On the first day of ss in Winter High, all students were required to gather in the school''s gymnasium for the g ceremony and discuss important things for the year for both students and teachers. Each ss and year lined up properly, and girls and boys were separated.


    "Cozie, is it true?"


    Cosette looked back when Fay tapped her shoulder. Thetter leaned forward slightly, whispering in Cosette''s ear.


    "That guy." Fay pointed to the line where Maxen stood. "That guy is Maxen? Maxen Cloven?"


    "Uh, yes..." she nodded, ncing at Fay and then at Maxen standing behind the line. She couldn''t me her ssmates for questioning her, since she had the same reaction when she saw Maxen''s glow up. But that wasn''t all. Cosette noticed that other students — especially girls — would either turn their heads whenever Maxen walk past them.


    Until now, Cosette could see female students whispering to each other and casting Maxen a look. Even a few of their ssmates would blush at him.


    ''They were all scared of him just months ago,'' she thought, peeling her eyes away from Maxen to look at the school principal talking on the stage. She sighed. ''But I can''t really me them. Maxen really looks different months ago. He''s really hot.''


    When Cosette looked away, Maxen set his eyes in her direction. A shallow breath slipped past his lips before raising his brows. He nced at the other students and noticed they were looking in his direction. The space between his brows deepened, ncing at his back, only to see Luke rolling his eyes in boredom.


    ''He always gets tons of attention,'' Maxen thought, shaking his head as he didn''t bother with the odd gazes from the other students. In his understanding, they were looking in Luke''s direction, not him. Yes. Until now, Maxen hadn''t noticed the interest he gathered from the other students, assuming they were for Cosette or Luke.


    Not that he wasn''t used to the attention those two gathered. Hence, he didn''t pay attention to it and waited for the g ceremony to end.


    "Students, teachers, may we all have a great school year...!" announced the school principal in his closing remarks. Maxen bet no one listened to the principal talking, but he didn''t care.


    After the principal long speech, the teachers approached the students, dismissing them back to their respective ssrooms. Maxen immediately turned his head to where Cosette was, only to frown when he saw her friends were already dragging her with them.


    ''Well...'' Maxen shoved his hands inside his pockets, shrugging whatever negativity that was tempting to break his peace. ''I can always talk to herter. It''s not like we''re attending school just to flirt or hold hands.''


    When Maxen turned on his heel, he halted. His brow arched, raising his eyes at Luke.


    "What?" asked Maxen, while Luke raised his chin as if that would make him taller.


    "What?" Luke returned. "It''s still too crowded. I''d leavest."


    Maxen cocked his head to the side, and then simply shook his head. "So, what?" he muttered, about to leave the gymnasium, only to stop once again when Luke grabbed his arm.


    "What do you think you''re doing?" Maxen frowned in irritation, darting his eyes between Luke''s hand and then to his face. "Let me go."


    "Oy, Maxen. Are you seriously going to leave me here? I don''t want to squeeze my way through all these students."


    "..."


    For a moment, Maxen could only stare at Luke with genuine wonder in his eyes. What was this guy up to now? Was he seriously stopping Maxen because Luke wanted to leave the gymnasiumst? If Maxen didn''t know any better, he would consider Luke having ulterior motives.


    But just as Maxen opened his mouth and snatch his arm away, he furrowed his brows and looked around. Some female students were blushing and whispering to each other, making the hair behind his neck raise. Although he didn''t hear the indistinct chatterings, their eyes were enough to send this dread and dismay up his spine.


    ''I know that look,'' Maxen thought, grinding his teeth, and ring daggers at Luke. ''This guy — tch!''


    Maxen didn''t think twice anymore and snatched his arm from Luke''s grip. His face slightly dyed red out of embarrassment and anger, but the degenerates easily misunderstood his reaction.


    "Why is this school so full of them?" he muttered, clicking his tongue in irritation before he sauntered off. "Is this the reason why she is into those sorts of stories?"


    "Hey, wait!" Luke dramatically outstretched his hand in Maxen''s direction but to no avail. "Haist! That prick --"


    Luke looked around the crowd and gulped. He then ground his teeth and followed Maxen, squeezing himself through the students which he wasn''t used to.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I told him to wait... geez!" He grumbled, grinding his teeth intensely. "I have something to tell him — never mind, then. Hah. Whatever. I''m trying to do a good deed here, but he — so frustrating!"


    ****


    As Maxen reached the hallway, a level below where his ssroom was, he stopped and looked back. Seeing that aside from the students heading to their ssroom, he seemed to have lost Luke.


    ''I should stay away from him,'' he thought, shaking his head. Maxen then resumed in his steps, but this time, leisurely. ''Of all people, they could ''ship'' that guy, why do they always choose me?''


    Heck! Maxen wouldn''t mind other people''s opinions. However, knowing Cosette was also into boy''s love that she would squeal her lungs out while reading it, it would affect him one way or another. Not that he had any grudges with the genre, but as long as he wasn''t being dragged into it.


    "I sort of feel drained and the ss hadn''t even started yet," Maxen mumbled as he made a turn to the staircase heading to the floor where his ssroom was. However, just as he did, his steps halted.


    Maxen slowly raised his head and saw at least three guys idling on the stairnding. His eyes grew solemn as his jaw clenched. His grip on the handrail tightened, glossing his eyes over those three students'' faces.


    ''They''re back...'' he thought, letting out a shallow breath.


    Those three male students whose uniforms were unbuttoned, revealing their undershirts, looked down at where Maxen stood. They looked at each other and sneered, looking down at Maxen once again.


    "Maxen!" called one student who had long hair that was tied in a bun. "Come up here, buddy."


    ''Be good.'' Cosette''s voice crossed Maxen''s head, watching those three students whom Maxen hadn''t seen since Cosette transferred to Winter High. And the reason was that these students were suspended for breaking all sorts of school rules.


    Maxen was nearly suspended as well, but by some luck, he got away from the scene with why these three and the rest were suspended. He let out a shallow breath, keeping his chin high as he calmly took the steps up until he reached the t surface where those three were idling.


    "Wow... he really looked different." One male student with a scar across his eyebrow walked around Maxen, looking at him from head to toe. "Wow... it seemed you got a better life now, eh?"


    "Oy, I heard rumors you reunited with your rich dad and took you in. Is that true?" Another one, who was leaning in the corner, scoffed, hands in his pockets, eyes on Maxen.


    "Hah! By the looks of it, it was true. Just look at him — wow!" the other guy with a scar on the eyebrowughed. "That means you''re loaded now, eh?"


    He then hooked an arm around Maxen and grinned. "Why don''t you treat us to something to celebrate our return? I mean, we had ourst warning and we might get expelled if we caused another trouble."


    "That''s right. Boss is very disappointed that you didn''t even visit him in the hospital." The other guy with long hair chimed in, leaning against the wall, eyes on Maxen. "Did you know he already got discharged? He''ll be here this week."


    Maxen remained silent and looked at the three in silence. Even after their suspension, these three hadn''t changed even the tiniest bit. Was thest gang fight they took part in wasn''t enough?


    "I''m sorry, Wyn." Maxen smiled at the long-haired guy. "I always thought of visiting you in the juvie, but as you can see, I was a little busy trying to not end up just like you."


    Wyn, the long-haired student, snorted. However, he didn''t say anything, as he only looked at Maxen with amusement.


    "Wow... look at him talk." The guy who had had arms resting across Maxen''s shoulder rocked his head. "Well, you''re always so ballsy. That''s why you always get a beating."


    "Will you drag me somewhere to teach me a lesson now, Ja?" Maxen turned to Ja, who had this distinct scar across his brow. "Will you dy itter? ss is about to start soon. I don''t want to bete."


    "Hah!" Ja let out an amused yet shortugh, looking at Wyn, the long-haired student, and then at the other one in the corner, Emyr. "Hey, did you hear what this guy just said?"


    "Uh... it seems something never changes, even after all this time." Wyn rocked his head, looking at Maxen in disbelief. His desire to put this guy in his ce like they had always done was apparent in his eyes.


    As the three exchanged knowing looks, Luke stopped on the staircase. He narrowed his eyes, sizing up the situation, and he already knew what was happening.


    "Oy! You blockheads. What the hell are you doing?"