How to Save a Star [BxB]

XII

Chapter Twelve

"Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes," Yeren informed from the kitchen.

I thrust my head out, peeking through the closet door. "Sorry, I'll pass for breakfast."

"But we didn't have dinner yesterday night, aren't you starving?"

I slipped the uniform, black slacks, and white polo, out and grabbed a towel. "I woke up by three am. I went out and got myself something from the convenience store. I'm pretty full right now." I dashed to the bathroom, locked the door then remembered something. I stepped out and snatched a jacket from the closet.

"Ian," Yeren called out when I opened the door. I turned my head sideward, giving him a 'what?' look. A pained expression surfaced on his face. "Did something happen?"

I almost lost my balance. "What do you mean?" I asked, feigning a puzzled look.

He shook his head, "Nothing."

The cold shower didn't last too long. Soon, I was forced to switch into a warm shower when my body started to tremble. The temperature was far too cold than I hoped it to be. I stared at myself in the mirror after wearing my uniform, realizing that my eyes were brimmed in red. I fixed the collar and splashed water on my face. I donned the jacket and glanced in the mirror again. For someone who would come out of the bathroom, I felt overdressed.

After wearing leather shoes I pulled beneath my bed, I grabbed my bag and readied myself to leave. "Ian," Yeren called from behind when I was about to open the door.

I spun back, giving him a querying look. He held my right hand and opened my palms. "Here," he said, putting a sandwich in my hand. He grinned, "You can talk to me anytime. I'll always be here." He rotated my back and pushed me out of the room. He beamed another smile.

"Good luck on your first day," he added and closed the door.

My lips widened into my ears as I stared at my hand for a while. I took a bite from the sandwich and it tasted wonderful.

The rain poured heavily when I got out. I opened an umbrella from my bag and hoisted my gaze. The sky was dark, the sun hiding beneath the thick layer of clouds. A sigh parted my lips, the time on my phone read, 8:28 am. I didn't want to be too early for my nine am class so I slowly walked to the University. A rather odd decision, the wind brushing through the nape of my neck, sending shivers to my skin. I couldn't hate it, however.

Much of the seats were occupied when I entered the room even though I was still ten minutes earlier than scheduled. I sat at the chair just beside the window of the last row. Some of the people had started talking to each other− perhaps familiarizing themselves with the people whom they'd take the subject with.

Tension filled the room. Everyone was anxious. Failing would mean the end of our journey to be a doctor. While the university was renowned for producing globally competitive health professionals, rumor has it that not even forty percent of first-year students would graduate with a medical degree, and only about half of those would ultimately become a doctor.

The tension doubled when a with refined stature professor stepped in. He was tall and lean, his face− firm and serious.

"The dean?" someone whispered. And like a domino, everyone whispered the same thing.

The professor slammed the table three times, silencing everyone inside. "Listen, you got it right, I am Shouri Kashima, the dean of this department." He looked at the student who started the commotion and smirked. "I only have two rules while you're in my class. First, no chattering with your classmates while I'm talking. Second, no late come−"