You walk up to the familiar front gates of your school that you see every weekday. You sigh. Another day...
You then slowly enter the gates and wander into the building for another boring school day where nothing happens.
At the end of the day, you pack up your things a few minutes before the dismissal bell rings. You toss your weighty backpack over your shoulders and push in your chair when suddenly a classmate approaches you.
"Hey, Y/N. Have a second?" A voice asks. You look up. It's the upperclassman Greg Lake, one of the most popular boys in school. He's holding what appears to be a flier. His smile is warm and welcoming.
"Sure," You reply, slightly nervous about why he would want to talk to you.
"I recently formed a new club, but it's not getting any members. So if you're interested in joining, you should go to room 94 tomorrow after school," He said while handing you the flier. You abstractedly accept it and stare at its contents. The flier described a club where 'musicians get to play epic classical crossovers.'
Huh. How'd Greg know I played an instrument? You thought.
"This just says Greg Lake's club...is there a name?" You asked him.
He chuckled softly, glancing off to the side. "Uh...no. It's just the members' last names so far. Emerson, Lake & Palmer. But maybe it can be Emerson, Lake, Palmer & L/N." He winked at you playfully. Your heart fluttered at how charming he was.
"I-I can go. I'll be there." You say without thinking.
You notice that Greg's eyes lit up. "Really? Great, Y/N, I'll see you there tomorrow. You don't have to bring any instruments or equipment since tomorrow is the first meeting."
"Okay!" You nod eagerly. The dismissal bell rings, and Greg gives you one last look before leaving the room. You grin to yourself and giggle under your breath.
The next day after school, you head to room 94, just as the flier instructed. It was a random classroom, appearing to be one of the English ones. Greg was standing there, another upperclassman was reading a book at one of the desks, and an underclassman was sitting on top of a desk while eating a vanilla cupcake with pink frosting. Once you take your first step into the room, all eyes shift towards you.
Immediately, the underclassman runs up to you gleefully.
"Greg! Is this the new member you were talking about? You're right--she is pretty cute!" He grinned. He turned to look at you. "Hi, hi, hi! I'm Carl!" He grabbed your hand and walked you up to the others.
"Don't mind him," Said Greg, picking up a cupcake from a paper plate filled with other cupcakes. "He's the kid."
You said nothing in reply. Truthfully, you had no idea what to say. Something was strange about this, you decided. You turned out to be the only new member in this 'club' and the only girl nonetheless. It seems like the boys were trying to form a band--maybe they just wanted one more member? Did Greg hand you the only flier he had? How did he know you played an instrument? None of this made sense to you.
"I'm Greg, that's Carl, and over there's Keith." Greg pointed at the other guys. Carl was munching on another cupcake that covered his face in frosting while Keith scowled at you from his seat.
"Yeah...Keith wanted a three-man group, but we can't always get what we want. Right, Keith?" Greg positioned his hands on his hips and smirked at Keith.
"Whatever." He replied, then closed his book and stood up. He walked up to you until he stood close in front of you. You stepped back, growing uncomfortable with the little distance between you two. He eyed you up and down.
"So...you're Y/N. Huh." He nodded.
His gaze softened, and his eyes darted up at yours. "Wanna cupcake? I made them myself."
You were sweating by now, which you were embarrassed about. You were so nervous around these boys that you couldn't speak.
"Please?" Keith asked hopefully. "I made them myself." He repeated.
You walked over to the plate of cupcakes and picked one up. The silence was loud, and it bothered you. You slowly turned around to see all three boys standing behind you, staring directly at you while smiling innocently. You dropped the cupcake. They didn't move--their expressions unchanging.
"Hello?" You asked them.
Carl started to become restless, and his arms began to shake. He stepped closer to you. "I have something to tell you, Y/N! Something really, really important!" Keith and Greg both glanced at him. Greg glared at him out of the corner of his eyes.
"Huh..?" You muttered. Carl walked up to you and reached towards your hands. You gazed down and watched him grab them. He clutched your hands tightly in his.
"I...I love you!" He confessed with a beaming smile on his face. "I really do! It was my idea to invite you here!"
He stared deeply into your eyes. Your heart pounded, your eyes widening. His hands were so warm in yours, and his smile was the purest you had ever seen. You couldn't handle it. An overjoyed smile crept onto your face, and you giggled aloud. It was the first time a boy ever expressed his love for you, and you wanted to cherish this moment forever, to relish in it. Greg grabbed the legs of the nearest chair and slammed it into Carl's body, knocking him unconscious. He fell onto the cold floor with a loud thud. Your eyes darted up at Greg, who showed no remorse for the cruel act he just committed. You glanced at Keith, who was horrified. Greg chuckled under his breath and set down the chair when suddenly Keith tackled him to the floor.
Keith started to throw punches at Greg. You watched him pound his fist onto his chest, and it seemed to work for a bit as Greg couldn't move. Until you watch Greg grab Keith's arm, startling him, and he grins like a psychopath. He kicked Keith off of him. You were too scared to watch anymore, so you ran out of the room and down the hallway.
"Wait!" Shouted Greg from far away.
God help me! You thought as you ran towards the exit of the school. Suddenly, the school you knew so well started to crack and disintegrate into nothing but the night sky and a million little stars. You were unable to scream, and you squeezed your eyes shut. A few seconds later, you opened them and found yourself back in the dimly lit classroom. You were facing the wall, so you turned around, only to see nothing but one lonely desk with a lamp and two chairs around it. Greg was sitting at the desk in silence.
You trembled helplessly. Greg stared at you with a blank expression.
"Y/N, I think you've been playing too much Doki Doki Literature Club lately."
"AH!"
You woke up in a cold sweat. All you could see was pitch black. It must have been the middle of the night. Realizing you were in your bed, you sighed a breath of relief and placed the palm of your hand on your sweat-drenched forehead. Suddenly, you feel an arm wrap around your waist, and you gasp. A body lying next to you rolls over to face you.
You heard a man's voice say, "Are you alright, Y/N? I heard you scream." Discipline-era Robert Fripp gazed at your features with concerned and loving eyes.
"AAAHHH!"
You wake up in an even colder sweat. You frantically sit up and stare at your blurry bedroom wall, trying to process your nightmare. The warm, familiar sunlight of the new day that is dawning shines through your window, a gleam of light casting over your soft blankets. You watch the particles of dust and fuzz float gently in the sunlight.
-
I am so sorry...especially to u Carl
