I turned around.
And there she was the same girl from the bus standing just behind me.
She wasn't alone. A couple of her friends were with her, whispering little things under their breath, clearly nudging her to say something. I could see the way she shifted her weight nervously, clutching the strap of her bag a little tighter. We stood there for a few moments, suspended in an awkward silence, both waiting for her to speak.
But she didn't.
Instead, one of her friends let out a sigh, and then leaned closer, whispering something in her ear that made her flinch slightly. The next second, before she could even react, her friend gave her a gentle push forward straight toward me.
For a split second, it looked like she was going to stumble right into me, but she caught herself just in time. Her wide eyes lifted to meet mine, startled and embarrassed all at once. Honestly, I was just as stunned by her friend's sudden move.
"Th-thank you… for the help today," she managed to say, her voice barely above a whisper.
I scratched the back of my neck, my reply coming out a little clumsy. "Ah… it's okay. You're welcome."
Silence fell between us again, that same heavy air from the bus wrapping around us.
Her friend stepped forward this time, breaking the quiet. "Um, are you our senior? We weren't sure, since we're new here…"
I nodded. "Yeah, I'm in my third year."
That seemed to ease her a bit. She gave a small smile and extended her hand politely. "Hello, senior. I'm Chloe, and this is my frie—"
Before she could finish, I heard someone shouting across the cafeteria.
"Hey, Willy! Emergency!"
I turned, spotting Daniel sliding his way through the crowd, waving me over like it was life or death. I excused myself quickly and jogged toward him.
"What emergency?" I asked as we walked.
He pointed ahead with a grimace. "Them…"
I sighed, already knowing what that meant. "Them… again?"
Daniel nodded with a helpless shrug. "Yep."
Sure enough, when we reached the middle of the cafeteria, two familiar faces were going at it—Milo and James. Always the same duo, always finding something ridiculous to fight over.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Not them again…"
Stepping closer, I raised my voice. "Alright, what happened this time?"
Milo immediately pointed at James. "He drank my juice!"
James shot back without missing a beat. "Yeah? He ate my chocolate!"
I turned my head slowly toward Daniel, giving him the kind of look that said this is the great emergency you dragged me here for? He only lifted his hands in defense. "Hey, you're the only one they actually listen to."
Of course, by the time I tried to pull them apart, one of their wild swings accidentally connected with me.
I froze, and both of them stopped instantly, panic flashing across their faces.
"Do you two… want me to join in too?" I asked calmly.
They shook their heads so fast I thought they'd snap their necks. Fear was written all over them.
From the corner, I overheard Chloe asking someone, "Why are they so afraid of him?"
A voice replied, almost proudly, "Don't you know? He's on the discipline committee. He's strong too—good at fighting. No one wants to cross him."
Their words lingered in my ears. Good at fighting… Maybe that was true, but it wasn't like I enjoyed it. I just learned from my uncle, who ran a small gym, out of curiosity. That's all.
I looked back at Milo and James, still cowering. With a sigh, I pointed toward the hallway. "Both of you. Discipline committee office. Now."
They obeyed instantly, heads down. Daniel and I followed behind, making sure they didn't try to sneak away.
As we walked farther from the cafeteria, I tugged Daniel a little closer and muttered, "How long are you planning to keep calling me by that nickname?"
He grinned, that mischievous look spreading across his face. "Bro, think about it. Sky sounds cool, sure… but it doesn't hit the same way as Willy."
I exhaled through my nose, already knowing it was pointless to argue with him. "Fine," I said, shaking my head, "call me whatever you want."
Daniel's grin widened into a smirk. "Alright then… Willy."
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't help the small laugh that slipped out. With Daniel, it was always like this annoying, but somehow comforting at the same time.