“I’M Maxine.”

Dustin’s brows furrowed at what Maggie told him. “M-Maxine?” he asked, stepping away from her. “Since when?”

Maggie laughed at him as if he asked her an absurd question. She pulled his hand from him and took the space between. Their faces were just an inch away from each other. “Since when? Since when what?” Her gaze lowered down his lips. “How about you? Since when you started to notice me?”

Dustin swallowed hard. His Adam’s apple went up and down his throat as Maggie’s lips inched forward to his. “Maggie—”

She shut his lips with a kiss that lasted for seconds. When she pulled back, she arched her brow at him. “I’m Maxine,” she said and fixed his collar. “Don’t forget my name, Dustin. You won’t like it when I’m mad.”

He watched Maggie walked away from him as if nothing happened. Dustin pressed his lips together as he thought about the woman’s transition of personality changing. She instantly became a different person as they were talking inside the room. He didn’t even notice how she switched or when and what triggers her alter persona to take over her. 

Dustin drew his brows together. He can’t be wrong with his observation of the woman. He has seen cases like this on their intern, but what made him wonder is how she switches. It’s unnoticeable.

Dustin followed Maggie. If he’s right with his conclusions, Maggie is having a Dissociative Identity Disorder. It was formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder, where one person has two or more alternate personalities with or without the awareness of the person’s usual character. In Maggie’s case, she can’t remember what the alter persona named Maxine is doing.

Maxine strolled in the field. She was taking her time on every step, far from Maggie, that’s always in a rush whenever it’s lunchtime. When the woman halted, Dustin stopped walking and remained on his feet. He’s anticipating that she will look back at him, but she didn’t. She just looked at the two female students having their lunch at the bleacher.

Dustin wondered what is she thinking. When she walked again, he followed and saw her entered the canteen. He paused as he recalled Rose telling Maggie to meet her in the canteen. 

“Did she switch again?” he asked as he scurried towards the canteen. 

He found Maggie walking towards Rose’s table. The woman waved at her, to which Maggie didn’t respond. Dustin occupied the table a few meters away from them and watched Maggie talked to Rose. She seemed to be in her usual self now.

He saw Rose stood and went to the chiller. Dustin decided to approach her.

“Oh, Dustin!” Rose blurted out upon seeing him. “What’s up?”

“Did you notice something different to Maggie?” he asked, glancing in Maggie’s direction.

Rose raised her brows together. “Nah. She looks… fine. Why?”

Dustin’s brows furrowed. Maybe she was back to herself… “Nothing,” he replied. “Don’t tell her I asked, okay?”

When Rose nodded, Dustin went back to his table. He was observing Maggie’s actions when a group of male students surrounded their table. He recognized them as students from the Music Department.

“Maggie Rutherford,” the taller man called Maggie and slammed his backpack at their table. “Why did you hurt Melinda?”

Maggie looked at the man. Dustin can see in her expression that she’s not afraid of them. “Melinda? The ugly woman with fake lashes?” she scoffed. “So she’s your girl?”

Dustin saw Rose nudged Maggie in the shoulders and whispered something. But it didn’t affect Maggie’s stern expression.

“I don’t like what’s coming out in that mouth,” the man said, grabbed the bottled water, and poured its contents to Maggie. “This is what I like.”

The other men surrounding them laughed at Maggie. Dustin couldn’t just watch them bully her. “But if it’s still her alter persona… Then, these men are in trouble and not Maggie.”

Before Dustin could stop the men from provoking Maxine. The woman raised from her seat and slammed the table at them. All the students inside the canteen looked at them in shock.

“I hate cold water!” Maxine shouted, grabbed the monobloc chair, and slammed at the shocked man. “People like you should be expelled in this world!”

“You’re a freak!” the man shouted and grabbed the chair. 

As he raised and aimed it at Maggie, Dustin ran to her and blocked the chair from hitting Maggie. He fell to the floor in front of her.

“That’s the student councilor, dude,” he heard the other student told to the man that slammed the chair to him. “Let’s go!”

The group of men walked out of the canteen, leaving them and the other students shocked at what just happened.

“Oh, my gosh, Dustin!” Rose went to him and helped him to stand up. 

When he looked up at Maggie, the woman was staring blankly at him. Then she blinked twice, and the shock was now in her eyes. “Maggie?”

“D-Dustin? What happened to you—” She looked around and gasped. “Oh, my gosh! W-what happened here?”

“Maggie, what’s happening to you?” Rose asked her with furrowed brows. “You did this all.”

Maggie’s eyes widened. “Me?” she asked in disbelief and looked around again. The canteen students were looking at her with the same expressions in their eyes: shock and fear.

“Maggie, I’ll explain it to you all,” Dustin told her. His face was distorted in pain on his back. “Can you help me go to the clinic?”

Maggie hesitated but nodded as she looked at him worriedly. “Did I also hurt you, Dustin?”

He shook his head. “You didn’t, Maggie. Don’t worry,” he said, then looked at Rose. “Can you call the utilities and make a report regarding the incident?”

Rose nodded. “I’ll handle this, Dust.” She turned to Maggie in a knotted forehead. “Bring him to the clinic and don’t leave him, okay?”

Maggie shyly held his arm to help him walk. “I-I’m sorry, Dustin…”

Dustin looked at her. “It wasn’t you, Maggie.”

Maggie looked up at him and knotted her forehead. “W-what do you mean?”

***