"Hey, young lady! How about joining the Music Society," a boy with black spiky hair asked Sandy as she passed.
"No, thanks," Sandy replied. She turned away.
"Aw, jeez, what does it take to recruit people?" the boy asked the brown-haired student who stood at the notice board next to his.
"Maybe you have to pay them," the other boy answered.
The word 'pay' instantly had Sandy's attention. She immediately spun back. "How much?"
"What?" the spiky-haired boy asked, confused.
"How much will you pay me to join your club?" Sandy clarified her question.
"Um." The boy pulled out his wallet and slipped out a small note.
It was money. Sandy wanted it. She wanted to accept the deal. But she felt uncertain, like something was not right. She rubbed her left forefinger with her right thumb.
"That's too little," she told him finally. That was it: she just was not greedy enough.
He added a few more notes. There was than enough for Sandy to afford a good snack. And she really needed something good after surviving on Momma Lois's spaghetti sauce.
"Okay," Sandy agreed. Money~!
"Oh, er, here's the application form." The boy pulled a sheet of paper from a large envelope that he carried. He reached in his pockets for a pen.
The brown-haired boy from the next club stepped up. "Hey, I'll pay you the same to join my club too," he offered, "But you'd have to make mine your official club."
She would get twice the amount of money! "Okay," Sandy agreed immediately.
"Hey, you can't do that!" the spiky-haired boy protested.
"All's fair in business," the other boy replied steadfastly, "And it was my idea in the first place."
"Then it's pointless for her to join my club!" the first boy argued.
"She can't have two official clubs," the brown-haired boy pointed out, "And she already agreed that mine will be her official club."
The spiky-haired boy sighed. He turned to Sandy. "Sorry, I'm canceling my offer."
"What?" Sandy blurted, "You can't do that! What about the money? I'm joining the club like you asked, aren't I?"
"Sorry," the boy apologized again, "but it's pointless for me to accept you in my club if you accept his offer. I'm withdrawing my offer."
"Then this?" Sandy held up her half-filled form.
"Toss it, I need my pen back though."
Sandy returned the pen and crumpled the form in her hand, crushing it with all her disappointment.
"My offer's still valid," the brown-haired boy said as he held out another form and his own pen.
Sandy sighed and accepted the form and pen. She filled the form as directed. Then she had to make a couple of corrections that the boy pointed out. When her form was approved, she accepted her money. She glanced sourly at the boy who had retracted his offer, then walked back to class.
Yeah, she received a little money, but it was half as much as she would have had if that boy had not taken back his offer. How could he do that?
Sandy pouted.
When she reached her class, a little discomfort in the lower part of her body reminded her that she had not visited the washroom. She glanced at her watch just before the bell rang, signaling the end of break.
***
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