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chapter 25.
(o5/1o)
the mysterious note !

preview:

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Serena,
This is an opportunity you should not miss. Please attend the ball. If you fail to do so, you'll know that one other person will also not be in attendance.

x

No matter how much I squinted, I couldn't, for the life of me, identify the handwriting; it was horribly scribbled. Shauna had handed it to me right after the play, saying that Gary had given it to her.

When questioned, Gary simply stated that Kenny, a guy from the other class, had passed it to him. I had seldom even talked to the other boy. How would he know who I am and that I am not attending the ball?

"Glad to see you all here!" Aria's bubbly voice filled the atmosphere in the conference room, breaking my reverie. She walked to the front and smiled warmly. "I'll get to the point. There's a special event that's going to be arranged here during the winter! Guess what?"

"The end-of-year prom," Max, the grade leader of our juniors, supplied. "Genius."

Aria clapped her hands, nodding. "Right you are!"

"Basically, we want creative idea prompts as to how they should go and what the theme it should be based on," Cilan, Aria's partner, said. "Any ideas?"

I raised my hand. Dawn had filled me in on what the topic might likely be, and working together with her and Calem during the intervals of the play in the auditorium, we had created a small idea.

"Go ahead, Miss Yvonne," Cilan said, and taking it as a cue, I stood up to share my thoughts.

"I was thinking along the lines of making it a masquerade, including group dancing and slow dances as well. Since it's going to be winter when the event is set, there will be winter-based decorations, including dishes made using snow. The dress code could be appropriate to the weather.

"We could incorporate fireplaces to make it cozy, as well. And there's always broths and hot chocolate stalls facing the punch tables and snow delicacies." Having said my points, I took my seat. I could feel Calem beaming at me, so I gave him a small smile.

"That's a truly pretty idea, Serena!" Aria agreed. "I think it'll be perfect, magical even!" Cilan nodded in approval.

Color flushed my cheeks to look at the approval of my ideas. I was startled when Dawn put an arm around me. "Isn't that great? We'll take care of the decorations, Senior! Don't worry about organizing it. Just make sure you turn up looking gorg!"

The meeting concluded on a positive note. I requested Calem to stay behind after the end of the discussion, and he was waiting right by the windows. Now that I did look at him, I could not help the nervousness that filled me for what I was about to ask of him.

"Er, Calem?"

"Yeah? You know I'm all ears."

"Brilliant." I rubbed my sweaty palms on the helm of my frock. I made up my mind, and I gotta tell it. "You know that I won't be attending the ball, right?"

"Yes."

"I just wanna ask a huge favor of you."

He turned around on his heel, giving me a confused look. "Anything for you."

I looked down at my shoes. This is hard. "Could you - could you perhaps take care of everything on stage? I'm sure I can convince Dawn to help you in fields you cannot venture, but I'm afraid I can't be present there, in the ballroom."

When he did not respond, I looked up hesitantly. He was looking out the window. "You know you can count on me, right? I don't know the reason why you're so unwilling to attend this ball. My gut says it's something about Ketchum, but it is irrelevant to me."

I approached him slowly. Classes had been dismissed for the day, it seemed, by the way the students were rushing out. "You're not wrong. You guys are great, but I suppose I just want him to be my first date..."

"I guessed. I must admit, you had our hearts moved at some point. Trevor, Tierno, mine as well, I dare say." My eyes widened in shock at the sudden confession. "But I know how depressed he made you. I can see that in your eyes. It's as clear as day."

I bit my lip. "He's not bad at heart. Just..."

"Stubborn. I've seen him on the field. I do know what guys think. However, I can assure you, Serena, that he does care about you." He smiled, but I could see the hurt in his eyes. "As Dawn and Lisia say, don't you worry. The ball will run smoothly, and I'm responsible for it. You lead your life. Your happiness matters to us."

It was getting harder to hold back my tears. My throat felt parched, but I thanked him graciously. "Thank you, Calem. You are truly a great friend."

He chuckled, waving it off, but it did not seem right to me that he did not accept my gratitude. So, I approached him, leaned in, and left a tiny peck on his cheek. "Take it as a way of thanking you!" I gave him one last smile before I picked up my backpack and left the room.

What surprised me was finding a lone figure walking down the hallway as I exited the conference hall: Ash.

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I've started working on the book featuring Ash's PoV! Should I post it after the completion of this one or post it as soon as I complete writing...let's say, fifteen chapters? I'm done with seven, so that's eight more!

Maybe I might post it sooner on Archive of Our Own. It's much easier to post it there as I don't have to make graphics and aesthetics. :')

I've appealed to the support team to get back posting media in Wattpad, too. So if it gets fixed, I'll post that book right away!

We are halfway through the book. Seems like only yesterday I was making graphics for this story. Ah, how time flies. What do you guys think of this chapter and the story overall? Comment!

Thank you for reading!

Miyoko x