"I'll be providing you your previous essays which have been marked by me, not Mrs. Drake".
Silence dripped in the atmosphere.
Linda nervously gulped. She looked at Rosella and grabbed her hand. Rosella smiled at her and gave a reassuring grip, conveying the words it will be alright.
One by one he called out the names. The students had a depressed look on there faces. Only some out of the majority looked happy including Linda. She had secured an 83 in her essay.
"Whoever gets below 45 is out" his thick dense Italian accent ringed.
Almost 10 students walked out of the class, there heads hung low.
Soon moments after Rosellas name was called. She walked towards the desk where the hot man sat on the chair. More like his very own throne. His eyes scanned her paper before looking up the timid girl who stood infront of her.
Her palms sweaty. She clutched her sleeve tightly. "Ms Dankworth?" He rasped out quietly.
Rosella nodded. His eyebrow quirked and immediately she remembered the rule, verbal communication. "Yes, sir" she hastily said.
He handed her paper and went back to what he was doing. His long fingers writing the marks down she had got.
Her eyes landed on the paper. The red color mocked her back. She gripped the paper tightly.
The number 48 looking back at her.
Rosella always aced her subjects. She was the one who always studied hard. Books were always her number one priority.
48 sarcastically laughed at her. She was livid.
She was never gonna cry over this petty paper.
She knew how much important her scholarship was important to her. If her father knew all about this, he would be so heartbroken. And she wasnt going to wipe that smile off his face.
Rosella looked up from the paper and her gaze rested on him. Sensing her gaze, Dr.Serafino looked back at her. "Is there a problem Ms Dankworth?".
"48? Are you even damn serious with me?" She was fuming.
She did her best. She even spent half of her savings just to research about the so called brain and it's stupid functions merged with technology.
"I'd prefer if you'd show some respect Ms Dankworth" he stated slowly. His back was now pressed against the leather chair and his hands folded on his lap.
"How could you give me a 48?" Her thoughts were still stuck on the paper.
Her reputation was at stake. She was the acer of her batch. Everyone knew she was the girl who got several medals.
"Be grateful I gave you a 48 otherwise you'd fail since your essay was totally off the topic and irrelevant" he calmly spoke.
The class suddenly became quiet. They were so interested that Rosella the acer got a very low passing grade.
"It was perfectly fine until you decided to do your stupid grading" she replied harshly, not caring about the surroundings. If it was Mrs Drake she would have secured a full.
His jaw clenched. The professor clasped his hands more tightly. He was itching too slap the little girls face and knock some sense into her.
"Dont be such a brat and accept your flaws. Now go back if you dont want yourself to get kicked out" he seethed out. His tone was dangerous.
A shiver ran through her spine but she wasnt gonna back out. "No, I wont accept these marks" she dropped the paper and slammed her hands on the table. She was angry at herself and more at him.
Pin drop silence lingered in the atmosphere. Some people gasped at her outburst.
He quirked an eyebrow at her. His demeanour changing. This was the first time someone showed such attitude towards him.
Bringing his fingers towards his glasses, he fixed them.
Talking a red marker from the pen holder he snatched the paper from beneath her hands not caring if it got ripped.
She smirked thinking he had finally given in, but what she saw next drained the blood out her veins.
"Deduction of 40 credit hours from every subject".
He stood up to his full height.
She stumbled back, tears gathering in her eyes. Her heart thumped in her rib cage.
He took his brand new iPhone out of the pocket of his slacks and took a picture of the paper. He called the committee of credit hours and narrated everything to them.
Rosella was gonna cry at any minute. Her hands getting shaky by every passing second.
Ending the call with a stone cold face, his silvery grey orbs starred back at her. "I hope this will teach you a good lesson of not disrespecting a teacher", venom entangled within the sentence.
"And if anyone does the same thing, more like question me for my doings, you'll receive a very harsh punishment" he looked back and forth at the class. His eyes telling the story that he was very much serious.
She took the paper quietly and walked back towards her seat. Linda was sad for her. She didnt expect that Rose was going to burst like that.
The students gave Rosella mocking glares. Some were happy that she finally understood the pain of students who couldn't pass because she was always too confident. Sometimes she even degraded the people who couldn't secure more.
Students snickered at her.
"Deserves you right" one of the girl mocked in a hushed manner making Rose close her eyes.
She sat on her seat. Linda placed her hand on hers and gave her a gentle squeeze.
Rosella gave her a half sided smile that didnt reach her eyes.
Her head hung low. She was thinking about her father who couldn't afford a prestigious university. He couldn't afford to give her money but after she got the scholarship to her dream place in USA, she was determined to leave everything behind, even if it meant her father. Sometimes she was selfish for her ownself.
But now she regretted.
The class went by smoothly after the drama. The bell rang, Rosella hastily packed her bag up, not waiting for Linda, she ran out of the class.
The tears leaked out of her eyes.
She was disappointed in everything.
But mostly in herself.