"I didn't know you would go this far to save my ass, Min." A heartfelt smile spread across Jo's face. Meanwhile, Min was frozen in front of the mirror. It's like she was stuck inside, waiting for someone to say the magic words for her to move again.
"I didn't even realize I took your uni blazer!" She freaked. This was the first time in two years of her apparent academic hiatus that she had worn a uniform. The more she stared, her memories came flooding back. For a moment, the person who was standing beside her by the mirror was a scrawny man with a slight toothy smile. Ben.
Have you started uni? She could hear his voice through that popped-up message.
Min snapped out of it. It was Jo again in the reflection.
"I thought you did it on purpose." Jo dropped her arms from a cross in disappointment. "Buut, since you're already here, come to class with me?"
"I have to buy Henry more cat food!" Min started to remember everything that had previously happened. She quickly tried to take the blazer off until Jo slapped her hands away.
"You won't be feeding him again until the late p.m. anyway." She grabbed Min's shoulder to reposition her in front of the mirror again. Min really looked like she was a college student - again. The blazer somehow made her age backward to nineteen years old.
Min was back on the ground. "Wait. Come to class with you? As a-"
"Yeah!" Jo said without a single doubt in her eyes. Min thought her friend had completely lost it.
"I'm leaving." Before Min wanted to leave, she checked every cubicle inside. No girls in sight. No witness, no eavesdroppers, no trouble.
"I mean you went past security!" Jo argued, about to give up with her arms flailing to the side.
Min stepped closer to Jo in a half-whisper. "I think you don't understand how strict your fancy-ass university is. I don't want to get a possible criminal record for snooping inside and wearing someone else's uniform!"
"Criminal record? Ok, granny." Jo's stifled laugh became a cackle. "Come on, live a little!"
"This is not just about me. What if you get expelled for letting me in here?" Min's fear in her tone intensified as she spoke. "What if they think I've been helping you with your thesis?!"
"Leave it to me. Just sit beside me in class, 'kay?" Jo casually patted Min's side of her shoulder.
"No!" Min looked at Jo's reflection in the mirror as if she was the craziest woman alive. "I know you're going through a lot, but your way of coping is so, so, looney bins to me!"
"Please!" Jo clasped her hands together. "I really need my emotional support system right now."
"Then bring Henry!" Min snapped.
"Ladies," A woman formally greeted. The woman's tone implied that she was also scolding them.
The two heads turned to a professor, yet in another gray blouse with a bigger crest on the side. Min's eyes focused on the vaguely familiar design of the uniform. She thought she saw a similar one but in a different shape of collar.
"Hello, Mrs. Sunna!" Jo beamed. "You're early!"
The woman slowly looked at the person beside Jo who had been staring at her uniform's patched university crest - which was around her breast area. "First time seeing you here."
"Oh!" Min blinks her eyes away, aware of her strange staring. "I'm-"
Jo yanked Min by the arm, to stand closer to her. "She's new. Fresh meat anxiety, that's all!"
The professor was scanning her like she was about to detect a lie. She eyed Min from head to toe and stayed on her bottoms where she was supposed to be wearing a skirt.
"Get to class, Miss Beren." Mrs. Sunna spoke coldly, her eyes never leaving Min. "And I prefer not referring to any student here as 'meat'."
Jo could only reply with a polite smile, lightly squeezing Min's arm before she scurried away from the bathroom, holding the brown envelope.
"Because that would mean that some will have to be the rotting meat." Mrs. Sunna finished her statement as she checked herself in the mirror. "Mind if I show you around...?"
Min was staring again, this time at the professor in the mirror. She felt her stomach drop. A faculty member was officially on her radar. She wished that she could have gone with Jo to her class instead. Away from this intimidating professor of all people. But that would mean she'd play along with Jo's professor too. That could be worse.
She had no choice but to play along as long as she was stepping foot in this place.
"My name is Mi—" She stopped herself. It was safer for her to give a fake name once she could escape the building without leaving traces. "Sarah." Min mentally facepalmed. Okay, maybe things might get way worse if ever she got caught. Lies on lies.
"Sarah, from class...?" Mrs. Sunna hovered for another answer as she also stared at Min in the reflection. Next thing you know, she might ask for a last name.
"Class..." Min tried to think of something fast without avoiding eye contact. She held the Ss like it was a breathing exercise. "Juusst by the hallway beside Jo—I mean Josephine."
"Architecture, then?"
"Yeees!" Min replied too enthusiastically. "Yes, exactly. I'm new so I don't remember room numbers, nor even my section!" Min let out a forced laugh before she doubled down to muttering. "Silly, silly me," she wished she'd stop talking forever.
"I'll show you the way then," Mrs. Sunna finished her touch-up and walked out of the bathroom. Her clicking 1-inch heels echoed across the bathroom stall and into the hallway.
Not good for Sarah, but a milestone for Min.
Because she can make a run for it.
She had half of her foot out of the women's bathroom, trying to hear how far the sound of footsteps had gone. The time Min couldn't hear them anymore, she fully stepped out and tried to escape the other way.
"Don't keep me waiting," Mrs. Sunna's voice made Min flinch, letting out a squeal. Her embarrassing bird-sounding voice surely echoed around the halls. She turned around and saw the professor with her arms crossed. Oh, she is definitely suspicious now.
"It's like a maze around here!" Min forced a laugh, this time, a nervous one. The professor was mildly shaking her head, still enough for her to notice. She hoped she was just thought of as a clueless new student. Right. The clueless girl. If she keeps up at it, she'd be out in a jiffy.
The two ladies walked down the hallway. The click and clacking from Mrs. Sunna's heels made the students scatter to give way for her. They didn't seem to pay much attention to Min. Students continued to stand still at the edge of their classroom doors and some wanted to hide from her. She's practically that Meryl Streep character from that fashion movie but situated in the academe. However, Min found this weird. This usually happens in a high school setup. College is where all students kiss ass with any professor or faculty member they see -- at least for Min's college life. You have the chance to thrive with a possible extra credit. A small voice in Min's head thought that Mrs. Sunna was possibly not a professor. This gave her an extra amount of anxiety.
The doors were also made of glass. That's how she saw a glimpse of Jo, who was nudged by a classmate and pointed to someone outside. Mrs. Sunna or in this case, Min too.
Jo mouthed something to Min through the glass door, a few steps away from each other. Min wanted to run into the door, but Mrs. Sunna was already glancing at her.
"Distraction is always the student's downfall in this institution." Her cold voice echoed into the hallway. Min quickly walked alongside the professor and tried to pace with her rhythm. "I've seen students rise and fall."
"Don't worry, Mrs. Sunna," There it was again, the kiss-ass tone. Jeez, she already felt like a college girl again. "I'm only clueless for now."
Min tried to look back at the previous classroom's door, hoping to see Jo still mouthing something that she still wouldn't understand. Seeing Jo would take the slightest bit of fear away. This type of sneaking past and adrenaline-inducing type of event was more of Jo's thing. But she always pulled Min with her. Min guessed this was one of those times, unknowingly putting herself in this "exciting" situation. At least exciting for Jo.
"Mr. Weiss, I believe you have a new student," Mrs. Sunna proclaimed, her tone changed slightly into a warmer one. She glanced at Min who was about five steps away from her, a frown crossed her face. "Sarah." The professor was obviously calling Min to have her undivided attention.
Min snapped her head back in her direction. Standing beside Mrs. Sunna was a familiar, tall-looking man with almost the same uniform design as Mrs. Sunna. The man looked really familiar too.
Then it all clicked. He definitely did not look the part from the hoodie that he wore when they were on the elevator.
The man's face clicked for him too, never taking his eyes off her. "Sarah." He recalled, like the name was going to be ingrained in his brain forever.
"As you may know, he was one of the main pioneers in the university's building design." Mrs. Sunna added, that she glanced back to him like she was a proud mother.
Min almost physically winced. Why did she have to save Jo in a rule-tight educational institution?
How did she even forget that she needed a gate pass? Guess it all went sideways in her brain. All she thought about was saving Jo. That's because she saved her life once too. Many times. It was a duty to save each other's asses. This was one of those times out of a hundred more.
"I didn't get any memo that I have a student coming in." His deep voice said in curiosity. The accent was totally working for him. He also looked exactly like what a person would describe a smart, European guy would be. Though this one had a pinch of a colorful personality. A hint of sarcasm and prankish behavior waiting to come out. Min was slightly intrigued despite the pure embarrassment shown on her face.
"Really, now?" Mrs. Sunna said, her head slowly swayed directly to Min. She scanned her for the last time. Real fear stirs in Min's blood. She should just start running. It's not like people would suddenly chase her, right? They'd think she'd have to go number two, or she was just in the wrong hallway and was super late.
"What can you say about memos?" Min spread her arms slightly out and immediately dropped them on her sides, her voice cracked, like she was about to sob. "They almost never come!"
"I suppose," He was charming. His tone even sounded like he was playing along with her game of pretend. Well, more like a survival game of pretend. Anything he said was either like a prophecy or a newfound gossip that you wouldn't resist listening to. He looked adorable too, standing confidently with an awkward undertone. Min's type after all.
He continued, "I usually don't let students in without their enrolled lists." He sounded like he was stalling, teasing Min so she could stay outside longer in humiliation. But he most probably could have actually needed it as protocol.
She mentally rolled her eyes. But wait a minute. This could be her ticket out. "That's fine, I'll come back with it tomorrow!" As Min was about to turn her back on them, Mrs. Sunna held her hand up, looking down as if she wanted Min to stop doing literally anything. After a beat, she waited for Mr. Weiss to make his own decision.
Mr. Weiss was still looking at her. He was definitely probing her now but also looked like he was pondering over something.
He took a deep breath and sighed out the answer to Min. "Sit in, but I'll mark you absent for today." He started walking away to the classroom's desk by the board. "Close the door when you come in."
Thank God. She'd be untraceable once she gets out. All she had to do next, is ask if she could go to the bathroom and finally escape. Different plans of escaping the school were raised in Min's brain, she kind of felt like a prisoner. Is this how prisoners think whenever they want to escape? If she gets found out, she'd possibly be in prison anyway. But Jo's probably right, Min is way overreacting.
Mrs. Sunna side-eyed Min, silently wanting her to get in the classroom. As Min got the signal, she clumsily tip-toed quietly into the classroom. At least twenty students were inside. The room was small. each student had a wide, flat table with rollers. Expected when you'd have to sketch in an architectural class.
Min saw a seat for her, by the window. Perfect. Even more perfect because it was glass windows. Her seat was across the room where she could see the outside and where she went in. She saw Henry - the human, the security guard — too. She loved anything by the window. Except maybe in airplanes. She had to be by the edge so she could easily make a run out of the exit. Same with buses. Classrooms were different. People see you easily since it's an open area inside a tiny room. There are no cubicles or tall seats that cover your back. One would be seen all the time. Judged all the time once you're asked to stand up and explain how the Punnett Square really works. Worse would be works of literature where you're forced to speak your mind. Yikes for vulnerability in the wrong place.
This one shouldn't be so bad, right?
"Welcome to Trigonometry," Mr. Weiss's back faced the class as he wrote something on the frosted, clear glassboard. Goodness, everything is glass in here! Min scoffed.
He whirled around to face everyone and caught a glimpse of Min who sat by the edge of the classroom, staring out the window, finding other areas of escape.
He smiled down to himself before he spoke, "I hope everyone finally brought a G-tech pen?"
The class nodded; some mumbled a yes or a defeated sigh. Min couldn't wait to get out of here. She just needed to wait at the right moment.
"Like last time, pick and pass the graphic paper all the way to the back." By the minute, the shifting of papers and page-turning grew across the room. Most of them took out a pencil first with the pen on the side. A graphic paper finally reached her table.
This was the perfect time.
Min raised her hand. Mr. Weiss was still explaining something to a student, bending slightly to another seat. His side profile is definitely doing it for him too. There's also something about people focusing on one specific object that makes them very attractive.
Min tried waving her hand until it became quite aggressive. Still wasn't noticed.
"Sir?"
The professor stood upright, trying to find where the eager voice came from until he finally spotted her. As he was walking through the taken seats, he gestured respectfully to the other students to speak to him later. Min felt soft inside. It felt good when someone prioritizes you over anyone else. Something that someone had barely done to her.
He reached for her seat, both hands behind him. "Yes, Sarah?"
The professor's body spray filled Min's nostrils in an instant. It wasn't your normal dad body spray. It was probably another brand or scent than the usual you buy in a store. He definitely bought a rare one in a country where it only probably existed there. I mean he did help build an entire university. Of course, he'd be a little more comfortable in life.
"Uh, can I go to the bathroom?" Min feigned her discomfort.
"Sorry, no leaving the room until I say it's break time." There are too many kinds of professors that were like that in her time in college. It wasn't a surprise anymore.
"But I have my period."
"As long as you're not bleeding out of your pants, you'll be fine."
It's ok. She heard it all before. "But I feel like I am--" she tried to calm her eagerness to escape this gray, gray place. "--bleeding."
"It's just a feeling until you see it."
Surely, he'd let her go this time. "It's starting to hurt too."
"The clinic's across the building. You'll only find yourself in extreme pain while you travel there." He began to turn his back.
This German man is something else. Is he actually serious right now?! Min shouted in her thoughts. She wanted to shout at him for real. She looked around trying to find a woman who possibly heard everything. Most of them were guys. No, all of them were guys. This couldn't be happening to her. Min couldn't differentiate her anger towards the difficulty of her getting out of the place and the difficulty for a lady to go to the bathroom.
"I think I can manage," Min started to raise her voice a little. The guys were already glancing between her and the professor. Some were sinking their heads deeper into the paper as it continued on. "You know, just because you have little to no girls around here doesn't mean--"
"I had female students before. I know when they lie about their period." Min's nose was flaring. It shouldn't be this hard for her to escape! She still had to feed Henry too! Min pictured the orange, furry cat doing the longing meow while he scratched by the door. All alone.
She let out a laugh. "You definitely did not get the memo, sir." Min stood up from her seat, trying to level with him but failed. He is still crazy tall. But she wasn't afraid. Why would she be? She wasn't a college student anymore. This would be the last time she'd be talking to anyone here. The walkout plan for escape was in motion.
Min brushed past the professor, going for the doorknob. She was so close she could almost taste it.
"Stop."
STOP? Oh, hell no.