Noel and Kian squeezed their way through the crowd to an empty table prepared at the entrance. An hour had passed and they haven't even gone to the other side of the higher education convention. It seemed like every student and their parent in Malaysia was at the convention today.

"My gosh these prospectuses are getting bloody heavy." Noel lifted a bag from one of the many universities on display at the convention and puts it on the table.

"Tell me about it." Kian puts his bag on the table as well.

"You decided on any of them yet?"

"Nope."

Noel adjusts his collared t-shirt. "Don't you get to go for asasi or matriculation or something? You got good grades y'know?"

"Nah, I'd rather go for something private."

"Why?"

Kian shrugged. "Easier to drop out of private university."

Noel looked at Kian for a while. "Still thinking about going pro, huh?"

"Yea. I wouldn't be here if I already went pro though."

"Relax, you'll get your chance," Noel looks around at the crowd. "At least your mom made you go to university. Never know what could happen if you went all in."

"You saying I can't do it?" Kian raised an eyebrow at Noel.

Noel raised his hands. "Didn't say that. But considering that your mom tried to go pro in volleyball without going to university, maybe she has some experience in this area. She was lucky your dad was there too."

Kian just slowly nodded. "I guess."

"HELLO THERE," A spokesperson startled the both of them. "Hi, this table is actually reserved for our university, ya."

"Oh, um, sorry," Kian then looked behind the person. "UMN?"

"Yes, University of Malaysia National. We've got the best facilities compared to all the universities around us and..." The spokesperson pulls out pamphlets and hands them to Noel and Kian. "We also have some of the best computer science alumni in the country."

"Ok..." Kian looked at Noel, unsure. "What do you think?"

"What clubs are there in the university?" Noel asked being the active koko guy he was.

"Oh, we've got plenty. Sports, reading, gaming-"

"Wait," Kian interrupted the person. "Gaming?"

"Yes, we have a gaming club."

Kian looked at Noel with an excited look. "Huh, what a coincidence. Tell me more."

▶

Kian tapped his pen on his forehead and leaned back in the library chair. There was pin drop silence today in the library even with the massive amounts of students. The quietness was loud in Kian's head as he tackled a question.

It just doesn't look right.

He sat upright again and looked back at the question sheet then the reference book beside him. Nothing was developing within his brain. His thoughts were clouded. The last few days were stealth missions to him, avoiding any interaction with his club members and making sure to not step anywhere near the sports complex. He was just hoping he didn't see a suspension letter in his e-mail, not that he'd check them anyway. His mind started drifting back to Alexis. So much for presidents talking to each other, huh? His thoughts become even more muddled. He just needs to come up with something. He needs to save the club. He needs to-

"The hell? You're studying?" A whispery voice came from beside him. Kian turned to his left to find Noel standing over him.

"Why, are you surprised?" Kian whispered and looked back towards the question sheet. "I can study when I want to."

"Yea yea Mr. "barely passing" CGPA scholarship student." Noel snickered while Kian just rolled his eyes. Noel rolled up the sleeves of his long-sleeved t-shirt and sat down next to Kian. "What's the occasion?"

"I have a makeup test for System Development Methods. Bloody lecturer failed our group presentation."

"Oof, sucks dude. But hey, you say you do better in tests, right?"

Kian shrugged. "True, I guess. Still don't understand why we failed the presentation though."

"At least you got a test this time instead of playing catchup in your finals." Noel grabbed one of Kian's pencils.

The sun was starting to shine through the library windows as evening came. Some students started packing up while others, like Kian, were hunkering down for a potentially long night session. Noel started drumming a beat with Kian's pencil, to Kian's annoyance.

"Dude, I'm studying."

Noel continued drumming and looked at Kian. "And I've got a rhythm going on."

Kian snatches the pencil from Noel, to Noel's disappointment. "Why are you still here anyway."

"I can't be around my friend?"

"Well, you're not helping me study so I'm not sure what the point of you being here is."

Noel stared at Kian for a while then put his hands together. "Something happened isn't it."

Kian felt a chill through his body. How does Noel keep doing this? "Not really." Kian turns back to his question sheet.

"Dude, you don't talk like this to me. I know for sure something happened."

Kian remained silent. What does Noel have to do with his troubles anyway. It would just be a headache to him. No need to bring him into this, especially since he has his own club stuff to think of.

"Alright, Kris," He stands up. "I'll go ask somebody from your club then."

"No, wait!" Kian exclaims trying to reach out for Noel. "Wait, wait, wait. Don't ask them anything."

Noel looks at Kian for a few seconds, smiles then finger guns him. "Love triangle."

Kian looks at him confused. "What?"

"You have some love triangle going on with members of the club."

Kian just looks at Noel like he pulled a grenade pin and threw the pin instead of the grenade. "What the hell kind of assumption is that?!" A few people shush him.

Noel tilts his head. "It's not a love triangle?"

"No, you idiot. You know I don't have any interest in any other girl."

"Oh yea, arcade girl," Noel sits back down. "But it has to do with members of the club?"

Kian looks around the library cautiously. "Has to do with my club in general."

"You like somebody in the club?"

"Dude shut up with liking this and that already please."

Noel raises his hands. "Alright, sir. I'll stop."

Kian sighs. "It has to do with my club's partnership with the netball team and the fact that my club is dying."

Noel stares at Kian for a while. "You finally give a shit about your club?"

"I never thought I would. But..." Kian stares blankly at his question sheet.

"So... what happened exactly?"

▶

A car passes the burger stall illuminated only by a streetlight. Kian and Noel sit on a curb beside it enjoying their burgers with a basket of fries in each other's lap.

"So basically," Noel pops a fry in his mouth. "You as usual never check your messages and you as usual got into trouble because of that."

Kian finishes his burger and dusts his hands. "You didn't have to put it that way but pretty much."

"And they want to send the proposal this coming Friday?"

Kian shook his head and looked at one of the many streetlights along the road. "I fucked up. And 32 people won't have a club next year."

The frying pan at the stall sizzled as the owner put another patty on it. Another group of students come to order the cheap burgers.

"You know, this is the first time I've seen you worried about something other than your studies or rank in game. This club didn't really seem like much to you."

Kian shrugged. "I came in just to play games dude."

"So why are you suddenly worried?

"I..." Kian played with his fries. "I have no idea. Maybe its cause I realized I can't play games in a club anymore?"

"Dude, you literally have a setup in your dorm and cyber cafes all around here. There's no way the club dying is going to stop you from playing any more than usual."

"Yea but sometimes I don't feel like going back to my dorm or to the cybercafé."

"Please Kris. That's not the actual reason."

Kian thought for a while. "Maybe its Goh and Meng, my only friends in there. They helped me a lot in the club I'd say."

Noel then shook his head. "You were in the club for your whole uni life so far not giving a shit even as the president then you say 'I need to save the club'. There's no way it's because of those two only."

"You wouldn't know that, Noel."

"I do, Kris." Noel takes another bite from his burger.

Kian thought back. Goh and Meng were the first people he met in the club during his foundation year and yet he only started speaking to them two semesters ago because they were fighting over the same computer. They formed a bond through gaming and when they were selected as committee members through the 1v1s, they clicked. But there is this barrier of "clubmates" between them that does not warrant the amount of worry he has right now. So, why did he start caring now?

"Then, I have no idea." Kian finally said.

Noel nudged him. "I have an idea about it."

Kian turned to him. "You do?"

"It's the netball president. I heard about the staring between you and her during the meeting." Noel chuckled a bit.

Kian cringed. "How could you even say such a thing."

Noel just laughed. "I'm just joking, dude. Or am I?" He raised his eyebrows twice.

Kian groaned. "Dude, no. Stop."

"What? Love makes people do stupid things they never thought they'd do."

"Are you kidding me? Who could love somebody as rude as her?"

"Hey, you never know, ok. I've seen girls love murderers before, albeit that's probably just in fiction."

"Yea, exactly. So somebody loving Alexis is fictional as hell."

"Still, you're a good guy, Kris. Who knows? Maybe she just needs that?"

Kian waves his hands at Noel. "Can we please go back to wanting my club to not die?"

"Don't avoid my question." Noel said biting into his burger.

Kian continued as he ignored Noel's remark. "The deadline for proposals is on Friday. Maybe, I just write another proposal to show we're involved or maybe-"

"You do know the proposal for the events can still be done by next semester?" Noel put the burger back in his basket.

Kian looked at Noel. "What?"

"Well, yea. I'm the secretary of my club so I should know. You can submit them earlier if you want but the deadline for submission is the first week of next sem. You don't even have to do the event this semester. But seeing the conditions you are in, that isn't really an option, is it?"

Kian suddenly felt a weight come off his shoulders. "You mean they don't have to send it in by Friday?"

Noel nodded. "Not sure why you're so worried."

Kian glared at Noel. "Why didn't you say that earlier then while I was explaining?"

Noel shrugged. "Seeing you worried for once was exhilarating."

"Bastard." Kian muttered under his breath. He suddenly realized something and stood up from the curb scaring the group of students from earlier with his height. "Shit, that means I just need to stop them from submitting the proposal."

Noel nodded half-heartedly. "Mm, yea I guess so."

"She said she didn't see any commitment or didn't see what there was to our club."

Noel finished his burger. "Well, your club does spend most of its time indoors, playing games all day and not doing anything that can be considered 'productive'." He then looked at Kian. "And why did you mention her?"

"So, what if I show we can go outside and that we can do something as well?" Kian turned to Noel, a nerdy smile on his face.

"I'm not sure if you can see yourself right now but I think our burgers are laced with something to make you act like this."

Kian took out his handphone and started typing.

"What are you doing?" Noel asked.

"Texting Goh and Meng, I have just the idea."

Noel dusted his hands. "That was quick. And since when did you start texting? You don't even read messages."

"It's...It's complicated. But now I have this idea all thanks to you, dude."

Noel rolled his eyes. "I'm not paying for your burger if that's what you're trying here."

Kian gave a disappointed look to Noel. "Can you at least give me a ride to uni before you go back?"

Noel chuckled. "Of course."

GAME OVER: CHAPTER FOUR