A heavy silence descended in the room, as Gerald sat on his seat, dripping in smoothie juice. " What did you think you were doing, you psychopath?!" He asked as he gave Emily a murderous glare. 

" What I'm doing?" Emily asked with a confused look. " I was simply trying to help a friend." She replied sarcastically with a nonchalant look.

Looking across the room, Gerald noticed that all the other student's attention has been drawn. He didn't expect Emily to react the way she did. He felt embarrassed as he could hear muffled laughter in the room. 

And as he looked up at Emily, who kept staring at him indifferently, he forcefully grabbed her wrist. " How dare you?!" He asked with bloodshot eyes. He was fuming in rage and his violent nature took control of him. He began to squeeze her hand tightly. So tight, that she winced in pain from the squeeze.

" Let go of my hand!!" Emily yelled as she struggled to release her wrist. 

Charles seeing Emily struggling to release her wrist, came to her rescue. " Hey leave her hand!" He ordered while trying to pull Gerald's hand from hers. He noticed that Gerald's grip on her was quite firm and it infuriated him further.

In a split second, he pulled back his arm clenching his fist, he threw it forward with a force that pushed Gerald's head backward and he fell to the ground.

 " Damn it!!" Gerald cursed as he retaliated with a punch of his own. He whacked Charle's face with a pan on his face, food splattering all around them.

Once again, their fight didn't go unnoticed by the school authorities, and both Charles and Gerald were summoned to the principal's office. Sitting beside each other, Charles and Gerald gave each other glares.

" Last time, I heard from the lunch lady that both of you..." The principal said while pointing a pen at the two of them." That both of you fought during lunch, disturbing the peace. And this time, it's the same thing. Any of you care to tell me what is going on?" He asked as he took off his spectacle.

They both shook their head in denial as they felt ashamed. They couldn't bring themselves to tell that it all started because of Emily. 

" Hmmm." The principal mumbled as he shook his head and cleaned his spectacle. " I'm going to have to suspend you two." He said with a furrowed brow and began typing on his computer.

" It was him, sir." Gerald accused while pointing at Charles. " He punched me on the nose the last time and I.." 

" And you what? Mr. Gerald?" The principal demanded, with a questioning look. " This isn't the first time I got such reports and I'm pretty sure it ain't going to be the last." He said and leaned back on his chair.

" We are both sorry sir." Charles apologized." We promise not to do that again." He assured as he gave a glance at Gerald.

" Yes, we are sorry," Gerald said after some moment of hesitation. " But hey Mr. Howard, you know he is at fault right?" Gerald asked the principal.

" I'm sorry boys but you leave me no choice. You are both given a week suspension from school. you may leave." He said and resumed his typing on the system, sitting on his desk.

Giving a slight bow, Both Gerald and Charles made their way to the door. " Oh and Mr. Charles, learn to do away with your anger. it will help you a lot." He advised and the two students walked out.

 *****************************

" Hi,  Mrs. Cromwell." Emily greeted while holding a pink box. She was standing right outside Charles' house with his mother inside the house. She wore a pair of blue jeans with a white shirt and a blue jean sweater wrapped around her waist. 

" Oh hi, Emily. Are you here to see Charles?" Mrs. Cromwell asked with a smile, as her eyes fell on the pink box. She was a beautiful lady with little to no wrinkles on her body. She looked like someone in her forties and had oceanic blue eyes like Charles with brown hair. Her lips were thin as well, and she was 5'6 feet tall.

" Oh, you got him something?" She asked Emily with a broad smile. " That's nice." She added.

" Yes, Mrs. Cromwell. I bought these doughnuts for him from Tim Horton." Emily replied and flashed a smile, that revealed her gap tooth, which made her look more beautiful.

" Ok dear, he is in his room. But he is grounded and is not allowed to leave the house. His father and I got a report from school that he got into a fight at lunch and was suspended." She informed and closed the door, as soon as Emily entered the house. " You may go see him, dear." She permitted with a smile and walked toward another room, probably the kitchen.

Emily nodded and made her way upstairs to Charles' room. She knocked and walked in." Hey, Charles," She said as she walked into the room. She dropped the box on the table and sat beside him on the bed. 

" Hey Emily, you came," Charles said a little surprised as he propped himself up.

" I got you something and it's..."

" Wow, you got me doughnuts from Tim Horton's?" He asked with a smile and opened the box. Taking in a whiff, he smiled again. " Oh, can you smell that heavenly dough? Now that's what a doughnut should smell like." He said and munched on the snack.

"  Yeah, well, it's the least I could do, for saving my skin back there. I owe you one, Charles." Emily said and smiled faintly. " I'm sorry that you got suspended because of me and got grounded as well." She apologized.

" Nah it was worth it. At least I got my revenge on Gerald and still got to eat a doughnut from Tim Hortons." He replied with a genuine smile and he noticed Emily frowning. " Hey don't frown, you'd look ugly if you do that, you know?" He teased and nudged her.

" Stop." Emily protested with a light chuckle and saw the opened laptop on Charles' bed, She noticed that a video was playing on the screen. " Hey what were you up to?" she asked, as she laid down, facing the screen.

" Oh, I was watching Mr. Mysterio's latest magic performance..."

" Wait!! do you mean Mr. Mysterio? As in the magician Mysterio? As in the greatest magician of all time? As in..."

" God please Emily. Yes, the same Mysterio we all know, jeez." Charles interrupted and shut his eyes. "And I hear he is performing here in New York.  It's also his last performance and will be performing it tonight." He added and dropped the doughnut in the box.

" What the freaking hell?! Are you saying Mr. Mysterio is performing his final tonight?" Emily asked still in disbelief, as her eyes darted from Charles to the screen.

Mr. Mysterio was one of both Charles and Emily's favorite magicians. Charles was a hardcore fan of the masked man, clad in black clothing. He wore a mask to hide his identity and his magic tricks were unbelievable. Charles has always wished to meet him, and be picked as a volunteer in his magic tricks.

Emily on her own wasn't a die-hard fan of his, as she preferred music to magic. She never believed in the existence of magic but there was something about the masked figure that piqued her interest. It was the fact that the masked magician, always seem to make the impossible, possible. She has watched magicians perform, but the masked figure's magic was way out of their league.

" You heard me," Charles replied and wiped the sticky caramel from the sides of his mouth as he walked toward the bed.

" Well too bad we can't go there together," Emily said and gave a faint smile. She knew that it was Charles' wish to see the masked man and she did not want to go without him. She didn't want to portray herself as a selfish friend. If he wasn't going, she wasn't either and there are no two ways about it. 

" Ooh, I'm going alright," Charles informed with a smile. " This is my last chance to see him, and I won't lose it,  Not especially since It will be his final performance. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me." Charles said and focused on the screen too.

 

"Hold on." Emily said, " You know you are grounded and not allowed to go out right?" She asked, with a questioning look and folded arm.

" That is correct," Charles affirmed with a proud look and a broad smile.

" Which means you can't go anywhere, not even to the show," Emily informed still looking confused and unsure of herself.

" Well if you put it like that, you are wrong 'cause I'm going," Charles replied and noticed that she was still looking perplexed by his answers. " I'm going to sneak out to the show," Charles informed with a sigh.

" You are planning to sneak out to the show? ooh, you are going to be soo grounded after this." Emily let out with a frown that slowly crept on her face.