15 A Trip Down The Hill

Margaret was strolling in the hallway, seemingly in no particular direction or in any hurry whatsoever. She was wearing a knee-length, red one piece dress with a denim jacket over it, sleeves folded up to her elbows. Her long dark auburn hair was tied into a low ponytail and she slung her black messenger bag across her shoulders.

She still had the brace around her ankle and there was a slight limp in her step as she walked along. But she suddenly came to a halt as she looked ahead with a surprise… then shock.

She was surprised at finally finding her missing partner after three days. And she was shocked at his fluctuating presence.

Arthur somehow felt different, like a complete stranger. He was walking down the hallway and rather quickly too. He seemed distracted and…tired. Not lazy or sleepy, but tired.

His grey t-shirt and dark blue jeans were all wrinkled and messy. He seemed to come straight out of bed as his hair was worse than any girl's bedhead. There was even a rare frown on his face, which he was desperately trying to soften up with his fingers.

'So, Arthur can make humane expressions too, huh?' Margaret concluded in her mind.

She didn't think anybody ever saw Arthur show anything other than the lazy, devil-may-care attitude and a half-sleepy, blank gaze. And even then, people were afraid of him. So if anyone were to see him now, they'd be terrified, and for a good reason too.

Arthur looked like he could kill with just his glare. But there was still someone who was brave enough to face him willingly, without any shred of fear.

Margaret purposefully stood herself in the center of the hallway,to get him to notice her. But much to her disappointment, Arthur just passed her by without even a glance.

'What? No hi for your partner? Rude much.' She turned her head and kept her glance on his disappearing back.

And talking about partners, they have Literature class today so she should see him again. That is, if he managed to get there without accidentally killing anybody with his death glare.

- - - - - - -

After that unexpected 'encounter' with Arthur, Margaret walked around for a while and found a safe haven in the empty music room on the first floor. It was calm and cozy enough to spend her free hour peacefully.

She sat on one of the chair, snacking on an apple her mom forcefully stuffed in her bag.

Margaret's mother was worried about her pale complexion and considering her braced ankle, she suggested her to take a day off, but Margaret being her stubborn self, didn't wish to stay home. So she assured her mom that she was better than how she appeared, but her mom wasn't convinced. And since Margaret didn't even have a proper breakfast, she insisted her to keep an apple or two in case she felt hungry before lunch. Margaret told her mother that she was worrying unnecessarily, but let her throw the apple into her bag along with the lunch box.

Yes, lunch box. Since Jacob was still on the lookout for the most wanted person on his list, Margaret thought it best to stay off the cafeteria… or any other public places. So she had to make other arrangements to feed herself while inside university campus.

Margaret took a final bite of the red fruit and threw the core into the nearby trash bin as she stood up and leisurely examined the large music room she was in.

It was a wide room with cream walls and light grey carpeted floor. On one side, there were three rows of chairs arranged in descending arcs and on the other side, there was a piano, draped in a red silk cloth and placed on a square platform with an adjustable stool in front.

Margaret walked towards the piano and smiled, tracing the soft fabric over the large instrument. She lacked the necessary skills, but if she could, wasn't that a perfect situation to showcase her musical talent to a hero who would happen to pass by and silently appreciate her music from a corner. Then they would become friends and start their journey towards happily ever after.

'Ah, how sweet would that be.' She smiled ruefully.

But since she can't play the piano, the story ended even before it began. Margaret sighed in pity and turned away.

There were three large vertical windows on the wall behind the rows of chairs. Margaret slowly made her way through the chairs and reached the window in the middle. She slid it open and peered out, as a gentle wind greeted her instantly and soothed her mind. She unknowingly closed her eyes as she breathed in the fresh air.

'Such a pleasant and peaceful weather!' she smiled to herself as she had a thought.

She then turned around and made her way to the door. Who cares if she left the window open? She wanted to experience the serene weather outside, so she hobbled out of the room and went towards the other end of the corridor. She climbed down the stairs carefully and took two steps forward, opening the emergency exit and stood in front of the calm atmosphere filled with beautiful blue sky, green earth, gentle winds and… peace.

With no presence of anyone around, Margaret blew a sigh of relief. This area generally won't receive many guests, as students would either be busy in their classes or gathered in the cafeteria. And even if they had a free period like her, who would take the trouble to visit the backside of the campus? This particular side of university was only used on major occasions. So Margaret should be able to freely enjoy the weather here without any disturbances.

The area was mostly covered in turf with concrete sidewalks leading to various places around. Margaret sat on the top of a grassy hill, overlooking the football field below. It was only used when hosting the teams from other universities, as it provides a large viewing area for the crowd from two sides to occupy comfortably. On regular times, players use the field at the front of the campus to practice.

It was slightly windy but Margaret felt refreshed being surrounded by nothing in particular, and there was green everywhere her eyes could see. The grass around her was dry and brown compared to the fresh and green grass of the football pitch. The field has sprinklers installed to maintain its full color and vigor, but the grass outside was left under the care of an old janitor who barely waters them once a week.

Margaret leaned back on her arms and closed her eyes, as she felt the winds brushing past her. She put all her worries aside and let her mind relax for a moment. But she soon furrowed her brows as she felt a faint odor in the air getting thick by second.

"Enjoying the peaceful weather?" A sweet melodious voice spoke from behind. But Margaret felt as if thunder struck right on her head and she was jolted out of her little bubble. "Who would've thought I would find you here."

Margaret quickly stood up and took a step back, bracing herself in defense for a tornado known as Michelle.

The Queen bee stood in front of her in a gorgeous, full length blue dress which hugged her closely and flaunted her exquisite curves. The long slit at the side exposed her perfectly toned killer legs for the guys' pleasure and girls' plight. Her hair was pulled back tightly and bound into a high bun, with a couple stray strands framing her face.

Was there a royal ball in university today? How come she wasn't aware of it? And more importantly, why wasn't she invited?

"Its so hot today, isn't it?" Michelle quizzed, looking away as blew a breath and fanned her face with her hand.

Margaret frowned and stared at her in doubt. Hot? On such a pleasant day? What the f was this chick talking about? Did she suffocate her brain with that hairstyle?

While Margaret was wondering what she was up to, Michelle turned to Margaret with a seductive smirk on her face.

"Let me help you cool down." she spoke as she brought her hand from behind.

Margaret gazed down at Michelle's hand and her eyes grew wide in shock. She was holding a water hose spray gun in her hand. And she didn't waste any time as she quickly pulled the lever, aiming the water jet towards her target.

Margaret reflexively took a step back, but as she was already standing on the edge of the grassy hill, she couldn't find a proper footing and fell back. Michelle burst into laughter and kept the hose aimed at Margaret as she rolled down the small hill and crashed into the outer fence guarding the football field. The impact of the collision forced the breath out of Margaret and left her feeling numb all over.

Michelle observed her from the top, thoroughly relishing the unexpected spectacle as she drenched Margaret to her heart's content before throwing the water hose aside.

Even with agonizing pain racking her entire body, Margaret stubbornly held onto her consciousness, unwilling to let go. She didn't want Michelle to have the satisfaction of knocking her out, even if it meant having to constantly endure piercing pain throughout her body. However she couldn't hide the anguish from showing up on her face.

Michelle looked at her with disdain and snorted, mumbling something along the lines of 'serves you right' as she turned and walked away.

Margaret laid there quietly for a minute before she slowly opened her eyes, but her vision was blurry and obstructed by her wet hair. She tried to sit up but her body felt heavy as lead and unwilling to move. She was not made to take that kind of fall.

'Guess I have to wait till my body decides to cooperate with me again.' She had no choice but to stay put for a while and let her body adjust itself. And that gave her enough time to think many things.

She didn't turn off the hose, did she? Dammit, wasting water like that is a sin, you hear. A sin!

And where the hell did she get that hose from? Somebody fire that old janitor, he's too old and too forgetful.

Margaret was just venting her anger, and the old janitor who had done nothing wrong, became the innocent victim.

But most importantly, why in the entire university was Michelle here at the back of the campus and exactly at the same time too. Somebody up there must hate her too much to make this utterly ridiculous coincidence happen.

She couldn't find any other logical explanation and she's in too much pain to think practically. But finding the reason was pointless, it won't spare her from the pain she was suffering.

Her free hour was almost over but now, because of the unexpected setback, she's not going to make it to her next class.