4 The Infamous Arthur Bridge (I)

Thick stream of water was gushing out of the tap as Margaret bent closer towards it, busily washing her hair. Her dark auburn hair bled green and washed down the drain as she squeezed out as much water as she could with her quivering hands. Her palms turned green as a result of her effort, but there were still traces of color in her hair, making it seem like a failed attempt at hair dying.

She took a look at herself in the mirror and couldn't hold in the tired sigh. Her long hair was damp, sticky and messy, springing out in all directions like wild branches. Her black cardigan was covered in dust and smears of green paint, with an additional long tear that ripped through her right sleeve.

It was effectively ruined to be worn again, unless she could make a miraculous and inconspicuous repair work on it. The white shirt underneath was not so white anymore as the faint purple stain made it stand out in a not-so pleasing way.

Another heavy sigh escaped her lips as Margaret hung her head in self pity. But her mood became worse when she caught sight of her beloved, once white vans, which were now scarred in green. She couldn't hold it in anymore as she gripped her fists in anger and let out a frustrated scream.

Fortunately, the bell rang at the same moment and drowned out her cry. Margaret jerked up in alarm and then slowly took a deep breath, pushing her grievances away for a later time.

She then dusted off her cardigan and washed her hands before quickly tying her hair into a low ponytail. She took one quick look at herself in the mirror and grabbed her bag from the sink counter as she limped her way out of the bathroom door, for the last class of the day.

- -

When Margaret woke up that morning, she did not expect her day to be so eventful, or so exhausting. She was neither excited nor dreading the first day of her sophomore year.

She reached the college ten minutes early as always but there were many who were much more 'punctual' than her. The long corridor was filled with her fellow students as she quietly walked past them, trying to blend into the surrounding crowd.

"Good morning, Margie." A loud voice greeted her, followed by a big brawny guy who suddenly jumped in front of Margaret, causing her heart to pause for a second.

He was two heads taller than her with short blonde hair. He was grinning from ear to ear in delight, as if he finally found his prey after a long time. Margaret instinctively took a step back, ready to run in the opposite direction. But before she could, the big guy spoke again.

"I need you to write a final thesis report for me." He declared straight away.

Margaret blinked twice before she stood up straight and looked him in the eye. "No."

Her voice was clear and firm, without any hesitation. She doesn't need to think long to reject him. Not to mention all the unnecessary complications that would arise later, she would never allow anyone to get credit for her hard work.

"And my name is Margaret." She clarified in the same firm tone. She hated it when people call her with weird nicknames and try to act familiar. And either way, he was not someone close to her, to be calling her in such manner.

"Aww, come on..." The big guy took a step closer and put his hands on her shoulders, trapping Margaret under the heavy weight of his arms. He had a smile on his face which was not exactly a smile, as he spoke menacingly slowly. "Don't try to act high and mighty just because I'm asking you nicely. It would be better for you to-"

He suddenly paused as he noticed something ahead and his eyes went wide in terror. He gulped nervously, his adam's apple bobbing up and down.

"N-Nevermind then." He quickly dropped his arms from her shoulders and turned around before breaking into a sprint.

Margaret raised a brow in confusion as she watched him run away as if he saw a ghost. As strange as she thought it to be, she just blew a sigh of relief and let the matter slide. She was just glad that she didn't have to waste her energy arguing with him and then listening to his threats. That's not how she would like to start her mornings.

She continued towards her locker but then noticed the students hastily moving out of the way and clearing the path for her. She immediately stopped in her tracks, sensing the heavy mood in the air. The students were all huddled at the either side of the corridor, gossiping in whispers which were loud enough to be considered mockery.

"He's got guts to show his face here again after everything he did."

"The guy's a freak, who knows what's in his mind? He's still as laid back as ever, even in this situation."

"Does he think nobody knows what happened or there will be no consequences at all?"

"Stop it. If he hears you, we will be his next target."

Margaret had an inkling of a doubt and turned around as she could vaguely guess the topic of their discussions. There was only one person who could get this kind of reaction and scare away everyone in his path without even doing anything.

And there he was— a few feet right behind Margaret, strolling through the hall as if he owned the place.

Arthur Bridge.

His black hair was messy and disheveled as if it were never combed before. It was falling over his face, partially covering his dark eyes which always seem to be half closed with a blank gaze. He lightly rubbed his sleepy eyes as he slowly made his way, seemingly in no hurry at all.

He was close to six feet high and his lean physique made him appear much taller. He was wearing a loose, long sleeved, plain white V-neck shirt, revealing the hard and toned muscles of his neck and chest. He paired it with a faded dark blue jeans and white hi-top sneakers.

A silly smile appeared on Margaret's face as she realized they were wearing matching outfits, albeit slight differences with respect to their genders.

Margaret was also wearing a white t-shirt with faded blue jeans. But her shirt wasn't plain white as it had a shiny golden rock star logo on it. And since it was very eye-catching, she covered it up with a black cardigan. She went with a pair of her favorite white vans to finish her look.

If it was anyone else, Margaret would've tried to start a conversation on this topic. But since the opposite side was an infamous troublemaker with a 'don't-approach-me' aura, she convinced herself to let him be.

Who knows? Poor guy might be extremely nervous to talk to random strangers. Not everyone could be a social animal, right? There will always be a shy little kitten or two.

As she slowly concluded her thoughts, she realized she was standing in the center of the hallway, and barely managed to step aside as Arthur walked past her. When Margaret peeked at him from the corner of her eyes, she unexpectedly caught Arthur shooting a sharp glance towards her for a second before he looked ahead again.

Margaret wondered if she was imagining things but she just couldn't be bothered to think more about it. She simply hoped she didn't accidentally offend him by standing in his way.

But she quickly threw that concern away as she felt Arthur couldn't be bothered to even remember her past the minute, much less find a grudge with her.

Arthur Bridge – one of the most popular, or rather, most infamous name in the Golden Dawn University. He was now a third year student, who transferred here at the end of the previous academic year. That was to say, it hasn't even been in the university for half a year.

It was a rare occurrence in GDU for someone to transfer in the middle of the year. So he was instantly the center of attention, and with his good looks and style, he was very popular in the beginning.

Girls were swooning over his lean physique and mysterious personality, while boys wanted to pull him into their circles.

But it didn't take long for that admiration and infatuation to turn into scorn and disapproval.