Truth or Dare

Lesson 3: Club Selections

After last night's party, the entire class was left sleep-deprived. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that everyone who threw the party was completely drained. After the fireworks show, Julia set up a temporary projector and started playing *Saw* from her phone. We spent the whole night having a horror movie marathon, and not a single person slept. Those who came in their school uniforms went straight to class, while the others, like Roland, stopped by home to quickly get ready.

Mr. Willow's sudden shout caught us all off guard. He's been the assistant principal here for ten years, and despite being in his mid-forties, he looks as though he's in his sixties. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Who am I teaching here? It's the second day of school, and you're already sleeping in class and being lazy! We'll see what you do on the exams!" His gaze shifted to Serra, his voice tinged with a hint of irritation. Seeing him snap like that, I couldn't help but smile. Serra, with her hazel eyes and yellow-dyed hair, is related to the founder of the school. "You're in trouble now, Serra," I muttered to myself. Serra, perhaps hearing me, glanced at me quickly before turning back to Mr. Willow.

"Yes, sir?" Serra replied in a sleepy tone, clearly struggling not to yawn.

"List the five main points of the Zsitvatorok Agreement," Mr. Willow said, turning to the board. The class immediately fell silent, all eyes on Serra, waiting for her answer. When Serra didn't respond, Mr. Willow sighed deeply and shook his head in disappointment. When the bell signaling the end of the lesson rang, Mr. Willow left the class, and the room suddenly became lively. The girls started gossiping about the party from last night, while the boys headed into the hallway.

"Look at her—she does nothing but gossip," Mia murmured, nodding toward Serra. "And lie," I added, rolling my eyes. Felix, looking at both Mia and me, said, "Come on, girls, leave Serra alone." Mia and I locked eyes, then she turned to Felix and whispered, her tone slightly irritated, "You can't be serious, right? We're talking about Serra." Felix, noticing Mia's frustration, chose to stay quiet rather than say something hurtful.

When the bell rang again, signaling the start of the next lesson, students began to return to class. Once everyone was settled, Ms. Willim entered, holding a stack of papers. "Anna, come distribute these," she said in her soft voice. Our guidance counselor was also a relative of the school's founder. With striking black eyes and long black hair, she was always dressed impeccably, but no one liked her—except for Serra. Anna took the papers from Ms. Willim and began handing them out, one by one. After finishing, she placed the remaining papers on the teacher's desk and took her seat. I picked up the paper in front of me and began to read.

Ms. Willim, "No need to explain. As always, you will need to choose a club. You have until lunchtime to make your decision," she said, her tone growing even more indifferent. She took the extra papers from the desk and left the room.

Breaking the silence, Loui muttered, "Another pointless club selection round," in a deadpan voice. "What can we choose besides the sports club? There isn't a single club that actually does anything," Rhyn added. "If everyone wants to choose, go ahead. I'm not joining," Josh said, crumpling his paper and throwing it into the trashcan from where he sat at his desk. Then he looked at me. "What do you think, class president?" he asked.

I turned to Josh, who sat in the third row by the wall. "I'm not forcing anyone; the decision is yours," I said, addressing the class. "But if you want a club that actually does something, I'd suggest the sports club or the computer club." Cole placed his paper under the table and chimed in, "Then let's choose the sports club as a class." "Well, whatever you all choose, I'm not picking," I said, standing up, ripping the paper, and tossing it into the trashcan. At that moment, I caught the attention of everyone around me, a few people glancing at me and smiling oddly. The sound of the paper hitting the trash echoed in the room, and a brief silence followed.