Chapter 472: Breaking News: Fashion Student or Fallen Idol?
Arriving on campus, Micah barely slowed his pace as he strode through the crowded walkway. The autumn clouds thickened overhead, and a chill crept into the air. Micah shivered slightly as he stepped into the administration office.
Darcy had already bid him goodbye at the campus entrance and gone to the engineering faculty, leaving Micah alone to deal with the mountain of paperwork waiting for him.
Inside the office, the clerk blinked in surprise at his appearance. "Mr Ramsy? Why are you here? Professor Palmer told us you’d be coming back next term."
Micah waved a hand casually. "Sorry for the trouble. Luckily, I can return earlier than expected. There won’t be any problem, will there?"
"No problem. No problem. Here, just fill out these forms," the clerk said, handing Micah a folder.
Micah signed where he needed to, answered questions mechanically, and after what felt like an eternity, the paperwork was finally settled.
When he stepped outside, a wave of chatter greeted him. Students passed by, some whispering, some glancing too obviously, others pretending to check their phones while sneaking looks his way.
Micah’s eyelid twitched. Great. That feeling again.
Shit. What was it this time?
He pressed his lips together, pretending not to notice the attention as he crossed the courtyard.
He quickly went to the dormitory, grabbed his notebooks and sketches, and walked to the fashion design faculty.
The closer he got to his faculty, the more he felt the eyes on him, quick, sneaky glances from every direction as if he were some exotic animal being exhibited. The low hum of gossip trailed after him like mosquitoes.
Micah clenched his jaw. Seriously...What ridiculous rumour had been spread?
Judging by those looks, Micah wouldn’t be surprised if the gossip about him turned out to be something absurd, like he had gone on maternity leave!
Would it be worse than the nickname before?
Right...Last time, they had labelled him as the Flower campus instead of the grass campus. The title still made him cringe.
He stifled his irritation by inhaling sharply. He straightened more and pushed open the door to their workshop.
Students were scattered across long tables, some bent over sewing machines, others pinning lace or adjusting mannequins. The rhythmic sound of scissors cutting fabric filled the room.
Micah made his way to his own desk near the window. His chair screeched slightly as he pulled it out and set down his bag. He unpacked his materials, sketchbooks, folded muslin, and colour swatches, then began arranging them neatly.
"Hey!"
Micah looked up just as Melissa leaned over the divider, beaming. "I haven’t seen you in forever," she said cheerfully.
"Hi, Melissa," Micah replied, lips curving faintly. "Sorry, I missed the factory visit."
Melissa flicked a hand dismissively. "No worries. I actually took extra samples while we were there. You can use mine if you need."
"Thanks. You are a lifesaver!" Micah’s smile deepened. "Nothing crazy happened at the Sorkh Factory this time, right?"
Melissa tilted her head, thinking. "Nope. It was calm for once." Then she looked left and right before leaning in, lowering her voice. "But...do you remember the director from last time?"
Micah paused mid-sketch, pencil hovering. He turned his head. "Who? Director Allen? The one who helped us at the end?"
"Yeah. That one." Melissa’s eyes gleamed with the thrill of gossip. "I heard she got fired."
Micah grinned, eyes turning into crescents. So Clyde had actually listened to him and investigated her. His chest warmed faintly at the thought with quiet satisfaction. Suddenly, he wanted to see Clyde.
"Wait, why are you smiling like that? I thought you liked her?" she asked, puzzled.
Micah’s smile froze, then he made a face. "Huh? No way! I only talked to her because she reminded me of someone. She was suspicious. And turns out I was right."
"Ooh?" Melissa leaned in even closer, her eyes sparking. "There’s a backstory here. Tell me everything. What happened? I swear I thought you were flirting with her! You almost made the scary higher-ups mad that day! Amy and I thought they would deny our access! But instead, she was the one fired? But I was sure that man was jealous. Strange."
Micah nearly choked. He instinctively leaned back, turning his head away. Crap! Women’s sixth sense really was terrifying! How the hell did she guess that right?!
He forced a nervous laugh. "What? No! Come on, why would they turn us down? You know our Dean, Georgina Malleti, is a figure every fabric factory wants to partner with?! Who would dare pick a fight with her students?"
Melissa squinted at him, unconvinced, then dropped her gaze. "If you say so."
"Right. Where is Russell?" Micah said quickly, wanting to change the subject.
Melissa’s expression softened. "I heard he got hospitalised."
"Eh? Why?" Micah asked, shocked.
"Caught a cold, apparently. But since his lungs are weak, he had to be admitted for safety," Melissa replied.
"Oh..." Micah’s voice lowered, a flicker of concern crossing his face. "Did you visit him?"
"Not yet. Amy and I were planning to go this afternoon. Want to come?"
"Yeah. We’ve got time between classes anyway." Micah nodded.
The two of them chatted quietly as they worked. Micah’s hands moved automatically, measuring, cutting, sewing. Still, he could sense his classmates’ discreet glances at him.
By the time class ended, the workshop buzz had dwindled. Students packed their things, their chatter echoing softly as they exited.
Micah slung his bag over his shoulder and followed Melissa out into the hallway. As they reached the stairs, he leaned closer, voice low and conspiratorial. "Okay. Tell me honestly...What did they cook up this time? The way people were staring at me felt... intense."
Melissa’s expression shifted, eyes darting everywhere except Micah’s way.
"No way! That bad?" Micah wailed and quickly fished his phone out of his pockets. "Oh, hell, what now?"
He opened the campus forum app. The moment the page loaded, his face went blank.
At the top of the trending board, bold letters screamed at him. Fuck! He had dropped his vest!
🔥BREAKING NEWS! FrostbiteAshe found!
And below it were his pictures. Not just one, but dozens: him eating in the cafeteria, walking across the campus, sitting in class, and even playing basketball. Every angle imaginable.
Just his luck! After all the effort he had spent calming Darcy down, this was the welcome he got.