Saving the Villain

"That bitch…!" Wyn ground his teeth in anger, holding his arm where Maxen gripped him. "And that bastard —"

"That's what you get for acting all high and mighty." A fellow delinquent, the guy with a scar across his eyebrow, laughed out loud. "How can you pick on Max when our boss here isn't even saying anything?"

Wyn let out a 'tch' out of irritation, glancing at everyone. His classmates immediately resumed whatever they were doing while others looked away, silently walking away to have some lunch.

"That fucker…"

"She looks familiar, isn't she?" suddenly, Emyr, spoke. He was rubbing his chin, looking up, recalling where he had seen Cosette. "Is she some bitch who works in the club at night or what?"

"Hah! Can you even pay one for the night?" Ja humored, grinning deviously. Emyr frowned, glaring daggers at Ja, and then cast his eyes on the shaved head student, whom they call their boss.

Emyr propped his arms against the desk. "Boss, that Maxen is growing some balls just because she is being protected by that girl. What should we do to her?"

The Boss leaned back, raising his foot to rest on his leg. He rested his arm on the desk, the other over the backrest of the chair, his back against the wall. He cocked his head to Emyr, sporting a dull look.

"Nothing." His plain answer caused Ja, Emyr, and Wyn's brows to furrow. "We do nothing."

"But —"

"I agree with him." Ja rocked his head in understanding. "Boss just got out of the juvie. He needs to lie low for now."

The boss snapped his eyes at Ja for a moment before he looked away. The room at this point was almost empty since everyone just left the four of them alone.

"He'll have his day," he muttered. "That psycho will have his day… for sure."

The three looked at the shaved-head guy with genuine puzzlement in their eyes. However, their boss didn't speak anymore after that as the latter stared at the window across from them. They didn't know why, but their boss had been lenient to Maxen even before that last incident which led him to the juvenile.

*****

"Cozie, you and Max looked cool earlier," Amie praised in a murmur, feeling a lot better when Maxen and Cosette stood up to those school bullies.

As planned, Fay, Sarah, Amie, Cosette, and Maxen had their lunch on the school rooftop. While eating, the girls couldn't help but praise Cosette and Maxen since watching those two, especially how Maxen dropped his warning to Wyn, sounded dangerous and cool. It was as if they were just watching a movie.

Cosette chuckled. "You guys… we're not trying to be cool," she explained, glancing at Maxen, who was sitting on the corner while the girls had formed a small circle.

"Right, Max?" she said louder to catch Maxen's attention.

Maxen rocked his head. "Mhm."

"See?" Cosette looked back at them with a bright smile on her face. "My offer to him was true. I would give him food if he needed it. I mean, we don't know his story. He might be a bully in school, but who knows what happens to him inside his home, right?"

"I think people usually have reasons why they do certain things," she continued, lowering her eyes as she pondered about things. When she raised her head, a soft smile dominated her face. "No one was born wicked. Life is already tough as it is. Being kind and understanding is free."

"Cozie, are you an angel?" Amie blurted out, flinching when she realized her question.

Sarah laughed modestly. "I expect to hear that from her."

"I think I expect that from you, Mama Sarah," Fay chimed, grinning playfully. "But well, I don't think I have the energy to worry about other people's personal problems. I mean, even if they had a sob story to tell, it's not an excuse to become evil."

"True." Amie nodded in agreement.

"Hurt people hurt people," Sarah explained with a subtle smile. "Being hurt by others isn't a license to hurt others, but that's just how it is."

"I can't disagree." Cosette pressed her lips into a thin line, her eyes glossing over the girl's face. "But understanding them is different from condoning their actions."

Her lips stretched as the three looked at her with furrowed brows. "Sometimes, people just need someone who will listen to them or understand them. They don't need people who will agree with them, but just someone who will understand where they were coming from, not for sympathy, but the sheer fact someone heard and comprehend them."

"Villains in most stories never regret their actions. Even if they had a sob story to tell others, others might think their story was to justify their wickedness. It's not," Cosette continued solemnly. "The purpose of those redemption arcs is the last attempt for the villain to tell his story, not for justification, but to give us all a moral lesson."

"That sometimes… it only takes one act of kindness to change a person's life," she added, smiling at the girls subtly. "Kindness is something we can all afford. Why not sprinkle it everywhere, right? Who knows? That random act of kindness might stop someone who was destined to destroy the world!"

"Haha! Cozie, this is why everyone likes you." Sarah smiled softly at Cosette, admiration filling her eyes. "Not only you are beautiful from the outside but also you have a big heart."

"I think I just fell in love…" Amie planted her hand across her chest, staring at Cosette blankly. In her eyes right now, Cosette seemed to sparkle like a goddess.

"I feel like I'm a demon." This time, Fay murmured. Sarah and Cosette laughed as they looked at Fay and Amie.

"You guys are so silly." Cosette shook her head mildly. "Let's eat or we'll get late on our first subject in the afternoon."

As the three girls resumed eating, chatting in between, Maxen was staring at Cosette's side profile. His eyes softened, peeling his gaze from her to the clear blue sky.

'An act of kindness to change a person's life… that's definitely what happened to me.'