Expectations

-After School, Science Lab-

Joanne is sitting alone in the front calmly while waiting for the initiation to start.

Another Asian guy walks toward her and says, "Oh, I thought I was the only Asian here! Hi, I'm Rei!" a boy introduces himself.

"Oh hi! Yeah... Well, I'm Asian too... Oh, my parents are Korean." Joanne introduces herself.

"Oh, really? Mine's Japanese! Nice to meet you!" Rei says brightly.

Joanne greets him calmly despite his very bright and bubbly personality.

Joanne stays still until she sees a familiar face there.

It is the boy from the bus that she met a few days ago. He walks into the room and sits behind her.

Joanne who notices him starts to get nervous and quirky. She really wants to take a peak on the view behind her. Her curiosity is driving her crazy, but her pride is just too strong that it doesn't make her move just a bit. Her eyes are battling so hard to see who's behind her. However, as a normal person, she still cannot see him.

So, even if her curiosity is forcing her to see him, she just stays still and faces the front with frustration in her face.

The teacher and the club leader are already standing in front of the class, without she realized it.

"So, unlike the other clubs who are just introducing things on the first day, we're gonna be productive today!" Mr. Hanson says.

He tells them to team up according to the lists that they've made beforehand.

It seems like the universe wants Joanne to team up with the bus-boy, the other Asian, and the two people who gossiped about her before the test.

"Hey, you're the one from the bus, right?" the boy greets Joanne with a wide smile.

She startles and answers anxiously, "Y-yeah! I-I'm Joanne, Joanne Park! It's Johanna Park, but you can call me Joanne or Jo, whatever you like!"

Looking at her quirky and nervous introduction, the boy chuckles.

"Hahaha, I'm Alfred, Alfred Anderson. It's nice to meet you too..." he says while smiling sweetly to her.

It seems like her normally mature and rational self is being shut down when she meets him. She can no longer play the mature person in front of him because the only side that comes out is her quirkiness.

"Erm, we're here too," says a blond girl to the both of them who seemed lost in their world.

"Oh, yeah. Hi!" Alfred greets them nicely.

"Hey, I'm Diana and this is Jim..." the blond girl says while also introducing a white boy beside her.

The other Asian, Rei, also introduces himself to the group.

"Wow, teamin' up with 2 Asians! What a coincidence! I guess we can win this thing!" Jim says sarcastically.

Joanna and Rei just stare at him while putting on the fake smiles to not cause a scene there.

They are told to discuss the experiment that they will be doing.

Jim starts to instruct them to do things like a leader of the group.

"So, us, boys, are gonna do the measuring, but we need an Asian brain, so... Rei is gonna be with us. That means you girls can just pour the water. That won't hurt yourselves and put the blame on us, right?" Jim says sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, you mean the Hydrogen Peroxide 3%?" Joanne responds to him coldly.

"Oh, you know the word, huh? I guess you really are an Asian!" Jim answers.

His reaction really takes Rei and Joanne by surprise. They didn't know that someone would be this obviously racist and misogynist.

"I want to do the measuring, too," Joanne says confidently.

"Why are you being so stubborn? These are what people have been doing for years! You, girls, can just do what we tell you to, right? Just keep playing the good girl card! It's fun and easy isn't it?" Jim says while smiling obnoxiously to Joanne and Diana.

The situation gets more tensed and Alfred starts to cool it down, "Hey dude, are you being serious? Joanne, you can also do the measuring if you want to. It's your choice."

Jim rolls his eyes and asks, "What is it, bro? You like her or something?"

Joanne is about to shut him up before Alfred says, "Dude, it's not like that! Science should be for everyone! Not just for certain people!" It seems that Alfred is standing up for both Joanne and Rei.

Jim stares at him for a while and starts to give up, "Argh, fine! You can do the measuring, Joanne..."

His reaction just burns Joanne's anger more and more.

"Oh, so you're just gonna hear what a white guy says and totally denies what I, an Asian girl, say, huh?" Joanne says trying to hold in her rage.

Rei holds Joanne's hand that turned into a fist for a second.

"It's not worth it..." Rei whispers to her.

Joanne starts to control her wrath over Jim's racist and patriarchal attitude. It seems like Joanne has to deal with Jim for a couple more months or even years if they both decide to stay in the science club.

Alfred just stares at her who's controlling her emotions. There's a guilt in Alfred's face that seems to want to reach out to her.

Perhaps, Joanne's expectations weren't met in the first club's meeting. She expected to learn and experience knowledge in a classy way, but what she had to face was different. She didn't get to learn well because a racist person was blocking her from doing what she wanted to. Will she still attend the next meeting knowing there is going to be another racist encounter she will meet?

-Studio Room-

The official band members, Peter and Mike, are standing in front of them formally. The three new members are standing inline side by side waiting for one of them to speak.

"Well, today you are gathered here to do the rituals that you have to make before becoming the official member of Fight of the Blue." Mike, the keyboardist, says.

"You better be ready, cause this ritual is just- Okay, I'm gonna stop talking..." Peter warns them.

"Ritual? What is this? Barden Bellas...?" Val whispers sarcastically.

"Woah, you watch Pitch Perfect too?" a girl talks to her with thrills on her tone.

Val just nods while smiling with her cool and chill attitude.

"Quiet! I have these tickets that you will need to enter the base camp for tonight's sleepover," Mike says while holding three tickets.

"Wait, sleepover? Seriously?" Val asks with a little excitement on her face.

"Yes, you will have to participate in tonight's sleepover. It's a must," Mike answers.

"Dope..." Val whispers.

"So, we expect you to be there at 8," Mike adds.

"It's tonight, not any other night. Don't confuse it with tomorrow or the day of tomorrow Y'all..." Peter also adds while crossing his arms.

Val spent a pleasant afternoon with the band members while Joanne had to face a racist and misogynist boy who constantly got into her nerve. It seems like they didn't face the same challenges just for a moment.

One wanted the club meeting to end faster and the other one wanted the sleepover to come faster. Although they are somewhat similar, without they realize it, they are also somewhat different.

The differences eventually bring out different situations and consequences.

Both had excited and positive expectations, but both met different results.

Will Val's expectations about the sleepover will be met? Will Joanne have to deal with more racist people in the club? Will she also get a pleasant time in the club?

Preview for the next chapter:

"So, how's it been with Val?" he asks Kai.

"What do you mean? It's... it's been the way it is..." Kai answers softly while looking away.