How To Paint Love [✔]

🖌 18. Trial and Error

It's already past fifteen minutes and the professor is not here yet. Others have begun leaving gradually while some stay for chitchat.

"Shall we go too?" Maize says.

"Let's wait until 09:30."

"Fine, fine." She plays on her phone while I grab a sketchpad to pass time.

A few more minutes and the front door opens. A man in his late thirties enters the room. His slick-back blonde hair matches his dashing suit, giving him an air of elegance and intimidation if not for the wide smile on his face.

"Good morning, students," he greets.

"Good morning, Dean Wright," some students manage to say while the rest —including me— are still trying to process why the dean of our college is here.

"Professor Mason has an emergency and I'll be subbing for today. Let's see..." He flips up the folder he's holding. "He has some activity for you but let's make it more fun, shall we?"

He winks and a shudder runs through my spine. The last time he mentioned 'fun' is the day of the announcement of the buddy system.

"I want everyone to grab a paper, roll it, and pass it to me," he states and we do what he says.

 After I finish mine, I walk up to the table, lumping my paper into the bunch spread on the surface.

"How are you, Remy?" Dean Wright inquires, his teeth flashing while his lips tilt from end to end.

"I am fine, Dean."

"I see. Have you been enjoying the buddy system?"

I stop myself from scowling, compelling myself to nod.

"Wonderfu—"

"Uncle."

I don't even need to look back to see who interrupted the dean.

"It's 'dean', Terrence. We're in the class." So he speaks but his smile never wavers. In fact, it stretches wider.

Sensing that they have something to talk about, I step back and return to my chair.

"They really don't look alike," Maize comments the moment I sit.

"His looks are probably on his mother's side," I reply.

She shrugs with her palms up in the air. "Probably but I bet ya, Dean Wright is also like Terrence who is the popular kid in school when he was younger."

After a while, Dean Wright starts to rearrange the papers on the table, shuffling them together. He picks a piece, declares the name, and then another, pairing the two students together.

By the time he calls my name, my fingers tighten in my pen. 'Please not Terrence.'

"Terrence Wright."

'Dang it.' I want to scream so bad. I'm so good at jinxing myself.

"Wow, girl. You've paired up with Terrence again," Maize remarks.

'Yeah, lucky me.'

I turn back in his direction and his face is as dark as mine. With thinned lips and narrowing eyelids, his whole attention is focused on the dean.

Dean Wright continues until everyone is grouped together before going into more detail about the activity.

It's another report to be submitted after the exams. It's still far ahead but just thinking I have to talk to Terrence again outside the buddy system is already making my head ache.