The end of the school day arrived as usual on a sunny Tuesday afternoon at Astaril academy. Yet, while the shuffling sounds of students could be heard from the hallway. Several members of the student council sat quietly around the large conference table in the center of the student council room with uneasy expressions. Everyone except one member, who had a rather self-absorbed smile as she squirmed in her seat. With a shameful grimace, Ken addressed his sister.
"Why do you have such a nasty grin on your face?"
Turning to face him, Lyra narrowed her eyes as her smile grew even more pretentious. Both Stella and Sonya watched as the sibling squabble ignited with Lyra's smug response.
"That's the look of someone who has accomplished something incredible, big brother. Mary and Lucas have been avoiding us all day and now they're late... That can only mean one thing..."
With a look reserved for the truly absurd, Ken tried to keep from shaking his head while responding.
"Even if... Why do you think that you deserve any credit?"
"Why wouldn't I!? It was Stella and I that went after Mary! Sonya ditched us!"
Flaring her nostrils, Lyra leaned over the table while propping herself up with one hand and using the other to point at Sonya. Forcefully dragged into the conversation, Sonya turned her head to the side.
"I... I promised Mary that I wouldn't get in the way... But, I'm glad you were too stupid to leave her alone."
"See, big brother? Even Sonya agrees."
Glaring at his sister's sneer, Ken rolled his eyes while retorting.
"Did you even-"
However, his words were cut short by a new arrival to the student council room. A brown haired girl with amber eyes tiptoed into the room as a wall of eyes darted over to meet her.
"Hello?"
While she seemed familiar, Ken's instinct as a student council member overrode his curiosity and he greeted the girl.
"Can I help y-wait... Aren't you the bully from the courtyard?"
His sentence morphed into an inquiry as his memories came rushing back from earlier in the year. Before he could ask additional questions, Elise stepped into the room; replying as she sat her bookbag down at the table and took a seat next to Sonya.
"And you're Loverboy, right? Well, one of them... Anyways, I'm Elise. It's good to meet you again. I'm sorry about before. Can we start over?"
The nonchalant apology combined with her familiarity with the rest of the group left Ken floored. While Sonya and Elise watched him, he looked at Lyra for answers.
"She's cool."
Suddenly, Ken made a flat stare as he turned to his other underclassman.
"Stella?"
"Elise is our friend now. She apologized to Sonya and has been helping Mary."
With a smile, Stella happily filled Ken in with the most important details. Mulling them over for a few seconds, Ken felt Sonya's eyes lingering on him. The look told him that she would explain later and he nodded while addressing Elise.
"Alright then, I'm Ken. Glad to have you here."
With his sincere yet overly formal greeting, the two exchanged smiles as Lyra jumped from her seat in frustration.
"Why wasn't my stamp of approval good enough?!"
Disregarding Lyra's protests, Elise smugly continued speaking with Ken.
"I'm glad to see that she acts this way with her family too."
"Thanks for putting up with her."
"Stop talking like I'm not here! Hmm... Hold on, why are you here, Elise?"
As her shouting subsided, Lyra noticed that it was the first time that Elise had set foot in the student council room. An incongruence that was quickly explained.
"Mary told me to come here today so I did."
"Thank you for doing so."
As if summoned by her name, Mary appeared from the doorway to the room with Lucas in tow. Seeing Elise and the others, Lucas beamed with pride as he called out.
"Another new face! Wow, this year has been great for recruitment!"
Whipping their heads, all of the inhabitants of the room looked to Mary and Lucas with burning anticipation.
"Oh boy, here come the stares... Uhh... I guess we should just fess up, Mary."
Stiffening her posture, Mary clutched a clipboard in front of her chest as she looked at Lucas with a chastising glare.
"Don't refer to it as 'fessing up'-"
"Guys, I made Mary my woman. We're going steady!"
Lucas excitedly stepped forward and exclaimed the good news as Mary's eyes widened in shock. The room fell silent as Lucas felt the sting of murderous intent bubbling from over his shoulder. As the hair on his neck began to stand, he tilted his head to see Mary sporting a death stare that made Lucas rush over Ken and cower behind him. Having conveyed her displeasure, Mary quickly adjusted her glasses as if switching her mood back to normal before addressing the group.
"What the President was trying to say is that we have entered an agreement of the romantic sort. We wanted to inform you all at the same time to avoid confusion."
Properly explaining herself, Mary paused for a second with the intention of continuing to speak. Yet, she was surprised as the room filled with claps and cheers from her underclassmen. A rush of heat filled her cheeks as she became the target of smiles and well wishes while both Ken and Lucas smiled knowingly. The praise persisted for a few minutes before Elise spoke up over the others.
"Only someone like you could make love sound so formal... But, if you're happy, then that's all that matters, so congrats. Was that announcement why you asked me to come here?"
The question made Mary refer to her clipboard momentarily before replying.
"Not quite..."
Walking over to the table, Mary motioned for Lucas to join her before continuing.
"There is one more announcement we wanted to make... Lucas?"
Returning to her side, Lucas faced the group with a casual smile.
"Well, you see, after we talked we realized that it wouldn't look very good if the President and Vice President started going out. Especially right after two other members did the same thing. Honestly, we considered resigning so that students wouldn't lose faith in the student council."
As he spoke, Lucas slowly placed his hands behind his head nervously. This caused Ken and Sonya to exchange worried glances.
"However, after deliberating, we came to a compromise. We need someone to keep an eye on the student council for any signs of corruption. This person would also help us keep our promise to eliminate bullying from our campus. So, without further ado..."
Shifting his hands towards Mary to present her, Lucas nodded in affirmation as she spoke.
"Elise, we want you to join the student council as head of the newly established disciplinary committee."
Attention focused on Elise as the girl slammed her hands onto the table while standing.
"What! Where did this come from! Why would you want... someone like me to..."
"You have an understanding of both sides of bullying as well as inside information on our school's bad actors. You're a natural choice from that perspective."
Tightening her grip on her clipboard as she spoke, Mary spoke in an authoritative tone as if she was reading an introduction. Elise's eyes dropped and she began to fidget with her fingers as she lowered back to her seat. However, seeing Elise's unsure expression, Mary's shoulders soon relaxed as her voice softened.
"On a more personal note... You've shown incredible bravery by humbling yourself and mending your friendship with Sonya. You also stood up to me when you felt I was making a mistake. Even though you had no reason to... You worked to help someone that you had only recently met. Disregarding the... crudeness of your methods... I wanted to thank you."
Stopping in place while in the middle of sitting down, Elise straightened her posture awkwardly. Pursing her lips, she searched Mary's face and only found sincerity. Confronted with gratitude while being the center of attention made her voice quaver as she responded.
"Y-You're welcome..."
"It's obvious that you would do an impeccable job of keeping us honest. This would also give you a chance to spend more time with us while sending a clear signal to your former friends. Your reputation isn't set in stone, so I would ask that you join us as one of us.".
Capitalizing on her momentum, Mary delivered what would be the final blow. Elise, who was not accustomed to praise from friends, was turning a bright red. With narrowed eyes, Lyra sought to get in a jeer while her guard was down.
"Aww! Elise is blushing!"
"S-Shut up!"
"But you're acting so cute!"
Clenching her fists adamantly, Elise anchored her eyes on Mary with serious inflection.
"Will I be able to give this rat detention?"
"If she violates the school's moral code, certainly."
"I'm in. Lyra's one giant code violation waiting to be punished."
Mary couldn't hide a smile as she jotted down a note on her clipboard and Elise showed a devilish grin. With menacing thoughts forming in her head she extended her fingers as if gripping the space between her and Lyra.
"Wait... You aren't serious! Ahhh!"
As Elise crept towards Lyra, the girl's screams would go unanswered. Despite the theatrics, every face in the room shared a smile. Even on the verge of change, the atmosphere was an undeniably fun one.
Soon after, the student council room returned to normal as Mary helped her underclassmen fill out paperwork for her new position. Lyra played on her phone while Stella organized budget reports and Sonya worked with Ken on his writing. From his desk, Lucas watched as the room bustled with the sounds of work.
However, the picturesque scene was soon interrupted by an overly embellished yawn from Lyra.
"Ahhhn... I'm bored..."
Before Ken could aim an annoyed stare at his sister, Stella called out sweetly.
"You can help me with the last of the budgets, Lyra."
Cheerfully sliding a robust stack of papers towards Lyra, Stella smiled at her innocently as the girl gave an unsatisfied expression.
"Ugh... Fine. I thought things were going to be more exciting once everyone started shacking up, but now I just feel left out."
"You know, it isn't always about you?"
"Quiet newbie! Nobody asked you!"
Lyra quickly shut down Elise's interjection, causing her to scoff and turn back to Mary. Still feeling deflated, the hazel eyed girl took the papers that Stella had handed her and began to examine them half-heartedly when Ken interrupted.
"Elise is right, Lyra. Plus, no one is 'shacking up'. You should be careful so you don't start rumors. Remember what Mary said about people losing faith in the student council?"
Expressively slapping the document in her hands against the table, Lyra cried out.
"But, it's not fair! Here I am in the prime of my youth and you all are getting together while I'm alone! If anything, I'm proof that the student council isn't a love nest... Unless..."
Struck by an idea, Lyra slowly panned her gaze over to Stella. Her intentions were worn on her face as she made doe eyes towards her friend. Seeing the situation unfold, Sonya extended her arms protectively in front of Stella.
"Keep your grubby paws off of Stella! You're the only one treating this place like a love nest!"
Looking up upon hearing her name, Stella quickly realized that she was the target of Lyra's previous ramblings.
"Hmm? Erk! I'm sorry, Lyra! I like you as my best friend but I don't... feel that way about you!"
Stunned by the reaction, Lyra briefly touched her finger to her chin before announcing.
"Ehh... I guess I don't feel that way about you either."
Ken pressed his palm against his forehead as Lucas let a chuckle escape. Elise began to shake her head as she called out to Lyra.
"Do you ever think before you talk? Mary, why aren't you stopping this?"
Switching her gaze to Mary, Elise hoped that she would be reinforced by a firm order from Mary. Yet, instead, Mary continued to organize her papers as she spoke.
"I caused us to be off topic yesterday and today. I can let this slide, for today. While I agree that things would be quieter without Lyra, she tends to keep things lively. Would you like to sit here in silence and do paperwork?"
"See! I keep things lively. Na-na-na!"
Revealing her tongue, Lyra squealed with pleasure as she bobbed her head up and down while watching Elise's reaction.
"That being said... You did make me chase you down yesterday..."
Gripping her pencil with extreme force, the light reflected off of Mary's glasses as a cold chill went down Lyra's spine.
"That's all in the past! We were talking about my future romance, right Stella? Hey! What about your brother?!"
Lyra swiftly changed the subject as Stella instinctively turned to face her with a blank expression.
"Yeah! He's pretty cute but small enough that I can take him! Oh! But, he's athletic too, so he can protect me-"
"You leave my brother out of this!"
Met with a livid stare from Stella, Lyra's voice quavered as she tried to keep the playful mood.
"B-But, if we got married, you, me, and Sonya would be related! It's perfect!"
Stella showed no signs of responding and Lyra lowered her shoulders.
"Unless... There's something wrong with me...
"There's nothing wrong with you, Lyra. You just shouldn't joke around about important stuff like that... Hans... deserves someone who takes him seriously... If you really did like him, or anyone for that matter, I'd support you."
Meeting Lyra with sincere determination, Stella watched as her friend's cheeks turned uncharacteristically pink. Humbled by the words, Lyra's posture relaxed as she backed down.
"T-Thank you, Stella... I guess I never thought about it like that. Maybe I'm still too naive for this romance stuff..."
Her words failed her and Lyra trailed off, leaving the room quiet for a brief second before Lucas exclaimed excitedly.
"Man, Stella doesn't mess around! Maybe we should have put her on the disciplinary committee too?"
His suggestion was followed up with a few laughs and affirmations while Lyra's disposition grew more volatile with every second. Unable to take any more, she stood and pointed a finger towards Sonya.
"When did Stella grow up, huh!? This is all your fault, Sonya!"
"What did I do?!"
"You ascended the steps to adulthood and took bright poor Stella with you!"
"I did not-"
"Come back for meee!"
Without warning, Lyra darted across the table sending papers flying as she hugged both Stella and Sonya.
"Violation! Violation! Wait! Let go of me!"
Leaping to her feet, Elise ran over and began to yell at the girls, but was quickly pulled into the group as they fought to dislodge Lyra. With the room in disarray, Lucas walked over to join Mary and Ken as they put distance between themselves and the scrambling underclassmen. Adjusting her glasses, Mary sighed while addressing no one in particular.
"We aren't going to get any work done today at this rate..."
Struck with inspiration, Lucas smiled while offering an alternative plan.
"I say we take the day off. We did drop a lot on our first year students today. Besides, you said something about letting things slide today?"
"You just want the day off to..."
"To what? You don't want to spend it together?"
Mary tried to interject but Lucas seemed ready as he met her eyes with a question filled with innuendo. Ken held back a laugh as Mary's face went white in response. Getting the reaction that he had aimed for, Lucas flashed a grin before continuing.
"I'll get them untangled. Can you guys lock up the files?"
Not waiting for an answer, he left Ken and Mary to pick up the scattered paperwork.
It didn't take long to retrieve the documents and with Mary's organizational prowess, they were quickly sorted into boxes that Ken stored into cabinets along the back wall of the room. Having completed her task, Mary stood by watching Ken place the final boxes.
"You've been quiet today. Or maybe everyone else was just loud..."
Her tone was casual and not from a place of concern, but rather idle chit chat that Ken was happy to participate in.
"Sorry, I was just having fun watching everyone talk. It's been awhile since we had a day like this lately."
"I suppose that you're right."
"You really surprised me, Mary."
Not looking back to see her face, Ken continued to work but Mary understood what he meant. If anyone had an intimate knowledge of her interactions with Lucas, it had to be Ken, she surmised. Yet, he had been silent regarding their now public relationship. Not revealing her thoughts, she replied.
"Ah, well this year has had many surprises. You've had your share as well."
Placing the last parcel in the cabinet, Ken locked it behind him as he turned to face Mary.
"That's true, but that doesn't mean I'm not happy for you too. You and Lucas are my best friends so I'm glad we can keep spending time together."
She wondered if this was his way of letting her know that she had his approval. Nonetheless, a smile spread across her face while nostalgic memories played in her head.
"It wasn't so long ago that you were sleeping in here everyday... Now the room is so full of life. I... I'm glad I'm here too. To think that this all started with you and Sonya. I wonder if I should thank you?"
It was now Ken's turn to smile as he joined Mary's side.
"I didn't do anything to earn your thanks. We all did this, together. Just like we will next school year, too."
"Agreed."
Sharing their enthusiasm, they felt a sense of accomplishment at having made so many changes. Despite the many trials, there was no denying that the student council room had become a place that they were excited to visit while at school. It was the birthplace of many important relationships and hopefully would continue to be in the future. While trapped in their daze of self reflection, a taunting voice pulled them back to reality.
"What are you two over here smiling about? Come on, the girls want to go eat somewhere in town. I said it could be an official student council outing before the end of the trimester. You guys are in, right?"
With a bright smile that towered above their own Lucas extended his question. The four girls stood waiting as if Lucas had somehow magically trained them. Ken quickly realized that he must have offered them the outing in return for good behavior. Just as he was about to push his fingers to his temple, Mary addressed the group.
"Fine, but we are going to have a study session this weekend. Right, ladies?"
Lucas pumped his fist in joy as groans filled the air and Sonya, Elise, and Lyra pulled Stella as they darted from the room. Lucas and Mary exchanged glances as they followed behind. With the lull in activity, Ken moved towards the door and ran his finger along the wood grain. Wishing for nothing more than to have fun filled days like this, he pulled the door shut on the halcyon memories and turned to follow after his friends.
However, in the distance he could see that they had stopped and were waiting at the end of the hallway. As he realized that he was the cause, he was caught off guard as a soft feeling enveloped his hand. Looking down he saw that Sonya had run back to retrieve him with a grimace on her face. It was then that he understood that he wasn't excluded from the memories he was ruminating over. He was an active participant in their lives just as they were in his. As a warm feeling filled his chest, he allowed Sonya to pull him forward into the next chapter.