His short but dreary speech had wound them up. Fresh bouts of protests sprung up again. If the administration thought they could water this protests down before, they definitely couldn't do that now. Not after Zavier's declaration that basically said he didn't give a damn about what anyone had to say. This was that same entitled attitude of his that annoyed the hell out of them. And yet, here he was, flagrantly displaying it before everyone. It was too much for them, it was a slap on their faces.
To them, it was clear as day that Zavier had cheated. That was what they wanted to believe. And his nonchalant, apathetic attitude towards it all confirmed what they were already thinking. Sabrina was caught in the midst of it all. She had a whole lot to say but the rage of the crowd around her kept her oppressed. When she did manage to find room to speak up and explain herself, Zavier stopped her.
"Whatever you have to say Sabrina, I advice that you refrain from saying it."
Again, there was that bewildered look on her face that betrayed just how shocked she was by his audacity. He did her a kindness by explaining.
"Yes you heard me. It's not that I don't rate your input or anything of the sort, but with a vast majority of the population of the crowds being judgmental-ignorant folks, they would probably come to the conclusion that your trying to make excuses comes down to you being a terrible actor. "
The slight glitch in Sabrina's eyes was suggestive of the fact that Zavier's truth had struck a chord. He saw it, and pressed on.
"They will probably mock your bad acting, and pass the bulk of some of the blame to you. So, if I were you, I'd get comfortable with the fact that they only see you as a victim here. Trust me, you do not want to be on the receiving end of their vitriol."
"It's pretty convenient for you isn't it? I bet you'd like very much for me not to contest this alleged victory, wouldn't you?"
"So far, everything I have told you is nothing but the truth Sabrina. In the not so distant future, you'll come to realise this."
Sabrina cocked her head to the side, "Yes, and thank you for it right?"
Zavier understood her stance. She was definitely still salty about losing in such a manner. And worse still, she could't do anything about it because it would make her seem even more suspicious. She was caught between the Red Sea, and Pharaoh and the Egyptian army. It was annoying as hell, but Zavier was right. She had to stay put. It was the right thing to do.
In the mean time, the crowd saw Zavier and Sabrina casually chatting without the heat of two former adversaries. And they became even more convinced that what Zavier had said before was the truth. All hell broke loose. They started to yell at with with terrible slurs that would have made any grown folk cringe. A faction of the over zealous crowd even broke through the fence, and began to angrily storm their way into the ring.
Clutching water bottles, and their faces contorted in masks of rage, they charged towards Zavier with malicious fury. Their patience with him had just about run out completely. In their minds, they had been content with Zavier getting in on privilege. But one thing they were not about to do was sit back and allow him show case his privilege so unabashedly by cheating right in front of their faces. It was a clear breach of the core values of Caesar University.
Not like they cared about that anyway. Part of them really, really wanted to beat his privileged ass up. And by some twist of fate, they had been given this opportunity to go all out against him, and execute mob justice.
But unfortunately, their moment of victory was short-lived. The campus security around intervened, and proved that that they were not just for show, but were actually a very effective counter measure against elements who wanted to take the law into their own hands. Very swiftly, and in a highly professional manner, the wave of rebellion was hindered by the small army of well-built guards. Their swift response made all the difference. But it didn't change the fact that the match was now spinning out of control.
As the president of the University, the responsibility rested entirely on Galen's shoulders to get things back in order. He sighed and shook his head helplessly. Here he was, so very close to a peaceful retirement, and this had to happen on his watch. He wished some younger, and more energetic president had taken his place already. It was such a bother to have to control this situation. Especially with the princess being present.
Strangely, what irked him the most about all this was the fact that he had to cancel the championship speech he had prepared. Ironically, it was a speech that hammered on the essence of friendship amongst mages. The irony of it all wasn't lost on him at all. Reluctantly, he gave the order and had the members of Merion High School escorted safely away from the area. Zavier in particular had his own personal security escort him away.
But unfortunately, the security did little to nothing in the way of stopping the numerous water bottles that came his way from the hands of very agitated protesters on his way through. Naturally, Zavier didn't care. Instead, it was Nadia beside him who constantly made her grievances known and kept complaining all the way through.
"Bastards! All of them! Bastards!! I wish I could teach them all a good lesson!!"
And that was how the curtains closed on the finals in a very dramatic way, leaving a very ridiculous atmosphere behind.
Winning was Zavier's single defining trait. It was a part of him that he could neither deny nor shake off. So, after the whole charade at the stadium, later that night, Zavier stole away in the darkness to go harvest his winnings. Seeing as he was now familiar, with the path, he wasn't daunted by the fear of getting lost. As he made his way towards the betting shop where his prize awaited him, he couldn't help but perceive just how charged the air was with gossip.
At every corner, behind the bark of almost every palm tree, college students, and freshmen alike were huddled in groups. Zavier didn't need to pay too much attention to know what the trending topic was. Even though Zavier had very much anticipated the consequences and shock waves that would come along with his win, he couldn't shake off just how strange, and surreal it was to be the topic of discussion.
Keeping a very low profile, he kept to the sidewalks, and the shadows as he transversed the social nightlife of the campus. The climate seemed to have gotten the memo as blankets of thick clouds eclipsed both the moon and stars. Giving Zavier the perfect cover he needed. Not that he needed it anyway. Eventually, stifling his anxiety, he pulled up on the betting shop. Even without confirmation, he knew he had made a killing off of his bet. The time to redeem them had come.
Immediately Zavier opened the front door and stepped into the light, he felt the pervasive mood of heavy disappointment. Of course a whole lot of people lost money, it was evident. Seeing that everyone had put their funds on Sabrina winning, Zavier was surprised that there wasn't some agitated gambler outside the shop, raving like a lunatic. Losing could do that to a man. Zavier knew that much. But tonight, he wasn't the loser. Tonight, he was basically the king of hearts. And like the grim reaper, he had come to collect.
His sharp eyes swept through the small shop, and saw that it wasn't as densely populated as it was before. Only twenty four hours ago, the store had had been lined up with all sorts of individuals who had been basically salivating at the mouth because of the prospect of the winnings to come. But now, it was almost a graveyard. Like lizards lounging lazily in the sun, only a handful of people lazied around in groups of twos or threes, no doubt nursing their regrets and planning for the next big one.
As Zavier stood at the entrance surveying his immediate surrounding, the owner's eyes fell on him and immediately recognised him.
"Boy!" He called out cheerfully, "What are you standing around for? Don't be a stranger! Come on in!"
Zavier eyed him warily as he approached the counter. Truth be told, he wasn't expecting the owner to be so chirpy with him. If he was mad at Zavier, Zavier would have understood. After all, he was about to take a ton of money from him. But as far as Zavier's eye could see, the owner wasn't mad at him or the outcome.
"Good evening…I'm glad you remember me."
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