Chapter 10 Signed

Bea:

"Good day, Ma'am Marj," Mathew and I greeted as we reached her desk.

She glanced at us briefly before returning her attention to her laptop.

"What's your business here?" she asked.

Mathew and I exchanged glances. "Ah... we're here to have a promissory note signed," I said with a polite smile.

She took the papers from us and gave a noncommittal sound. There was a long pause before she spoke again and handed us back the form.

"Is there a problem, Ma'am?" Mathew and I asked.

Ma'am Marj shook her head. "You need to have this signed by the school council first, before it comes to me. There's a note at the bottom indicating that the school council's signature is required before the Dean's," she explained.

"Oh, I see. Thank you, Ma'am," we said as we prepared to leave.

"Let's approach Marco. Since we're already here and he's here too, it'll speed up the signing process," Mathew whispered to me.

I turned to him, giving him a disapproving look. "You know I don't like that guy. Why should I approach him? Aren't you the one with a crush on him?"

"Yes, I have a crush on him, but he doesn't know me. However, you're familiar to him; you talked to him quite a bit when we were in the garden," he grinned.

I wasn't sure if he was my friend or if he was just friends with Marco.

I sighed and reluctantly approached Marco. I could feel the intense stares of his fellow council members as if they wanted to bury me in the ground.

"Good day. We're here to have our promissory note signed," I said with a forced smile.

I handed him the promissory note. He examined it, then looked me up and down. "The last time we met, you didn't talk to me like this," he said, his voice cold but tinged with a hint of gentleness.

I recognized the slight insult but couldn't muster up anger or annoyance.

I smiled at him. "Perhaps you're mistaken."

He smirked. "My memory is perfectly fine; it seems yours might not be."

My frustration was building, and I almost wanted to hit him with the form.

"Chill out. It's obvious from your face that you want to skin him alive," Mathew tried to calm me.

He was the one who suggested approaching Marco and now telling me to calm down?

I looked around, and most of his co-council members had returned to their own tasks, no longer paying us any attention.

I turned my focus back to Marco. Why did his voice feel so cold? Were his fellow council members used to his demeanor?

His eyes seemed a bit dull, but why should I care? I just needed to get the promissory note signed so I wouldn't have to trouble anyone further.

"Will you sign it or not?" I asked, trying to keep my composure.

Without responding, he took the form and signed it.

"Go to Ma'am Marj. After you've paid at the finance office, present the signed form to the assessment office, and you'll receive your exam permit."

I nodded in acknowledgment, and Mathew and I left the office.