#they'd had a powerpoint club

[dilfsuzanneyk]

the ghosts would be unstoppable if they could use powerpoint slides

[my-taelicious-kookie]

(ch.3) NORMALITY | jjk high school AU

Preview: anticipation is inevitable

Present

Maria scanned her new classroom, her eyes lighting up when she spotted a familiar face across the room. There, sitting casually with his backpack slung over one shoulder, was Jungkook. She felt a rush of excitement, knowing they'd be sharing classes together this year. Her mind buzzed with anticipation. She'd been hoping they'd cross paths again, and now that he was here, she couldn't wait to talk to him. Maybe he'd even join the dance extracurricular club with her, something she'd dreamed of for months.

As Maria settled into her desk next to Dani, Mr. Park, their homeroom teacher, continued on with his PowerPoint presentation. His voice faded in and out as she glanced back at Jungkook, planning exactly what she'd say once the class was given free time. Finally, Mr. Park announced they could chat with each other, and Maria was ready to spring out of her seat when the loudspeaker crackled to life.

"Attention, Year 7 students," the principal's voice boomed through the speakers. "Please make your way to the courtyard for your orientation."

Maria slumped in disappointment, watching as her classmates started gathering their things. She shot a longing glance at Jungkook, but there was no time for conversation; the teachers ushered them out of the classroom toward the courtyard.

~11:30 AM~

The orientation was mid at best. Maria found herself in the middle of a team-building activity. The courtyard buzzed with nervous energy as teachers divided students into random groups, assigning them icebreaker challenges meant to foster camaraderie. Unfortunately, luck didn't place her in the same group as Jungkook or Brenda, but instead with Mia and Clara. At this point she'd rather be placed with the new students that looked freakishly similar like the weird art kiddos from Mean Girls (sorry Janis and Damian).

She took a deep breath, summoning her patience as they dove into the first activity: a dressmaking contest using newspaper. The group was supposed to come up with a creative costume, but Maria quickly realized that she'd need to take charge to avoid chaos. Mia was a bit of a perfectionist, trying to fold every sheet with precise creases, while Clara kept throwing out wild ideas that derailed their progress. Maria plastered on a polite smile, trying to keep the peace and help them focus.

'No wonder why they didn't win the dance competition', she thought.

Next up was an art challenge called "Paint and Pass," where each student added a brushstroke to create a shared masterpiece. Maria contributed her part, but it was hard to feel inspired with everyone painting in clashing colors. The artwork looked like an explosion of randomness by the end, though the teachers seemed delighted.

Afterward, they had a "goals and dreams" discussion session, which felt long-winded and forced. Maria found herself nodding along to everyone's aspirations without any real connection. Though she smiled and made polite small talk, deep down, she couldn't wait for the orientation to end.

Finally, it wrapped up, and they were allowed to head back to their classrooms. She let out a sigh of relief, her energy drained from hours of trying to be friendly and engaged. As she met up with Brenda, she couldn't help but vent.

"Ugh, can you believe our recess got pushed back because of that? I'm starving," Maria muttered, rubbing her stomach dramatically.

"Yeah, I know!" Brenda replied, rolling her eyes. "We might as well skip straight to lunch now since the lunch break is at 1:15. I heard the food's actually decent here."

They walked toward the cafeteria, glancing over the menu as they waited in line. The options looked pretty appetising compared to what they'd had in primary school. Brenda opted for an extra-spicy, Asian-inspired pasta aglio e olio, while Maria went for a simple piece of fried chicken. As they started to walk back to their table, a teacher stopped them.

The teacher's name tag read Mrs. Isidora. She looked at Maria's chicken sadly wrapped in a brown bag, eyebrows raised.

"Just a chicken? Will you be full from that without rice?" Mrs. Isidora asked, her tone somewhere between bewilderment and disapproval.

Maria bit back the retort that instantly sprang to mind—Well, Mrs. Isidora, I can't afford to buy rice and I need protein more than anything—but forced a polite smile instead. "It's okay," she replied, keeping her voice neutral.

Mrs. Isidora shook her head in disbelief. "Right, you young people are weird, eating meat without rice? Makes no sense."

Maria just chuckled, more out of politeness than anything, and walked away before she said something she'd regret. Brenda, catching the interaction, raised her eyebrows as they sat down at their table.

"Geez, what's her deal?" Brenda muttered, rolling her eyes as she took a bite of her pasta.

Maria shrugged, stabbing her fork into her chicken with slightly more force than necessary. "No fucking idea, but she could chill with the unsolicited opinions before I shove this drumstick up her-"

~2:45~

The final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Maria packed up her things, stretching as she stood and looked around the bustling hallway. Just an hour longer than primary school, yet somehow it felt like an eternity.

"Lord, it's only one hour extra from primary school, but somehow it felt longer," Maria groaned as she walked out with Brenda.

Brenda chuckled. "Eh, I just don’t pay attention—that's how you make time pass quickly."

Maria laughed, shaking her head. She can't wait for her first dance club meeting next week, where she'd finally get the chance to show off her moves and meet others who shared her passion. As they walked together, Maria realized she hadn't actually gotten to talk to Jungkook that day, despite all her plans that morning. Welp, that's a tomorrow problem. Today had been enough of an adventure on its own, and all she wanted now was to go home, recharge, and get ready to dive headfirst into dance.

With a final wave to Brenda, Maria hopped into her bus, her mind already spinning with thoughts of routines, music, and the thrill of performing.

'I really hope Jungkook considers joining the dance club.'

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