My Taboo Obsession

Chapter Six: Diana

Right before classes ended, Cathy told me they would be meeting at the library and that slightly raised my spirits. Usually, I found myself going there after school to borrow some books and just take in deep breaths. I loved the quiet and peace that came with being there, and my unofficial job as the library assistant made things easier.

However, I couldn't understand why they wanted to meet there. Apart from the fact that we would have to be extra quiet, it was a public place and I wasn't sure anyone would want their club activities to become a topic for discussion.

Either way, I couldn't deny that a part of me was curious to see what they did. Since last year, Cathy had been begging me to join and though I refused, it seemed like most of my classmates loved to be in clubs. Actually, it was how they bonded and sometimes, it made me jealous.

My thoughts were cut short by the bell and before I could say anything, my best friend ran to my side. “Let's go.”

Soon, we walked down the stairs and headed for the library. Behind us, some students followed and as she talked to them, I could feel their curious gazes. They were also part of the club, but this was the first time I felt so bothered about Cathy talking to them. It quickly became obvious that I was the loner, she would be alright even if I didn't come to school.

For a few seconds, I felt like running home but before I could act on it, one of her friends tapped me. “Are you coming to join us, or just watch?”

“Umm…,” I turned to her and swallowed nervously. “I'm coming to join.”

The others smiled at me and clapped my shoulders. “That's nice. I'm sure you'll like it.”

I couldn't help but smile back. Besides me, Cathy nudged my arm and shrugged in a 'I told you' gesture. After a minute, we got to the library and one of the girls walked up in front. She held a hand to us, with a key in one of her fingers.

“Guess who was made library prefect yesterday?” There was a high tilt to her voice, and the others congratulated her for a while. Usually, the post was for those who took care of the place and made friends with the librarian, like me. However, I always shied away from the official position so someone else always got it

After a while, she opened the door and to our surprise, turned to the staircase on the left. Instantly, I moved forward. “We aren't allowed to go there.”

She glanced at me and shrugged. “Says who? Come on, I want to show you guys something.”

Her mysterious smile left me a bit suspicious. These were people I didn't know, apart from Cathy who almost seemed like a different person, and in all my two years of working in the library, I hadn't gotten access to the bottom floor. I had a mind to leave them and go home, but before I could do anything, my best friend clasped my hand and began dragging me down the flight of stairs.

“Cathy, I don't think this is a good idea,” I began to protest, but she just shook her head and held me tighter. Feeling out of options, I settled on studying the wide set of stairs. There were dim lights overhead, and I saw multiple writings on the walls. Most of them were famous author quotes, while the others were love letters and flirty words.

Trust students to be crass with everything. However, seeing that made me a bit comfortable because at least, it meant people had been there before. After a while, we came to a large room at the foot of the stairs. It had rows of chairs, and a white board at the centre of the room. It was also well lit, and looked recently used.

“So, I've arranged with the librarian for this to be our new club hideout. What do you guys think?” Edna asked. The smile on her face was wider, and she looked really excited about showing off her latest find.

“I think it could be helpful to the success of this club,” a slightly Irish voice said, and my heart instantly sped up. It was very familiar, and even before anyone turned, I already knew who it was.

“Mr. Lucien! How did you–” There were a few gasps in the room, including mine. The plan was to see the place first, then call our History teacher, but he beat us to it.

There was a smile on his face as he walked further into the room, his hands hidden inside his pockets. “Every teacher knows this room, and when Edna told me about the library, I figured this was the place.”

“Ohh... alright. We can start now, I guess,” one of the guys responded, and just then, I noticed his vest had a yellow badge on it.

“He's the club president?” I whispered to Cathy, and she absently nodded. Her focus was shifting between the guy addressing us and Mr. Lucien, and I had the mind to tease her but she suddenly stood up.

“Sorry, Owens, but before we start, there's a new member of the club. We have to give her the floor.” My smile turned into fear, and I suddenly felt my palms becoming clammy.

Everyone's eyes instantly turned to me, and sinking into the ground looked like a wonderful option. I slowly glanced at Cathy, who gave me an encouraging look but I was feeling far from that. I was upset. How could she put me in such a position?

Worst of all, with our teacher around, and not just anyone. It was Mr. Lucien! “Okay. My name is Diana, and I'm glad to be a member of this club.” I said in one breath and sat down immediately, already feeling beads of sweat on my forehead.

Thankfully, they just clapped and motioned for the president to continue. Internally, I was furious at Cathy's feeble attempt in making me feel welcome. I hated being the center of attention, and she knew that.

I spent the next ten minutes wondering how to tell her about it, when Mr. Lucien's voice filled my thoughts. “Diana, what do you think?”

I blinked twice. “What?”

“We were talking about the invention of the telephone, and its historical impacts so far. Ken thinks the advantages greatly outweighs the risks it brought, while Owens feels the opposite way,” he explained, and crossed his legs. “Which would you go with?”

That familiar anxiousness settled in my bones again, and I heaved a sigh to calm down. Why was everyone bent on making me talk? Ignoring my fidgety fingers, I leaned forward.

“Before, and even after the wars, people had ways of communicating. Written letters, stamps, word of mouth, they found a way to stay in touch even after decades. Graham Bell made it easier for us, by starting off the chain of events that led to the phones and laptops we have now, and I firmly believe it's good to consistently make out lives easier. In essence, I agree with Ken. Whether or not phones existed, bad stuff would have still happened.”

Once again, everyone's eyes were on me but I found myself staring directly at our teacher. It was the first time I noticed the dark glint in his eyes, and it scared me but I couldn't make myself look away. For some reason, my head decided to have a bold moment and it wasn't until he cleared his throat and quickly looked away that I blinked and leaned back.

“That's an interesting take, Diana,” he responded, before broaching another topic. Thankfully, he didn't ask me anything else throughout the remaining fifty minutes, but that didn't stop me from stealing glances at him or him smiling when our eyes met.