Come Alive

1

It was another sunny day of the year 2002. Academic year already started as we welcome the month of August, and by that we mean preparing for the dry and hot weather with portable fans, cold drinks, and other means of keeping ourselves cool to prevent heatstroke. As usual, nothing particularly eventful happened during class hours. Period after period, boredom was everything the students felt as they loathed every single minute of it. Along with students putting up with dull lectures and slowly piling assignments, it was also the time of club application season. It's actually part of our school curriculum to join at least one campus club. The school administratons actually thought of this as means to teach us the valuable lesson of socializing or something. We have no choice but to oblige to it even though it gained a lot of mixed opinions and emotions from us students ever since it was implemented two years ago.

After the last period ended at 3 PM, rushing teenagers milled around the campus, eager to take up the limited slots from their respective clubs of interest. Most of the organizations are already full like the movie club, cooking club and so on. In the midst of long hours of scouting, a petty and dumb argument between two students even ensued when girl A accused girl B of stealing her spot on the debate club. Luckily, a teacher happened to pass by on the way to his office and he eventually broke the quarrel before it turns to a full-blown slap fight, much to others' dismay since they were anticipating a messy but entertaining spectacle like it's some battle scene in an action movie. I swear, people here are just hungry for something exciting to happen in this damn school that they wish that at least one fight or anything scandalous would happen once in a while.

I'm sitting lazily on the monoblock chair, my chin resting on the palm of my hand. My elbow that is resting on the smooth rectangular table is feeling the pivoting weight of my preoccpied head as the uncharacteristic boredom overtook me. Even watching the quartz clock ticking monotonously is not helping on this underwhelming situation. I'm the one in charge of the school's Christian Youth Society. I've been in it for almost four years now and has been elected as the president just only this year which also happens to be my last year of highschool. It came to me as a surprise the first time I heard of the news during the last year's meeting. I never really understood why most of my fellow members chose to vote for me during the club's election but i was glad to take the part anyways in the end. Maybe I was doing a good job at giving ideas and suggestions? Who knows? I just like to help whatever I can so the club can prosper in a way. I sighed out of disappointment, thinking that I must've doing a terrible job and don't deserve the title of being the president unlike the former club leader, Selene.

She has this natural talent for being people smart thus making her likeable by students and teachers alike. Not a day goes that she doesn't help others with their own emotional problems no matter how minuscule or vast they are and she always made sure that the person she is talking to doesn't leave with frowns on their faces. I remember this one time when I came up with the proposal of the club doing some sort of fundraising concert for the latest typhoon victims that time and the other members along with Selene immediately considered the idea to be a great one. The day after the school concert, she commended me for coming up with ideas that seemed to be foolproofed and even told me that I'm going to make a great club president the next school year because of my hard work. Of course, I felt flattered and a little embarrassed for the compliment that I wasn't sure if I'm fit to take her spot after she graduated. Even though we only talk during club hours, she was a fun person to hang out with and I aspired to be like her - smart, pretty, and charismatic, which are the characteritics that I sadly don't have.

I was filling with pride and motivation when the club election results announced that I was the victor of the title as the new club leader and I promised to myself that I'll do my best, maybe eventually becoming better than Selene. But alas, there I was on my makeshift sentry desk, looking out for new recruits who might be interested. Just as I feared, no one seems to be enthusiastic in joining a club where they'd sing religious songs or discuss bible verses; students just simply pass by. Occasionally there were a few who are briefly stopping to read the banner beside my desk only to be sneered at or just continued moving along. Growing impatient, I let out a frustrated groan for a hundredth time, wanting nothing more than to just to go home and watch horror movies while eating instant noodles for the whole duration of the weekend.

"Only five more minutes until the cutoff time," I thought to myself. "Just hold on." It was then when I noticed him out of the corner of my eye. He was walking down the hall, head down covering his fading bruise on his left cheek. I also noticed his bandaged right arm. I hate assuming things immediately but I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't an accident. If I recalled correctly, I think his name is Angeal. He's from a different class section from me so I doesn't really know him very well but what I do know as far as my knowledge about people outside my circle of classmates is that he is the prime target of bullying among his classmates particularly the guys. All the students seem to avoid him like the Plague and labelled him some nasty names. I don't wanna go to the specific torments he's being subjected to but I can't help but feel bad for the guy. Why do they seem to hate him that much? Maybe he can't be that bad of a person like the rumors say, can he? But then again, it's not like it's any of my business to interfere.

"Poor guy." Io, my best friend since childhood, commented all the while clicking her tongue in disapproval. "Now his hand is broken? That's just so tragic. What if we just him in?" She asks me while staring at the guy with the broken arm as he hurries along the corridor. "I feel really bad for him, you know?"

"You think he's the type of person to join us? Because if you ask me, he might tell us to fuck off if we try to interract with him."

She rolls her eyes at my snarky tone. "Come on, Lian. I think you're way too harsh on people sometimes. Aren't you supposed to be the new Selene here?"

"And you're way too goody-two-shoes on your job as the vice president, Io." I said jokingly. As soon as the clock striked 5 PM on my phone, we quickly packed up and picked up my bagpack then proceeded to walk with Io on the way out.

As the long thursday comes to an end, the campus is starting to empty out slowly. Other kids ride on the school shuttles while the rest are walking since their houses are not that far from school. The two of us see the slow setting of the sun on the horizon far from where our eyes could only see, casting long and thin shadows as we stroll on the pavement. "Terrible day huh?." Io brought up as I savor the warm and golden scenery.

"Well, it could've been worse I guess." I said sheepishly. My hope for getting new members for our club today went further down the drain. "Now I'm starting to think that the reason why the club sucks ass is because I'm the one who's in charge now instead of Selene. Wouldn't be surprised if they say that in my face right now."

"And how can you be so sure, Miss I-assume-everything-without-any-concrete-proof-because-I-overthink-a-lot?"

"Shut up, moonface."

"Oh no! You insulted my name and face shape. You'll hurt my feelings!" I rolled my eyes at her as she pretended to be offended from my response. I laughed at her as she rest the back of her hand to her forehead and did other gestures that the amateur drama kids used while acting.

"But seriously, I don't know if I'm really up for this task anymore. Maybe we should just quit and find other less boring clubs that we can be part with."

"Yeah but the problem is that we can't do that."

"Why?"

"Because Selene worked hard for the club, you know? And you must do the same because I know you can do it. I'm sure you'll do just fine because it is not the end of scouting yet."

"Gee, it's not like I'm religious or anything. Selene did a great job at convincing me to join last year. Also, I was just gonna do it for grades."

"Yep, she really is the greatest, huh?

"Yeah." Silence enveloped the conversation after my response and we entered the gate to our subdivision. Only a few more distance before we finally part ways.

Io interrupted the silence out of nowhere. "Lian, what if we invite him?"

I greeted her with a ten-second pause. Unable to process whether she's joking or not. "I don't know why you'd even think that. Look, he's not even a member. I don't think they'd let an outsider participate in a club meeting they're not even part of."

"Well, it's not a club activity per se. It's just a normal and friendly get-together that's all."

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" I asked with disbelief.

"I promise you it will be worth it," Io exclaimed with her usual cheshire grin. "Just help me come up with a plan."

Another silence engulfed the atmosphere before I sighed with exasperration, giving up the idea to refuse whatever is on her mind. "Whatever you say, vice prez."