Between The Covers

chapter 4

Thursday evening is the first meeting of the Debate Society (or DebSoc for short). I rush to the Union from my hall after dinner and make it to the meeting room with just one minute to spare. When I arrive, I find everyone already seated, waiting for the first meeting of the year to start. I slip into a seat near the back of the room as the president of the society begins his welcome speech. I turn my attention to him as he tells us how the practice debate workshops will work and what we will need to do for them, but when he goes on to describe the structure of the weekly formal debates, a nervous knot begins to form in my stomach and I wonder why I ever decided to join this society - I'm really not a fan of public speaking.

A latecomer slips into the room and takes the seat beside me, but I'm kind of caught up in being scared about having to stand up and take in a debate sometime soon and I don't really notice him until...

"Well, well, fancy seeing you here."

"What?" I spin round to face the newcomer... and make a face. "Oh, it's you."

"It's me," he confirms with an arrogant smirk.

"God, you are stalking me, aren't you? Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Stalking? Who said anything about stalking?" he questions in amusement.

"You know, not everything is about you, love. I've been a member of this society for the past two years, so if anything, I'd say you were stalking me ."

"Me? I don't think so, dude," I respond dryly. "I'm just trying to go about my own life in peace here."

"If you say so."

I choose to ignore him and turn my attention back to the front of the room in time to hear the society president finish his speech,

"Okay, so we have a practice debate sign-up list up here, so if you'd like to take part in a particular debate, you can put your name down for it at the end of the meeting."

For the remainder of the evening, two of the committee members give interesting and thought-provoking arguments (at least, I think they're supposed to be) regarding the current state of UK politics. I try to follow along with their points of view, but to be honest I've never really been that into politics. And it certainly doesn't help that Finn spends the entire meeting being incredibly annoying and trying every single cocky line he can think of to get my attention.

It doesn't work, at least not in the way he's hoping and as soon as the debate finishes, I leave my seat, sign up to defend the debate entitled 'Adoption of Children by Same Sex Couples: Should gay couples be given the same legal rights as heterosexuals in adopting children?' , scheduled for week four and then escape the room - and Finn - as soon as possible.

God, what did I do to deserve the torture known as Finn Hudson's company?

"Come on, Rachel, we're doing a boys vs. girls Boat Race in the corridor. We need you to make up the numbers," Quinn appears in the doorway of our room, where I'm chatting to a couple of girls from the floor below the next evening.

"I'll be there in a sec, Quinn," I tell her with a nod as I turn my attention back to the conversation.

It's Friday night and the guys on our floor decided to have a party. This afternoon James and Ryder persuaded Quinn to drive them out to the large superstore just outside the city for a booze shopping spree. They came back with an entire car-full of alcoholic beverages and party snacks and then proceeded to spend the rest of the afternoon and early evening setting up the staging area for the party (which is James and his roommate, Puck's room).