I walked to the rector's office with a terrible mood. Now I would have to run around with some stupid child. At this moment, the thought of expulsion did not scare me. On the contrary, even attracted.
Honestly standing in a long queue and listening to the whining and complaints of students about their bitter fate, I barely noticeably chuckled at this human stupidity: there is no point in complaining. Complaining won't change anything. All the senior students, including me, stood with sour faces in the queue for the hated name.
Finally, I entered the office.
– Why are you all so sour? – the secretary asked me.
– I think you can see why," I replied dryly.
– This time the rector put on a show worthy of television. I don't know about you, but I'm having fun. It's a real lottery.
– I've noticed. A bloody cruel lottery.
– You gonna pull it yourself?
– I don't want to get my hands dirty.
– No way! This is your destiny! Pull it yourself. Just a moment. – The secretary stuck her hand into a glass round vase on the table, filled with small white sheets, and stirred the white pile thoroughly. – Now you can pull.
I indifferently snatched one of the sheets out of the whole nasty pile, but I didn't bother to look at what name was on it. What did it matter? I hated it already.
– So… Cedric Morgan… – The secretary snatched the sheet from my hands, looked at the name, wrote it into the computer, and handed it to me.
Quickly leaving the university, I sat down on one of the benches in the courtyard. Should I read it or wait? Shit, I couldn't escape fate.
I opened the sheet: there in large black letters was printed the hated name: Viper Vladinovich.
Viper. Stupid name. Who was it: a guy or a girl?
Below it was the date and time of our meeting: tomorrow at 17: 00, library, table No. 8.
Such haste made me wrinkle my nose in annoyance. Suddenly I heard someone's footsteps and turned around: it was Royce, walking briskly toward me. Just what I needed. What a day, huh? Did someone upstairs decide to dump a bucket of bad luck on my head?!
– Hi," Royce said, sitting down next to me on the bench.
I didn't even look at him.
– Well, who do you have there? – The American asked cheerfully. – I've got some chump from my second year. Who do you have? Let me see?
To get him off my back, I hurriedly showed him my sheet.