Marco, Polo

Chapter Three

I couldn't help but voice my frustration, "I'm sorry for my lateness—"

But before I could finish my sentence, he cut me off with a stern and measured tone, "let me stop you there, Miss Tate."

His interruption left me momentarily silenced, and I stared at him with curiosity.

"Fix your uniform before you speak to me." He speaks, I raise a brow and glance down to see the buttons of my shirts were misplaced, revealing my black laced bra.

I turn around and do them up properly, my cheeks fire red.

He regarded me with an intense, unyielding stare, seemingly unaffected by my response. "Miss Tate, disruptive behaviour, such as lateness, will not be tolerated in my class. Is that clear?"

I nodded, reluctantly conceding to his authority. "Yes, it's clear."

"Good," he replied, his gaze never leaving mine. "Now, you may re-join the lecture. But remember, any further violations of the class rules will have consequences."

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving me to process the encounter. As I headed back into the lecture hall, I couldn't shake the feeling that this new lecturer was going to be a formidable presence in my academic life, and his standards were far from lenient.

I take the empty seat beside Penelope and someone else, settling my books onto the desk.

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"I did, you nearly punched me in the face because of it." She responds.

As Mr. Kane distributed the stacks of paper to each student, a palpable sense of unease settled over the classroom. The question hung in the air: was this an unexpected test?

I leaned in closer to Penelope and whispered, "oh no... is this a test?"

She nodded in response, her expression mirroring my apprehension. "I think so," she whispered back, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

A thick booklet suddenly slammed down in front of me, and I couldn't help but jump in my seat. I glanced up to find Mr. Kane standing before me, his stern gaze fixed on my trembling form.

"This is a test, Miss Tate," he declared, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

My heart began to race, and my palms grew clammy as I stared down at the intimidating page in front of me. With trembling hands, I reached for a pen and jotted down my name in the designated space. Mr. Kane's voice broke through the tense silence as he gave the instruction to begin.

But as I turned to the first page and saw the daunting array of numbers and words, a sense of overwhelming dread washed over me. The material seemed like a foreign language, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I was in way over my head. The numbers and words swirled in front of my eyes, leaving me feeling lost and helpless.

As time ticked away, students steadily completed their exams, handed in their papers, and left the classroom one by one. My knee began to shake uncontrollably, a physical manifestation of the anxiety that gripped me.

Beside me, Penelope followed suit and handed in her exam paper. I watched as she gathered her belongings and made her way to the exit, leaving me alone in the silent, empty classroom.

My hands trembled as I stared at the unfinished exam in front of me. The questions remained a daunting challenge, and my confidence had crumbled with each passing minute. I felt a surge of desperation welling up inside me, an overwhelming desire to cry out in frustration and helplessness.

"Time is up Miss Tate."

I close the empty exam paper and stand up, I walk over to his desk and hand in my paper as he settles it on the top.