—
6.0
—
A week had passed since the end of the in-class voting. As I approached the classroom, I noticed a familiar figure waiting by the door, clearly hoping to run into either Hazel or me. Upon seeing me approach, he straightened up.
“Sullivan, you're here early,” I remarked as I stopped a few steps away from him.
“That's because I wanted to get started as soon as possible. I accept your request to join your election team as your secretary,” he replied, extending his hand with a firm resolve.
“Welcome to the team,” I said, smiling, pleased with his eagerness and extended my hand to meet his. He grasped my hand firmly, giving it a confident shake before releasing it.
“So what now?” He asked.
“We need to get a member from Class 3,” I responded, taking a small step back and resting against the wall.
“That would be tricky considering that Cohen has barred all recruitment for members,” he replied, thoughtfully crossing his arms.
“And when did you find this out?” I asked, curious about his source of information.
“Just so you are aware, I am very close with Tomiko,” he answered with a tone of pride.
“I see. Tomiko. Tell me about her,” I asked, with an eyebrow raised.
“What's there to say except that she is an awesome and capable individual?” He smiled slightly, clearly admiring her.
So he thinks that highly of her? That's interesting.
“How about meeting her and seeing for yourself?” He suggested, raising his head slightly to see my response.
“A meeting with Tomiko,” I mused aloud. It seemed like a reasonable suggestion. It could offer insightful information.
“You have a plan on how to get a Class 3 member?” Sullivan asked, bringing the conversation back to the original point.
“Hazel has that covered,” I replied, half expecting to see Hazel pop up at any second as I glanced down the hallway. I didn't have all the details, but I trusted Hazel's resourcefulness. Pleased with my answer, Sullivan nodded.
“Alright then, I have to head back to class now,” he said, turning slightly as if ready to leave.
“Sure, but before you go, I need your number,” I answered, taking out my phone.
We swiftly exchanged numbers once he took out his phone. He gave a final nod, then turned and walked down the hallway, his footsteps echoing softly.
—
6.1
—
After completing a few assignments and a quick study session, I was lying on my bed when a knock echoed through my front door.
“Who is it?” I shouted as I groaned while rolling over.
Not wanting to leave the comfort of my bed, I hoped the visitor would go away. Instead, the person kept banging against the door like a megalomaniac.
“God damn it,” I muttered to myself as I slouched out of bed, my footsteps heavy with reluctance. The incessant knocking continued. I had a rough idea of who it was by this point.
“Can you stop?” I said as I opened the door, only to have Kailey push her way in without hesitation.
“Marcus, can you believe what happened in school today?” she said, completely ignoring my question as she stormed into the room.
“No, I can't. Maybe if you tell me, I’ll be able to give my thoughts on it,” I cynically replied, observing as she moved to sit on my bed without a care in the world.
“Alright, so there's this girl, Queen. She’s not someone I talk to. Not that she’s to be avoided or anything; we just have different friend groups, that's all. Anyway, yesterday she suddenly approached me and told me that a guy she knew was apparently into me,” she blurted out.
“Hold on, Kailey.” I interrupted her rant, holding up a hand. “Is this about romance?”
“Yes, it is. I came to you because I don't want to talk it over with anyone in class. Usually, I’d tell Riley or even Noah about this, but due to the time zone, speaking to them both has been a hassle. So, you are the next best option,” she clarified, her expression genuine.
I quickly checked my phone and saw that it was just a few minutes past eight, which meant it was about 7 a.m. back home.
“Woah, I feel honoured to be on your list of people to have love talks with,” I said sarcastically again. She took hold of my pillow and flung it in my face this time.
“Shut up, okay? Let me continue. So, at the moment, I don’t know who this boy is,” she remarked, leaning back on my bed and crossing her legs.
“So, you want me to help you figure that out?” I interrupted once more, leaning against the door frame.
“What? No, I can do that on my own with some time. And again, shut up,” she responded, rolling her eyes.
I allowed her to continue, as she said she could handle it. I moved to sit on the edge of the bed, facing her.
“I didn’t want to talk about this with any classmates so that it wouldn’t spread around and get to him. Queen then said that one of her friends has a crush on him. Can you see where I’m going with this, Marcus?” she exclaimed, scattering my bed even more with her hands and making wildly sweeping gestures.
“You’re happy because you are basically in the perfect scenario to cause drama.” I surmised, with an eyebrow raised.
“That. And I am caught in a love triangle. And I have the power to determine its outcome,” she replied as her eyes gleamed with wicked delight. I shook my head in bewilderment as she burst into laughter akin to that of an unhinged sociopath.
I took out my phone and switched the camera on, capturing her manic moment.
“Can you stop recording me?” She said, still giggling but trying to cover her face with her hands.
“Just admit you didn’t want your friends to see you like this,” I said, putting the phone aside after getting what I needed.
“Maybe. Anyway, any ideas on how I can make this juicy?” She picked up the pillow she had thrown and placed it back on the bed, clutching it firmly. “I could say that I like him and actually steal him away from Queen’s friend.”
“Are you some kind of supervillain? Better stop that,” I said, arching my eyebrow at her.
“Any suggestions on what I could possibly do?” She asked again, her voice full of wonder.
“Don’t try to do anything crazy that would lead to trouble,” I said, trying to talk sense into her.
“But that would be boring. I could try to stretch this out for as long as I can. This is so good!” she exclaimed, laughing once more and wildly kicking her legs in delight as several unhinged ideas ran through her head.
“Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Congratulations on winning the nomination for student council president,” she added casually.
“So, you only just remembered,” I remarked, rolling my eyes.
“Are you hurt? Huh? Sorry, okay?” She responded with a sarcastic pout and the protrusion of her tongue. I just scoffed at her and decided to take a seat at my desk instead of the bed beside her.
“I did say I’d help you campaign in the junior levels, so leave that to me,” she grinned and gave me the thumbs up.
“If you say so. Now, is that all you came here for?” I asked, crossing my arms and leaning back in my chair.
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“You want to kick me out that badly? What an older brother you are,” she said with mock indignation, standing up from my bed and walking towards the door.
“That’s right, you haven’t spoken to Dad since the day we arrived, right? He said you should try calling once a week,” she continued, turning to face me once more as she opened the door to leave.
“He can be a worrywart sometimes. I’ll call him later,” I murmured, tenderly scratching my hair. Although it was reasonable that he would want me to call, he could have called me himself if he was really that concerned. Kailey sighed as she stepped out.
“KAILEY, COME BACK AND CLOSE THE DOOR!” I shouted, but my demon of a sister had already disappeared down the hallway, leaving my door wide open.
With a muttered complaint, I got up to close it. I was going to get her back for this, no doubt about it. I couldn't help but think about the mayhem her love triangle drama was going to bring as I made my way back to my bed. Life with Kailey was never boring, that was for sure.
—
6.2
—
I was waiting in the green area, the cold winter air nipping at my cheeks. We were anticipating the arrival of our team's last member. I drummed my fingers on the wooden table and looked out over the sparse area. Finally, Hazel emerged from the pathway, making her way towards us at a brisk pace.
“Always late, Hazel,” I teased and she rolled her eyes but smiled, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“Got held up with something, that's all,” she answered, her breath visible in the cold air. She looked over at Sullivan and extended a hand. “Great to have you join the team, Sullivan.”
“The pleasure is mine,” Sullivan asserted while shaking her hand firmly. “Now then, you called a meeting, but we are still down a member.”
“That's what this meeting is about,” Hazel stated as she took a seat and took a folder out of her bag. “I found a potential candidate.” With a hint of excitement, she placed the folder on the table and looked up into my eyes.
Wait, she actually made documentation for this? I looked over at Sullivan but he did not seem surprised by this fact. Does that mean I am the only one who thinks this is weird?
“That must have been difficult,” Sullivan replied, leaning in closer.
“It was,” Hazel said, pulling open the folder to show a few documents. “But let me give you the info. Her name is Harley Sherman. In terms of academic ranking, she is in the bottom half, and I am not exactly sure about her skills, but she is the only one I could strike up a conversation with this past week.”
“So Cohen's strategy is very effective,” I remarked, a hint of annoyance visible on my face. With a solemn gaze, Hazel nodded in accord.
“I hate to admit it, but yes, it is. It's not like we have a defined deadline to complete our teams, but the earlier it's done, the better,” she stated, tapping the folder with her fingers.
“So my guess is that we are meeting her now?” I asked as I was about to stand.
“No, that's the issue.” I was stopped in my tracks when Hazel responded, “We have to wait till next week before we can meet her.”
“Next week?” Sullivan echoed, his expression darkening into a frown.
“Yep,” Hazel acknowledged with a sigh. “She is a member of the tennis club and it turns out they have a three-day tournament coming up at Katsushika. They would be leaving tomorrow. She told me that we should wait till next week after she is back and rested before talking with her.”
“That's disappointing. What are the details about your encounter with her?” I asked and Hazel took a deep breath before recounting her story.
“So, I first interacted with her in the library a day after in-class voting began,” she began.
“Are you sure she was not planted there by Cohen?” I interjected.
“No, simply because I have seen her around there a lot,” Hazel reassured me. “I approached her when I noticed she was not too busy and talked to her about the books she was reading. At first, she was pretty uncomfortable with my presence, but soon she opened up.” Hazel's hand rested on the side of her face as she recalled the event.
“Since that day, I have been making sure I visit the library at least once a day to talk with her. Our conversation always involved books and movies, so nothing really related to school.” Her approach was simple but extremely cunning.
“Yesterday, out of the blue, she did throw a curveball at me by asking if I was just getting close to her because we wanted to recruit her. What I told her was that I was appreciative of her company but that I saw her as a potential candidate as well. That's when she told me that we would discuss further once she came back.” Hazel stopped to take a breath.
“So, what do you all think?” She asked as she glanced from Sullivan to me.
“I think the fact that she is willing to hear you out is a good sign,” Sullivan said thoughtfully, his fingers drumming on the table.
“Plus, her reaction to the matter does seem genuine,” I added.
“Exactly; it does not feel that she was planted there by Cohen,” Hazel replied.
“So, the consensus is what?” Sullivan peered between us and asked.
“I say we recruit her,” I said decisively.
“I have already made my decision regarding her.” Hazel nodded and continued, “Sullivan?”
“I stand by you two in agreement,” he said, his tone firm.
“Alright then, when Harley comes back from her tournament, inform us right away,” I remarked to Hazel, who nodded in acknowledgement.
“If there isn't anything else to discuss, our meeting comes to a close for today,” I announced, standing up once more. Hazel and Sullivan followed suit, gathering their belongings. We exchanged goodbyes, and I watched as Hazel and Sullivan walked away, their figures blending into the bustling campus.
—
6.3
—
Monday. My phone buzzed on the desk as I was in the middle of getting ready for school. One glance at the caller ID and I had an idea of what to expect.
“Hey Dad,” I said after answering the call on speaker, placing my phone down as I continued buttoning up my shirt.
“Kiddo, how have you been? It's been some time,” he said in his deep, familiar voice. Through the phone, I could practically hear the sneer on his face.
“I'm great, Dad. And yeah, I know I haven't been the best at keeping in touch,” I replied, wincing slightly at my own admission.
“At least you're aware of that,” he laughed and continued. “Like gosh, kid, your old man misses you.”
“I’m sorry, I really am,” I said as I brushed some lint off my sleeve.
“I know I’m probably calling at a bad time, aren’t I?” He said, his tone shifting to one of slight concern.
“Yep, just getting ready for classes,” I confirmed.
“I see, then I’ll make it quick. I won’t be able to come over for Kailey’s birthday,” he said, which was very surprising to me.
“Why though?” I asked, pausing to listen.
“Let’s just say I have my hands tied with work,” he answered with a sigh.
“I see. Have you told her yet?” I asked.
“No, not yet,” he said.
I knew Kailey would be quite unhappy to hear this news because of her affection for Dad. On March 28th, she would turn twelve, and for her age, she was surprisingly mature.
“Instead, I got her an early gift. That should soften the blow when I tell her. I know she loves Universal Studios, so I got you both tickets,” he said.
“Damn, thanks for that. I’m sure she’ll love it,” I remarked, grinning at the prospect of her enthusiasm. Dad laughed, clearly pleased with himself.
“It should satisfy her for the time being. Now, tell me, how have you been?” he asked.
“You already asked that,” I said with a chuckle.
“Marcus?” he said, his voice demanding.
“I’m running for student council president,” I said, deciding to share the news.
“That’s wonderful!” He proclaimed.
“Why are you acting all surprised? I’m sure Kailey already told you about it,” I remarked, rolling my eyes.
“Well, you’re right about that, but it’s good hearing it come from you,” he said.
“I was going to lecture you about the unnecessary need for repetition, but I’m going to spare you this time,” I smirked.
“Thank you, my humble son,” he said and we both burst out laughing.
“Dad, I have to head out now,” I said, grabbing my bag.
“That’s fine; I’ve already overstayed my welcome. Remember to call more often and tell me more about your campaign, alright?” he said.
“I will, but no promises,” I said, hanging up the phone.
It was great to hear his voice, and I realised I ought to make an effort to get in touch with him more frequently. But for some reason, that kind of connection never seemed to happen with us. With Mom, though...
I stopped myself from going down that road and packed up my stuff. Opening the door, I bumped into Ozawa, who was heading out as well.
“Morning, Marcus,” Ozawa said while fiddling with his backpack.
“Morning, Chikao,” I said as I closed my door, addressing him by his first name. As we walked down the hallway together, the memories from the weekend flooded my mind once more.
As we approached the academic section, we saw Diya and Hazel near the entrance.
“Marcus. And Chikao?” Diya said, a hint of confusion in her voice as she noticed us walking together. Of course, she would be on a first-name basis with him.
“If you're confused, the thing is, we are both neighbours,” Chikao swiftly clarified.
“Oh, that makes sense,” Diya answered, taking his explanation at face value. I glanced over to Hazel, who waved at me. I responded with a nod.
The four of us walked together as a group. Hazel and I fell naturally behind Diya and Chikao as we got closer to the academic area, giving us a chance to talk privately.
“I am always surprised by just how many people Diya is familiar with in this school,” Hazel said with an unchanging expression.
“Are you jealous that someone might take your best friend away?” I jokingly nudged her as I teased her.
“Not at all. It is just exhausting sometimes whenever we walk together, and she has to stop to greet almost every single person,” Hazel sighed deeply. Then her gaze shifted to me, her demeanour growing more serious. “Anyways, Harley is back in school. She sent me a text to meet her in the library after school so that we could talk. I'm inviting you as well.”
“Alright then, I'll text Sullivan to meet us there,” I said, reaching for my phone in my side pocket; however, Hazel quickly raised her hand to stop me.
“No need. I already sent him a text earlier, but he hasn't responded yet,” she said with a sombre expression.
“Alright then,” I agreed, pocketing my phone.
Chikao and Diya had come to a stop ahead. We joined them as they waited for us to catch up.
“This is where I leave you guys and girls,” Chikao stated, pointing to the academic building for Year 12, which was separate from ours.
“It was great bumping into you, Chikao,” Diya exclaimed. He waved gently to Hazel, who repeated the gesture, and I nodded my goodbyes. Then he headed off to his classes.
The three of us—Diya, Hazel, and I—continued walking towards our building. As we moved through the bustling hallways, Diya chatted animatedly about her latest project, while Hazel and I shared a knowing glance, already planning our strategy for the meeting with Harley.