I'm sorry God—"

My shoulders were seized by a pair of hands, nearly giving me a heart attack. My eyelids parted only to find through my blurry vision, that the culprit was Dad.

He heaved a sigh, dropping his hands. "I heard a lot of screaming and rushed out. Why are you like this, Reina?"

Tears streamed down my face, in relentless amounts. My fingers were still trembling. "Wh-what happened to the..."

"They left," he answered. "All of them."

Every single one? No way. I wasn't going to die then?

More tears filled my eyes—most likely of reassurance this time—and I quickly wiped them away. I inhaled shaky breaths, heartbeat slowing against my ribcage. "Thank... goodness. I thought for sure I was dead."

"You're very much alive and well," Dad reassured me, patting my head. "And extremely lucky that none of them were mad enough they couldn't listen when I told them to leave. Stop getting yourself into this kind of stuff, Reina. All right?"

I bobbed my head, attempting to stifle any further sobs. When I wiped away the last of my tears, I swallowed the lump in my throat. My eyes widened when I remembered the reason I'd done this stupid thing in the first place.

"Iwasaki!" I exclaimed, spinning around only to find the said boy seated on the ground, touching his cheek gingerly.

I crawled up to him, bumbling a few times due to how much I was shaking. Eventually, I arrived before him, gazing up at the spot he was caressing.

"Oh my gosh. Oh no. Are you okay?"

He peered elsewhere, his hand never leaving his cheek. "I'm fine."

Making a face at his childishness, I grasped his hand and pried it away. I gasped at the sight of the blood. "You're bleeding!"

Don't tell me they actually swung their knives at him?

"I'm fine," he insisted, swatting my hand.

"I'm so sorry."

"I already told you I'm fine."

Guilt gnawed at the pit of my stomach. "Let me grab the first-aid kit!"

"I don't need it!"

Dad offered the kit to me straightaway. "Here."

Ryu's head shot up. "I said I'm—"

"Your eye's purple too!" I accused, gasping at the sight of his left eye. "They even punched you?"

"I'll go grab an ice pack," Dad informed me, hastening out the door leading to his office.

Silence returned, filling the room. I hurriedly nudged Ryu.

"Get up!"

"No."

"But you're hurt!" I said, my heart constricting.

Ryu's hand swept over his face again. "I'm fine."

Before I could open my mouth, the bell for class rang. He rose to his feet.

"It's class time, I'm going."

I jumped up before he could dare go. "Iwasaki—"

"I said I'm fine—"

I stomped on his foot hard. He howled, losing his stability and tripping backwards. To my luck, he landed on a vacant stool idling there. I cut off his escape route before he could dare get back up.

He stared up at me, frowning. "Leave me alone already—"

I slapped a disinfectant cloth right over his cheek. He sucked in sharply.

"Ow!"

A breath of relief left my mouth as I grabbed a band-aid. "Yes, it's not a deep cut."

He glared at me. "Kikuchi—"

"Don't move."

Although he tried resisting before, this time he went limp. His eyes were on me but I disregarded that as I carefully pasted it on.

"Are you done now?" he asked grumpily.

I grabbed his face to get a look to see other damage. As I scanned for wounds, nothing but his swollen eye was there.

"Did you get hurt anywhere else?"

He avoided my gaze. "Why does it matter?"

I puffed my cheeks. "Stop being stubborn. Tell me."

He didn't comply.

Gently cupping his undamaged cheek, I squeezed it.

"Stwop it," he ordered.

"Not until you answer me."

His eye met mine. "You're hurting me."

I let go. "Sorry."

He stroked his cheek and I grew impatient.

"I'm seriously worried here. Why aren't you answering me?"

"'Cause I'm fine."

"Can I trust that?"

"Yes."

With a groan, I flopped down onto the seat next to him.

"Now we're late for class," he noted.

"Don't even think about going to class until you get that ice pack."

Ryu harrumphed in response. I sat there twiddling my thumbs, the events earlier replaying in my mind.

"Why did you protect me?"

"I didn't protect you," he retorted. "I'm hurt, remember?

"But you got hurt because of me."

"No, I didn't. They picked a fight with me, not you."

"You could've fought back," I suggested. "In fact, I thought you would've."

"I'm in enough trouble already," he replied with a frown. "I don't want another excuse to see Mrs. Hamada."

"But it would've been self-defence."

"It never is."

I wanted to ask why he was so sure of that but didn't.

"You're nicer than I thought, Iwasaki."

His head jerked my way. "Huh?"

"I mean, you sprained my wrist, ate my cookies, and you are the one who got me into all this infirmary and community service business, but you also have a bad sense of direction and even stood up for me in a fight..."

Ryu appeared as if he wanted to argue but he instead dropped his head. "I already said I didn't do it for you." He blushed and added, "And I don't have a direction problem."

"Of course you don't." I cracked a smile. "Say, do you think those delinquents will come to kill me tomorrow?"

"You did say a lot of nasty things."

I blanched. "So I am dead..."

Quiet elapsed yet again.

"Sorry for your wrist..."

My eyes widened and I looked at Ryu. At the same moment, he met my eyes.

Wrist? my mind echoed. That was nearly a month ago... A grin grew on my face. "I thought you didn't like apologies."

He flinched. "I don't, but—"

"You still apologized to me anyways. Twice, now."

Ryu opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out.

"Wow, I feel special," I laughed.

He face went red. "Just forget it."

"Nope, I never will."

And it was true. I probably wouldn't.