"And how would you do that?" Marilyn asked as she strolled through the empty hallways, beside a fuming Nadia.
The high walls were lined with pictures of former Principals and Presidents on the right and Student Council Presidents on the left. At the end of the hallway, in the fourth row was placed a photo frame titled: Student Council President, Year 2014-2015, Ivan Ramirez.
The picture was of a boy in a crisp white school shirt and the creaseless black school tie. Though the collar would eat up most necks, his elongated neck further extended into a strong, angular jaw and a well-proportioned head. His nose bridge was high and a deep set pair of ivory eyes stared back at them, emotionlessly.
"I'll see to that," Nadia said, contesting in a who-blinks-first war with the picture. "You get to filling up a new form," Nadia urged patting Marilyn's back, "I'll get him," she looked away and strode forward. Her doe eyes exhibited a newfound fierceness and her twin ponytails conveyed it through their agressive to and fro sway.
"Heaven help President Ramirez," Marilyn whistled under her breath and walked back to class.
Nadia, on the other hand, climbed three flights of stairs to reach the Broadcasting Room at the end of the hallway. She took the keys out of the small cabinet built beside the door and unlocked it. The door opened with a glid, as if she was putting the perfect layer of butter on bread. An evil grin laced her face as she tip-toed inside the empty room and closed the door behind her.
Lunch would last exactly 15 more minutes, she realised as she looked up at the wall clock between the two windows on the right. In front of them was the Broadcasting Station. Nadia flipped the light switch and seated herself in front of the microphone. Clearing her throat, Nadia rehersed her dramatic voice, which she used with Bernie, and toned it down to sound almost foreign.
All of the summers spent watching foreign movies were about to agglomerate into one vocal vomit.
Nadia coughed, turned on the pan-school broadcast and pushed open the microphone button.
"Student Council members, please be alerted, a water fight has broken out around the Rose Garden, please subdue it. I repeat, a water fight has broken out around the Rose Garden. Please be alerted."
Her thumb instantly pushed the microphone button down. Adrenaline coursed her veins as she hastened to turn off the machine and ran out of the room, almost tripping twice on her open shoe laces. She placed the key in the cabinet and tip-toed downstairs, skipping three stairs in a jump.
As soon as she reached the crowded ground, Nadia slid her hands in her skirt pockets and began strolling, visibly at ease as she whistled (or attempted to), nodded or smiled at random strangers, greeting them like a kindred spirit.
"Good day! The skirt's looking mighty fine! That ribbon is beautiful! Oh those shoes are excellent, great taste!"
Nadia exclaimed to anyone who met her eye while she crossed the grounds and rounded behind the administrative block toward the water filtration systems. Nadia leaned against the metal crossbars fencing the water machines and waited until, eventually, a boy ran into the vicinity, panting, as he stood in front of her with his hands on his knees.
"Ah-ha! I knew you would come!" Nadia exclaimed, eyeing the seemingly confused boy.
His light brows twisted into a frown and his chilly ivory eyes meandered all over the place, trying to make sense of the situation. Contrary to the picture, his hair was way lighter than the dirty blonde Nadia had seem. Under the afternoon sun, it shone almost silver.
"There is no fight, is there?" The boy concluded, standing up straight after he was done assessing the situation.
"Right-O!" Nadia exclaimed and pointed a finger in his face, "I knew I could expect you to come here. Anyone with even a morsel of responsibility and three braincells would know that to end a water fight, you must close the supply!!" Nadia recited her genius plan, clapping to herself.
An amused smile slathered around his lips. "That's the dumbest plan I have heard in a while and I was just reading Napoleon's invasion on Russia," the boy smiled.
"It's not dumb if it works!" Nadia snapped, brows afrown.
"That's a concerning principle to live by," he chided.
"Yet, you are here!"
"By mere coincidence, a fluke of luck on your part, an unwanted force in mine."
"Geez Shakespeare."
"Who even are you?"
"Oh, right," Nadia held out a hand for him to shake, "I am Nadia Paisely, freshman, I wanted to meet you for some pressing matters, President Ramirez."
Ivan's frown deepened upon receiving the information. "You know, you could've just knocked on my classroom and asked for me— instead of all this," he gestured his surroundings.
"I didn't know what your major was," Nadia defended promptly.
"There are not a lot of options," Ivan said in a comspirative tone.
Nadia looked around, trying to look for an answer on the empty back walls of the administrative block, "I-uh, I wanted to get you alone—"
"—Excuse me?!"
"—In a place where I have authority—"
"—Do you though?" He scoffed.
"—In a situation where I have the upper hand!"
Ivan took two steps toward Nadia and closed the distance between them. Being a senior, having survived the worse of puberty, his bulking figure towered over Nadia's measly fourteen year old self. His mere shadow ate up her entire existence.
"Do you though?" Ivan asked, again.
Her face twitched, eyes not daring to meet his. Her curly head barely came up to his upper chest. He scoffed at the realisation. His eyes landed on her open shoe laces, the slightly disheveled school shirt and the glaring absence of the school tie. The girl was a mess.
Nadia gulped and took two steps back.
"I-uh, I wanted to talk to you about a, uh, a formation of a club," Nadia said, finally getting to the darn point.
"That's not a matter of my concern. You have to talk to the Head of Extracurriculars for that, you know," Ivan stated, taking another step back to get a more respectable distance between them.
"I do know that, but, you see, I don't know what but Caleb Kleo has something against me, I don't know what, he is being unreasonable!"
"I trust my council," Ivan frowned, "Yet I shall take your matter under consideration. He glanced at his wristwatch and said, "Lunch is about to end, how about we walk back to class and you fill me in on the details about your club?"
Nadia's eyes brightened and her entire being perked up. She skipped beside him, for his strides were too long to keep up, and narrated the concept of her club.
"So, in crux, the club will participating in new activities every week; these activities can be entirely new or in collaboration with an existing club which agrees or is in need of extra help. Sounds like labour to me, not gonna lie, and the weekly new theme approach can quickly drizzle out so I don't think you can guarantee a strong inflow of memebers," Ivan pondered over the pros and cons.
"The purpose of our club will be to provide a safe space for people who want to use their youth in discovering new things, maybe eventually get a dream! Even if it doesn't get a lot of people, those who join will be in it for the long run." Nadia explained.
"Romanticising indecisiveness, I see, not the worst I have seen if I am being honest," Ivan shrugged his shoulders, "How many members do you have right now?" He asked.
"It's three, including me," Nadia replied, deflated.
"Mhm, that means you need one from the council and yet another to meet the bare minimum, I can get you a person from the council —"
"—Not just any! I need Caleb!" Nadia interjected.
"Caleb? Why Caleb? Isn't he against the whole shenanigan?" Ivan stood to a standstill. Nadia stopped in front of him, looking him earnestly in the eye.
"I think Caleb is too stuck up, he needs to broaden his horizons."
Ivan snorted at that, "Why yes, you say, meeting him once."
"I am usually great at understanding people, not to brag," Nadia declared, mouth agrin, a proud hand on her chest.
"One's decision is often flawed," Ivan tsked.
"Yes, like yours with Caleb and me," Nadia shot back, shoulders squared with pride.
Appalled by her comeback, Ivan just stared her with wide eyes.
Across the field, the track team caught a break and huddled around the benches. Ryker opened up a water bottle and gulped it down like a man parched. In front of him were his teammates, facing the school grounds. A few of them were busy drenching themselves head to toe, the others gossiped amongst themselves. Then, upon sighting Nadia and Ivan in the middle of the field, one of the boys shook Ryker's shoulder, aggressively.
"Dude, dude, dude, look at that. Your girlfriend is cheating on you!"
Ryker swatted his hand off his shoulder, "I don't have a girlfriend and do not dude me, dude," he scoffed.
"No, dude, what?! Isn't that the girl you always hangout with? Is she that nerd's girlfriend?"
Ryker's jaw clenched as the description began making faces in his head. He turned around and clearly spotted Nadia with a guy twice her size. "Who the heck is that guy?" Ryker snapped, standing up.
"That's the student council president, you didn't know? Your brother chose him dude. He was Vice President last year, worked with your brother since his freshman year, didn't he ever mention Ramirez?"
"You know an afwul lot," Ryker looked up at the cheeky boy and elbowed his side.
"I part-time for the school paper dude, that's how we met, dude, what?! do you even remember my name?!" He stared back at Ryker, exasperation dripping his face.
Ryker brought his elbow back and crossed his arms in front of his chest, "Why, yes, of course I know you," he smiled at him, "Now, let me go check on Nadia. She was sick, I have no idea what she is doing prancing around in the grounds. I clearly told her to stay inside!" Ryker narrated, shaking his head as he jumped over the bench and speed-walked forward.
"You know what, lunch will end soon. How about you meet me tomorrow in the Student Council, during office hours, of course, with a new application and an additional member. Yeah?" Ivan asked, muscular shoulders slightly descended in defeat.
"Oh my goodness, yes! Yes of course!" Nadia exclaimed and almost jumped into a hug— realised what her body was going to do— and took a step back. Instead, she bent into a bow, "Thank you so much! I'll treat you anything! Any food! It's on me, whenever!"
A hand grabbed the back of Nadia's shirt collar and pulled her back up, straight. She collided into his chest and grimaced upon recognising the sweaty smell.
"Why, are you his sous chef? Why will you be at his service?" Ryker grumbled while Nadia flailed to unlock herself from his grip.
"Ryker," Ivan greeted with a nod of acknowledgement, "I shall let you two be. I've got to explain your prank to my council now. Good day, Nadia," he tipped his imaginary hat and walked away.
"Let go you dumb arse!" Snapped, after flailing and failing to unhand herself. Ryker let go instantly and grumbled in her face.
"A student council member rejected my application so I was getting the president on my side," Nadia explained.
Ryker pouted, "Why didn't you tell me? I would have gotten ut approved."
"It's my work, dude," Nadia rolled her eyes, "You already have your Sports Club," she huffed and proceed to walk towards the school.
Ryker followed, footsteps in sync; his feet had inherently enabled themselves to take small strides, as soon as puberty started hitting him, in order to always match his step with Nadia.
"You know I cannot give up on the Sports Club. I've already told mother and father about it. Let me help you with something else instead," Ryker stated.
"How about you take a shower first," Nadia grimaced, nose scrunched and eyes wrinkled to a close.
"I will, I will, but—"
"RYKER! COME BACK YOU BRAT!" The Track Team Coach's scream bolted through the field and landed clearly on their ears, as they stood in front back archway of the school building.
"YES SIR, COMING!" the boy shouted back, making Nadia seethe and flinch.
"Dude!" Nadia snapped and whacked his back, more than thrice, "My ears!" She whined.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry," Ryker patted her head, then bent down to tie her shoelaces, "Wait for me after school," he said looking up at her.
"You say it like we don't always do," Nadia scoffed.
Ryker said nothing, her merely smiled as she stood and hastily ran away.
Nadia huffed and walked inside, the scent of success reeking off her prideful stance. She made it to class, just in the nick of time and sat herself on Marilyn's desk. She flipped her hair and posed like a wannabe idol, waiting for Marilyn to guess.
"I reckon it went well?" Marilyn asked, eyes alternating between Bernie's cold glare beside her and Nadia's happiness on top of her desk.
"Oh it was absolutely brilliant!" Nadia chirped, like a diva.
"I am sure it was," Bernie passed her a stiff smile and stood up, "Now, come to the teacher's office with me. Mr. Robinson has much to say about your break-in."