The Bully's Favourite

Chapter 2

Luca Zhang… Sera thought about it for a while. If it was just another puny kid then it would be no fun. She leaned back on her desk, gazing out the door"

"Sera!" She jumped a little from her seat, inviting her attention to the class as Areum and Renay giggled on either sides. 

"Looking outside will not bring you marks, miss Sera. I hope you understand that." She continued to scribble something on the board as the dazed young Sera crained towards the door one last time before focusing back on her class. 

…

"So you're finally leaving huh, clown face!" A tall guy leaning towards the entrance of the classroom smirked, blocking the path of the approaching young man. 

"Poor little Luca. Opted to change his major just because he was afraid of us? Tch Tch..." He chuckled, ignoring the piercing yet calm gaze of the said boy. 

"Move out of my way" 

The tall boy didn't budge, gazing at the ceiling as if he hadn't just heard what Luca said. If it wasn't for his height, the latter could've easily moved past him but this was too much. It was becoming child's play.

"When i get out of this shithole right this moment, don't lie crying in a corner complaining about a mad lad punching your nose flat." Luca smirked. Intimidating but Juan, the tall boy wasn't impressed. That was his first and worst mistake. 

….

Being known to each other for more than 7 years, Sera was still a mystery to Areum. At first he couldn't tell what was going through her mind when she heard about Luca. All he noticed was that unfamiliar smile which she probably never gave out especially when she thought about any boy. In fact, Sera wasn't the type to have a crush on anybody… Somehow it brought relief to Areum's mind but not for long.

"Thats it for today's class. Let me know if you're free on any of the coming periods. I'll be engaging. Bye for now" 

Renay fluttered her eyes open, only to be met with an equally sleepy smile from Areum beside her on the next desk. She giggled but suddenly jolted as she heard the sound of heavy glass, shattering on the floor right next to her classroom. In the blink of an eye, everyone was stirring inside the classroom and rushing outside in the wild frenzy to see what was going on. Renay looked beside her and realised… Sera was already gone.

"Sera!! That little brat..." She ran past Areum, leaving him confused while he tried to keep up with her pace. Pushing and pulling through the crowd, Renay finally saw Sera standing at the forefront, eyes focussed  on the scenario.

"Sera!" Renay called out and almost reached her shoulder when something flew right past her, knock her body to the side. 

"Who told you it was a good idea to f**k with our guy!" Shion, the prefect from the Mechanics department shouted and beside him was standing Juan, hands clutched with a bleeding nose. 

Renay shook her head straight, pulled down her messy hair to look up. Her eyes widened watching drops of blood dripping relentlessly over the previously neat marble floor, gasping as her eyes met with that of the man who caused her fall. 

"Luca…" Sera whispered to herself from behind Renay. Her voice was rather contemptuous than curious.

"He should've known when i told him to f*****g leave me alone!" He screamed, shoving aside Juan to deliver a solid punch on Shion's cheek, earning a huge gasp from the prying crowd. Areum was a bit late to the scene as he had a huge crowd to pass through by now but when he saw what the so called new guy was doing to his friends, his fists tightened in anger.

"Son of a b***h!" Areum swung his hand across his face, missing him once but kicking him on his stomach swiftly. He had caught him in his most vulnerable state but Luca wasn't any worse, stomping him on his feet to earn an ugly scream. Suddenly someone stepped in, hair messy, eyes confused as he pushed back Areum and pulled Luca backwards.

"Luca stop i've been telling you a hundred times!! You're bleeding!!"

"Don't let that asshole leave! Let him know who he's messing with!" Juan cried out in anger, but it was only then that Sera realised there was blood staining almost everywhere on the floor, half of the boys aching in a corner from the bad treatment they recieved. The fight had been going on for a while… 

"Areum stop it that's enough" Renay pulled his arm only to be pushed aside by him, angry and frivolous. Shion ran past him, grabbing him by his shirt but was kicked repeatedly by the raging young man down to the floor. In the burning heat of the moment, Areum could almost feel his senses leave his body as he looked at that boy with pitch black orbs, the sun suddenly peeking through the clouds, it's golden rays glowing over his bloodied jawline down to his neck. Sera's bull headed friend hated to lose to almost anybody. In a fit of a rage, he dashed over to Luca's weak frame but this time Sera saw something she truly dreaded. It was a piece of glass in Areum's hand.

"Areum no!" She screamed, but he was already too close. Unable to gather out anything Renay watched helplessly as Sera chased her friend, the weapon in his hand appearing clear now that he had struck Luca's shoulder with it, mildly. Sera had begun shaking by now as she tried pulling back Areum's hand to suppress his rage while Juni pulled away an equally enraged Luca. 

"Sera leave! Move!!" Areum grunted, trying to pierce the glass into his skin. Luca glared spitefully, trying his best to hold back his arm. 

"Areum no you can't do this! Stop it!"

"I said let go Sera!" Suddenly the glass was seized unexpectedly out of his hand, Areum rolling down to the floor in pain while Sera covered her face in reflex, hissing as a sharp pain entangled her right arm. Opening her eyes, half watery, she gasped as she saw a long messy cut over her shirt, right from her waist to her shoulder revealing her garments underneath. Shame engulfed her quickly as she heard whispers and uninviting looks from people all around her. She saw a hand, extending towards her and that face which was now the object of her disgust.

"I-I'm sorry… I didn't mean to-" Luca apologetically handed over his torn shirt.

A tight slap echoed through the corridor, the whole crowd going silent. She couldn't see clearly through those tears of anger at first. His hair was all over his eyes, his head held low and his arm bleeding. But that serenity was only for a moment or so until he grabbed her by her neck and swung her against the wall. Sera thought her head blew up at first but the wall felt light against her skin and her body seemed to float in the intense moment. It was the first time she looked so deeply into a boy's eyes, like a never ending moment. They were deep black, like a little universe in itself, full of anger, despair and most importantly, betrayal… She felt it through his grip over her neck which loosened over time. 

"S-Sera…" Areum choked out which immediately broke them out of the trance. Renay quickly held her dear friend close to herself to block the prying eyes.

"Luca… let's leave. Someone's coming." Juni whispered, pulling him away. It was the head of the department approaching. He was an angry, grumpy man in his fifties. Luca quickly dragged his backpack from the floor, wiping his bloody lip as he ran from the scene. The crowd suddenly dispersed, Renay dragging both Sera and Areum towards the staircase to escape the old man. 

All through the while, Renay noticed something in Sera's gaze. One, she was looking at the same direction. Two… her eyes were cold and lifeless. She couldn't quite read out what it was but she knew it wasn't a good sign.