Every morning I wake up, I would always make sure to check if my dream managed to materialise; brush my teeth; wash my face; and eat breakfast. And since I am a person of routine, I make sure to carry out these steps without fail every single day.

This morning was like any other morning. Except for the fact that mother would not be at home because of an overseas business trip for a month and the fact that I would be making breakfast myself—delightful. After drying my face, I immediately headed for the kitchen, grabbing a bowl from the cabinet and a bottle of milk from the fridge. I sat myself down on a chair and quickly munched on cereal on a table meant for two. Realising I only had 5 minutes before I had to leave for school after glancing at the clock, I hurriedly stood up, dumping the bowl into the sink still with some milk and cereal left, and wore my uniform. Ever since I’ve become student council secretary, getting to school on time had been a chore. Getting used to waking up earlier than usual just for council duties was even worse but still, I begrudgingly left home and trudged off to school.

It was 8.00 am when I reached school, only 30 minutes left before school officially starts. I hiked up the stairs in twos before reaching the student council office. And as I opened the door , what had greeted me was a face of pure anger.

“Why are you late?” asked the President as he seethed.

I sighed internally, preparing my heart and mind for the redundant tongue-lashing I would be enduring soon.

“It’s already 8.03 am and you know you were supposed to report by 7.45 am. You know there is going to be an important seminar for the freshmen so we need you, the secretary, to be here handling—" and by then, I have logged out.

From the corner of my eye, I could see the Vice-President 1 and Treasurer trying to hold in their laughter yet I ignored them and continued to look solemn with my head slightly down. Only after a few more minutes did President’s mouth start running dry, asking me to return to my seat and file paperwork. Sitting down, I met Vice-President 1’s gaze and rolled my eyes. In response, he gave me a sly smirk before looking back into his laptop when President berated him to get back to work.

Not long after I started filing, the same old jingle of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ blasted through the speakers, filling the office and reverberating throughout the school. As if we had been waiting for this moment, all of us got up, packing our things and headed to class.

“Remember to report to the hall at 3 for the seminar. Don’t be late, especially you Joomi,” the President called out from behind us.

Vice-President 1 and Treasurer started snickering once again and only to shut up once I gave them a glare. Without saying goodbye to the two of them, I zipped down the stairs, avoiding President so that I would not need to walk together with him when suddenly—

“Hey wait up!”

I always had two options: one, to act as if I did not hear him or two, to unwillingly walk with him to class. Just when I was about to select the former, he always soon caught up with me and I end up stuck with option number 2—delightful—it was no different today.

Not only were we in the same class but to also have the misfortune of doing council duties with this man is unfathomable. I cannot believe how no matter how openly I ovoid him or how blatantly I express my utter dislike for him, he still persists to hang around me. If only I could dream him away but strangely, it never works. When I dream him out of my class, he appears in the student council. When I dream him out of the council, he is back in my class. And when I try to dream of not seeing him at all, he shows up in both which is the predicament I am sadly stuck in now. If I tried to dream him out again who knows where he would pop up. Maybe my neighbour, or even my brother! I shudder at the mere thought.

Awkwardly smiling in reply as we walked side by side, I clutched my bag straps and maintained a safe distance from him. Entering the classroom, I was met by a cacophony of chatter, though, I was not fazed. Our class, despite having two council members, was known to be quite noisy but we were not bad. We were definitely not as bad. Quietly, I sidestepped the crowds and shuffled to my seat which was isolated at a corner of the class, right in front of the teacher’s desk. In contrast, President blended right into the crowd, not missing a beat as he naturally started talking with his friends and sat down. I looked on nonchalantly before taking out my books for the first period.

“Class stand!”

I stood.

“Greet the teacher!”

I greeted.

This repeated itself for the subsequent periods. I was a person of routine so I appreciated this simple mundanity that class provided. After being a ‘social butterfly’ for more than a year, being a ‘loner’ does has its own perks. Socialising was exhausting and zaps all of my energy. Although mother has nagged me before to become ‘friendly’ again, I honestly hope to continue being a ‘loner’ for a couple more months just before I forget how to talk to people. 

“Class stand!”

I stood.

“Thank the teacher!”

I thanked.

As usual, I took out my lunchbox that I bought the night before and microwaved this morning. I started heading to the rooftop before getting stopped in my tracks along the corridor outside the classroom by a towering tall figure. Only at times like this did he put his overwhelming 180cm tall figure to good use. I looked up, craning my neck as I did so and met his gaze.

“What?” I asked.

Without replying, he continued to stare down at me. I scoffed, internally, and proceeded to try sidestep him before getting blocked again.

“What?” I asked again, annoyed.

“Just wondering where you were going,”

“The rooftop,”

President seemed satisfied with my answer and I took it as my cue to leave. That was probably the most I had interacted with President this year and I hope to keep it that way. Despite having known each other for nearly 2 years, we had barely talked, let alone know each other well. Heck, I didn’t even know his name, but that applied to everyone else in school as well. I hiked up the stairs in twos and reached the rooftop. I fumbled into my skirt’s pockets for the keys and fished out the bunch. After jostling the keys to find the right one, I finally opened the door to the roof.

Only the student council members have free access to the rooftop though it is mainly because we manage and supervise the keys that grant access to different parts of the school. I was just exploiting my privilege.

Under the overwhelmingly warm solace of the sun, I settled at a corner of the rooftop. Using my chopsticks, I ate the now cold rice and tried to salvage the taste with cardboard chicken but to no avail. In the dramas I watched on TV every night, the main girl who usually has no social life like the current me usually talks about how she enjoys the solitude and actually relishes in eating alone. I could never understand. The food was cold and boring. Probably because I couldn’t cook. I quickly gobbled the last bites of my lunch just as the last part of the lunch bell chimed and rushed to class.

And it continues. Class went on as usual and nothing particularly extraordinary happened. Class did get a bit boring as the day went by. I tried to quell my boredom by folding some paper airplanes in class though I got caught soon after. Gradually though, as time passes and the paper airplanes linger in my mind, I fell asleep.

•••
“Sweetie, can you help arrange the chairs in rows of 11? Thank you so much,” a teacher quickly said before leaving in a hurry.

I sighed and dragged another tower of stacked chairs to the back of the hall to assemble the rows. I can’t believe they asked the smallest out of all the student council members and the only girl to lull all the stacks of chairs and arrange the seats by herself. Moreover, I clearly remember the document stating that we only needed to stack rows of 7. Now, I have to rearrange all the chairs and move more stacks that weigh like a ton. The other council members are all handling the admin matters: making sure there are refreshments, ensuring the guest-of-honour is arriving on time and running the script again with the MC. I just have to thank my misfortune for being a secretary, the lowest in position out of all the possible student council positions. It was probably because of the exchange.

As I gazed at the countless number of chairs that need to be shifted, suddenly the stack of chairs that I had been pulling was snatched from me. Just when I was about to shout and confront the thief, I realised that the thief was no other than Vice-President 2.

“I finished checking the refreshments, you can take a break for a while,” he said as he motioned for me to sit by the side and rest.

Finally, someone understood my pain. I was honestly wondering whether they would actually let a girl undergo such arduous labour herself, at least one person had the manners and decency to help. I sent a short but intense glare to the rest of the student council members to try to spite them. Sadly, none of them saw. As much as I would love to give my aching muscles some rest, I didn’t want to seem like I was slacking in front of the teachers so I tried to refuse his offer the best that I could.

“How about we do it together instead?”

With that, we decided to work together. Vice-President 2 helped with the lifting and removal of chairs from the stack while I rearranged the chairs. We worked in silence before I could tell he was getting awkward and tried to break the ice.
“Sorry about this morning. I had to go to supplementary classes and stuff. I hope you all didn’t have to do too much work,” he said, grimacing as he lifted the chairs.

I almost forgot. Out of all the student council members, he was the only senior, so he would probably be busier than any of us. I vaguely remember him being popular amongst freshmen last year for his looks but I never really paid him any mind. I was only introduced to him because of the student council.

“It’s alright. You’re a senior so it’s understandable to have other priorities,” I said while trying to figure out whether or not to space the chairs further apart.

As fast as it left, ‘awkward’ silence fell upon us once again.

As if a mechanic forgot to close the case on a broken clock, I could see the gears running wild in his head, trying to revive the conversation. To spare him the effort and save his brain cells, I decided to step in.

“Isn’t it a bit weird, being the only senior in a council filled with only sophomores?” I asked mindlessly.

Eagerly, like a dog promised a treat, he replied, “Oh, it’s not weird at all. All of you have been very welcoming even though I was a senior and I am really grateful for that.” He said while helping me lift 5 chairs off the stack. After taking a short break to catch his breath, he continued, “I was so surprised when I was re-elected, you know. Who would’ve thought a senior would be a nominee for student council, much less become a member?” He paused, as if he was pondering before saying, “Well, I hope to get to know all of you a little better through this. I’ll be in your care from now, Joomi.”

Surprised was an understatement to how I felt at the speed at which he opened up. Maybe this was what a real ‘social butterfly’ is like. Unafraid to expose themselves in order to get to know the other, they forcefully pull people closer, progressing the relationship. Looking at how effortlessly he tried to do that, he must have been an expert. I have yet much to learn.

Before long, the freshmen started streaming into the hall, sitting haphazardly and messing up the chairs that took me an hour to arrange.

“I know it has only been 3 months but man, I miss being a freshman!” The treasurer exclaimed whilst the rest of the council members where hanging around at the back of the hall.

I gave a wry smile and turned my attention on to the stage. Thankfully, the seminar went on smoothly. The events were on schedule, the students were actively participating and there seemed to be no technical issues. When the seminar finally came to a close, I could hear President gave a huge sigh of relief which drew laughter from everyone except me.
Immediately after it was over, the freshmen packed their things and left without looking back at the mess they had made. I looked at the litter and the mess of the chairs and groaned, submitting to my fate. Shuffling my feet to the chairs, I first started squatting down to pick the litter. Out of the blue, a hand reached out from behind and took the plastic wrapper right next to me. I turned my head to see who it was only to wince once I found out it was President.

“I already told them to keep their trash and throw it in the trash bins, why doesn’t anyone listen to me,” he muttered under his breath. 

I didn’t realise how close we were till I could hear his mutter. Our knees were touching, shoulders barely grazing each other and we were working side by side. Strangely, it made me feel icky and extremely uncomfortable. I stretched my right leg and rested my weight on it before pulling back my left leg, trying to put some distance between us.

“Aren’t any of you going to help?” He shouted.

Like rewound toys, they shot forward with a burst of energy following the command of President. Other than President and I who were picking the litter, the rest started stacking the chairs and moving them to the storeroom. Although I was sceptical at first on whether or not 5 people can clean up after a hundred students, surprisingly, we managed to finish packing within half an hour, faster than I thought it would take. 

Delighted that it was ending early, I stretched my legs and arms, promising to give them full and ample rest later on, grabbed my things and left without saying goodbye. They should have been used to it by now since I’ve been keeping to my ‘loner’ image since the start of the year. Maybe I should listen to my mother and switch it up faster. This ‘loner’ facade that I’ve been keeping won’t help me avoid him for much longer so I might as well end it soon. 

“Gosh, Joomi, wait up!”

Instinctively, I turned my head and, yet again , I regretted it once I found out who it was. President rushing towards me while still trying to pack his bag. I could not hide my disdain and a scowl unintentionally scrunched up my face. When he finally caught up and looked up, he gave me a puzzled look as if wondering why I had such a sour face. Sighing, I shook my head as if to say that it was nothing and proceeded ahead. 

Fumbling with his bag once more, he slowed down. I could hear him zipping his bag open and grabbing something wrapped in plastic before realising that I had been deliberately trying to listen in on what he was doing. Embarrassed, I lengthened my strides and I thought that would be enough of a signal to persuade him to leave me alone and convince him that I didn’t want to walk with him. But he was relentless in his pursuit. Using his long legs, he soon matched my stride and out of the corner of my eye, I could see him holding onto something behind his back. Pretending not to notice, instead, I quickened my pace, clutching on to my bag straps as if it would calm my beating heart and give me some sort of comfort. Yet, that wasn’t enough to stop him. By slightly adjusting the length of his strides, he walked persistently at the same pace and before long, we exited the school.

Since my house was a walking distance away from the school, it usually didn’t take long to get home at all. 10 minutes would have sufficed. For some reason though, the walk home was taking longer than usual. Still clutching my bag straps, I tried to walk at some distance from him but when I took a step further away, he took a step closer. I wanted to tell him to stop because it was extremely uncomfortable. But just before the words even left my mouth and escaped the tip of my tongue, President opened his mouth first, intercepting me.

“So, you live around here?” He asked as he stared intently into my eyes.

I ducked away, unable to take his intense stare and tried to avoid further eye contact. As awkward silence fell upon us, I felt an immense urge to break it and initiate a conversation. Maybe this was a sign, to finally switch back to being a ‘social butterfly’ and tear off this fake facade of being a ‘loner’. Maybe the temptation of talking had been too hard to resist and now that my mouth has an excuse to run off, it was itching to do so.

“Duh.”

I wanted to slap myself so bad. Yeah! My mum wanted to make school more accessible for me so we moved here last year. Why are you walking with me, do you live around here? So many things I could have said and yet my stupid mouth decides to say that. Wait, why do I care?

He gave a quiet hum as if to say “I see” and continued to look around like he was a tourist and was sightseeing in a foreign country. Looking at him now, without the pressure of eye contact, he did seem better and livelier without the gloomy ambience he used to have around him last year. There was now a faint glow that seemed to radiate warmth around him as I continued to stare at his side profile. It was thanks to me, though, more like the exchange.

“Hey,” I snapped my head back down, “I have something I want to give you,” he said.

We both stopped walking at the same time and he turned to face me. His arms were still behind his back and I almost forgot that he had been holding something. Trying to calm the trepidation in my heart, I prepared myself for whatever he could give me, especially the worst.

“Close your eyes,” I shut them tight, “Now, open.”

My eyes shot open.

What caught my eyes first were the lit up tents amidst the dark yet starry night. In the middle of the sky, words were inscribed, “Station Eleven’. I squeaked out in glee. I had read this book before, however, I always wanted my own personal copy. ‘Station Eleven’ was, for some reason, especially hard to find. It was not in book stores, in antique book shops or could it be found online . It was practically impossible to find.

“How did you find it?” I asked as I continued to stare at the book in wonder with my mouth slightly agape.

“My mother is a book collector so she knows where to find books,” he said shyly, scratching his head.

“But how did you know I’ve been searching for this since forever?” I asked, now daring to make eye contact and blatantly staring right into his eyes.

As an avid reader of books, I have read many , but if I were to rank all that I had read, my favourite would be this book. But not many know about my love for books, much less my favourite book.

“Don’t you remember? You told me last year,” 

I did? Impossible.

I hated his guts. I still do now, but last year, thanks to my utter immaturity paired with my immense love for my powers, it was a horrible year, more so for me and him. How could I possibly have told him something so private?
“Oh! It’s fine if you don’t remember, I just wanted to give this to you since you’ve mentioned you wanted it before,” he said, looking a little disappointed. “I’ll just head off here, since I already gave you what I wanted to. Bye!” He exclaimed, going back the way we came from and waving goodbye.

I gave a slight wave back before realising he had been walking with me this entire time just to give that to me when he doesn’t even live around here. As I stared at his disappearing silhouette, I brought the book to my chest and hugged it. Maybe I had been hallucinating it but somehow warmth spread from the book, growing projections that embedded themselves into my heart making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

 

a/n:  I really HIGHLY recommend Station Eleven