Chapter 10 - Part 2
1220 Words
My heart stopped for just a second. I almost twisted my neck as I whipped around in shock. But I stilled myself. My hands tightened around the wheel and I drove out of there with my head spinning.
The reaction was a little overboard, but there really wasn’t anything I could have done to change it. All I could do was get the hell out of here and try not to think about it too much.
That was a lot harder than I made it sound. I breathed in and out, counting up to five and then counting down. My eyes glazed over as I focused on the road, the feeling of driving, and the steady rhythm of the car.
An overreaction. That’s all this was.
And what right did I have to be upset about a wife meeting up with her husband? It wasn’t. None of this was my business.
My reassurance only made it harder to not think about them and what they were doing right now.
***
I stood in front of the lobby with my back facing the busy road leading into the heart of campus. I fiddled with the strap of my bag and my empty wallet I held in my other hand. The only thing I had in there was my credit card which was piling up with debt and my empty debit card. There might be a few spare coins, but I doubt it was even enough to amount to a dollar.
I took a deep breath and walked in.
The cold air made goosebumps pop up along my arms and legs. I shivered and thought to myself how I should have brought a jacket. It was like they were trying to freeze me to death or turn me away. There wasn't any they were going to get rid of me. I had to do this even though my entire body was telling me to turn around.
I swallowed down my fear, trying to conjure up all the strength I had in my body, and walked towards the front desk.
The woman was blond and older than me by at least twenty-five years. She wore a navy blue blouse with ruffles on the sleeves and a gold necklace. Her hair was styled back in a tight bun. Her gold earrings shimmered in the light. As if my mind could only think about money, I wondered briefly how much her jewelry cost her. I think they might have been able to feed me for two weeks if I pawned them off.
"Hello," she said while turning to look up me. The smile on her face wasn't as genuine as she tried to make it. Her eyes were dead to me. It threw me off for a second. I couldn't open my mouth. "What can I do for you?"
I stuttered. "I need to talk to my tuition officer."
She raised a brow. "Mr. Andrews is out on lunch break. What is it you need?"
"It's about my tuition. I need an extension."
She had this look on her face that told me she didn't fully approve. There had been many times when I'd walked into this building and seen her face, but this was the first time I'd ever had to interact with her. It was nerve-wracking to the point I thought I might throw up across the counter. She cooled her face, stretching her lips into the horrifying grin she surely thought was normal.
Without another word, she reached into her desk and pulled out a thick stapled stack of papers. "This is the paperwork for the extension and a few loan application. Return this and then we can go from there."
I shook my head. "My extension..."
My mouth became dry. My lips were turning into slime. "I won't be able to make the deadline for next semester."
"I'm sorry. There's nothing else we can do. Get this back in two weeks, but if you can't make the deadline, I'm afraid there isn't anything we can do."
I stared at the papers. Debt. I'm going to be in so much debt that I won't even be able to get a f*****g apartment of my own in the future. How was I supposed to juggle all these loans and bills without any f*****g money?
I took the papers.
"Thanks," I said even though I wanted to throw the papers back at her face. I had to tell myself that she wasn't the reason why I was in this mess.
But I really thought about smacking that grin off her face.
Out in the car, I flipped through the papers. There was a bunch of words stating what excuses were permittable, but after a few minutes, the sentences were melting together. Tears ran down my cheeks as I flipped through the loans available. I couldn't do this. If this was how it was going to be, then I might as just drop out now.
This whole situation wasn't even worth it at this point. Becoming a teacher was going to be harder than dealing with school and the money behind it. Mom and Dad aren't going to be thrilled. They thought I was doing so good while living out on my own. All the lies I had to tell to keep these secrets at bay, they hadn't even worked in the long run.
I sniffled and tossed the papers onto the passenger seat. I wiped my eyes and gripped the steering wheel.
Where do I go from here?
***
The only place I had to go was to my apartment. Well, Melanie and my apartment. Because I'd been focused on dealing with my large money problem, I hadn't had the time to think about the call I'd received from her in class. It had been nice not thinking about my other dire situation, but now that it was back on my radar, it was making me feel sick too.
As I walked into the front room, I paused around the corner to the kitchen. The apartment was dead silent, meaning Melanie wasn't here. She usually had work afternoon though she changed her schedule every once in a while.
I threw my bag off onto the couch.
Look at me. Pitiful. I was running from debt, thinking about dropping out of college, and I couldn't even be around my best friend anymore.
My phone rang.
I pulled it out of my bag and looked at the caller ID.
Mom.
I threw a glance around the room like I expected someone to come out a save me. Of course there was no one here that would help.
I bit my lip, counted to three, and then pressed the answer.
“Hey, baby, I was getting worried about you.” Mom’s voice sounded the same as always. And she was still talking about how much she missed me.
“I’m doing fine,” I said, the smile on my face only growing bigger. “It’s nice to hear you.”
It was a change I needed to hear even though it hurt me to think about the problems I was facing here. Back home, I bet there wasn't a problem at all in the house.
- Writer
