Chapter 11: So embarrassing!

Mia sat in the locker room for some time hoping that someone would come and she’d ask for help, but nobody did. She knew that Rayne had an afternoon class to attend and would head there immediately after their martial arts training.

Checking around one last time she got up decisively, she poked her head into the martial arts hall that stood empty without a single soul.

She decided to try her luck, walking straight into the hall she couldn’t help but feel self conscious even though she knew no one was there, she used her arms to cover her chest as she walked slowly forward.

The building was really big, however she was glad that the main gym connected to the martial arts training hall, was empty.

Peeking into the open hall that led to the spacious gym with numerous workout equipments, Mia wasn’t surprised to find it completely empty as well. Because the sun was already setting, and she estimated it was around evening time. Most people would have classes or have been done for the day, the only time the gym would be packed with people was around the morning times and some at night.

Making sure that the space was really empty she proceeded to walk out taking slow and tiny steps. She looked around the gym but found nothing to help herself.

Standing at the side and building up enough courage she proceeded to peek outside, she caught the sight of a peach colored fabric lying carelessly on the steps, beside it was another crumbled up white fabric strewn carelessly on the steps as they went in descending order.

Her clothes!

Someone had stolen her clothes and thrown them along the stairs. She quickly hid herself further into the gym as a few passerbys almost caught sight of her.

Who could have been so mean as to throw her clothes outside like that?

She reckoned it must be someone who really disliked her and was trying to humiliate her again in campus, but why? Though she was aware that most of the students dislike her for being poor and unfashionable, but none of them had ever done such thing to her apart from glaring daggers at her.

This was just too much, tossing her clothes away like that outside.

"Should I just quickly run out and grab my clothes ignoring everything else?" She murmured to herself in distress.

Mia peeked outside again but shook her head at the idea. No way, so many people were outside, some men were even sitting idly on the steps, while others were standing around mingling with each other. She glanced at her towel that was barely covering her thighs and completely dismissed the thought.

How embarrassing would it be if someone saw her like this, not to talk of the hundreds of students passing outside. With most of them being the students of her major, they’d certainly clicke her embarrassing pictures to make headlines in the school newspapers.

She paced within the gym back and forth trying to find solutions to her problem. Then, she decided to just go back to the locker room, and wait for Rayne’s class to be over, maybe she would come look for her and find her clothes outside.

Just when she’d turned her back to leave the gym hall, she suddenly heard a click sound from the other side of the room immediately accompanied by the sound of a door opening.

’Oh no! ’

Mia wanted to run and hide somewhere but her mind was completely dead at the fact that someone had seen her looking like this. She suddenly felt a pair of eyes on her from behind but the room was absolutely silent.

’A girl, please let it be a girl.’ She prayed silently in her mind and drew a deep breath as she turned abruptly to face the person.

Her breath stopped, as she collided harshly against someone. A fresh smell of lemon wafted into her nose.

She could feel the dampness on her flatten palms against the person’s broad bare chest. She dreaded looking up at the person she’d just collided against, and due to her embarrassment and shock, she didn’t move from her position.

’This is so embarrassing. ’

She wanted to dig a huge hole and hide herself than face this right now. In the midst of her thoughts the person suddenly shifted backwards leaving a distance between them.

She raised her head subconsciously to glance at the person’s face and immediately regretted her actions. Standing before her was Leo Bennett, with a towel tied around his narrowed waist leaving his toned musclar torso bare. Despite her embarrassment, she couldn’t help but notice the ominous snake tattoo bearing half of his chest. He looked nothing like a professor at this moment, he looked like one of those bad boys in movies. His cropped dark hair dripped with water that slide down his forehead, she followed the water drop until she met his narrowed gray eyes.

’Oh lord!’ This time she really wished she had some sort of powers to disappear completely!

-

After completing some tasks in his office, Neil stretched his weary body and massaged his neck. Who would have thought that working as a professor could be so tiring?

He would rather find himself doing a job where he could move around rather than sitting in a damned professor office for hours, where he couldn’t move or do the way he please as he was under disguise.

He had taken a stroll in the campus to stretch his muscles. Though he did have a few classes in the end and had to return to the office. But unable to holdback, he had decided to move his body a little, so he headed for the gym, there was no way he was going to be able to bear being couped up without a chance to break a sweat, he just wasn’t used to it. If he knew being a professor was going to be a complete opposite of what his mission was about, he would have sent someone else in his place, but who else could do the mission better than he?

No one. There was no one like Neil Wayner.

Arriving at the gym, he found the whole place was empty which he preferred, after a few rounds on the threadmill he decided to take a shower, due to the amount of sweat he’d accumulated.

Immediately after exiting the shower room, he spotted a girl standing rooted in her spot, with her back facing him. She was wearing an extremely short towel that barely covered her thighs, he’d immediately noticed he her revealing long legs with smooth milky skin.

He frowned in displeasure. The female bathroom was on the other side, why was a girl randomly running around in a towel in the male section? Girls of this university were really going out of their mind to please a man, and that irritates him like nothing else. Did she think she would get his attention wearing such little towel? Not a chance.

Deciding to ignore whoever she was or whatever she was doing there, he made to walk around her to the men’s locker room when she suddenly turned around colliding into him.

She exuded a sweet strawberry fragrance, her slightly wet hair clinging to his bare chest, and her flatten palms against his chest suddenly made him aware of her.

She remained locked against him appalled, and he took a step back creating distance between them as he didn’t like body contact.

The girl’s sudden gasp drew his attention to her face. He immediately recognized her. Wasn’t she the girl he was supposed to mentor on some assignment? What was her name again... Mi something, oh yeah, Hardison. Whatever her name was.

She was standing there with a surprised look on her face, her hands covering her chest protectively, with her cheeks a bright crimson color. His gaze couldn’t help but roam down to her feet.

"Aaah." The girl shrieked covering her face in her palms as she scooched into a corner to hide away from him.

"Unbelievable." He muttered to himself ignoring her to enter the men’s locker room.

Was it another trend to go around in nothing but a tiny towel that barley covered anything?

Girls these days would really never ceases to amaze him with their shamelessness. He had only been in the University for a few days, but he was already tired of the damn mission assigned to him. If only he could get everything done with and get the hell out of this intuition, he would be grateful. He missed his own life in the island!

He finished dressing himself and made to leave, casually glancing at the corner he found the girl still huddled there with her palms against her face.

He frowned slightly, as he headed for the entrance.

Upon exiting the gym his eyes landed on a few lumps of fabric scattered around the floor. The colors seeming awfully familiar. Ignoring it, he walked a little farther then suddenly stopped in his tracks as a thought crossed his mind.

He turned to the clothes on the floor suddenly remembering the chatty girl that came to his office this morning. Wasn’t she wearing the exact same clothes?

The image of the girl, huddled in a corner appeared in his mind, and his face turned up in a scowl. Students these days knew nothing but how to play mean pranks on each other. Which one of those idiot student had done these?

The girl must have been really embarrassed. He didn’t know wether he felt sorry for her, or his instinctive urge to help people had kicked in. Nevertheless, he turned and patiently began to pick the stray pieces of clothes one after another.

He paused spotting something from the corner of his eye. A bright pink underwear was hanging along the empty trash can beside the gym. He frown deeply, standing there for a while as he struggled wether to go pick it up or just leave it there.

Then turned decisively towards the trash can, along with the underwear was a black bag inside the trash which he recognized as the one the girl was holding when she came into his office earlier, due to his heightened observational skills.

He picked up the bag and after a few minutes of internal struggle with himself, he reluctantly picked up the underwear with two fingers and hurriedly shoved it into the bag as if it was fire burning his skin.

Mia sat huddled in the corner. This was so embarrassing, if she couldn’t dig a hole to hide. Then she’d just hide, literally, in a corner.

She was so embarrassed her skin burned, she couldn’t even bear to open her eyes to see if he was gone.

Her assigned professor had seen her in this state, aaahh she didn’t want to live anymore. How would she be able to face him tomorrow?

Just when she was wallowing in her own embarrassing situation, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

Damn, he was still here, she wouldn’t open her eyes then.

Mia heard the sound of something falling in front of her, then came the sound of retreating footsteps and then complete silence.

What was that? Did he leave?

After waiting for a while she finally peeked between her fingers, seeing that no one was there she sighed in relief and finally opened her face.

She froze seeing her clothes right before her, along with her bag and shoes.

Did someone help her get those?

She quickly stood up to look but no one was there. Her eyes darted in contemplation.

Leo Bennett? Did he brought her clothes for her? A bright smile appeared on her face. Such a weird man, he had helped her without a word.

Picking up her clothes, on the floor along with her shoes and bag. She quickly fished inside her bag and found her phone inside, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Her hands pulled out something in the bag that made her pause. A streak of red instantly appeared on her cheeks.

Did he see those? She shook off the thought stomping her legs on the floor in frustration.

Did she really have to get embarrassed today like this? That too in front of her professor?

Aaahhh! this was what they called a miserable life. She picked up the rest of her clothes and headed for the locker room to change. Before she exited the gym, she couldn’t help but turn and glance at the empty place one last time.

Who could have done this to her? Such a prank it was nothing to joke with. Apparently the person had probably wanted her to embarrass herself by walking out in a tiny towel.

Had Mr. Bennett not arrived today, she couldn’t even imagine what could have happened. Her eyes suddenly turned cold. Whoever it was should better be prepared, she was a patient person but she was not a pushover.

The person had better not let her find them. Thinking about Leo’s grumpy attitude, and the ominous snake tattoo on one side of his chest, she frowned. How strange for the school to accept someone like Leo Bennett as a professor, with such looks and that tattoo, it was a surprise he was assigned to teach.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read