CHAPTER 8 - WITH GREAT SCANDAL COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY

"I finally found you, stupid donkey!"

Lizzy's index finger pointed at me, which has the same feeling when a mugger points a gun at you. Trying to deny the obvious, I asked as I pointed my own face.

"M-Me!?" 

"Yes! You! Stop playing innocent!" Lizzy's fingertip poked at my forehead and I can feel intense pressure as if she's squishing me like a bug.

Meanwhile, I can hear my classmates murmur something like "Did they know each other?" etcetera. My friend Frank made a little distance from me, silently saying that he's not going to get involved with my problems. Actually, it's not just Frank. All my classmates went away from me as if I have coronavirus.

"The heavens must be corrupt for us to meet!" Lizzy is furious. "I was just letting go of your insolence, but you're abusing me!"

("A-Abusing!?") My classmates murmured. They are certainly imagining the wrong things.

"Abusing? What did I even do to you?" I cried.

"You did those things to me!" Lizzy roared.

("Did those things?") My classmates echoed once again! They are all blushing and thinking about something censored!

"I don't know what you're talking about!" I hollered.

"You're the reason why I'm always hurt!" Lizzy hissed. "Hitting me with a branch and delivering me to your apartment while I'm unconscious is one thing I can just forgive, but that smashing to the wall is where I draw the line! That was the first time I bleed a lot!"

("Hitting with a branch and delivering to an apartment while unconscious!?")

("Smashing to the wall!?") 

("First time!?") 

("Bleed a lot!?") 

Now my classmates really have all the wrong ideas. All their faces are red. The girls are already giggling.

"It's not my fault! It was an accident!" I cried as I turned my back. I have to get the hell out of here!

However, Lizzy grabbed the back of my collar to prevent my escape. Now I look like a poor kitten about to be bullied by a large dog!

"You're a man! Take some responsibility!" Lizzy glared.

("Take some responsibility!?") My classmates echoed once again. I can finally hear protesting words against me, which gave an issue that they don't even understand at all. They all sided with Lizzy.

"Yeah! Take some responsibility!"

"How dare you defile a goddess!"

"Fuck you, John Casterdyne! You should die!"

My classmates' words hurt, so I settled down and sat like a guilty puppy. In front of me is the woman who had her hands on her hips and kept on scolding me.

"Fine! Fine! I get it, I'm sorry." I cried. "What should I do to make it up with you, my goddess? Should I pay your hospital bills?"

"Hmph!" Lizzy turned away. "Not needed. I have already paid for all the expenses. But-"

The runaway princess pressed her eyes forward to me to inflict fear. It is super effective!

"-Thanks to you, I have spent all my savings. Now that I don't have any money, I could never support myself any longer."

Lizzy presented her hospitalization bills, which made the complications a little more complicated. The name indicated "Lizzy Casterdyne" which is my doing. I wrote that made-up name because I can't just sign her in a hospital when she's a runaway princess and a fugitive. I can't think of anything else to be her last name during that time. Now we really look like husband and wife to the eyes of my classmates.

"Waaah, I'm sorry." I cried like a pup.

"Apology accepted." Lizzy withdrew her face, crossed her arms, and turned away. "But, you still have to take responsibility."

"W-What do you want?"

Lizzy stayed silent for a moment when she made a deep breath. After raising her courage levels, she finally unleashed the most ridiculous (wedding?) proposal in all history.

"I shall live with you and stay in your apartment from now on."

...

"Eh?"

...

The situation all went chaotic. My classmates all overreacted. The girls made a "Kyaaaaa!" spree while the boys made "Huuuuuuh!?" sound. 

"It's a wedding proposal! No, it's a live-in proposal!" The girls giggled.

"It's so sweet that I now have diabetes!" The other girl said.

"Oh no, my goddess! Why oh why?" One of the boys cried.

"I wish I had a wife like her!" The other guy said.

"Fuck you, John Casterdyne! You should die!"

I want to find out who's shouting that last sentence and spank him, but it's impossible with a crowd this big. 

I'm certainly making an embarrassing and scandalous scene here, and there is no way I could ever recover my reputation back. 

Meanwhile, at the back of the crowd, my friend Frank is holding his imaginary beard as if he's about to solve a mysterious case as a detective.

"Hmmm... So this is why your girlfriend broke up with you, huh? You ravishing dickhead, you deserve it."

"Of course not!" I cried out loud.

<>

It's already nighttime. I'm at the balcony of my apartment, contemplating my life and hugging my crippling depression with a half-empty can of beer in my hand. I can't believe what's happening to me. It's starting to get messy. The peaceful stress-free college life that I planned is now nothing but dust. 

"Hey donkey, can I eat this?"

That was the voice of my new roommate. She is wearing a white tank top that squeezes her proud chest and short shorts which exposes her flawless thighs. On her hand, is a twin popsicle stick that I have kept in the freezer for two days already.

"Yeah." I sighed.

Lizzy snapped the twin popsicle into two parts. She put one on her mouth and offered me the other. How thoughtful of her.

"Thanks," I said as I took the popsicle.

There was an awkward silence between us. Our eyes gazed at the view of the city and enjoyed the peaceful night breeze. I don't know how many seconds it has been, but Lizzy broke the silence. She held her elbow and bowed.

"H-Hey, don't get the wrong idea. I don't have a choice. I know nothing in this Earth Realm and you're the only one I know that I can trust. A princess like me is not suited to live in the streets like a hobo, so I'd rather go back here. Besides, it's your fault that I'm all out of money now. It's not like I wanted to live with you or anything, stupid donkey." 

"Fine, fine." I smiled but hid it from her.

There was this awkward silence again. I wanted to talk to her about a lot of things, but she once said that I shouldn't poke my nose in her business. It's probably for my safety in the long run.

"You want to know more about me, right?" She broke the silence as if she just read my mind. When I looked at her, I had a glimpse of how she adjusts her swaying hair on her ears. "You want to know more about my legendary kingdom of Agartha and the Archonlight System that I gave you."

I just nodded.

"I already got you involved, so I should at least tell you the truth anyway. Where should I start?"