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"Sorry," Monique said. I was the one who drove her car to school. Until now, they're still traumatized, but Queenie thought she just had a nightmare.
"Your cheek," she added.
"I'm fine," I said.
I parked her car, and we got out. Once again, she held onto me.
"Do you think they'll come back?" She asked.
"They'll be in jail. We need to file our statement later," I replied.
"Do we still need to do that?"
"Yes. You'll be safe. The police are there anyway," I assured her.
"I-I'm scared."
"I'll be with you." I gently squeezed her hand. She smiled at me. I noticed the looks and whispers of students who saw us.
Monique had a bruise on her lip, and I had a gauze on my cheek. We must look like troublemakers.
"It's so embarrassing. Should we just go home?" She suggested, slightly pulling my jacket.
"No. Just don't mind them," I said, and continued walking. I didn't care what they thought.
"Hell-- what the f*ck happened to you?!" Christian exclaimed when he saw us. But he immediately focused on Monique.
He cupped her face and examined the bruise on her lip.
"What happened? Why do you have cuts and bruises?" I looked at Raven, but I didn't respond. I just went straight to my seat.
"Some thieves entered the closed shop while we were still there," Monique tearfully explained. I just rolled my eyes; there were only four of them, not a big deal.
"What?! They did that?! Did you recognize them?!" Christian asked, shocked.
"Maureen was able to take them all down, so they're at the police station now. We'll file a complaint later," Monique said.
"Whoah, you did that, Mau?" Raven gasped. I just rolled my eyes at him.
No matter what they did to me. I didn't explain; I let Monique handle that.
Until our classes were over.
I was about to get up from my seat when someone placed a box of band-aids on my thigh.
I looked at Waldrin. He didn't speak, just stared. I took the box and noticed a sticky note on the back.
"I bet you need this. You look like a troublemaker."
I didn't know why, but I smiled a little at what was written.
Christian and Raven joined us at the police station. Monique was still trembling while telling her story. The four men who robbed the shop were right in front of us.
"I-I don't know what would've happened to my sister if Maureen hadn't come," Monique broke down.
I glanced at the four men who were smiling back at Monique. I bet they were rapists too.
"They don't have any evidence, right? They don't have CCTV?" one of the suspects said.
"We were framed," another one said.
"So, are you saying Monique is lying?!" Christian confronted the ringleader, and the police immediately restrained him. Monique was crying.
I noticed tattoos on the shoulders of the four men. All of them were like the snake tattoo on my arm, but theirs were smaller. I had a cobra; theirs were just ordinary snakes.
They were part of Venom, the organization I came from. The reason I'm Maxene now. The reason I survived drugs and fights before I could afford Marfori.
I approached the four men. I made a hand gesture towards them that Christian couldn't see. It was a gesture known only to Venom members.
Their eyes widened at what I did.
"W-What's your code?" one of them asked.
"V001 UNO," I smirked.
"B-boss, we admit our mistakes. Please just lock us up." They said shakily. I took a gum from my pocket and chewed it.
"W-What did you say to them?" Raven asked me after we left the precinct.
"I told them I'd cut off their balls if they didn't confess," I said with a smirk.
"What the f*ck?!" Christian and Raven both exclaimed. I smirked again.
I looked at my wristwatch and silently cursed when I saw that it was already 5 PM. Paeng's class ends at 4:30.
"Oh my gosh! Queenie!" Monique squealed. We immediately got into her car, and Raven joined us in the backseat.
They followed us from school because they left their cars behind, saying they'd just have their drivers pick them up.
Rich kids, tsss.
"Ate, 45 minutes?! Seriously? Why didn't you stretch it to an hour? I'm embarrassed for you!" Rafael complained. One thing that annoys me about him is that he's not patient.
I didn't respond because I knew we'd just end up arguing. I took his bag and put it in the trunk, along with Queenie's bag, which I carried.
"Hi, Ate. Can you come with us to the shop again? Are you going to work again?" She innocently smiled at me.
"Sorry if it took us a while with your sister," I patted her head.
"You said sorry to her?! You haven't apologized to me yet!" My brother said, adding his British accent.
I'm trying so hard not to use that accent.
"Rafael, sorry, okay? We came from the police station." I sighed. I opened the backseat, but Paeng hesitated when he saw the three of them inside.
"Where am I going to sit then?"
"You can sit on my lap, little bro." Raven tapped his thigh and Christian did the same on the other side.
"OMG! Waldrin!!!" Queenie giggled and immediately sat on Waldrin's lap. For the first time, I saw a small smile on his lips.
"Fine, let's walk," I told my brother. I took his bag from the trunk.
"Where are you going?" Monique asked.
"We have to go somewhere," I replied.
"Huh? Just ride with us--"
"Ate, I don't wanna be rude, but I don't like hanging out with strangers." Paeng couldn't help himself. He didn't hold back his words. I was surprised by what he said.
I didn't even expect that.
"Kind of in a bad mood. We have to go," I said and pulled Paeng, with me.
"Don't be upset. I'll buy you ice cream." I almost cursed when I heard my British accent slip. I really hate talking with that accent.
"Then buy me ice cream!" He snorted. I almost rolled my eyes. Ice cream is his only weakness.
"Okay, boss."
"And this one, and then this one too." Paeng pointed to the ice creams he wanted to buy. I silently cursed why he had to take me to an ice cream parlor.
"What's yours?" He was grinning from ear to ear.
"I'm full," I sighed. I was trying to save money, for goodness' sake! I was running low on cash because of my recent drug purchase.
"Okay, card please," he winked.
"We can't use my card, how much is it, miss?" I asked the cashier.
"672, ma'am," she smiled. I sighed again as I took out cash from my wallet.
"Keep the change!" Paeng giggled. I was like, what the eff?!
"Thank you, ma'am and sir. Please wait for your order," she smiled at us and kept the change.
If my brother wasn't such a beast to me, I would've thrown him into the air.
The shop was still closed because it's under investigation. I texted all my managers and asked for work, but they haven't found
anything yet.
I'm practically broke.
- Writer
