Chapter 15: Club Activities - Never Again
"Club activities sign-ups today!" Ria announced with a flourish, sliding a thick booklet across the table to Mariam. "It's strangely quiet in the library, isn't it?" She then passed the booklet to Manon with an encouraging smile. "Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen fewer than sixteen people crammed in here all day."
Manon glanced up from her book, her eyes widening slightly, though not at the club listings. A familiar, unwelcome figure had appeared near their table, leaning against a bookshelf with an air that suggested he owned the entire Dewey Decimal System.
She let out a silent breath that ruffled her bangs, a slight narrowing of her eyes her only outward sign of annoyance as she looked at Andrien. "What is it, Andrien?" she asked, her tone carrying a familiar edge of exasperation. "You're practically breathing down our necks and ruining a perfectly good view of the 'Literary Classics' section."
Ria gently touched Manon's arm, offering a small, placating smile in Andrien's direction, a silent plea for peace in the ongoing sibling skirmish.
Manon took a deliberate breath, counting to three in her head. "Yes, Andrien," she said, turning her gaze back to him, her voice carefully neutral. "What brings you to our little corner of literary tranquility on this lovely afternoon?"
Andrien simply stated, his tone flat and dismissive, as if announcing a minor inconvenience, "I booked this spot already. You three will have to move." He then looked past Manon at Ria and Mariam, a smug smirk playing on his lips, the kind that suggested he was thoroughly enjoying their discomfort. "You two should probably find somewhere else to sit."
He didn't even bother to meet Manon's gaze, his eyes deliberately sweeping over her as if she were a particularly uninteresting piece of library furniture.
Manon's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. A familiar heat crept up her neck. She stood up abruptly, the scraping of her chair against the floor a small punctuation mark to her rising irritation. She took Ria and Mariam by their arms, a silent command in her grip, and pulled them away from the table. "Come on," she said, her voice firm but low, betraying only a hint of her annoyance. "Let's find a place where we can actually hear ourselves think and avoid… unnecessary atmospheric disturbances."
Ria and Mariam exchanged a quick, apologetic glance at Andrien, who watched them go with a smug smile that seemed to drip with false pity, like he was bestowing some great favor upon them.
Once they were settled at a quieter table near a window, Ria eagerly opened the club activity booklet. "So, which thrilling extracurricular escapades are you two contemplating?" She looked at Mariam and then at Manon, who was already happily using her fork to demolish a slice of chocolate cake that had seemingly materialized from thin air.
"Let's delve into the official compendium of after-school engagements," Mariam replied with mock solemnity, reaching for the booklet.
Manon looked at them both, a hint of genuine apprehension clouding her features as she took another bite of cake. "Is it really… absolutely necessary to join a club?"
Ria raised a playful eyebrow, a knowing smirk on her face. "Apparently! You've been strategically avoiding any after-school activity that involves even the slightest elevation of your heart rate for years. No escape this time, my friend. Unless you aspire to achieve a respectable thirteenth place in the school's 'least likely to break a sweat' rankings again?"
Manon sighed dramatically, leaning back in her chair as if the weight of the club booklet was a physical burden. "Fine, let's survey the potential damage..." She picked up the booklet with all the enthusiasm of someone facing a mandatory dental appointment. "Okay, there's a Robot Club, Football Club – immediate and emphatic no – Sports Club – hard pass with extra rejection – Economics Club – sounds like a fast track to boredom – Laughter Club…" She listed them off, her expression remaining utterly unenthusiastic, each option sounding progressively less appealing than the last.
Ria's finger landed decisively on the page. "Robots for me! Building little metal minions sounds fantastic!"
"Sports Club actually sounds kind of fun this year!" Mariam chimed in, a spark of genuine interest lighting up her eyes.
Manon just stared at the list, a look of utter defeat washing over her. "I struggle with the immense physical exertion required to walk from this chair to the vending machine, let alone participate in the barbaric ritual you call 'football'! And the sheer names of some of these… induce an instant and irreversible descent into apathy."
"Oh, wait!" Mariam exclaimed, flipping excitedly through a page. "There's a new club run by the seniors… Your brother's, actually! It's called the 'Fun Club.' And there's a Swim Club, run by Robin, but I'm pretty sure that's a big, bold, underlined 'absolutely not under any circumstances' for you, Manon."
"And another one!" Ria added, pointing to a listing further down the page. "'All You Can Do Club' by… Andrew.'"
"Hmm," Manon mused, tapping her chin thoughtfully with her fork, a small smudge of chocolate on her finger. "I don't believe I've encountered this 'Andrew' before, but 'All You Can Do Club'… the name possesses a certain… vague intrigue. In a way that hopefully doesn't involve running, jumping, or any other form of strenuous activity."
"Okay," Manon declared with a sigh that carried the weight of reluctant obligation. "I was really hoping to exploit the foolproof excuse that there weren't any clubs that even remotely aligned with my… unique set of skills. But I suppose I must at least investigate this 'All You Can Do' situation."
Ria and Mariam exchanged amused glances, barely managing to suppress their giggles. Manon's legendary avoidance of anything remotely athletic was a well-documented fact.
Manon scanned the page again, her eyes searching for the meeting place of the "All You Can Do Club," but no specific room number was listed. As she stood up, intending to inquire at the circulation desk, her gaze fell upon a slightly out-of-the-way door with a simple, hand-painted sign: "Club Activity - All You Can Do Club."
Curiosity, a persistent little gremlin, nudged aside her apprehension. She cautiously pushed the door open and peered inside.
The room was surprisingly spacious and filled with natural light filtering through large windows. Colorful, hand-drawn tags displaying positive affirmations and surprisingly well-executed motivational paintings adorned the stark white walls. The polished wooden floor gleamed under the soft fluorescent lights. It didn't have the slightly musty, forgotten feel of a typical school clubroom; it felt too welcoming, too… intentionally pleasant.
"Quite fancy, right? Hope it's to your taste."
Manon jumped, a small gasp escaping her lips. She hadn't registered any sound to indicate someone was present. She slowly turned to face the speaker, and a familiar sinking sensation settled in her stomach. It felt like the universe had a personal vendetta against her, like she was perpetually one step behind a particularly annoying dance partner.
Standing in the middle of the unexpectedly inviting room was the senior she had encountered under the bridge during the downpour, a calm, almost knowing smile gracing his lips.
She managed a weak, slightly panicked smile in return, her eyes widening slightly. "Oh, um, excuse me. I think I might be in the wrong place. I'll just… be right back." Manon turned to leave, her hand already reaching for the cool metal of the doorknob.
Ding! An insistent alarm chimed from her phone, vibrating in her pocket. "New mission." Manon's shoulders slumped even further, the weight of the world seemingly settling upon them. She couldn't shake the increasingly strong feeling that this whole "All You Can Do Club" situation was a recipe for disaster, and she honestly couldn't summon the energy to even glance at the message.