Chapter 4: Club
Later that night, everything that happened so far came pouring inside Estelle's mind.
"Argh." She stood up from her bed. And went to the drawer beside her. "Since I came back , it is really hard for me to sleep again. My mind is always overwhelmed by both my past life memories and here. I just don't have any idea what's happening in my life now."
She opened her laptop and spent the rest of the time up to 1:00 am earlier to type her first story. Since she came here, this was what she ought to do.
"I don't need to rely on that woman after I am able to publish this first story."
When she was finally satisfied with the draft she wrote after an hour, she decided to close her laptop, then she walked toward her drawer to open it. She picked the bottle containing her sleeping pills to eat one. Despite being able to write until this late, her mind was still overwhelmingly awake.
'I wonder how I should save Ashford or even get in touch with him.Since it is not like we are close in our high school years. And if I approach him all of the sudden. He might think that I'm one of his fans who are crazy over him. Well, I'm his fan but this is a different scenario.'
'I wonder what I should do first?'
{"Choose your club and don't forget to submit your application forms before Friday."}
'Oh, that's it.' A grin escaped Estelle's lips as her eyelids were getting heavier. The effect of the sleeping pill was already starting to take effect. "I can certainly do that."
***
July 17th, 2010
Second Day of First-Year High School
The first two hours of the class were for the election of their class officers. And the rest of their time up to dismissal were given to choose their clubs. Estelle couldn't help but frown.
"Why do you have to nominate me for vice president?"
"Well," Cathy grinned. "I will be lonely if I am the only class officer and not you either."
"There are other three officers with you already. The pres, auditor, and that PRO. It's too much work."
"Don't be like that." Cathy punched Estelle's right shoulder.
"Tsh."
Cathy just laughed even more. "By the way, what club did you plan to join now?"
"The Literature Club."
"Literature Club? Is there something like that on the pamphlet?" Cathy looked at the list of clubs she was holding. "Eh. It's not here."
"Look at the back."
Cathy turned around the pamphlet she was holding. "To those who have kind heart and soul. Help these clubs that are on the verge of disbandment." She read it loud and clear. Then her eyes trailed on the list of the clubs.
"Eh! You wanted to join a club like this?! And even they gather enough members of five, that means all of the members will need to perform at the club performance in front of the school! That is nerve-wracking!"
"Oi, you were so confident when you elected yourself to be the Secretary. Where did that confidence all go?"
"That and this is different," Cathy whined.
"It's alright. It's not like, you will be joining this club. You planned to join the cooking club right?"
"Eh!" Cathy stared at Estelle with amazement. "How did you even know that? Are you some fortune-teller?"
"Knowing that you're a glutton. You'll definitely join that club."
Hearing Estelle's remarks, Cathy couldn't help but frown.
"You got it wrong! I will be joining the literature club too. Tell me, is this your way of going back to me because of earlier."
"Maybe," Estelle replied casually. And before Cathy could even refute, she stopped walking. "Oh, we're here."
"What here?" Cathy was fuming. "I'm still not done talking to you young lady."
"In the Literature Club Room." Estelle gestured in front of the classroom. It was located in the end room, right corner on the fourth floor of the building.
In front of the classroom, there was a lot of vandalism in the door.
"Eh, this is the room? Are you sure this is the Literature Club? From the door itself, it is more like a hideout for delinquents. I think you just got it wrong, let's ask first the other….." Cathy didn't even finish what she was trying to say when Estelle interrupted her.
"Let's enter." Estelle walked towards the door. She knocked three times and when no one answered, she opened it.
Inside, it revealed two boys who looked like they were enjoying playing cards. One was even smoking and the whole room was filled with lots of garbage. The walls too were filled with lots of graffitis.
Cathy whispered to Estelle with worry and a little bit of fear. "I think we should leave.This place is not for us."
"Who are you?!" The boy who was smoking stood up. He walked towards the two girls with threatening glares and demeanour.
"We are here to join the Literature Club."
"Estelle!" Cathy protested behind her. And started to pull Estelle out. "It seems we got the wrong room. We will leave now." But to her surprise, Estelle stood firm on her ground.
"I didn't get the wrong room. It is here right?"
The two boys looked at each other before they burst into peals of laughter.
"Are you blind?" The boy with lots of piercings in his ears walked in front of Estelle. He blew the smoke in front of her.
'The first seal to doom has been unlocked.'
"That lame club is no longer here. This is our new headquarters now. So get out here before we do something you'll regret, shorty."
'Second, third, fourth… one-hundredth seal has all been released.'
"Shorty? Haha."
At the next moment, inside the literature club, the whole room was filled with violence and more destruction that was not suitable for very young audiences.
***
Meanwhile, the literature club president, Charles Ruther, who was standing in the canteen and another crowded place in the school were started to feel dejected. Since earlier in the morning, he was out here to recruit members for the club.
"Who is that scary-looking guy?"
"Shh. He might hear you. I think he is recruiting for club members or his club will be disbanded."
"Really?! With him being like that, there is no way someone will join their club. I also heard that some delinquents are being seen in his club."
"Well, yeah and I think only those people who are crazy enough will join that kind of club."
"Hi, do you want to join our..."
The three first-year girls who were gossiping yelped when Charles started speaking to them.
"Ah! He's going to murder us!"
They all ran away from him.
Charles smiled wearily. 'I just simply ask them.' He then looked at his watch and it was nearly dismissal time.
'No luck even today. I should head back to the club room now and continue tomorrow.' His shoulders were both slumped as he started to walk away.
When he reached the front door of his club room, he was dejected again to see the vandals that he had already cleaned before he went to member hunting. 'This again. Forget it, even if I manage to bring one member, if they see this clubroom, they will immediately run away.'
He held the doorknob of the room. 'At this rate, those girls were right. Only some crazy students will join this club at this point.' A wry smile escapes his lips.
'Sorry seniors but I guess, the fate of this club will really end with me. As the only member who remained here, I'm sorry that I failed all of you when you entrusted me to this club.'
When he opened the door, all the pamphlets he was holding fell on the ground. He couldn't believe what he was seeing right now.
"That! Clean all of that!" Estelle's commanding voice resounded through the whole room. As the two boys were cleaning every bit of trash.
"Estelle! Another of their comrades has shown up!" Cathy said when she noticed Charles.
Estelle turned her back towards her. "Oh, that one. Don't worry Cath, he is not one of them. That's our club press."
"Eh?!"
Charles just stared at her blankly. And Estelle just scrutinises the guy. Seeing that he was alone, meant that he was not able to recruit members. But it was alright. Estelle grinned at him.
"Congrats club press, the lit club will not be disbanded anymore since you've got new four members." She gestured to the other three people who were inside the room.
"Hey! We didn't say that we'll join, Sh-"
Lorence Ryler, the guy who was smoking earlier, froze when Estelle gave him a menacing glare. He instinctively shielded his jewel. His other friend, Paul Cyrus, just kept his mouth shut and he was just going with the flow.
"This is our application form, feel free to check it first before we submit it to our class advisor." Estelle handed the papers she had in her hands.
'When did we answer those application forms?!' Cathy, Lorence, and Cyrus were incredibly shocked to see their club application forms being handed by Estelle.
"Ah yes," Charles accepted the paper.
'Only someone who is crazy. And that someone really appeared right in front of me solving every bit of my problem in the blink of an eye. That was like magic, this girl in front of me makes me believe in miracles.'
Weekly Power Status
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