Chapter 11: Chapter 10: The Anime Club

“Presentation, presentation, what should I say for it? What would best represent my personal feelings towards anime and the club?” Isabel's heart starts to beat rapidly and she begins to breathe heavily as she starts to reflect on the situation and think about everything that’s going to be required of her for the presentation, during her class. “There’s going to be a lot of people and public speaking isn’t something I’m great at.”

Isabel then fervently shakes her head as if she is trying to literally shake the bad thoughts from her mind, “No! I can’t let my mind go there. Focus on what I can do. It’ll be great, I’ll give a great presentation to the school. Everyone will think…everyone will think…”

In her mind she starts to picture herself in the auditorium with all those countless chairs and how they are all going to be filled with students. The room is going to be dark, a spotlight is going to be on her and a microphone is going to emphasize every word and breath she says and takes.

“Everyone…everyone…everyone…” Isabel begins to get a bit lightheaded and her eyes start to comically spin in circles before she faceplants her head into her desk.

The teacher notices her and calls out to her, “Isabel are you ok?”

Without lifting her head off her desk, Isabel raises her right arm giving a thumbs up while saying, “Doing great over here. You know, all these algebra problems can be quite tricky.”

The teacher glares at her and then she says, “Isabel, this is Political Studies not Algebra class.”

In response to the teacher correcting her, the class laughs as if Isabel was making a joke.

Isabel raises her head and looks at the teacher, “Sorry, I’m not feeling too well. I think I’m going to head to the nurse’s office and get some rest.”

The teacher gives her a very strange look, “Rest? In the Nurse’s office? When did you get hurt…what are you talking about?”

Isabel puts her head in her left hand and sighs, “What is wrong with me?” She says to herself and then looks at the teacher, “I mean can I go to the bathroom? I’ll be right back.”

The teacher pauses for a bit, eyeing her as if she’s trying to decipher her intentions but then eventually just resigns and says, “Ok, go ahead but come right back. No horseplaying.”

Isabel nods and walks out of the room and towards the bathroom. Upon entering the bathroom she heads to the mirror and pushes her hair behind her ears while looking with an expressionless face. “Can I really do this?” she says as she places her hands underneath some running water and then gently splashes her face. “I need to get a grip. I’ll write up what I’m going to say and then work on delivering it later.” She takes a paper towel and dries off her face and pushes the door open to exit the bathroom.

Isabel casually walks down the hall to her classroom looking left and right just to see what’s going on and then she pauses for a second and looks left and right. For some reason she couldn’t help but to feel like she was being watched.

“Maybe being really anxious over this is making me feel paranoid.” She says to herself as she begins to once again walk to her class, this time at a slightly slower pace. She makes it a few feet down the hall before feeling compelled to look over her shoulder again.

“Am I going insane?” She starts to look around to assure herself that nothing is out of the ordinary. She peers into one of the classrooms with the lights off, “The music room is empty. Something about all those instruments hanging out there standing up by themselves that always felt creepy to me. I don’t know, I guess my mind wanders and thinks ghosts are holding them up.”

Then she looks into the lunch room which is empty since all the lunch periods have ended for the day. “Yeah, just make a giant wide open area with lots of seats pushed together in it. Nothing hard about finding a place to feel comfortable to sit at if you don’t know anyone. Luckily, they have outdoor seating during summer, spring and most of fall.”

She passes the school entrance with the large field in front giving space between the streets and allowing parking and a driveway to the building. “Pretty empty out there. No one should be heading to school anyway, especially since the day is almost over. I guess that’s why it’s empty besides that blonde girl I met at the mall the other day, who is pressing her face against the glass.”

Continuing to walk she looks into the library, “There are a few students in there. I guess teachers do allow students to go to the library during class, sometimes to…” She stops talking mid sentence. “Blonde girl!?” She looks back and sees that she’s no longer there. Not wanting to get involved in any craziness today, she says out loud, “Nope!” and immediately dashes off to her class.

The class is slightly startled as Isabel abruptly pushes the classroom door open and closes it behind her. “Aha ha, I’m back. Then she runs over to her desk and sits down.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Isabel looks at the door hoping not to see anyone and then turns away. “I had to be imagining that.” She thinks to herself. “There’s no way that girl would be here. All this stress is driving me insane.” Deciding to forget about it and focus on the class, she turns and watches the teacher as the time ticks by.

The teacher continues lecturing and asking questions to students who respond with the right or wrong answers. She turns and writes on the board and then begins lecturing again, only this time her lecture was interrupted by commotion outside. The classroom turns as they can hear words being shouted out in the hallway.

“Hey you! You’re not a student here!”

The students and the teacher turn towards the hallway wondering what the commotion was about only to hear more yelling.

“Get lost! I’m looking for someone.”

“You brat!”

The students, “Eh?!”

The teacher, “Alright, let's focus on the class.”

Isabel sweating nervously, “yeah guys it’s political science or something, much more interesting than that.”

Then the school intercom turns on and the Principal can be heard speaking, “Attention students and staff, it has come to my attention that an unauthorized student from another school is roaming our school. If anyone encounters this person please report her to th… ugh!” struggling and the sound of things falling can be heard.

Then someone else can be heard over the intercom, this time a young girl’s voice. “Isabel! I know you’re here. Show yourself!”

The entire class including the teacher turns and looks at Isabel who’s whistling nonchalantly, “Boy..ha ha ha… I wasn’t aware that there were so many students here named Isabel huh?”

****

After her class, Isabel finds herself in the principal's office alongside the blonde haired girl who introduces herself to the principal who is calmly sitting down in front of the girls, with bandages around his head from the incident earlier.

“And you are who again?” The principal says while looking into a bunch of files and rubbing the stubble on his chin.

“I am Erica Von Silber, eldest daughter of…”

“I thought your name was Erin.” Isabel says while giving the girl a strange look.

“I mean Erin! That’s right, it's Erin.”

The principal, not paying attention to them, says, “According to this file you go to a private school and your name is A..”

“That’s not my name!! Don’t call me that no matter what!” Erin says.

The principal sighs, stands up and walks over to a desk where he drops the file he was holding in his hand, “And you are here because of Isabel?”

“No!!” Isabel shouts while Erin simultaneously shouts, “Yes!”

“Isabel,” The principal continues, “save the goofing off with your friends for after school. “Erin”, I’m letting your school know that you didn’t attend and that you were here, they can take care of it from there. Now that the class is over, please escort her off the premises.”

Isabel stares at the feisty little blonde and says, “Follow me.”

They exit the building and begin walking down the street. Noticing Erin still following her, Isabel decides to go ahead and get some answers from her.

“So you were looking for me, why?”

“I wanted to confront you about the lies you and your club are spreading.”

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“Lies? What exactly…wait, are you talking about the anime club?” She pauses for a second, “You were at the art showcase at the mall, you saw our works?”

“That’s right.” Erin looks down at her feet. “I saw your works and they made me feel, think about things that they were displaying. It even made me question things that I knew are true but what I know is true is true which makes your art lies.” Erin turns to look at Isabel, “That’s why I am…”

Erin comes to a complete stop as she notices an expression on Isabel's face that could only be described as pure elation.

“Really! You liked it? Which parts did you like the most? We actually managed to get across our feelings. You felt a change in perspective? Wow, it actually communicated something and made you think. I have to tell the others. Did you have an emotional response as well?”

Erin, feeling her emotional power being dwarfed by this girl's enthusiasm, starts to back away and hesitate. “I…uh, hey, where exactly are we going anyway?”

Isabel stops, “Oh, I’m heading to the public library. I’m actually meeting with the club right now. Do you want to join?”

Erin, “...Join?”

“Yeah, you can ask any questions that you want to them and I’m sure they’ll answer. You wanted to know more about the art and the club right?”

Erin doesn’t respond but continues to follow Isabel, who is more than happy to show her the way.

At the library, Trey and Anthony were occupying the usual spots that they take whenever they meet up at the public library. Trey sat back leaning in his chair with his arms around his hands around his head just staring out the windows. Whereas Anthony was anxiously looking around the library, waiting for Isabel to show up. Once he caught a glimpse of her, he immediately stood up and shouted, “You’re late!” But then he pauses as he notices someone alongside her.

Trey turns and looks at Isabel and the girl following as well.

“Sorry guys, I got held up at school. A lot of stuff was going on. Also, I don’t know if you guys remember her but allow me to introduce Erin, she was really moved with our art and wants to…”

Erin interrupts, “Join your club!”

Isabel, Anthony and Trey, “Huh?!”

Erin looks away with a devious smile and says, “That way I can take you done from the inside.”

Trey, “We can totally hear you.”

Erin, “So the anime club huh. I’m a member now right? Do I get a card?”

Isabel, “uh…Hey Erin, do you like anime?”

“No!”

“Would you like to learn about it?”

“Never!”

“Are you okay discussing what you dislike or may like about things we view?”

“Eh, why would I?”

Isabel, Anthony and Trey all look at each other and then huddle together, leaving Erin to watch from the outside.

Isabel, “Well we are trying to recruit members.”

Trey, “Yeah, members who actually, you know like or want to know about anime.”

Anthony, “I…I’m actually kinda afraid of “ojo” characters.”

Erin, who could still hear what they are saying cuts in, “Ojo? If anything I’m more of a hime since I’m clearly a lady of higher status and not a monarch. I will allow you to call me sama even though you are my senpais.”

They all stare at her not knowing how to respond to this.

Isabel, “I think we are okay with you joining, right guys.”

Anthony and Trey nod.

Erin, “So what are you guys doing now anyway.”

Isabel's face which was once full of emotion suddenly goes blank, “Well the truth is we’re giving a presentation at our school in front of a lot of other students and it’s kind of stressful.”

Trey, “Yeah, I can’t say public speaking is something our group excels at. Being in front of everyone who is going to judge every word you say is a bit of a pain. I can’t imagine not getting nervous in that situation.”

Erin, “What are you dumb!?”

Trey, “Huh?! What are you dumb?”

Erin, “Are you?”

“Are you!”

“Are you!”

Isabel and Anthony watch the exchange for a bit before Isabel decides to try to stop them, “Um guys…?

Erin, “Baka, baka, baka!” Realizing what words that have accidentally escaped her mouth, she puts her hands over her mouth. “A…Anyway, what’s with this weird air of insecurity here? You were asked to be up there right? Then that’s where you are supposed to be. If you’re supposed to be there, then act like you belong there. Or don’t you? huh?”

Isabel feels oddly calm from her words and begins to smile again. “You’re right? It was our work that got us there. We’re being acknowledged for what we want to say and we should say.”

Isabel looks at Anthony, Trey and then Erin. “We do belong up there.”

Everyone all starts to smile again, feeling ready to take on anything.

Isabel turns and looks at Isabel, “Erin, welcome to the anime club!”

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