“Come on,” he says, squeezing my shoulders. “We’ve got a meeting to get to.”
I follow him down the hallway, counting my steps:
One, two, three.
One, two, three.
One two, three.
The rest of the way to Mr. Harrison’s room is twenty-seven sets of three, for eighty-one steps total. All odd numbers,which is comforting, and something inside me settles a little bit, like a dragon retreating into its cave.
Forrest is there before us again, setting out chairs. We exchange nods, and I join him, pushing seats into place.
People filter in, but it doesn’t take long for the trickle to stop. We definitely have fewer people this week than last week; we started the year with at least ten freshmen, and today we’re down to two. None of the sophomores show, and the only senior is Riley. Stef is here, notebook already open, but even Alexander is missing.
“Hold up!” He darts in just as Anna closes the door. “Sorry I’m late.”
“It’s all good,” Jayden says, smiling at him.
I look around the room. There are ten of us here, down from the more than twenty on the first day. Last year, we averaged fifteen people per meeting. I should know; as secretary, I was keeping track. But we’re only three meetings into the year and we’ve lost so many people already.
Is this because of last week?
Because of me and Forrest, and our ...disagreement?
“OK!” Forrest says, calling the room to attention. “Queerly beloved, we are gathered here today to figure out what the fuck we’re doing this month.” A few people giggle. He looks at me. “I’ve been talking with people outside of the club, and it sounds like a lot of y’all are into the party idea.”
The blood freezes in my veins. He’s been talking to people? Outside of club time? He came to me as if he actually wanted to work together, and this whole time he’s been talking to everyone else behind my back.
“Really?” I manage through a clenched jaw. “That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”
“I like Sidney’s idea,” Anna says softly. She widens her eyes at me when I look at her, and I widen mine back. I know she understands what this means. Forrest is showing his true colors.
“Maybe you shouldn’t speak for others,” I say to Forrest.
“Well, Anna’s your friend, of course she likes your idea,” he fires back. “But this isn’t a popularity contest. It’s about what everyone wants, not just you.”
I sit back in my chair. Mr. Harrison emerges from his office, looking around at all of us.
“How are we doing?” he asks. “I heard raised voices.” His gaze lands on Forrest, who shrinks slightly, a sheepish smile crossing his face.
“Sorry, Mr. H,” he says. “We’re just, um. Passionately discussing the best direction for the club this year.”
Mr. Harrison nods slowly, scanning Forrest’s face, then mine. The room feels like a pressurized container, as if one wrong word will be the puncture that suffocates us all. I don’t want to be responsible for that suffocation.
“Fine. Do the party.” I squeeze the words out, expecting the room to relax, but instead every face swivels to me. Jayden’s eyebrows raise, and he looks to Makayla, who’s fidgeting with her ring, and then to Anna beside her with hands frozen in midair over her laptop.
“You sure?” Forrest asks, his voice too light, like he didn’t just Julius Caesar me in front of everyone.
“I said it’s fine,” I say, and he shrugs.
“So ...what do we need to make this happen?” Stef asks, eyes darting between the two of us.
Forrest stares at me a moment longer and lurches into motion, out of his seat and across to the whiteboard.COMING OUT PARTY,he writes in an empty space.
“Decorations,” Riley calls out, and Forrest scribbles it down.
“Snacks?” one of the freshmen says.
