I looked at the board, staring at the words like they were written in a different language.

“Chaos Cleaners Club,” I read aloud, hoping that saying it would somehow help me make sense of it. “What…what kind of—” I stopped, brain short-circuiting. I didn’t even know what questions to ask. It was that absurd.

“Hello, my name is Wendy,” Wendy suddenly said, stepping forward like we were at a job interview. She approached Renzo, shook his hand, and smiled politely, completely ignoring my meltdown. “I’ve been hoping to join your club. It’s the main reason I enrolled in this school. What do I need to do to get in?”

“Well, Wendy, beautiful name by the way, you're in luck. There’s no audition! You're already in!” Renzo exclaimed.

“It’s because we don’t have enough members,” another student cut in, walking into the room.

I turned, expecting a mop-hugger or a dust-obsessed freak. But to my surprise, the guy looked…normal. A black long-sleeve under his uniform, the standard white shirt and tie, and an eyebrow piercing that was one hundred percent not allowed in school.

I had to double look. I couldn't believe he was a member.

“Milo!” Renzo cried, sprinting toward him and throwing his arms around him. Guess Renzo’s a hugger to both people and mops.

“Renzo, get off me,” Milo groaned, shoving him off. He glanced at me, said nothing, then turned toward Wendy. For a second, I thought he’d give her the same cold shoulder. Instead, his whole demeanor shifted. He smirked, grabbed her hand, and kissed it.

Disgusting.

“I didn’t see you properly when I walked in,” Milo said smoothly. “You must be our new member. Welcome to the Cleaners Club. Finally, someone pretty is joining us.”

Wendy flushed.

Okay. Correction: he’s also a weirdo.

“So Wendy, you’re officially in!” Renzo declared, spinning back to her. Then he pointed at me. “And you! I didn’t even get your name—what a klutz I am! Just tell me and I’ll add you to the list of official—”

“Wait, hold up. No.” I cut in fast. “I’m not joining this club.”

“What do you mean, no?” Renzo blinked, clearly wounded.

“I mean, I don’t even know what this club is about. And I have a different club in mind.” Lie.

“But—”

“Let him go,” Milo said, glaring at me like I was already on his blacklist. “We don’t need someone like him. Club selections aren’t over yet. Someone better might audition.”

“But we need five members to keep from disbanding!” Renzo wailed.

I waved to Wendy and moved toward the door while the two boys were arguing. If I stuck around with this circus, my high school life was over before it began. A mop-hugger, a pretentious wannabe Casanova, and…okay, Wendy was fine. She seemed normal.

“I’ve been obsessed with cleaning since I was a kid,” I overheard her confess to Milo. “I can’t stand trash lying around. Once, I reorganized my entire house’s garbage, piece by piece. It was the most satisfying thing ever!”

…Never mind.

“Well, enjoy your club. I’m out,” I said, pushing the door open. But as I got ready to step out, another male student blocked my way. This one was taller than me. Way taller. Enough that I instinctively backed up.

Renzo, Milo, and Wendy all froze when they saw him. Milo even bristled like a guard dog.

“What are you doing here?” Milo demanded, crossing his arms, trying to look tough.

The guy stepped inside, scanning the room with a dark expression. Handsome, too. And familiar. Like I’d seen him before.

“Hey, I asked you a question. Why are you—”

“I got transferred,” he said flatly.

Silence. It took Renzo a good five seconds to process it.

“Transferred…to where?”

“Here.” His tone didn’t change. “The band kicked me out. Said I was causing too much trouble. I didn’t know what club to join, so I told the board to shove me anywhere. They shoved me here. So now I’m here.”

No. Way.

Another one?!

“What?!” Milo exploded. “How is that possible?! You’ve been their member for three years! You can’t just get kicked out. No, this is wrong. You need to go back! They need you!”

“Need him, or are you just scared someone more handsome will steal the spotlight?” Renzo teased mercilessly. He turned to the newcomer, grinning. “Samuel, welcome to the Chaos Cleaners Club. We’ll do our best to make this the best club ever!”

Samuel didn’t even blink. “I don’t care. Do what you want. I’ll stay out of the way.” He brushed past Renzo and started examining a stack of boxes, like we weren’t even here.

Didn’t even look at Wendy.

“Renzo! Look at him! He doesn’t even want to talk to us!” Milo fumed. “If his own band doesn’t want him, why should we?”

“We need him, Milo,” Renzo said patiently. “We only have three members left. Seven graduated last year, and you only joined because the sports team kicked you out and transferred you here too—”

“Shut up!” Milo snapped, cutting him off and throwing a quick glance at Wendy, like his reputation mattered to her. (Spoiler: it didn’t.)

While those two bickered, I watched Samuel. The silent way he prowled the room nagged at me. Familiar. Too familiar.

Wendy tugged my sleeve. “Are you really leaving?” she whispered, back to her timid self.

“Well…” My eyes drifted toward Samuel again. “This school has three bands, right? What band was Samuel from?”

She blinked at my sudden curiosity, but answered anyway. “Yeah, I went here last year for their festival. You know, the festival they hold to encourage people to enroll. Out of the three, they were the most popular. Tons of people came just to see them. If I remember right, they’re called Midnight Alley.”

…What?

“M-Midnight Alley?” My voice cracked.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Samuel’s the drummer.”

And suddenly, it clicked.

Midnight Alley. I’d seen them once, back in middle school, when they visited for a performance. They were the reason I wanted to come here. The reason I dreamed of auditioning. The reason I…completely screwed up on my first day. I was rushing to get to school because I was excited to audition for that band. It was the only reason I was excited to go. After the accident...it felt impossible.

But not anymore.

Samuel was in the club. Samuel was right there.

If I could stick around long enough, maybe I’d get the chance to talk to him. Maybe even learn something from him. And if I played it right, maybe, just maybe, I could find my way into Midnight Alley for real.

The thought made my chest tighten with reckless hope.

“You need five members to avoid disbanding, right?” I asked suddenly.

The room froze. Milo, Renzo, Wendy, and even Samuel turned to stare at me.

I took a deep breath. “I’ll join this club. Sign me up.”

Renzo gasped so loudly it sounded like he’d been holding his breath for years. “You...you mean it?! Oh my god, we’re saved!” He shot into the air like a firework, fists pumping. “WE LIVE ANOTHER DAY!” He practically tackled me in his excitement. I swerved out of the way just in time, and he ended up clinging to Milo’s shoulder instead.

“This is a mistake,” Milo muttered, pushing Renzo off him. “Adding dead weight won’t save us.”

“Better than having you,” I shot back before I could stop myself.

His eyes narrowed. “Say that again—”

“Guys,” Wendy said softly. Somehow, it shut us both up. “We’re all here now. Isn’t that…a good thing?”

Samuel didn’t so much as glance at us. Still poking through that box like it contained the meaning of life.

The silence that followed was thick. Awkward. It was then and there that we realized we didn't belong together. A cleaning-obsessed girl, a mop-hugger, a wannabe gangster, a washed-up drummer, and then me—the idiot who just volunteered for this mess because of an ulterior motive. This didn't make any sense. WE didn't make any sense. But that didn't matter for now. We needed a club to be in, and this was it.

Renzo, of course, pumped his fist in the air like this was the finale of some cheesy anime.

“Let’s do our best...Chaos Cleaners Club!”

…And just like that, my high school life was officially doomed.