"So, Jake... Are there any other genres that you enjoy reading, besides horror?" Yuri asked him.

Jake, who had been staring thoughtlessly at her, snapped back to reality and starting thinking. "Well, ah, I guess I do enjoy fantasy stories as well, like Harry Potter... It's about a boy who learns magic at a school that's in an old castle."

"I've heard of that," Yuri responded. "But I haven't really taken a look at them though."

"Oh..." Jake muttered. "Well, my mum used to read it back in Australia. I also enjoy reading fantasy, comedy, and even manga once in a while."

Natsuki's head suddenly perks up. She looks like she wants to say something, but she keeps quiet.

"So, uh, what about you Yuri?" Jake asked. He really to know more about this girl. There was just something about her that felt familiar. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

"Well, let's see..." Yuri traces the rim of her teacup, looking down at Jake's desk. Confused, Jake glanced down and suddenly realized that his own teacup was just sitting in front of him on the table, untouched.

(Oh no. Not this again.)

Reluctantly, he grabbed the cup and took a slip from it, not wanting to hurt her feelings. He tried to muster every ounce of power left within his body and soul, just to keep from wincing...

...It didn't work.

"N-not a fan of tea, I guess..." Yuri said quietly.

"No, no, no!" Jake replied quickly, "It-it's just a bit hot, that's all!"

"It's been sitting there for ten minutes..." Yuri reminded him. Jake felt a drop of sweat drip down his forehead.

(Crap!)

"I understand." Yuri responded. "Not everyone is a fan of tea."

Jake carefully placed the teacup back onto the table, afraid that any sudden movements could cause the whole situation to somehow go horribly wrong.

"I'm really, really sorry, Yuri." Jake mumbled, feeling as though he had just destroyed any chance of befriending this lovely girl.

"It's okay." She assured him, wearing a sad smile. Jake spoke up without thinking.

"...Well, that can change..." he said quietly.

(What did I say?!) He shouted in his head. (I just admitted to her I hate tea, now I'm saying that can change?! What the hell is wrong with me?!)

"Perhaps," Yuri replied. "Now, to answer your original question-"

(Thank God...)

"-My favourite books are usually novels are that build deep and complex fantasy worlds. The level of creativity and craftsmanship behind them is amazing to me. And telling a good story in such a foreign world is equally impressive."

Yuri went on, clearly passionate about her reading. She seemed so reserved and timid since the moment Jake walked in the room, but it was obvious by the way her eyes lit up that she found comfort in the world of books, not people.

(Guess that's one more thing we have in common.) Jake thought.

"But you know, I like a lot of things," Yuri continued. "Stories with deep psychological elements usually immerse me as well. Isn't it amazing how a writer can deliberately take advantage of your own lack of imagination to completely throw you through a loop?"

"That's, one way to describe it." Jake replied. He never thought about it that way. A lot of things writers came up with were incredible, sometimes unimaginable. He was really starting to learn a lot of new stuff that day.

"Anyway, I've been reading a lot of horror lately..." Yuri finished.

"Ah, I'm actually reading a pretty good one at the moment." Jake said, finding an opportunity for himself to contribute to the conversation, "Do you know the recent horror movie IT?"

Yuri nodded, "Based on the novel by Stephen King?"

"That's the one. I got myself the original book after I saw it. I was pretty surprised by how much stuff got left out."

"Well, that's the downside of adapting such an enormous book into a two hour film. You can't fit everything into that without overcrowding or splitting it into several films." Yuri explained.

"I kinda got that idea when it said 'Chapter One' at the end..." Jake said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Indeed. I haven't read that one yet, but it's on my list." replied Yuri. "I really enjoyed his other book, Misery. That's what introduced me to his work. The feeling of suspension created purely from words alone is masterful."

"Wow, I wouldn't have expected this from you, Yuri." Monika suddenly said. "For someone who is as gentle as you..."

"I guess you could say that. But if a story makes me think, or takes me to another world, then I really can't put it down. Surreal horror is often very successful at changing the way you look at the world, if only for a brief moment." Yuri responded.

"That I could not have said better myself." Jake said with a smile. He was so glad to finally find something he and Yuri could both agree on.

"Ugh, I hate horror..."

Clearly this was something Natsuki did not share.

"Oh, why's that?" Yuri asked curiously. Natsuki looked to her, arms crossed.

"Well, I just..." Natsuki's eyes darted over to Jake for a split second. "Never mind."

"That's right, you usually only like writing cute things, don't you, Natsuki?" Monika said with a smile.

Natsuki suddenly unfolded her arms and clenched her fists, her cheeks turning almost as pink as her hair.

"W-What!?" Natsuki half-shouted. "What gives you that idea?"

"You left a piece of scrap paper behind last club meeting. It looked like you had been working on a poem called-"

"Don't say it out loud!! And give it back!"

"Fine, fine~" Monika said, grinning to herself.

"Ehehe, your cupcakes, your poems... everything you do is just as cute as you are~" Sayori said happily. She sidles up behind Natsuki and puts her hands on her shoulders.

"I'm not cute!!" Natsuki shouted.

Jake closed his eyes and covered his ears. He didn't like it when people started shouting. He had some pretty sensitive ears and was not a huge fan of loud noises. After a moment, Sayori tapped him on the shoulder to let him know that things had died down.

"Sorry, Jakey. Nat has quite a temper~" Sayori apologised. Jake nodded and slowly regained his own composure. Once he was calm, he looked back to Natsuki.

"Do you write your own poems, Natsuki?" He asked the fuming girl.

"Eh? Well, I guess sometimes," She admitted. "Why do you care?"

"Just curious, that's all." Jake said innocently.

Monika decided to speak up, "I think that's impressive. Why don't you share them with the rest of us sometime?"

"N-No!" Natsuki said rudely. She took another quick glace at Jake before averting her eyes. "You wouldn't... like them..."

"Nonsense. You just need a little confidence in yourself." Monika responded.

"I understand how Natsuki feels," said Yuri. "Sharing that level of writing takes more than just confidence. The truest form of writing is writing to oneself. You must be willing to open up to your readers, expose your vulnerabilities and show even the deepest reaches of your heart."

"That's deep..." Jake whispered to himself. That last sentence might have just been the wisest thing he had ever heard in his entire life.

"Do you have writing experience too, Yuri? Maybe if you share some of your work, you can set an example and help Natsuki feel comfortable enough to share hers." suggested Monika.

Yuri's moment of passion vanished and she quickly returned to her more timid self. She seemed to be struggling to think of a response.

(My turn to save the day...) Jake thought. He cleared his throat to get Monika's attention.

"I guess it's the same for Yuri as well..." He quickly told her. Monika nodded in acceptance.

"Aww.. I wanted to read everyone's poems..." Sayori pouted.

Everybody sat in silence for a moment, wondering what to do now. And then, Monika suddenly got up from her chair.

"Okay! I have an idea, everyone~" Monika announced.  Jake, Yuri and Natsuki looked quizzically at her in anticipation.

"Let's all go home and write a poem of our own!" She continued. "Then, next time we meet, we will all share them with each other. That way, everyone is even!"

"Um..." Natsuki mumbled. Yuri remained silent, but had an anxious expression on her face. She wasn't the only one though.

(Oh God, please... not poetry...)

In the mind of Jake, poetry was perhaps the most boring type of literature he could possibly imagine. Never in his life did he even once enjoy poetry. For one, he could never understand it and would often be left wondering what the hell he just read. It was bad enough trying to stay focused on reading, but that type of literature was beyond him. To him it was just metaphors written in a bunch of fancy words.

For another, he also had no idea how to even write it properly. The only time he'd ever written a poem for class ended up being done in rhymes, because he couldn't figure out how poetry was supposed to be done. And once he finally heard some real poetry, he ended up being bored out of his mind. Never able find a clear visual of what he was reading.

And now he was supposed to write one by tomorrow?

"Yeaaah! Let's do it!" Sayori yelled.

"Plus, now that we have a new member, I think it will help us all get a little more comfortable with each other and strengthen the bond of the club. Isn't that right, Jake?" Monika said, once again smiling warmly at him.

"Hold on, hold on a minute!" Jake said quickly, putting his hands up. Monika lost her smile and looked at him with a slightly confused expression.

"Eh? What's wrong?" She asked, not noticing the panicked look on his face.

Jake remained silent for a moment, having just realized something; he technically still wasn't an official member of the club and therefore it was not yet a priority of his to actually make a poem. Although the Literature Club did seem like a pretty okay place, he had absolutely no intention of writing poetry. This might be his only chance to get out of doing that.

So, Jake said rather bluntly, "Look, I never said I was gonna join this club!"

Monika looked even more confused now. "But I thought you wanted to join because you wanted to spend more time with Sayori?"

"That's, well..." Jake decided to just tell them the truth. "I'm gonna be honest with you, Sayori pretty much dragged me up here in the first place. I didn't actually intend to join this club. And no offence, but I kinda want to check out some of the other clubs and, um..."

Jake lost his train of thought and stopped talking upon noticing the girls' faces change. They all stared back at him with dejected eyes.

"B-But..." Monika stuttered, looking hurt.

"I'm sorry, I thought..." Yuri mumbled.

"Hmph." Natsuki huffed loudly.

"Jake..." Sayori said quietly.

"Uh... well, I... Y-You all..." But Jake was defenceless against these girls. How was he supposed to make a clear-headed decision when it's like this? If there was one thing that Jake hated most in the world, one thing, it was disappointing people. It made him feel selfish and greedy. It was the one feeling he hated above all others. It made him feel inhumane.

Jake looked at each of the girls, before lingering on Yuri, the first girl that greeted him and the one that intrigued him the most. Seeing her looking so upset just broke his heart. How could anyone even think of wanting to leave someone so pretty in such a gloomy state of mind? It just wasn't fair.

(If... if writing poems is the price I need to pay in order to keep this beautiful girl, hell all of these girls, happy and smiling again...)

"...Right." Jake finally said. "Okay, I've decided then."

"Okay," Monika replied sadly. "If that's what you want to do-"

"Stop right there!" Jake quickly added, putting up his finger. "I'm in!"

One by one, the girls' faces immediately changed to looks of surprise. They apparently had not heard him properly.

"You are...?" Monika stuttered before quickly collecting herself. "I mean, you are!"

"Yes." Jake declared. "I'll join the Literature Club."

The girls' eyes all lit up with joy and relief. Jake grinned, feeling much better already.

"Yeees! I'm soooo happyyy~" Sayori cheered, wrapping her arms around Jake, jumping up and down. He responded by gently patting her on the head.

"H-Hey- There, there..." He muttered nervously.

"You really did scare me for a moment there..." Yuri said with a smile. This sight caused Jake to feel very tingly inside. Lucky it was out of joy, and not...

"If you really just came for the cupcakes, I would be super pissed." said Natsuki.

"Language!" Jake replied with a glare. Natsuki responded with a loud groaned; Jake wondered if she got told this a lot by other people.

"Then that makes it official!" Monika announced. "Welcome to the Literature Club!"

"Yeah, thanks. I guess..."

Monika continued, "Okay, everyone! I think with that, we can officially end today's meeting on a good note. Everyone remember today's assignment: Write a poem to bring to our next meeting, so we can all share!"

Jake sighed, feeling a sense of dread overshadow him upon remembering what he now needed to do once he returned home. Monika looked over at him once more.

"Jake, I look forward to seeing how you express yourself." She said happily. Ehehe~"

"Y-Yeah..." Jake responded, feeling sweat drip down his forehead.

How the hell was he supposed to impress the class star Monika with his mediocre writing skills? He hadn't properly written any proper stories since he was 13. Plus, the only story that he'd ever completed was utterly cringe-worthy from start to finish and he lost it a couple months after he had finalised it.

At this point, to say Jake was feeling anxious was an enormous understatement. And this was to appease some girls... some very attractive girls...

Meanwhile, the girls in question continued to chit-chat as Yuri and Natsuki cleaned up the food and tea. Jake considered going over and asking for help, but they probably didn't it; it was just a tray of cupcakes and a tea set they were cleaning.

"Hey, Jakey, since we're already here, do you want to walk home together?" Sayori asked him.

"Oh yeah, that's right. We stopped walking home together cause you were doing club stuff." Jake said, mostly to himself. "Sure, why not?"

"Yaaay~" Sayori cheered.

With that, the two of them departed the classroom and made their way way home. The whole way, Jake's mind wandered back and forth between the four girls: Sayori, Natsuki, Monika, and of course, Yuri. Was he really going to be happy spending every day after school with them in a literature club?

(Maybe I'll have a chance to grow closer to one of them...) Jake thought to himself. But which one would that be? He already had an idea of who.

Meanwhile, he just needed to make the most of the circumstances, and perhaps good fortune would find him. And of course that would start with writing that poem.

(It's gonna be a long freaking night...)

**********

Jake could not tell when he finally fell asleep. His mind was full of emotions he felt throughout that long, long evening.

Feelings of anxiety, trying to figure out what he should write for the poem. Feelings of dread, for when he would be requested to share his work with the others. Feelings of fear, that his writing would not meet the expectations of the others...

But there was one emotion that overcame the others. One emotion that only came when he had his eyes closed. For every time Jake tried to rest, the image of an angel would appear in his mind.

An angel with gorgeous purple locks, violet eyes, a warm smile upon her face, a soft voice that calmed his nerves, and a timid nature that matched his own.

Yuri...

Every time Jake closed his eyes, Yuri would pop up in his brain again. He didn't mind though. In fact, thinking about her made him feel so... peaceful. And the more he thought about her, the more he began to realize who she kept reminding him of.

Himself...

____________________

Author's Note: Hey, look who made it to Chapter 2. I'm honoured! This is easily the furthest I've come with writing a story recently. Well, mostly due to copying from the game. I know that it's not fun reading something you've already read before, but I'm changing things up wherever I can, I promise.

If you want me to skip to where the real changes happen, just leave a comment and tell me to do so and I'll do it. These first two chapters are mainly just to give you an idea of how my OC will behave and react to things in future chapters.

P.S. I would really, REALLY appreciate it if you favourite this. I just want to know if there is at least one person reading this. It'll keep me motivated to keep writing.

~Cheesy