All For Us

Chapter III

"The Three Musketeers and The Useless Cohesion Day"

OPRAH

The three of us walked into the gymnasium, the sound of shuffling feet and murmurs echoing around us. I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement bubbling up within me. With something like 4000 people gathered around us, it was clear that something big was about to happen.

In front of us, staff members and teachers sat behind a raised platform. I caught a glimpse of our principal, Ms. Lemeunier, tapping her shoe impatiently as she waited for everyone to settle down.

"Good morning, students and personnel," she announced through the microphone, her voice echoing throughout the gymnasium. "Thank you for joining us here today. We have an announcement to make, so stay with us. It may interest some of you," she added, her lips curling up into a smile. I could see some students rolling their eyes or checking their phones, clearly not impressed with the assembly so far.

My friends and I exchanged a quick glance, unsure of what to expect. But just as I was about to dismiss the whole thing as another boring announcement, Ichem shook my arm and pointed towards the headmaster. I couldn't help but feel dumbfounded. Why was the one who never cared about anything suddenly so focused on the speech? I glared at him, but couldn't help but re-center my focus on the announcement.

"I'll let Mr. Levalet speak, he'll explain it better than me," Ms. Lemeunier gestured towards a middle-aged man in shorts and shades, causing a wave of whispers to ripple through the crowd. He looked more like a clown than a teacher, especially in the chilly weather when everyone was bundled up in winter clothes. He probably was unhinged, or from the year 3000.

"Hello, I'm Mr. Levalet," he greeted the crowd with a hand salute, causing a cringe to sweep through the audience. He cleared his throat, visibly embarrassed, and continued. "I hope you're all doing well today. For those who don't know who I am, I'm the PE teacher. By my side is the school's nurse and therapist, my wife, Miss Bellet," he added, gesturing towards a petite woman who smiled shyly at the crowd. There was a ripple of polite applause that quickly died down. I couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for them - they seemed uncomfortable standing in front of such a large crowd.It was clear that they were not used to public speaking or being the center of attention.

I couldn't help but think that Miss Bellet must be new to the school.The previous nurse was an elderly woman who believed in everything stamped by the infamous Sigmund Freud. That therapist had even asked me if I was attracted to my older brother since we weren't blood-related at all.The memory still made me shudder.

Mr. Levalet continued, his voice carrying across the room. "We've been put in charge to create a cohesion day for you , students. Everybody has noticed a certain violence between each of you, both in and outside the classroom. We want to fix any bad tension as soon as possible, and we can't let the year pass with drama in every corner." Some students groaned at the thought of having wasted their time attending this meeting.

But then, Mr. Levalet said something that caught my attention. "And maybe you'll get the opportunity to make some friends. I know it's already too late but don't lose hope, something great could happen at any moment,"He turned to smile at his wife.

I had heard this all before -It was a noble goal, but one that seemed impossible to achieve.

As Mr. Levalet continued his speech, I couldn't help but feel confused. "What the heck is a coefficient day, Petra?" I whispered loudly to my friend beside me. She shrugged, equally clueless. Our ignorance earned us some glares and hushed sounds from people around us.

"I can't believe you guys don't know what it means," a voice beside us sneered. We turned around to see Ichem, the handsome smartass of our group, smirking at us. "First of all, it's cohesion, not coefficient day, you dumbasses. And secondly, how are you even in this grade right now?" he added, rolling his eyes.