Plan A: Thugs, Shadows, and a Surprisingly Strong Gavin
1033 Words
The next morning.
"Hey, Tine, what was that post?" Phil asked as they entered the classroom.
"It was Eustace. He's really messing around," Tine replied with a frustrated sigh.
"That's why you need to get his phone fixed so you can get yours back," Fleur suggested.
"Does he think he can just mess with me like that? No way!" Tine exclaimed.
"Are you planning revenge?" Phil asked.
"No, I'm just going to get his phone fixed," Tine said.
After class, Tine went to the phone repair shop, but unfortunately, Eustace’s phone was beyond repair. She then decided to meet him in person.
"Sorry... It was hopeless," she admitted.
Eustace shrugged. "No need to worry. I already bought a new one," he said, handing her phone back.
"Then why did you want it fixed?" Tine asked, puzzled.
"Because you needed to take responsibility for the damage," Eustace replied, his face impassive.
As Eustace was about to leave, Tine blurted out, "Wait! I need to tell you something. It’ll just take ten seconds."
"Five... four... three... two..." Eustace counted down.
"BE MY BOYFRIEND!" Tine shouted.
Eustace looked shocked. "What on earth did you just say?"
"Not a real boyfriend. Just pretend. I’ve got someone following me," Tine explained hurriedly.
"Why? Isn't he handsome? Is that why you don’t want him?" Eustace asked.
"It’s not that... He’s too involved in my private life. Surely you understand not wanting someone invading your privacy?" Tine replied.
"Well, you never know. You might want a nuisance in your life," Eustace said with a slight chuckle.
"That’s funny. I know you don’t like people sabotaging your privacy," Tine remarked.
"There is one nuisance," Eustace replied, pointing at Tine. "It’s you."
"Me?" Tine stood there, stunned, as Eustace walked away.
That afternoon, at the study shed,
"What?! You just let him walk away? How stupid of you, Tine!"
"He called me a nuisance to my face. What else could I do?" Tine replied defensively.
"I agree with Phil. You had your chance, and you let it slip," Fleur added.
"Olivia, aren’t you going to yell at me too?" Tine asked, exasperated.
"Wait, I’ve found something," Olivia said, her eyes glued to her phone. "Someone posted a video of Eustace."
"Does it say anything useful?" Tine asked, hopeful.
In the video, a girl asked, "Eustace, what club are you joining? Maybe we’ll be in the same one."
"I don’t know," Eustace replied.
"What activities do you like?" the girl pressed.
"Football, archery, planting, meditation, boxing, fencing—"
"Why doesn't he just include scuba diving and coral planting?" Tine said, rolling her eyes.
"Scuba diving and coral planting," Eustace added, making the friends laugh.
"See? That’s useless information," Tine remarked.
"I think I just found a way," Fleur said, her eyes lighting up. "If you can get into the same club as him, you’ll get to see him often."
"Right," Olivia agreed. "But which club will he join?"
"That’s easy. I overheard a senior asking him to rehearse with the music club," Tine said.
"Music club? And you only mention it now? What a dumbass!" Olivia exclaimed, shaking her head.
Determined, Tine decided to join the music club despite knowing nothing about music. At the main hall where the club registration was happening, Tine and her friends looked for the music club. Gavin was also there and tried to drag Tine to the cooking club. She managed to escape and finally reached the music club, only to find many girls already there.
"Hey, Tine! You're here?" Phil called out.
"Yes, but are you guys really my friends? You left me with Gavin again," Tine complained.
"Sorry, we got dragged to the swimming club by some hot guys," Phil explained.
Fortunately, when Eustace left the registration booth, most of the girls followed him, giving Tine a chance to register.
In the music club.
"Hi, everyone. I am Ace, the secretary of this club, and this is Miss Dan, our president," Ace introduced. "Our club was founded 30 years ago and has brought fame and admiration to our university. However, this year is different. I’ve heard many of you joined because of one of our members. If you're here to chase after a guy, the door is open. Get up and leave."
Tine remained seated, determined to achieve her goal.
Surprisingly, almost all of the members stood up and left, except Tine.
"Wait!" said the president. "It’s okay as long as you love music."
"But there are too many of them," Ace whispered to Dan.
"Don’t worry about it. We’ll talk to the board," Dan replied.
There was a tradition in the music club to welcome new members, involving singing, dancing, and games. The last game, "Snack for Friendship," required one pair to feed each other a snack using their mouths.
"Eustace, since you have many fans, and Tine, the cheerleader, you’ll be the pair," Dan announced.
Eustace and Tine’s lips grew closer until they touched. "Pass! You all made it!" Dan declared. Tine stood there, stunned.
"Okay, guys, 15-minute break," Ace announced.
"What are you thinking about? They're heading to the canteen," Eustace asked, noticing Tine’s blank expression.
"Are you really trying to mess with me? Why did you kiss me?" Tine demanded angrily.
"Mess with you? You’re the one messing with me. Besides, you asked me to be your boyfriend yesterday. A little kiss won’t hurt," Eustace replied, patting her head before leaving.
Later at the study shed,
"Oh, Tine. Just two seconds with Eustace, and you already got a kiss from him," Phil teased.
"It wasn’t a kiss! His lips just brushed mine," Tine protested.
"Anyway, what about Eustace? Did he agree to help you?" Fleur asked.
"I haven’t asked him yet," Tine admitted, embarrassed.
"How dumb!" Olivia exclaimed. "You need to hurry before Gavin gets you kicked out of the club."
Back at the music club, Ace handed Tine an old guitar to practice.
"I love your determination, Tine. But your chord playing is all wrong. Don’t worry, you still have time."
"No time," Dan interjected. "The university board won’t allow so many members. Next Friday, we’ll have a test for beginners. If you don’t pass, you’ll be kicked out."
- Writer
