Page 37 of Psync
Eli:Can one of you grab me something to eat and bring it to the club meeting?
I’m not going to be able to grab lunch today
mAlice:Sure, babe, I got you. Anything wrong?
Eli:Nope! Just busy
It wasn’t a complete lie. He wasn’t going to be able to get lunch because he didn’t have time to hit up another cafeteria and make it to his next class. And that counted as being busy, right?
He gave the cafeteria a wide berth—just in case he was spotted from a window. Not that he thought Haruka would come sprinting after him, wielding a burrito, but one could never be too careful.
By the time he made it to the club room for his first official meeting of the Tea and Calligraphy club, his stomach was punishing him for depriving it all day. He really should have grabbed something from the coffee cart other than coffee, but he’d been too keyed up to even think about eating.
When he spotted Alice waving a bag at him from a table, he could have hugged her.
“I’m ready to propose marriage if that’s what it takes to get that bag, Alice.” He slid into a seat beside her, hands clasped together, pleading. He didn’t know what was inside the bag, but the smell was torturing him.
“Don’t give me those puppy eyes. Of course, this is for you. You’re too skinny as it is.” Alice pointed to his baggy sleeves. “And don’t go proposing to just anyone. Someone might take you up on it and steal you away from us.”
Eli didn’t respond, he was too busy stuffing the grilled cheese sandwich he’d discovered into his mouth as fast as it would go.
“And definitely don’t make those sounds in public.” Nate said from across the table.
“I’m hungry!” he said between bites.
“And whose fault is that?”
Eli kept his eyes glued to his food and continued to eat so he didn’t have to answer. It was clearly Haruka’s fault, but he’d pick never eating again over mentioning that piece of info to his friends. Nate already had issues with the man. If Eli said he made him too nervous to eat, he doubted it would make his friend less worried.
The sound of clapping filled the room. Everyone turned to see Kate standing at the front of the room with a wide smile. “I think everyone is here, so we can get started.”
There weren’t a lot of people in the club. With the addition of Eli and his friends, it brought the total number of members to eleven. Eli and Nate were the only guys, and it was easy to see by the sparkle in his friend’s eye exactly how he felt about it.
“First, I want to start by welcoming our new members. Raise your hands and introduce yourself, guys!”
Eli poked a few fingers out of his sleeve and gave a quick wave but didn’t say anything. He was there to get better at calligraphy and hang out with Alice and Nate—not to make more friends.
Alice wasn’t as reserved though, she raised both hands and cheered like she was at a football game. “Nice to meet you everyone! I’m Alice and this shy cutie here is Eli. Don’t be afraid if he runs away the first time you introduce yourself to him. It’s his way of saying hi.”
“Alice . . .” Eli whispered through gritted teeth. Not that she was entirely incorrect, but she didn’t need to make a big deal about his sad lack of social skills.
Nate stood up and waved. “I’m Nate—as most of you already know. I’m glad to see some new faces and look forward to meeting you and learning everything you all have to teach me.” He cocked his head to the side and gave a charming smile—one Eli knew for a fact he practiced in the mirror. “And if Eli runs away from you, I promise to catch him and bring him back for a proper introduction.”
When Nate sat back down Eli leaned forward and hissed. “You two planned this, didn’t you?”
“It’s for your own good, sweetie.” Alice patted the table next to his hand.
Nate, on the other hand, merely grinned and pointed his attention back at Kate.
“Usually, we start off each meeting by going around and asking everyone what their goals are for the week. It gives members with less experience a chance to get advice and support from everyone in the group. Even new members are welcome to give advice if you have any insight. We’re all here to learn and have fun, after all.
“We only have one rule here, and I’m going to clear the floor for Raina who is the enforcer.” Kate bowed theatrically and stepped aside for a tall young woman with a long, black braid, a ripped black crop top, and motorcycle boots.
She topped Eli by half a foot. Hopefully the rule would be easy to follow. Getting on Raina’s bad side wouldn’t end in his favor.
“Hi everyone.” Raina’s voice was quiet but strong. Something about it reminded Eli of Haruka. “Rule number one is easy enough to follow, so I’m not anticipating any trouble. Simply put, just don’t be a dick.”
Alice laughed. “I knew I was going to like this club.”
