Project: Socialize

After Muria and Irina had finished trying out their costumes for the play, the three of us walked back to our club room. As we walked, we past by the busy hallways of the secondary building where students rushed about, taking care of errands their club or classroom required of them. They seemed to be enjoying the labor for on their faces was a wide smile.

It was nearing the time for the meeting when we returned to the club room. Like we had originally expected, all our belongings were still there. However, I felt as if something was off... it's just something I sensed. I might've been mistakened, but with the time of the meeting quickly advancing on us, I did not have the time to investigate what was wrong. Instead, I grabbed my school bag and followed after Muria and Irina, who both had their school bags with them.

The door to the student council room was opened, allowing people to enter for the Committee meeting. We had arrived a few minutes before the scheduled start time of the meeting, but even then, almost everyone was present already. I took a seat in my usual spot next to Irina, placing my school bag on the floor next to my chair.

I quickly surveyed the student council room, taking in the members present. There was the student council president; still as authoritative as ever. Then, there was the vice president, who appeared to be preparing to be the main host for the meeting. Usually, it's the vice president that does the speaking, with the president only announcing the start of the meeting and its end. Seated behind the table opposite to ours was the girls that I had overheard mocking Irina. For some reason, they were smiling while looking in our direction. I suspected that something was wrong immediately upon seeing them, and that was when I realized what that odd feeling I felt truly was back in the club room.

"Irina, Muria," I notified the two. "Where's the request forms for the funds?"

"What do you mean?" Irina looked at me with a look of confusion on her face. She then reached for her school bag and began unzipping it. "It's right he— it's gone!"

"I don't have it in my bag..." Muria frowned after she had searched her bag.

I glanced over at the stapled report packet that was placed before the two girls. Without the request forms to provide evidence, then this report is absolute garbage. It will hold no credibility, meaning that our hard work had been meaningless.

Why're they doing this? I glanced over at the two girls who were struggling to conceal their laughter, allowing some giggles to escape.

I know for a fact that they were the culprit. They did this. But why? That was when I recalled what they had said about Irina.

"What do we do?" Irina looked in my direction with a concerned expression.

They got me on this one... They took advantage of a moment when none of us were in the club room... wait. How would they know before hand then? How would they know that Irina and Muria will be participating in the play and will have to go try out the costumes and that I would go with them? There's no way that they know. Right. Therefore, this wasn't a planned act. They probably passed by our club room, saw that no one was present, and entered to steal the request forms.

I clenched my hands tightly into fists as I laid them on my lap. In my eyes was a glare of hatred and fury as I stared at them. How dare they even try to ruin the social life of Irina's that I had helped construct. How dare they try to ruin what I've done and how dare they try to get at me as well.

Laugh while you can, I thought as I grinned while maintaining a look of disdain towards them, because soon, you'll be crying.

"Alevian?" Muria's voice shook me out of my angered mental state and drew me back to the current reality.

"We won't be able to do anything for now," I shook my head.

Irina seemed to be in a state of disbelief, probably because she had believed that I will have a solution. However, the reality is that I can't do anything at the moment. I can't just leave the meeting room now since it had started already. Therefore, we'll have to stall time today and make the payback tomorrow.

"Now, Irina," the vice president called her name. "You may begin your report on the attributions of funds."

"We ugh..." Irina stood up. "We..." Her hands slowly reached for the stapled reports, trembling as she did so. She was panicking greatly because I could tell that her legs were weak by how much they shivered while supporting her light frame.

"We don't have the request forms..." Irina finally gathered the courage to reveal our current status. As she did so, she closed her eyes out of fear.

"Don't have them?" the vice president repeated.

"How dare you!" one of the girls said in a raised voice, pointing her finger at Irina. "You know that's the most important part of your job, right? Without the forms as proof, who knows if you misused the money and abused your power."

"I—" Irina wasn't able to say anything for the other girl quickly interrupted her.

"Just because you're a celebrity doesn't mean you can just abuse your power like that," the other girl quickly added, building her criticism on the foundation that she had mismanaged the funds. "You're just trying to use your status to your benefit and taking away money from the rest of the clubs and classes."

"Really?" I heard people mutter to their partners.

"I never thought Irina would do that," another student added.

How disgusting and filthy these people are. As I surveyed them with a cold and disgusted gaze, I can't help it but once again remind myself how low people can stoop to, how twisted they can be, and how twisted and ugly that smile of self-believed triumph was like. Like I've said before, they won't be able to smile for much longer. Maybe for today, but once tomorrow comes about, they will be crying.

I quickly glanced in Irina's direction, taking in what reaction she had. She was on the brink of tears, probably blaming herself for the loss. If she were to cry now, the two twisted demons on the other side of the conference table will just make it seem as if the tears were the sign that she was pleading guilty. I can't let that happen. Looks like I'll have to make a move now.

I reached my right hand towards Irina's left, grabbing onto it to give her my support. This gesture caused her to temporarily stop with her slight sobbing as she turned her head slowly in my direction. What greeted her was a reassuring smile as I breathed in air in order to prepare myself for what I was going to do next.

"My bad," I suddenly said out loud, drawing the attention of Irina, the two girls on the other side of the table, as well as everyone else in the student council room. "I left it at home. Sorry bout that."

My statement drew surprised looks from Irina and Muria. Irina looked at me from the corner of her eye, and from my perspective, I could see her tears reflecting the ceiling lights above. However, her expression was one similar to Muria's: both were bewildered by my sudden statement and did not know what to say or do.

By doing what I had just done, I'm able to protect Irina's reputation by shifting the blame onto myself. Then, by saying that I left the forms at home, I can calm the situation before things get too agitated and everyone takes the side of the two twisted girls who now looked at me with a confused but confident smile. They know that I'm bluffing, but they can't say much more to expose it without risking drawing suspicion to themselves. Therefore, I am safe from my lie being overthrown.

"Is that so?" the vice president sighed.

"I wanted to help out," I then started to explain, using a tone that conveyed a feeling of uselessness on purpose. "So I asked to take the forms for safekeeping. I didn't expect to leave them at home. Sorry everyone."

"Alevian..." Irina whispered.

On her face was an expression of helplessness and guilt. In her eyes I could see tears once again forming. She probably thinks that I'm going to take the blame off of her and shoulder it all. Although that's part of my plan, that won't be the end result. I will throw everything back at those two b*tches over there. Just watch.

"Fine," the vice president then said. "Just bring it tomorrow."

"Got it," I said. "I'll hand it to Irina first thing once I get to school tomorrow so that it won't be lost."

"Are you sure it's at home?" one of the girl's then said as she was unable to control herself. "Are you sure your not fooling us."

"You know what'll happen if it's discovered that what you were saying is a lie, right?" the other added.

I could not believe how ugly and twisted their facial expression was when I saw it. It almost made me puke. However, I must keep my composure for now.

"I know it's at home," I added. "Because that was where we kept it in the first place. What we have in our club room was simply an incomplete copy of it."

I intentionally added that last sentence. That was the key to this whole plan, the bait. There's no copy or original document. The one they took from us was the original and we have no copies of it. I know that they had stole the forms out of their impulsive desires after seeing our club room vacant with our belongings there. Therefore, they probably do not have a place to hide the forms after stealing them. They're not dumb enough to keep it on themselves because a simple search and they would be in deep trouble. Therefore, the forms are still in the school, probably not too far from our club room. All I have to do is find it and retrieve it.

"I know I'll be in big trouble if I was lying about having the important forms at home," I added, "but I think if someone were to steal the forms from us, that would net them into bigger trouble, won't it?"

I smiled as I said the last sentence in order to taunt them. That was another part of my plan. If I want to get back at them, I'll need evidence. Before I had said that, all they had to do is simply retrieve the forms that they had hidden and wait it out. They won't have to do anything else and take anymore risks. However, now that I said the forms they've taken from us aren't the originals and that they might be in trouble if the hidden forms were somehow discovered, in order for them to be safe and succeed in their plans, they will have to come and steal the forms once again tomorrow. That's when I will get the evidence for my payback.

"R-right," the two girls then muttered. From the worried and anxious expressions on their face, I was certain that the first steps of my plan had succeeded.

"Alright now," the vice president interrupted. "Let us continue with the meeting now."

As another group presented the report for their job, I sat comfortably in my seat, enjoying the fact that the two girls were now panicking themselves. Next to me, Irina and Muria appeared quite concerned as well, but my calm demeanor seemed to help them relax.