The day after celebrating their Class Meeting victory, the atmosphere in the 11th-Grade Science 2 classroom was heating up again. The whiteboard was now covered in red and blue marker, displaying their agenda: SCHOOL FESTIVAL PREPARATIONS.
“Remember, everyone, our booth has to bring in the most revenue this year!” Nayla called from behind the teacher’s desk, tapping the marker against the board. “Who wants to share an idea?”
Kevin shot up from his seat and slapped the desk with complete confidence. “Me! Hear me out—I've got a magnificent idea!”
“Let’s hear it, Vin,” Nayla said.
“Grand European Kingdom Castle!” Kevin announced proudly, combing his bangs back. “Picture this: we build a tall castle gate out of plywood, then put a huge crown on top. Visitors pay ten thousand rupiah to enter, and I’ll stand by the door in a king’s robe to greet my fans.”
Dimas rolled his eyes lazily. “So in the end, it’s just a place for you to show off, Vin.”
“Isn’t it great? It’ll be super effective at attracting female visitors!” Kevin cut in, undeterred. “The materials are easy to get. We just need gold paint, fifteen sheets of plywood, and some velvet fabric.”
“Based on the cost calculation,” Aris cut in while quickly punching numbers into his calculator, “our class budget would blow up by five hundred percent just buying the gold paint and plywood for your vanity project, Vin. Projected profit: zero.”
“You don’t understand aesthetics, Ris!” Kevin shot back defensively.
Rey, who was sitting in the back row, finally raised his hand slowly. “I have another idea.”
“What’s your idea, Rey?” Nayla asked, shifting her focus and motioning for him to speak.
“A haunted house,” Rey answered briefly.
Kevin snorted loudly and folded his arms across his chest. “That’s so old-fashioned! There’s a haunted house every year. There’s nothing cool about it!”
“It’ll be different,” Rey replied calmly, looking at Kevin without expression. “My concept isn’t a haunted house with expensive costumes or fancy decorations. We’ll use our own classroom, covering it with black fabric. Turn off all the lights, then make a narrow hallway out of stacked desks.”
“And what are the ghosts supposed to be? Ghost drawings on poster board?” Kevin mocked.
“We’ll be the actors ourselves,” Rey continued with a faint smile. “The darker and narrower it gets, the easier it’ll be to scare visitors. Add sound effects from an old speaker and a little dry-ice fog. Minimal cost, maximum horror.”
Maya, sitting beside Nayla, immediately clapped enthusiastically. “Whoa, that sounds fun! It’s cheap, but tons of people will definitely want to go in!”
“I’m in!” Dimas quickly chimed in. “Besides, who’d pay just to see Kevin wearing some wannabe king robe?”
“Dimas! Whose side are you on?!” Kevin sputtered in a panic, his eyes darting toward Nayla. “Nay, you’re not seriously going to pick an idea that simple over my magnificent one, are you?”
Nayla tapped the marker against the whiteboard several times. “Rey’s idea is much more realistic and budget-friendly, Vin. And most importantly, everyone in the class can take part, either as ghosts or as staff.”
“Wait! Haunted houses are lame!” Kevin protested, still trying to reject his rival’s idea.
Rey tilted his head slightly and gave Kevin a provoking look. “You think it’s lame… or are you actually afraid of the dark, Captain?”
The entire class immediately broke into quiet laughter. The meeting suddenly became even livelier.
“Who’s afraid of the dark?!” Kevin barked, his chest heaving as he struggled to contain his embarrassment. “I’m an athlete! There’s no way I’m afraid of stuff like that!”
“Then if you’re not afraid,” Rey replied casually, “let’s just vote.”
Nayla raised her hand. “Okay, who’s in favor of Kevin’s Grand Kingdom Castle concept?”
Only Kevin raised his hand high. Dimas looked away, while Aris pretended to be busy writing.
“And who’s in favor of Rey’s Haunted House concept?” Nayla asked.
Almost every student in the room raised their hand, including Dimas and Maya.
“Okay, it’s official!” Nayla shouted, knocking on the desk. “The 11th-Grade Science 2 class booth will be the Dark Corridor Haunted House!”
Kevin dropped into his chair with a ragged breath and glared at Rey from across the room. “You’d better watch yourself, Rey. If this booth is empty, you’re responsible!”
Rey gave a faint smile and calmly leaned back in his chair. “Relax, Captain. Your job will be pretty simple.”
“What?” Kevin hissed suspiciously.
“You’re going to be the main ghost,” Rey answered casually, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “That way, all those emotions boiling over can finally be useful for scaring people.”