****
"Found you" - The woman in the middle said.
The middle one and most intimidating was probably a teacher as she was significantly older than the other two who seemed to be our age. They seemed very annoyed, especially the teacher. My first thought was for my very own position and reputation at the university. I had just arrived at the place and wasn't willing to have my image hindered by such a situation. A boy and a girl inside a dark storage…. Could only mean one thing. That said, the teacher seemed to have her eyes fixated more on Carlos than on me. Also, Carlos didn't seem that surprised with her presence more than his situation being exposed.
"Tch" - He angrily bit his teeth looking away- "Is not what you are thinking, gramma."
Wait, what? Gramma?"
"You don't need to say it. I've known you for quite some time. You don't have the guts to do something with a girl, especially in this way"- He didn't respond
Wow, that was harsh.
"I've been searching for you the whole day, and I'm gonna ask you only once. Why didn't you deliver the photos you promised to the journal yesterday?! You know the university is being sponsored for it and this is the third time you are late!" - She was really angry.
"Yes, gramma, I just…"
"Do you realize how badly you may damage the university image?"
Although still a bit confused, I was starting to grasp the situation and to understand Carlos's previous hurry and despair when he was asking me for the photos.
Oh no. Maybe I've misjudged him. I must explain to her that it wasn't his fault. That the photos she is seeking are with me.
"S-sorry, but, I-I, uh, have the…." - I tried to intervene
"They still weren't good!" - Carlos interrupted me and responded to the old woman vigorously.
"I-I was still undecided on what photos I should submit. I didn't think most of them were good, but I promise gramma, by tom-"
SLAP!
What the heck!?
The woman slapped Carlos in the face and shouted,
"Now there is no time!"
"What?"
"The journal called us just now to cancel the order. They were tired after so many delays to deliver it. I was searching for you so you may call them immediately to say that you are sorry. We cannot afford to lose the sponsorship the journal gives to the art department. After missing the deadline three times, at least be a man and go apologize to them" - Carlos leaned down his head and remained silent. I was still on the ground and feeling extremely uncomfortable in the midst of all this situation.
"I told you it didn't matter if the photos were a masterpiece or not! You don't let an opportunity like that just be blown away!"
"And you missy" - She suddenly addressed me.
"Y-yes" - That startled me
"I'm not even going to ask what is your connection to Carlos, but I'm 100% sure he was annoying you. Just get the hell out of here, people will think otherwise if they see you with a boy in a dark room."
"O-ok."
Getting on my feet, I passed through her minions, which had an equal angry face as Carlo's gramma, and slowly distanced myself from the small storage. Despite what she said, people on the hallways were already observing the whole situation and curious about the confusion that was unfolding as I received some very judgy looks on my way. Looking back, Carlos was still being scolded by his grandma.
I felt terrible.
I know it wasn't my fault that Carlos wasn't able to deliver his photos, after all, he was the one who hit me in the first place. But it felt otherwise.
His careless attitude wasn't transpired in his photos; they were truly delicate and beautiful. Each object in the right framework, person's genuine expressions captured in the perfect timing, the noir atmosphere that only black and white photos can transmit.
That just wasn't fair. Those photos deserved to be seen by more people, not just two girls having fun at night in a closed apartment. Halting in the middle of the hallway, I took a long breath, looked up, then turned my back and ran towards Carlos, shouting, and hoping to have some effect in the discussion:
"It was my fault!"
"Uh?" - The old woman turned back to me in surprise.
Panting and stuttering, I looked at Carlos and his gramma, both with a puzzled expression, and tried to explain the whole situation as best as I could.
"Yesterday, I took Carlos's photos by mistake in an accident where we ended up exchanging our material. It wasn't his fault that he couldn't deliver the photos. They are actually with me at my house, and Carlos was asking me to return them. I'm truly sorry. I ended up creating this whole situation for him and you guys and hindering the university position with the journal."
"But that doesn't ex-" - The old woman tried to say something.
"However!" - I still wasn't finished and wouldn't let her interrupt me - "The university might have lost this opportunity, and I don't understand the whole situation as I'm a complete outsider in this matter. But I must say…. The photos Carlos took are some of the most beautiful I've seen in my life. The black and white aesthetics, the genuine feelings in people's expressions" – I won't lie that I was beginning to get a bit embarrassed, and started blushing, but I carried on - "For a while, it seemed like those people were right in front of me, and that I could understand what they were trying to communicate."
Both Carlos and the old woman remained in silence, and he seemed very confused with my statement.
"Please, give him one more chance!" - I proceeded.
"This is my fault and I truly believe in Carlos's potential, even if I don't understand a thing about photography."
"Miyuki, please…. You don't need to-"
"Say no more, Carlos. Your photos reached someone's heart; you should be grateful for that" - The old woman interfered.
"What is your name, young lady? I guess you must be a foreigner student, right?"
"Y-yes I am. My name is Miyuki Kashiwagi, this is my first week here at the university. I am sorry if I've caused you any trouble" - I bowed down in a typically Japanese way, which made the situation even more awkward.
"You said you mistakenly took Carlos's photos for your notes, right?"
"That is correct…"
"Can I have them? Don't worry, Carlos was supposed to give them to me anyway, just a bit earlier."
"Oh, yes, I can, I-I will bring them tomorrow and deliver to you first thing in the morning."
"Thank you, this is my room number. Have a nice day."
"Y-you too, have a nice day."
"And Carlos" - She turned back and talked to him over her shoulders. "You too, come to my office first thing tomorrow. We have much to discuss."
Carlos remained silent throughout the whole conversation, and as the old woman walked out, we were still in front of that dark storage room.
"Carlos, I-."
"You shouldn't have interfered, don't meddle with other people's affairs when you don't know anything about them"- He didn't wait for me to finish my phrase, interrupting me. He then turned back and went away.
"Wait, what? Are you serious?" - I could not believe what I had just heard.
"Just deliver the photos tomorrow to my gramma, thanks" - And he walked away just like that.
Unbelievable! That was just too much for me to process. It's not possible that someone can be such an ass. I mean, I've seen a fair amount of ungrateful and annoying people, but this was just on a whole other level, just straight out rude, inconsiderate, disrespectful! I was just trying to be fair to his work and explain to his gramma that this wasn't entirely his fault. But no. That was just "interfering" with other people's business.
To be fair, I was just so exhausted with the whole crazy situation that I didn't have the energy to argue with him. Sometimes you just gotta let go. And there was still the matter concerning Maria; even though Carlos said she seemed fine, I had to find her, it was awkward that she didn't answer any of my messages. That being said, if she was at the bus stop like Carlos said, there would be little hope that she'd still be at the university campus, so I headed straight back home while trying to digest all that had happened that day.