Joey nodded slowly, “Absolutely, either it’s just a nonsense prank by someone, or a clue relating to them! I agree with her, we should take this with us.”
Dean quietly said, “We need to talk to Professor Kote… before whoever drew this realizes we’ve found it.”
Yvaine quietly followed them as the three made their way toward Professor Kote’s office.
Dean knocked twice.
“Come in,” Professor Kote looked from his desk.
His expression immediately brightened when he saw Dean.
“Dean!”
He stood from his chair with a smile, “You know, your painting has become the talk of the exhibition.”
Dean forced a smile, “Professor about that–”
“I’ve had the people from management coming in just to look at it,” Kote chuckled.
“It has gathered their appreciation in a positive way. Honestly I wasn’t expecting attention from them.”
Dean cleared his throat, “That’s actually what I wanted to talk about.”
Kote raised an eyebrow, “About what?”
“I need to take that out.”
The smile on Professor Kote’s face disappeared, “Take it out?”
“Yes, professor.”
“Dean, are you serious?”
“I am.”
Professor Kote shook his head, “It would be extremely difficult to do so, given that your canvas has become one of the main attractions.”
“But Professor–”
“If your concern is related to an earlier incident, we have checked the CCTVs…” Kote’s voice softened.
“I think you should take some time off instead.”
Dean exchanged a frustrated look with Joey.
“I’ve already put someone in charge of keeping an eye this afternoon.” Kote placed an assuring hand on Dean’s shoulder, “So, don’t worry. Everything will be taken care of.”
The professor left no way he could explain the real reason.
Professor Kote stood up and with his paperwork in his hands, he started to walk out of his office.
“Professor Kote?” Yvaine stopped him.
Kote looked back, “Yes, Miss Prescott?”
Yvaine stood calmly beside Dean, “What if someone buys it?”
Professor Kote frowned, “Buys it?”
“Yes.”
He looked genuinely confused, “What exactly do you mean?”
“Isn’t the main purpose of this exhibition to sell the student’s artworks and collect donations?”
“I’ll buy it.”
Silence followed.
Dean immediately turned toward her, “Yvaine…”
She looked at him, “What?”
Dean lowered his voice, “It’s okay. We’ll figure out another way.”
Joey nodded quickly, “Yeah, we don’t need to–”
“Five million dollars?”
Everyone froze.
Professor Kote stared at her, “…Excuse me?”
Yvaine repeated herself calmly, “I’ll pay five million dollars for the canvas.”
Joey’s mouth fell slightly open, while Dean stared at her as if he had forgotten how words worked.
Professor Kote blinked several times, “Miss Prescott, do you understand what you’re saying?”
Yvaine nodded, “Of course.” She paused, and then casually added, “Apparently, you were thinking of selling it to my uncle, Mr. Park from the Management. So I think I’ll just give ten million dollars.”
The room went completely silent.
Joey and Dean slowly turned toward each other, neither of them spoke.
Professor Kote looked equally stunned as the two of them.
“Ten…million?”
Mr. Park is her uncle?!
What do I have to do with that fact?
The only thing that matters is I’m getting thrice the money, it could get me from anyone!
Yvaine nodded, “Send the canvas to my house this evening.” She smiled politely, “And please make sure, there shouldn’t come a single scratch!”
Professor Kote stared at her, as she walked out, with Joey and Dean following her from behind.
“Yvaine…”
She looked at Dean, “Yes?”
“You just offered ten million dollars for my piece of artwork.”
“It’s not just an artwork.”
Dean’s expression changed immediately, while Joey eyed him, that you took your anger out on the wrong person!
The three of them walked toward the girls’ locker room.
The hallway was quieter than usual, most students have already moved toward their next classes.
Joey glanced around before stopping near the corner, “I’ll check if anyone’s coming, and if someone is heading into this direction.” He looked at Dean, “Remember our code word!”
Dean nodded.
Yvaine entered the girls’ locker room, while Dean stopped at the door.
Yvaine whispered, “There is no one inside, you can come in.”
She looked at him to open the locker, Dean moved his hands towards the locker, when he stopped and faced Yvaine.
“…I’m sorry,” Dean lowered his gaze.
“I shouldn’t have said those things to you.”
Yvaine didn’t answer anything.
Before either of them said anything, Joey’s voice came out loudly.
“I like pineapple pizza!”
Dean whispered, “There is someone heading our way, we should get out.”
They started to walk out, but then through the narrow gap of the half-open door, he noticed a figure approaching from the other end of the hallway.
“Shit shit shit. They are just four steps away from us!”
Yvaine tilted her head and saw the figure approaching them, “Come this way, I know a place where we can hide.”
Yvaine caught his hand and quickly pulled him along.
They slipped behind the last row of the lockers.
It was a narrow space between the locker’s back and the small entrance to the storage room, which was barely wide enough for the two of them.
Dean pressed himself against the wall as Yvaine stood directly in front of him, their shoulders and arms brushing whenever either of them moved.
“Shhh,” she whispered.
Dean nodded.
A second later, the sound of the locker room door opened, as few girls entered.
“That guy was weird.”
“Seriously! He actually looked at me and while maintaining eye-contact, said he likes pineapple. He is such a jerk, for calling out my yellow pants and green top like this!”
While the other burst into laughter.
Dean slowly looked towards Yvaine, who was already looking at him.
Their eyes met for barely a second before both immediately looked away.
The girls continued chatting, their voices echoing through the locker room.
“I still can’t believe my crush actually kissed Joanne.”
“Seriously, we thought something was there between you and Derek.”
“The dare game took a twisted turn.”
Dean swallowed hard.
These girls and their topic was making everything slightly difficult for him to carry.
The distance!
The eyes!
He looked at Yvaine.
She looked at him and then lowered her gaze, as she leaned towards him.
He genuinely had no idea what she was going to do, because no way after what he said to her, she was going to kiss him!
Then he felt her breath near his ear.
“I forgave you the moment you took a step toward me.”