Bye, Santa

"For a delinquent," Death said as he scanned the room. "Your bedroom doesn't act the part."

"What does a delinquent's bedroom look like?" I frowned at him.

"I don't know," He shrugged. "I expected the walls to be splattered with ink and vandalized with graffiti. Or, if you want the cliche variety, why not have the walls decorated with a mix of posters of your favorite punk bands, anti-establishment symbols, and manic pixie dream girl characters that you'll base your personality on until you find the next character to embody?"

I stared at him blankly for a good minute before I spoke.

"First, I can't vandalize my walls since I live with Granma. I would have met you earlier if I were even considering decorating my walls with posters or whatever you said." I paused. "Or maybe I would've met another Death since you said you're specifically a Death by Suicide."

"Oh," Death looked quite happy. If he had a tail, he'd wag it. "You remembered."

I frowned but continued.

"Second, I'm not fond of punk music."

Death made a face. "Ye of little music taste."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Let's just continue this memory."

Death nodded, and we looked at the new location before us.

We were now standing in front of my bedroom.

Though the lights were closed, there was nothing much to see since it was as plain as possible. It consisted of what a typical teenager's room looked like: a bed, a study table, a nightstand with a lamp on top of it, a bookshelf, and a carpet.

That's it.

Lying on the bed was the younger me as I stared at the ceiling. It had been a few days since I last saw Klaus. I purposely avoided him since I didn't know how to answer his invitation.

But right now, as I was staring at the ceiling in total darkness, I couldn't help but contemplate Klaus's offer to join the student council.

It made me happy that Klaus considered me a suitable candidate to join the student council, even though I wasn't exactly sure what his criteria were. He even watched over me for the past few months to make sure of his decision! How--

"That's not something you should be getting giddy about," Death pointed out. "He was being a creep, not romantic."

"This was the age where men's unwanted advances were considered romantic, Death," I said, facing him. "During this era, the Internet has yet to coin the term 'love bombing.'"

"That wasn't love bombing," Death frowned. "He was merely flattering you to get what he wanted."

"So are you saying it's my fault for thinking I was in awe to be chosen?"

"Why are you turning the tides at me?" Death yelled. "You're the girl attracted to men who do the bare minimum!"

I placed my hand on my chest. "Ouch,"

"Oh," He exclaimed. "Too much?"

I shook my head, laughing. "Nah, it's fine. I do admit that I'm easy to manipulate. Even until the last few days of my life…"

Death was about to say something when the younger me spoke.

"Why would he even ask a delinquent like me?"

But, well, it didn't matter what his reason was. I decided I'd talk to him tomorrow and would decline his offer.

"I'm not cut out for that anyway," I said, closing my eyes. "There's a reason why I didn't bother joining Boss's gang, which also applies to the student council."

Death raised an eyebrow.

"And that reason is?"

I shrugged.

"I have too much on my plate as it is."

"That's it?"

I shrugged.

The In-Between changed its features, returning to that hallway where I first met Klaus. Like the previous memory, I saw Klaus again in the hallway. This time, he was doing his rounds.

'It must be tiring to be part of the student council.' I thought to myself.

I took a deep breath, hyping myself up before walking to Klaus. When Klaus saw me heading in his direction, his eyes lit up like he expected me to accept his invitation.

Sadly, I was planning to break his heart.

"Good morning, Evangeline." Klaus greeted cheerfully.

"He won't know what hit him," Death snickered, looking forward to Klaus's negative reaction.

"Good morning, Santa," I replied, trying to sound composed. "I'm fine. How about you?"

"I'm good too!" Klaus replied, his smile widening. "So, have you thought about it?"

My mind raced, knowing precisely what he was referring to. Why couldn't he keep up the small talk a little longer? I wasn't prepared to reject him yet.

God, my people-pleasing tendencies are showing!

"About that," I hesitated, gathering my courage. "I thought it over and... I'm sorry, Santa. I have to decline."

There was a moment of silence that seemed to stretch on forever. Klaus appeared taken aback, his smile fading into a frown.

"I see," Klaus finally responded, his disappointment evident in his voice.

"Yeah," I said, feeling guilty for declining his invitation.

Klaus wasn't one to give up quickly, and his determination showed when he asked, "May I at least ask why?"

"So you could convince me again?" I replied in an accusatory tone.

"Yes?" he inquired, hoping I might reconsider.

I took a deep breath, knowing I had to stand my ground.

"Then, I won't explain," I said firmly. "Please don't try to convince me anymore."

"But—" Klaus started to protest.

"I have to get to class," I said hurriedly, not allowing him to say more as I turned around. "Bye, Santa."

I gave him one last look before walking, the bell ringing just in time. This prevented Klaus from running after me since he had his class to attend.

"Even though I hate this bastard," Death said as we both watched Klaus looking at my back with a helpless look on his face. "I do feel a bit of pity for him."

I nodded in agreement.