33 Chapter 33 (1/2)

Finally, lunch period began and The Rejects went up to their usual spot to eat. Everybody except Jessica. ”I'll meet you guys there” Jessica says as the rest leave the classroom, ”I've gotta go meet Mr. Maloney real fast”.

”You fell behind on work didn't you?” Jackson asks.

Jessica smiles nervously, then Wyatt says ”We'll wait for you there, I guess”.

”I just need to pick up some extra credit work” Jessica says. ”It'll only be about two minutes, I swear”. As the rest of the group heads to various places to get food, whether it be to their dorms or to the cafeteria, Jessica heads towards the teacher's lounge at the center building, the main building of the school. She quickly found Refus, who recently left the principal's office. ”Mr. Maloney!” Jessica calls out.

”Oh, yes?” Refus asks as he looks up at Jessica. ”You need something? Is it for that club?”.

”No, that's not it” Jessica says. ”I was wondering if there was any possible extra credit work or anything you could set up for me? I'm trying to pick up in my grades... because I fell behind on work again”.

”Uh...” Refus says as he scratches the back of his head, ”sure. I'll have something printed out for you. It'll be ready for you tomorrow morning”.

”Thanks, Mr. Maloney” Jessica says. ”You're a life saver!”.

Refus laughs and says ”If only! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to talk to someone”.

Refus walks down a hallway leading towards the second year building. Jessica then turns around and begins to leave towards their club spot. However, she immediately ran into another student, a boy, who was coming from the second year building. The two of them bump into each other, and the other student says ”Ah- sorry. I didn't see you there”.

”M-my bad!” Jessica says as she looks up at him.

”I was just looking around for the teacher's lounge to ask about something” the student says. ”I didn't think I'd run into someone else here. Sorry, I wasn't paying attention at all...”.

”No, it's fine” Jessica says. Jessica then looks down and noticed he was holding a poster. The poster was the club poster Rose had made for The Rejects. ”Were you... asking one of the teacher's about that club?” Jessica asks.

”Oh!” The student says as he holds up the poster nervously, ”y-yeah. I wanted to ask Ms. Weber about what that club is... since she's the... sponsoring teacher for the club”.

”Not that I feel like it's a bad thing to be interested in that club” Jessica says, ”but are you interested in joining it?”.

”I... I'm not sure” the student says.

”Are you scared to join it?” Jessica asks.

”N-no!” The student says. ”I know people usually think other students are weird for supporting this kind of thing, but I- I mean... I'm not joining it, I just had some questions!”.

”Don't worry, I'm not that kind of person” Jessica says. ”By the way, my name is Jessica Allen”.

”T-Thomas... Thomas Ryde” the student says. ”I'm a second year student here”.

”I'm a first year” Jessica says.

”Anyways, I'm going to go to... the teacher's lounge” Thomas says. ”I need to ask Ms. Weber a few things”.

Thomas goes up to the teacher's lounge and asks for Rose. However, Jeff answers the door when he knocks and tells him ”Ms. Weber isn't here...”.

”O-okay... Thanks” Thomas says as the door closes. When Thomas turns around, Jessica was still behind him. ”Why are you following me?”.

”Well, don't you want to ask about that club?” Jessica asks.

”... Why?” Thomas asks.

”I can tell you about it, if you want” Jessica says.

”Are you in the club?” Thomas asks.

Jessica turns to show the badge on the shoulder of her uniform. ”Yep” Jessica says. ”My friends and I formed the club together”.

”So you really aren't that type of student, huh?” Thomas asks.

The two of them start walking down the hallways together as Jessica asks ”So, what did you want to know about the club?”.

”What kind of support do you guys give to... laibah?” Thomas asks.

”Just... a place away from the other students who might be judge-mental” Jessica says. ”Are you a laibah?”.

”N-no... I'm human” Thomas says. ”But I secretly knew a laibah student who went here. His parents forced him to leave the school after last semester, because the other students were in an uproar about laibah in this school. He didn't bother anybody, yet he still had to leave”.

”I'm sorry...” Jessica says.

”Meh, forget about it...” Thomas says. ”I just wish there'd be some way to get people to stop being so... so-”.

”Hatefully ignorant?” Jessica asks.

”Yeah, something like that” Thomas says.

”If you have questions about the club” Jessica says, ”and want to know more about it... why not try meeting the club? You might even decide to join, if you're interested”.

”But why?” Thomas asks. ”Not like it'll bring my friend back to school”.

”Well, not now” Jessica says, ”but we do hope to someday make this a better place for laibah to stay... as well as the club was mostly formed for us to figure out what we want to do when we graduate college... not sure why Ms. Weber prioritized the thing about having a safe spot for laibah...”.

”Pfft- really?” Thomas asks. ”That's a weird club...”.

”Yeah, and all of us in the club are weird!” Jessica says with a smile. ”That's what makes it fun though!”.

”Certainly sounds like a group of weird people” Thomas says. ”Then again, I didn't think there'd be a group of people who'd openly support laibah like that...”.

”Well, you support them too, right?” Jessica asks. ”If not support, wish there'd be less... of an issue surrounding them?”.

”Y-Yeah, I guess that's true” Thomas says.

”Well then, come on!” Jessica says as she starts dragging him towards the roof of the first year building.

”Wait, hang on” Thomas says.

”At least come meet the club” Jessica says. ”You don't have to join if you don't want to!”.

When Jessica arrives at the club spot with Thomas, Jackson says ”That was a lot longer than two minutes... who's the guy?”.

”I-I'm Thomas Ryde” Thomas says.

”He has some questions about the club” Jessica says.

”I expected the club to be... smaller than this” Thomas says as he looks around. ”There's seven people here... and although that's not a whole lot of people, I somehow expected less”.

”Don't be too surprised” Jackson says. ”Like... half of us are laibah”.

”Jackson!” Aeris says. ”You don't have to tell him that immediately!”.

”What?” Jackson asks. ”He's here for a reason, isn't he!?”.

”That's true...” Aeris says.