Chapter 5 II A Wrong Target

When they arrived at the school's front gates, Julia and her mother got out of the car. That girl reached the main school building through the main hallway. The alarm clock in Julia's room wasn't working, so she was unable to wake up early.

As luck would have it, Julia made it to class on time. It's been just two days since Julia enrolled at Galactic High School. Julia was concerned about getting in trouble if she was late to class.

"Julia!"

Julia swiveled around when she heard that voice. As Moza ran towards her, Julia caught a glimpse of her from behind.

Julia cautioned Moza, "look out your way, Moza."

"I was afraid I might be late. I was running behind schedule because of my bothersome sibling" Moza giggled as she recalled her brother's childish behavior.

"Indeed, I, too, had a late start to the day. Nothing happened when my alarm went off, "As she walked, Julia continued to speak.

Both of them entered the classroom and found seats. Julia had not moved from where she had been sitting. But someday, she wished, she might switch places.

"You know what? Julia, I really wanted to be seated next to you. But…" Moza halted for a second.

"Chill, Moz. We can sit together the next time there's a seat swap, "Julia remarked.

As Moza listened to Julia, a broad grin spread across her face. Moza rarely smiled really when she was around a female friend she knew. In instance, before this, Moza's friendship with any girl who approached her for friendship was not complete. Most of them were there because they had business with Moza.

"I still can't believe what happened yesterday. When you slapped the school's most popular boy, you showed a lot of guts "Julia hid her face from Moza's words.

Instantly, Julia felt ashamed. Because of the miserable accident she caused on her first day at her new school, Julia felt terrible. But if Lucas hadn't slandered her, Julia never would have done such a stupid thing. Julia felt pretty confident that no one on the planet would believe the rumors that she had been slandered. On top of that, the slanderers were complete strangers.

"Moza, please don't bring this up. I need to put it out of my mind, "exclaimed Julia in a desperate tone.

"Alright. Forgive me if I've offended you by discussing sensitive topics "The response came from Moza.

"Hey, Julia, didn't Lucas do anything to you? Likewise, if someone messed with Lucas's life, he wouldn't keep quiet about it. The fact that he dared to play violently with Lucas is very noteworthy."

To get Lucas to accept her apologies, Julia had to tell him about the time he made her do something she didn't want to do.

Julia was too furious and irritated yesterday to enjoy her day. The horrible guy Julia had just met appeared to have wrecked her pride. When Lucas urged Julia to "sell herself to the man," Julia's anger grew.

"And when Lucas gets bored of bad-mouthing his victim, he moves on to another target. Not even more than three days. Lucas will seek out an alternative toy for himself."

Those who openly oppose Lucas was a particular target of his.

After hearing Moza's explanation, Julia replied, "I'm not challenging Lucas, Moza."

"Julia, you just slapped Lucas. Isn't that what you were going for when you assaulted Lucas?" Asked Moza.

Julia insisted, "I wouldn't have slapped him if Lucas hadn't bullied me."

"Absolutely. Your words are your personal judgment. Let me know your thoughts about Lucas. What Lucas stated to you in front of others, did he take it to be offensive?" Moza asked, shaking her head helplessly.

"The reputation that Lucas has as a ruthless man is well-deserved. Shows no regard for gender when acting harshly toward others."

Jeez… Making a scene in front of the person named Lucas was the wrong idea, and Julia should have known better. Instead of listening to Lucas, Julia should have ignored him. That way, Julia won't have to worry about anyone bothering her while she attends Galaxy High.

"However, relax, Julia. I do not doubt that you will easily survive Lucas's punishment. And now I'm holding out for a bigger and better surprise than just slapping Lucas, "With a broad grin on his face, Moza continued a discussion with Julia in a playful manner.

Julia's expression grew drowsy all of a sudden. When Julia flat-out refused to play games with Lucas, she felt her problems were resolved. Hearing Moza's statements, Julia's freedom from Lucas was swiftly shattered.

"Do not give it too much thought, Julia. If Lucas bothers you, you can tell me about it. Please let me know how I may help you control Lucas."

***

Some students choose to avoid math classes whenever possible. A lot of students didn't like math because it was hard and because their teachers made it difficult. The math teacher at Galactic High School was notorious for having an intimidating presence that made students nervous just by staring into their teacher's eyes.

"What do you want to do with your life? You constantly running late for class. Just because you're popular at this school doesn't give you permission to act how you want to!

All of the students perked up when Mrs. Ambar's voice rang out. As they looked on, Mrs. Ambar scolded three students. It couldn't have been anyone except Lucas and his two buddies. When they arrived to class late, it sparked frustration in every teacher there.

After listening to Mrs. Ambar's talk for over ten minutes, Lucas and his three friends were finally allowed to take a seat.

As soon as Lucas sat down, he rested his head on the table. Unfortunately, Lucas has a habit of dozing off in lecture halls. Lucas didn't think much of the teacher's lessons. Which displeased Lucas quite a bit.

Lucas had initially planned on getting some sleep. But now that he had a tablemate, Lucas changed his mind. Lucas shifted his stance to the right to observe the girl sitting next to him.

Julia was frustrated by Lucas' interruption of her writing time. The stare was returned, but Julia sensed that Lucas was looking at her even more intently.

Stop staring at me," Julia said to Lucas.

"What if I don't want to stop?" Lucas questioned.

"Keep your voice low," urged Julia. "If Mrs. Ambar finds out we are chatting in class, she'll be furious."

"You've only been in class for two days so far, so you've got a long way to go. Can you tell me anything about Mrs. Ambar?

"Moza told me. Don't make Mrs. Ambar mad by acting a fool."

Gently, Lucas laughed. A cackle that made Julia's ears itch. Lucas was laughing like nothing happened despite having just made a huge blunder.

"Let's meet up in the cafeteria at noon today."

"I'm sorry, but I can't"

"You have to!"

"I have an appointment."

"Also, you should apologize to me again."

When Lucas saw that Julia was no longer responding to his questions, he smiled thoughtfully at her. That Julia had conceded defeat was a given, at least in Lucas's mind. And the girl would submit to Lucas' every command without hesitation..

***