17 Dreams and Reality

Margaret was harshly thrown back as she crashed against the wall and collapsed on the ground in a mess. A sharp pain pierced through her left shoulder as she struck the wall heavily with all the weight on one side. She gritted her teeth and choked back a sob as she held her shoulder with the other arm. She slowly scrambled to her feet and turned her attention to the four guys in front of her.

Three lackeys and their boss, a classic goon squad!

One was a skinny fellow; a fat, short guy; a buff dude with an average height; and a big guy with a well-built body behind them. Wow, the diversity in this group was impressive; they covered all body types they could with four people.

So, who was the boss again? It should be the buff guy in the middle, since other three were standing a step behind him, as a form of respect?

"What are you glaring at, girl?" The skinny lackey stepped forward and purposefully shoved at her injured shoulder.

Margaret winced in pain and staggered back.

So he knows she's a girl. Surprise surprise!

She wanted to ask if he was proud of using his strength to hurt a girl. But she didn't think it would make any difference, so she just bit her lip and held back the painful groan.

Their boss finally couldn't stand back as he furiously stomped his way forward and grabbed her collar and raised her up to his eye level. "You little bitch, you dare snitch us out?!" he growled in her face and Margaret had to close her eyes and mouth shut so his germs wouldn't invade her. "A goody two shoes like you should just stick to your own merry world. But instead, you poke your tiny nose into our business?!"

"We are expelled now, because of you. Do you know what kind of crap we have to deal with now?!" the skinny guy added from the back.

'You should've thought about that before indulging in illegal practices.' Margaret retorted in her mind.

These 4th years were abusing drugs inside campus and moreover, dragging other innocent kids into that deadly addiction. Margaret couldn't stand to simply ignore it, so she did the only right thing to do. She grabbed the student council president and unceremoniously dragged him to the crime scene and busted them red handed.

So now, she was just receiving the reward for her responsible actions, nothing more.

The boss, who was still holding her captive, smirked as his eyes glowed with malicious thoughts. "Since we are leaving anyway, we decided to give you a farewell gift."

He didn't take his eyes off Margaret as he slowly pulled out a small plastic bag from his side pocket and waved it in front of her. Margaret's eyes went wide as the white powder inside the sealed bag drained the color in her face. The boss revealed a smirk at her reaction and turned to the small big in his hands as he spoke. "This stuff is really expensive but we'll let you have a taste of it."

"And when you find the thrill in it, you'll come crawling back to us, craving for more." The fat, short guy snickered from behind.

As the four of them came closer and encircled Margaret, the cold sensation of fear took over her body and her heart started pounding at a rapid rate. All of their faces were filled with malicious intent and corrupt desires.

'I have to get away from here, from them.' Alarm bells were ringing unceasingly in Margaret's mind.

But how? She was already in their clutches, what could she do now? Scream? Can anyone even hear her in this godforsaken place? She was surrounded with thick walls on three sides and the front was blocked by these guys.

She cannot depend on anyone coming here to her rescue; she was the only one who could save herself. Her brain went into overdrive as she looked left and then to right, searching for something, anything which could possibly help her overpower four guys.

But the lackeys didn't give her any such chance as they quickly detained her arms, as their boss ripped open the small packet in his hands and poured the white powder in his palm. He took a sniff and shook his head in pleasure as he turned to Margaret with a vicious smirk.

Margaret gritted her teeth and glared at him as panic began to flood inside her. She tried to pull her arms free but they were completely useless at the moment.

"No! Stop it, you jackasses!" Margaret cursed, flinging her legs wildly at the boss guy. After a few misses, her foot finally found the target as it left its stamp on the boss's cheek.

The boss's face turned grim and Margaret gave herself a mental high-five as the lackeys beside her went pale with fright.

"You useless idiots! Hold her properly!" The boss angrily yelled at the three guys, and they immediately stomped on her feet, effectively sticking them to ground. Then the boss, with her footprint on his cheek, glared at Margaret hatefully before a small smirk formed on his face.

He brought his palm close to her face, with the powder still in his open palm. Margaret quickly turned her head to side. With her arms and legs rendered helpless, she switched to the only thing that wasn't restrained.

"You stereotypical meatheads! Why are you wasting such an expensive thing on me?! I can't afford it, go sell it somewhere and earn some money! What are you going to eat at night? Don't tell me, that thing can also satisfy hunger, because that's just bullshit. You need to eat food to-"

"Shut up, bitch!" The boss roared, his forehead twitching in irritation as he grabbed her neck to choke out her nonsense. She gasped for air under his tight hold and blood flow was cut short to her head. As the choke-hold tightened more, Margaret struggled to breathe and her strength kept fading away with every second.

'Is this it? So pathetic! Still too weak to fight for morals and justice.'

"Hey." An ice-cold voice pierced through the gloomy environment, halting everyone in their tracks. "You guys are disturbing my nap here."

The lackeys were the first to turn their gazes ahead and were stunned on spot as they recognized the face of the voice. The boss slowly turned his head to the side and frowned upon seeing a lone guy standing there scratching his head lazily.

"Arthur." The big guy with a well-built body, who was silent till now, spoke up in a whispered tone. His face turned pale in an instant as he unconsciously loosened his grip on Margaret. When the other two lackeys heard the name, they were frightened to submission as they directly let go of Margaret and backed themselves into a corner, trying to disappear in the shadows.

The boss guy hurriedly turned around, his eyes visibly widened in fear and confusion. The hand clutching Margaret's neck drew back and since there was nobody holding her and no strength, she instantly collapsed like a corpse.

The sleepy guy stood there silently, gazing at the darkening sky above with curiosity. His whole presence was shrouded with a melancholic aura.

"Y-You are Arthur? W-what do you want?" The boss stammered, staring at Arthur with shock and apprehension. He never saw the guy before but he heard enough about him to realize that this guy was more trouble than he could handle.

"I'm trying to sleep and you guys are disturbing me with all the ruckus." He answered with his gaze still on the cloudy sky above. He then raised his hand and waved them off in a dismissal. "So, shoo!"

"W-What?!" The boss was left baffled. What's wrong with this guy? They are disturbing his sleep? Who sleeps here, at such a place? He looked back at the big guy and asked in a hushed tone. "Why is he here?"

"The question is, why are you still here?" Arthur slowly turned his head, directing his blank gaze at the boss. "I heard you were all expelled earlier today."

"That's none of your damn business!" The boss growled impatiently. He's had enough. He had been pushed around too many times today.

Arthur sighed and rubbed the space between his brows in annoyance. "Listen, I didn't sleep in days and I'm in a really bad mood, so leave quietly." he stated in a calm voice, but the underlying warning was clearly conveyed. Then he cocked his head and stared at the boss. The intense pressure emitting from his fierce gaze was palpable. "Or do you want me to personally escort you out?"

The boss, despite being buffed with muscles, squirmed under Arthur's intimidating gaze and took a step back.

"W-We will leave." He grumbled, gritting his teeth in anger. He turned back to the three guys and glared at the two huddled in the shadows as he growled. "Let's go!"

He then walked past Arthur and disappeared along with his lackeys, without even a backward glance.

Margaret stayed down on the ground, eyes closed and panting for breath. Arthur walked closer and crouched down as he put his hand on her shoulder.

"You did good. Now it's time to wake up."

"Wake up, Margaret!"

- -

Margaret slowly opened her eyes, and after blinking away the blurriness, what appeared in front of her was a familiar snow white ceiling with pale walls. She recognized her surroundings and tried to sit up, but her body felt heavier than usual as she fell back into the pillow.

"Ahhh!" She groaned and clutched her throbbing head, wishing the ache to go away. She felt as if somebody was repeatedly bashing her inside the head.

Dammit, what's with this hangover when she didn't even drink a sip of alcohol? Is God mocking her for being such a 'good girl'?

Margaret felt something move at the corner of her bed and before she could think further, a messy tangled head perked up and turned in her direction. The next second, a pair of warm brown eyes filled with concern stared at her.

Margaret blinked once, then twice and gave a big smile.

"Oh, Maggy! You are finally awake!" Margaret's mom, Caroline cooed softly as she gazed at her daughter with joy, her eyes crinkling at the corners. She looked tired but relieved at the same time as she helped Margaret sit up and checked her forehead. "How are you feeling, Maggy?"

Margaret leaned back against the head board and gave her a bright grin. "If you don't count the absolute lack of strength and the heavy pounding in my head... I'm fine." She shrugged and her mom let out a soft chuckle.

"So, what happened?" Margaret asked as she tried to remember, but her head was still heavy and her memories were a bit hazy. She couldn't remember the last thing that she remembered. No pun intended.

"Oh, you collapsed in your class, sweetie!" Caroline answered, her eyes full of concern and worry.

'Ah yes, I was in Literature and then… Damn!' Margaret cleared her mind and realized what had happened.

Caroline sat beside her and gently stroked her head. "I was so worried when I got the call from the university. I immediately rushed away, but you were already unconscious by the time I arrived."

'So I held on all day and then dropped in the final hour? That's so… depressing.'

Margaret sighed and looked away. "Sorry for worrying you, Mom." She could imagine how her mom must've felt receiving the news out of nowhere.

Caroline frowned her brows as she stood up, hands on her hips. "Worry? I was so freaked out I almost had a heart attack." She grumbled, placing her arms on her chest for emphasis. She then dropped her arms and sighed. "If not for that boy, I don't know what I would have done."

"Boy?" Margaret asked, raising her brows in doubt.

"Yeah, he was there with you when I came to get you." Caroline replied with a smile. She was really grateful for that boy. He was there telling her not to worry and calming her down; when she was panicking without a hint or clue as to what to do. "I didn't catch his name but I think he said he's your study partner."

Margaret's jaw dropped open and her eyes grew wide. Arthur?

"He came to the hospital and stayed with me while the doctor checked up on you." Caroline continued as she recalled the events few hours back. "He then followed me home and carried you into your room and put you in your bed."

'I'm not dreaming, am I?'

That lazy dude, who does nothing but sleep and terrorize everyone with his blank stare, actually did what? Margaret was having difficulty comprehending the information she received. Even though she was hearing it straight from her mom, she found it hard to believe.

"Wait, he carried me?" Margaret sat straight and turned to her mom, silently praying that she just misheard it.

Caroline's lips slowly formed into a bright grin before she answered. "Like this," as she raised her arms halfway in front of her. "As if you were a little baby."

Margaret felt her cheeks burning at the image, while her mom was finding amusement in teasing her with her actions. And she was saying like it was a proud moment in her daughter's life.

Caroline chuckled at her daughter squirming in embarrassment as she sat down in front of her. She put a hand on Margaret's head and ruffled her already messy hair. "That boy, he truly cares about you. I can see it in his eyes."

What? Margaret immediately raised her head, staring at her mom. "Why do you say that, Mom?"

Although her mom doesn't know it, Margaret knew that Arthur Bridge doesn't give jack about anybody. Much less, a poor little girl who was dumped on him as his partner without his consent.

But then, why did he help her and even went as far as accompanying her mom to hospital and back home. He's a strange guy for sure. He practically strips the dignity of the popular students when they formally and personally invited him to sit with them. But he took the initiative to help his unfortunate partner and consoled her worried mother?

Margaret concluded that Arthur Bridge was not someone who could be estimated using the ordinary standards and regular mindsets.

"I don't know… I just feel so." Caroline simply shrugged her shoulders, unable to better explain why she felt so. Maybe it was because of his affectionate behavior or his gentle and concerned gaze. Finally, she settled on a simple reason. "Call it a mother's intuition."

Margaret, who expected to hear some kind of insightful and interesting answer couldn't help but roll her eyes. But before she could speak, her stomach replied with a loud rumble, startling Margaret and her mom.

"Oh my, you are hungry!" Caroline chuckled and looked at the display clock on the side wall. "And why not, its past ten already. Alright, give me ten minutes." She then stood up and patted Margaret's head softly before walking out of the door and down the stairs to prepare the dinner.