Hate You, Love You. | Jenlisa

58

"Sorry, I'm late. I got held up." Mr. Song says as he barrels through the doors of the gym. Winterwood is so different on a Saturday. It's so peaceful; no chatter, no noise, no gossip, no Nancy. It's just you, your thoughts and the echo of your own voice.

"You always say that, Mr. Song." Winter points outs. She's in a grade below me and has never missed a club meeting. Her dedication is admirable.

"This time, I really got held up," he groans. "My car had a minor accident."

This amuses us all and he clears his throat as a signal for us to begin. In total, we are about 20 in the Music Club if my calculations are correct, but only 10 of us showed up. I don't blame them. I'd ditch too but my resolve is always at the back of my mind.

Academics. Extracurricular.

Mr. Song scans the class in front of him with a frown. "It seems like a better part of the club decided to ditch." I'll say. "If you have friends that are in this club and they decided that they had something else better to do that attend this very important meeting, do inform them that if they don't show up for rehearsals next Saturday, they're getting the boot."

"The Winterwood charity event is coming up in December and it's immediately after your first term exams so the earlier we start prepping, the better."

He gets out a few papers from his briefcase and looks at them. I turn my attention to Officer Bogum–I mean–Hyejun who has been quiet throughout.

I wonder what it's like being in high school for the second time. My guess is it must be torture because I can't imagine coming back to Winterwood as a student and encountering the same bullshit of mini Nancy's and arrogant bad boys.

But, he's doing it to protect me and for that I'm grateful.

"You're staring," he whispers in my ear.

"You have drool on your face."

"Really?" He pads his hands with his face, desperately trying to find the drool and I giggle, but not out loud so as not to distract the class.

He narrows his eyes. "Real mature."

We turn our attention back to Mr. Song. "We're going to decide which songs to sing at the event. Normally, I make the decision solo, but it's a democracy," he jokes. "You all must have a say in what goes on."

He calls on Winter to hand out the papers in his hands. "I narrowed your choices down to Classics and Modern Day tunes. I want us to do a combination of both."

Officer Bogum passes a paper to me and I look at the fine print. "I may not be familiar with all the 'modern day tunes' that you all listen to so don't crucify my choices."

He continues. "For good measure, if you're dissatisfied with my picks, then you can suggest your picks. I planned a combination of 3 Classics, since you know, it's the Winterwood charity event so people like me or Principal Yang can reminisce about the good old days."

You're not that old, Mr. Song.

"And 3 modern day tunes because there will be students there."

"Theses are actually good choices," Officer Bogum muses. I look down at my paper to the heading that reads 'Classics' and realize that I do not know any of these songs. The artists are familiar, but the songs aren't.

"Which ones? The classics or the modern tunes?"

"I'm not that old," he groans.

"And I'm not that young." I tease. He shakes his head in amusement and I smile.

"Let's take a vote on the Modern Day tunes first. I know most of you may not be familiar with the Classics so I have an assignment for you." Some of us groan and he puts a hand on his hip, smiling at the class.