BXBX NOVEL Chapter 83: Entrance Exam (3)
Panic set in, and his face flushed crimson as the realization hit - he\'d been tricked.
"That little..." he grumbled, but there was no time to finish the thought. The urge to relieve himself was becoming unbearable.
Just when he thought he couldn\'t hold it any longer, he spotted a door hidden in a shadowy nook.
Without a second thought, he pushed it open, driven by desperation. A wave of relief washed over him when he saw a row of stalls.
Without hesitation, he dashed into the nearest one, slamming the door behind him.
Finally, sweet salvation.
As he sat there, catching his breath, a sense of calm took over. He leaned against the cool tile wall, grateful to have narrowly avoided disaster.
For a moment, everything was peaceful—no pounding heart, no racing thoughts—just the blissful silence of victory.
But then, an unsettling thought crept into his mind.
\'This is the men\'s washroom, right?\'
He hadn\'t noticed any signs on the door before entering.
Was it unisex? Or maybe just faded? His heart rate spiked again. Paranoia replaced his earlier relief. He peered under the stall door, half-expecting to see high heels or hear a distinctively feminine sound.
Silence.
Toby let out a nervous chuckle.
Maybe he was overthinking things. After all, it was just a restroom—right?
Then, he heard it.
The door creaked open, and the distinct click of shoes echoed through the restroom. Toby froze. His blood ran cold.
He didn\'t dare move or even breathe. The footsteps were light and deliberate, moving slowly across the tiles.
It can\'t be...
The footsteps paused just outside his stall.
His heart stopped.
His mind raced.
Did someone saw him enter the washroom?
What would he do if someone caught him?
Could he pretend it was an honest mistake? Or worse, should he just stay silent, hoping they wouldn\'t notice?
Before he could think of a plan, the voice came—a soft, distinctly feminine voice.
"Excuse me... is someone in there?"
Toby\'s mind went blank. He couldn\'t respond. The seconds dragged on.
"Hello?" The voice grew louder, more insistent.
Toby panicked. Should he say something? Or wait for her to leave?
Before he could decide, the voice spoke again, this time with a hint of amusement. "You know... this is the girl\'s room, right?"
At that moment, Toby wished for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.
His heart pounded in his ears as the weight of her words sank in.
\'The ladies\' room? \'
He\'d actually done it.
For a second, time seemed to freeze. His mind raced, but no words formed. He couldn\'t even think of a way to explain himself. A long, awkward silence followed, hanging heavy in the air.
"I, uh..." Toby finally croaked out, his voice cracking under the pressure. "I didn\'t realize..."
There was a pause on the other side of the door, and then, unexpectedly, the girl laughed.
It wasn\'t the mocking kind, though it was soft, maybe even sympathetic.
"Well," she said lightly, "you\'re definitely in the wrong place, but I\'ve gotta admit, I\'ve never seen anyone look this panicked just for using the wrong bathroom."
Toby swallowed hard, feeling his face heat up again.
He wished he could just disappear.
His damn ability! If it wasn\'t for it - he wouldn\'t have to experience a humiliation like this!
"It was an accident," he mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper. "I was in a hurry."
"No kidding," she replied with a grin in her voice.
"Don\'t worry, I won\'t tell anyone. But you might want to make a quick exit before someone else walks in. Could get awkward."
Toby was mortified thinking that but he also felt grateful for her kindness. He could hear the faint amusement in her voice, but there wasn\'t any malice behind it.
\'At least there\'s that,\' he thought.
He stayed still, listening for the sound of her footsteps.
They finally retreated toward the door, and he heard it creak open once more. Toby let out a deep breath, relief mixing with the embarrassment that clung to him like a shadow.
Carefully, he unlocked the stall door, peeking out to make sure the coast was clear. The bathroom was empty.
He exhaled and hurried to the door, each step quieter than the last. Just as his hand touched the handle, the door flung open again - from the other side.
\'Oh, come on! Not again!\'
His heart dropped.
Standing on the other side, staring right at him, was another girl. Her eyes widened in surprise, and Toby felt the world spin.
"What are you doing here?" she blurted out, her tone hovering somewhere between confusion and accusation.
Toby froze, the urge to flee battling with the sheer humiliation that weighed him down. Fortunately, there wasn\'t anyone else in the surroundings or else he might have really died of embarrassment.
His brain scrambled for an excuse, something—anything—to get him out of this situation.
But words failed him.
"I... uh..." he stammered, but before he could come up with a plausible explanation, the first girl\'s voice called from just outside the door.
"He got lost!" she said, her tone filled with barely contained laughter. "Cut him some slack. He\'s already embarrassed enough."
The second girl blinked, her gaze bouncing between Toby and the door before she sighed, shaking her head. "Alright, alright," she muttered, stepping aside. "Just hurry up before someone else comes in."
Toby nodded gratefully and made his escape, ducking out into the hallway. He didn\'t stop until he was several corridors away, leaning against a wall to catch his breath.
He didn\'t know who the first girl was, but he really owed her a big thanks.
"That... was a disaster," he muttered to himself, his cheeks still burning.
But as embarrassing as it had been, he couldn\'t help but feel a bit of relief. After all, it could\'ve been worse.
Much worse.
While Toby\'s mind spiraled with such thoughts, the person responsible for his embarrassment casually slipped through a door marked with the symbol 469, with a smug grin on his face.
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