After School Club

02| Quick Discussion

We walked down the hallway, not saying much. I sensed she had questions, but I know I can come off as intimidating. It's not her problem; I just tend to be distant with people I am less close with. Adding that, my face always looks cold and blank.

Finally, we reached the auditorium. Some members were already waiting. Looks like I'm early as usual. Come to think of it, I haven't eaten since lunch. My stomach decided to remind me about it as it let out an audible growl, signaling its emptiness.

I really hope nobody heard that.

"Hey, Wil, am I free to do whatever now? I mean, I'm not really involved in this meeting," Heather said with a nudge, catching me off guard.

Oh god, I completely forgot she was right beside me. Why is my memory slipping so much recently? I hope nobody's getting any weird ideas about this. Seriously, if they start shipping us, I might just set the school on fire.

Surely, I gave her the okay, so I could sit down and start doing my thing. She followed my instruction and joined a member who happened to be her friend. I wonder why she didn't just go with him in the first place. Girls can be really puzzling sometimes.

~~~

"Hey, I've got an extra piece of bread. Want some? You really should eat more, dude," A girl with messy hair tied in ponytail tapped my shoulder from behind as I was about to open a document.

Ah, Cheryl, how could I have forgotten about her? I really need to get myself checked out - I might be dealing with early signs of Alzheimer's. She's the one I can really collaborate with effectively. A wonderful junior, and I truly appreciate having her around.

"Stop calling me that, but thanks. I'll take the offer. I'm starving anyway," I said, accepting the bread from her.

"By the way, be prepared. The meeting will begun shortly. Can you cover my part later? I've already prepared everything," I added, taking a bite of the bread to start eating.

Cheryl nodded, showing that she was totally cool with it. She never posed any problems. That's why I chose her as the secretary assistant. She then settled down next to me and swiftly grabbed the document from my other hand, like a gust of wind.

The meeting began as soon as all the committee members were there. We took our seats on the auditorium stage, waiting for the chairman to start things off. Soon enough, we dived into discussions about setting up an audition to find new actors.

With our plans finally in order, Heather caught me off guard once again by approaching silently. Out of the blue, she playfully smacked my back to grab my attention. "Hey, Wil! Let me audition too," She said, a smirk playing on her lips.

"Sure... Um, just give Cheryl your name, class, and ID number. She'll handle the details," I replied, rubbing my chest to settle my nerves after her unexpected move.

A little later, I found myself alone once again. Cheryl had opted to leave with Heather. Everyone else had already gone as well. I closed my eyes and let out a deep sigh.

I couldn't help but blame myself for overthinking the fact that Heather had mentioned my name multiple times today. After a few more minutes of lost in that thought, I finally headed home. By the time I stepped out of the school, it was already 4:30 P.M.

~~~

A week after the meeting, the club conducted the audition at last. I've been swamped getting everything ready for it, all while juggling study sessions for an upcoming exam. My parents wouldn't stop griping about my late returns home every day, well aware that it's not a good habit.

In the end, I didn't manage to attend and watch the audition. I heard there were 20 participants, but only 11 were chosen in the end. In total, there are 15 people including the props team.

I went through the list of those who made it. And there she was, Heather. She managed to get in, and I was genuinely thrilled. I must have been staring at her application for too long because Cheryl noticed and called me out on it.

"Hey, do you have a thing for her? It's kinda creepy when a guy stares at a girl's picture for too long," Cheryl chuckled, twirling her pen as she sorted through the forms as well.

"That- It's not of your concern. Anyway, just take all these to Miss Kira," I retorted, placing Heather's form at the bottom of the stack of papers.

Without any more hesitation, Cheryl took the entire stack of documents to the teacher's lounge. I could hear her chuckling as she went, which made me feel flustered. After putting my head down on the table, I covered my face with my arms and let out a muffled scream.

I must have been blushing too, and I'm pretty sure Cheryl noticed how red I was. The most embarrassing part is that I managed to expose myself in the most foolish way possible.

~~~

Half an hour went by, and Cheryl still hadn't returned. She usually doesn't take much time, so I started to get a bit worried. Deciding to go and find her, I reached for the doorknob, but just as I did, someone else beat me to it from the other side.

As the door swung open, Heather's face came into view. It didn't take me long to notice that there was someone else with her. It was Farish, another classmate of ours and a fellow drama club member.

I didn't see that coming. Unsure of what to say, I kept my head down, ignored them, and exited the room. I was aware of Farish's closeness to Heather, so why did it bother me? It's not as if I'm feeling jealous or anything.

In the end, I completely forgot about searching for Cheryl. Following that incident, I headed straight home in frustration.