The Life Club

Date; 4/4 Of an unspecified year

Time; 7:30 AM

Have you ever had an encounter with someone that just had to be fate? One that shouldn’t have happened under normal circumstances?

I always thought that these kinds of things were limited to fiction, bound to be something only experienced by the main character.

Today, I was proven wrong.

I headed towards my highschool entrance ceremony. Not that I cared about it or anything, I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing anything important.

It was a long walk. Not far enough to be a train, but too far to be a walk. But I liked walking, it provided me with time to think.

Halfway to the school, I stumbled across a building. A building that was old and decrepit. Slowly fading away, and will someday be replaced by something new.

When I was little, I would watch other boys play in buildings like these, as I stood at the sidelines, reading. All I could think was, “Is it in your greatest interest for the ceiling to fall in on you?”

I stared into the walls that were slowly falling apart, and the mold and moss growing in the corners.

I thought, “What kid would play in this? What seems appealing about a place that’s falling to the ground?”

Almost in sync with that thought, someone appeared.

A girl in a highschool uniform. Same school as me. She looked foreign, most features not belonging in the middle of Japan.

She wandered out from the building, right in my direction.

The girl had a blank facial expression. The face expressed so much, by saying so little.

I ran a bit ahead, towards the school, to avoid contact with her. Whatever sad backstory she has, I don’t want to get wrapped up in it.

I ignored this event, and arrived at the school.

It was larger than I expected, it also had a feeling of it being modern that I hadn’t pictured in my head.

I followed the signs plastered throughout the school, and walked towards the main room.

I saw a large crowd of people. Everyone was making conversation with the people sitting next to them.

There was a large stage up front, which was being set up seemingly by 2nd and 3rd years. I could tell by the clips they put on their uniform’s wrist.

I sat down in the seat farthest back I could find, I just wanted to blend in and avoid the noise, bouncing off each and every wall.

Even when I sat down, it felt like all the noise was being aimed in my direction, pointed at me deliberately.

When I thought that everyone had arrived, and the orientation was about to start, someone came into view.

It was the same girl from earlier.

She asked me upfront,

“Mind if I sit here?” Her voice was high, but it was still lacking voice inflection.

“I don’t mind.” I responded. As if against every cell in my body, the girl tried to start a conversation.

“What middle school did you go to?”

“Nothing special. Just the one a couple streets down from here. You probably saw it on the walk here.”

“I see. I just moved here, so I still don’t really understand the flow of everyday life here.” I don’t understand why she even asked what middle school I went to, if she doesn’t even know any of them.

“I’ve lived here my whole life. Probably a bit different from where you come from, but it’s pretty normal.”

“What’s your name?” The girl asked,

“Apollo.” I answered.

“Like the god?”

“Exactly.”

“Well, my name is Lucy.” Yup. Foreign name. I mean, my name isn’t very much japanese either but still.

The orientation started, and I didn’t talk to Lucy for the rest of that day.