After days of thinking, I came over to the classroom where Amani's literature club was residing. As I pushed the door open, a few pairs of eyes looked in my direction. I didn't know how many members I was expecting, but… there weren't many.
"You came," Amani smiled at me from her seat before she looked back at the papers on the table in front of her.
I nodded, more to myself than to her, as she couldn't see it anyway, before I made my way to her and Jade, who was sitting across from her. With a nod as a greeting to the other girl, I sat down, looking around the room. There were many books, two computers, and a long table with chairs. The place looked like a poor imitation of a library. Or a meeting room.
"Isn't it better to pay attention to studying than stressing over… this thing?" I asked as I took a small book which was lying next to the papers she was working with.
"Universities and colleges both pay attention to extracurriculars, you know," she answered, turning her gaze to me. It looked like she was wondering if I was just stupid and didn't know that, or if I was thinking that literature was just not enough.
Extracurriculars—a thing that never really crossed my mind. Not that I had never done any. I was just never thinking that far ahead.
Rather, I nodded and looked over the book's cover. The Raven was my favourite poem. I wouldn't say that I was into poetry like some people were, but some poems, just like this one, made me slightly interested.
"You like Poe?" Jade asked.
"Kinda, yeah."
As I was focused on the printed words on the pages of an older copy, I realised something that I maybe should have asked a little earlier. Perhaps even since the beginning.
"What is this club for anyway?" I asked, curious.
Amani, as the leader—or the president—of the club she probably was, took the answer on her shoulders, "We discuss the books from English class, help a little to the theatre club, and show how important literature is for human history."
"You should go into politics." I let out a chuckle after hearing her words. She spoke like one.
"Right? I say this all the time," said Leah, the more talkative of the black-haired twins. She sat down next to Jade, who nodded in agreement. Then, after about a minute of silence, she looked at me again, "What do you wanna study in university?"
Surprised by her question, I shrugged, "Law, I guess."
"Wow, that's what Amani said, too," Leah happily exclaimed, as if it were she who was aiming for the same department as me.
"What 'bout you guys?" I asked, starting to get interested in the new direction of conversation.
"I'll go for bioengineering," Jade smiled, to which Leah sighed and leaned back in her chair.
"How nerdy of you. And Liam wants to be an architect."
I let out a light chuckle at her attitude. Maths probably wasn't her favourite subject as I could guess, and, for some reason, Jade seemed like someone who liked science. Even though I didn't know these guys for long.
"What 'bout Henry and you?" I asked her, still a bit interested.
"Henry? He thinks he will be a great actor one day," she laughed for a short moment, which made Jade look up from whatever she was writing down at the moment:
"He is already really good. You're just jealous."
With raised eyebrows, I watched the two girls as they stared at each other. For some reason, Jade's eyes seemed sympathetic. Maybe he was better at acting than Leah. I didn't even know he was into acting until now—so much for over a week-long acquaintance.
Leah sighed after a short moment before her gaze shifted to me, "I still don't know what I wanna do."
"You still have a couple of months for that," I shrugged.
My own words kind of scared me. There was not even a whole year left until we all had to go and try to follow our dreams, or we just needed colleges and universities so we could afford a good job. This society was truly scary.
"Why do we have to choose so early? Ahh!" Leah exclaimed as she ran her hands through her black hair whilst she put her head on the table. I could do nothing but sigh. She was right. And to think that there were places and times before where people even younger than us had to choose, but not really as they had to follow in their parents' footsteps.
"Either way, it's just for the governments to have workers," I stated after seconds of silence, which made Amani look at us with raised eyebrows. It seemed like she wanted to say something, however, no words came out of her mouth. And instead, she turned her attention to her papers. Maybe she only reacted to our conversation because we were too loud.
Leah sighed again, and looked up, her hands supporting her head in the action, "Wow, that was so deep, Sid."
I had to chuckle hearing her new nickname for me. I'd never had anyone call me that. Well, maybe when I was a little kid, but now I didn't actually remember hearing that name in any connection with me.
Looking down at the book in my hands, I turned another page. For some reason, I liked these… dark poems. They were quite comforting in a way, and I didn't even know why.
"Who's your favourite author?" Leah suddenly asked me, changing the previous conversation topic.
"Dunno. Tolkien? I don't really have one."
The black-haired girl smiled, "Just fantasy is it, then?"
I nodded at that. Fantasy books were my favourite because those worlds were not real, and the books always let me just be a part of them, kind of. I just loved the idea of the supernatural possibly existing. It meant that this reality wouldn't be as boring as it was. However, as exciting as that thought sounded, it was also pretty scary because humans were humans, after all.
"What 'bout you?"
Leah smiled at me, probably because I volunteered to keep the conversation going, to which she almost immediately answered, "Christie, Doyle, Isaka… you know, so exciting to read them."
Nodding, I glanced around the room once again. No one was paying their attention to us as they were doing something else. Or maybe it was because half of the people in here had headphones on. I couldn't blame them—I would do the same.
"So? Are you thinkin' of joinin'?" Amani asked me out of nowhere, which made me turn my head to her.
"Yeah… Dunno, maybe?" I said, or maybe asked, as I wasn't sure yet. This thing could be interesting but also pretty boring. However, for university, it could be useful. But also, I could be part of a different activity, which made me realise something as I turned to the black-haired girl, "Where's your brother and Henry anyway?"
My words made Leah realise that they hadn't told me yet. For some reason, I thought they all were in this club, too. However, it seemed like the boys liked different activities more.
"Henry is in the theatre club and Liam should be here any minute," she answered me as she looked over to the closed door. I nodded, not being surprised about Henry at all since our university conversation.
As she said, the door into the room opened with Liam coming through. He looked pretty annoyed, holding some paper materials in his arms.
"I'll kill that idiot," he muttered as he made his way towards us before placing the papers on the table.
"Whom?" Leah curiously asked as she took a look at a blue folder at the top. Liam sighed, sitting down next to her:
"Henry. He wants us to help them with the script of their new play."
"Which means we'll have to talk to Ava, too?" Jude asked, sounding pretty annoyed. I furrowed my eyebrows, confused.
"Ava?"
Not only one head turned to me, but all four of them. Even Amani was paying attention to us now. Their reactions made me even more concerned. Who was this Ava that none of them wanted to have anything to do with her?
Leah sighed, "Remember that staring contest last week?" After my confused nod, she continued her explanation with an irritated expression, "She's that blonde bitch. The long-haired one."
As I nodded as a sign of understanding, I realised that even though I had talked with the girl already, I didn't know her name until now. Not that it was needed before, as I hadn't planned more encounters with her.
"No offence, but she should drop out of theatre," stated Jude suddenly, to which she crossed her arms. "There are lots of kids who would be grateful to have acting on applications for college. I'm sure she can bribe any she wants."
I raised my eyebrows at her words. Although they talked about a bully girl I had already encountered a few times, I couldn't get over Jade's last words. Was Ava that rich? Why would she need to clean at a restaurant then? Maybe she just wasn't as bitchy and show-off outside school.
"What's that play supposed to be 'bout anyway?"