I clenched my teeth in frustration and glared at Derek Pearson, who was sitting among the teachers at the judges' table.
〈 Chloe, sorry! One of the members is absent today, so I need your help. 〉
That's how I got dragged backstage, where I ended up in charge of lining up the contestants for the Frolic preliminary round.
"Ugh, why's that nerd making a fuss here again?!"
That guy seems desperate to pick on me every time he sees me. I completely ignored Kyle Jensen's words and guided the next candidate.
"You can go on stage now."
Just then, Kyle Jensen shouted loudly.
"Loser! Shouldn't you be in a freak show instead of Frolic?"
Then he grabbed his stomach and burst into laughter.
"Hey, don't you think so?"
Eventually, he started poking the kids behind him, trying to get them to agree. Watching Jensen do that, I shook my head. The words 'You need to take a class on basic manners first' rose to my throat, but I swallowed them down.
Calm down. I'm just an extra nerd here. If I stay quiet, there's no reason for anyone to provoke me.
When I ignored Kyle Jensen, just as I expected, his interest in me quickly faded. He began warming up his voice for his Frolic performance.
"Next contestant, go in."
At my words, Kyle snorted and went up on stage. And before he even finished the first verse of the song, he was eliminated.
Serves you right, you cocky jerk.
I laughed quietly to myself and turned my gaze to call the next contestant.
Huh…? It's Jake.
Jake was tuning his electric guitar, plucking the strings with his pick. He looked effortlessly cool. The sharper, more refined aura he had these days struck a chord in my heart.
"Jake, it's your turn."
When I carefully called his name, Jake glanced at me.
"Let's go."
Without acknowledging me, Jake called over his friends. The four of them rushed out, and soon, a stylish rock melody filled the stage.
Wow!
Peeking out from behind the stage, I watched their performance. The rhythm made my feet tap instinctively. Their skill was far beyond what you'd expect from high school amateurs. Watching Jake's back, I couldn't help but smile fondly.
"You've passed."
At Mr. Hanker's judgment, I cheered inwardly and got ready to send out the next contestant. Many more students showed off their talents afterward, but none of them matched the level of Jake's band.
〈 You haven't seen us perform before? 〉
Jake's voice and that incredulous expression came to mind. So that's why he said I only cared about studying. I should have told him that wasn't true... but it was too late. I felt like I'd hurt his pride.
I have to go to Frolic this time. I need to go and cheer for Jake.
As I clenched my fists with determination, someone suddenly placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Ahh!"
"Oh, sorry. It's me, it's me."
The student council president raised both hands in the air, eyes wide in surprise as he looked at me.
"Sorry, I didn't think you'd get that startled."
"It's... fine."
I answered curtly and began putting the chairs back in order. The student council president came over and lifted one of the chairs I had just arranged.
"Chloe, thanks for helping out."
"You're welcome."
When I was with the student council president, sweat began to bead on my forehead, so I tried to move away from him and looked around for something else to do.
"Chloe. Could you grant me that favor I asked for?"
"It's still something you can't tell me about?"
He smiled faintly.
"It's nothing illegal. If it is, you can report me to a teacher right away."
I let out a dry laugh at how casually he suggested tattling on himself. What was his deal with me? Was there really no one else he could ask? A student council president should have plenty of people willing to help him.
"No."
"Why not?"
I thought saying no would be the end of it, but he actually wanted a reason.
"Why don't you want to?"
His gentle voice pressed down on me. I already felt cornered as it was, and the pressure only made me feel even more trapped.
"I just don't want to..."
I instinctively hunched my shoulders, looking for a way to escape.
"Guess we weren't as close as I thought."
Again, that tone. The old Chloe would have felt guilty hearing that and immediately changed her answer to agree to his request. But not me. I couldn't agree to a request when I didn't even know what it was about. It was also for my own safety.
"Yes. We're not that close."
I looked straight at the student council president as I spoke.
"I don't know what you're asking for, but please ask someone else. And, if possible, tell them what the request is beforehand."
He probably hadn't expected me to respond so clearly. Before the dazed student council president could come to his senses, I walked past him and stepped outside.
Ugh, that was so uncomfortable.
Muttering inwardly, I walked down the hallway when voices drifted toward me.
"Hey, Jake. Don't you think your original song will get good feedback this time?"
"I don't know. We'll see."
"He's always so pessimistic."
It was Jake and his friends.
"Hey, Jake, how do you even know that nerd?"
At the question from a guy with drumsticks sticking out of his back pocket, I instinctively hid behind a pillar.
"We take one class together."
"Ugh, with that loser? That must suck."
"Not really. It's actually good during group projects. She knows all the answers."
I let out a breath of relief at Jake's indifferent response. So, at least he didn't think badly of me. But then, laughter erupted among his friends.
"That's even worse, Jake."
"Yeah. So you only hang out with her to get good grades."
Jake didn't bother denying it.
Ah... So it's not that Jake doesn't think badly of me. He just doesn't think anything about me at all...
A heavy gloom settled over me in an instant.
"Hey, let's go to my place and order pizza."
"Sure."
"Jake, hurry up."
I stayed hidden behind the pillar until they were gone, then quietly stepped out into the hallway. The gloom that had begun to rise kept swelling until it completely swallowed me as I walked.
On my way from the cafeteria to the lobby, I ran right into Eisenhower coming through the main entrance. He looked like he'd just finished football practice, patches of his uniform tinged with the green of the field.
"Hey, are you... crying?"
Eisenhower frowned, about to speak to me, when someone suddenly grabbed me from behind.
"Chloe, it's getting late. I'll take you home."
It was Derek Pearson.
I hung my head low and shook it quickly, not wanting to let the student council president see me crying.
"I'm fine. My mother said she'd pick me up."
"That's a lie. Your mom's too busy to come most of the time."
"…..."
Somehow, the student council president seemed to know more about me than I did.
"Just get in my car and—"
"She's coming with me."
My body jerked forward suddenly. Eisenhower had pulled me into his arms. A woody scent brushed the tip of my nose.
"Aaron, why are you taking Chloe with you?"
It was the first time I'd heard the student council president's voice carry so much emotion. He sounded genuinely furious. I couldn't let him see my tear-streaked face, so I just stayed still in Aaron's arms.
"She tutors me."
Eisenhower's casual mention of the tutoring caught me off guard. I thought he didn't want anyone to know about it.
"I'm kind of an idiot, so I decided to get some help from her."
"Is that true, Chloe?"
At the student council president's question, I nodded weakly.
"Yes. Mr. Albert asked me to help him..."
"You heard that, right?"
Eisenhower's tone was cold, like he was demanding to know why the other guy was still standing there.
"…Yeah, I get it."
At the student council president's voice, I let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow, Chloe. Get home safe."
Even after hearing his footsteps fade away, I kept my head bowed for a little longer. But I had to step out of Eisenhower's arms, so I took a couple of steps back.
"Thanks for helping me."
Afraid something else might happen if I stayed near him, I hurriedly tried to leave. That's when Eisenhower's voice stopped me.
"I didn't help you."
He continued in a brusque tone.
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