After a few moments passed by with no answer, Avery turned to her dad and shrugged. “Do you wanna go see the other part of campus?” she asked, figuring that maybe her roommate would have arrived by the time they got back. It was very possible that she was just shy, but it didn't seem like that was the case. Even shy people made a noise, after all. Her dad smiled and nodded, following her out of the room and closing the door behind him.
As the two of them reached the elevator, however, the PA system came on overhead. “Attention students: I would like to take the time to formally welcome you to our wonderful campus and offer my hopes that you come to love it like we have. At the moment, the club officers are finishing setting up their displays in the gymnasium for everyone to view. Feel free to head on over and browse the different clubs to see if you can find one you would like to join,” said whoever was on the other side, taking a brief pause before continuing. “Of course, it isn't mandatory, but we have a diverse group of student organizations, so we would love it if you would at least take a look. I'm sure the club officers put a lot of effort into their displays as they do every year, so I know they would appreciate it too. Thank you and have a nice day!”
“Would you like to head there first, kiddo?” Mr. Thompson asked as they stepped out of the elevator on the ground floor. “I'm almost certain that they have something that you would enjoy, and we can swing through the other part of the campus on our way back.” Mentally, he had his fingers crossed that Avery would agree to at least look at the clubs, though he hoped that she ultimately joined a few of them. She definitely needed something like what a club would offer, and it would certainly be good for her.
“Yeah, that sounds good to me, Daddy,” Avery said, nodding as she lead her father towards the gymnasium, her tiny hand enveloped in his. “I know that there's an Art Club and a Gymnastics Club from looking online after I got my acceptance letter in spring, but I'm not sure what they're actually like yet.” There had been some other clubs that had caught her eye back then, but she figured that two was a good number to look for at the moment, even if she still wasn't sure that she would join any at all.
A few more minutes later and the two were at the gymnasium, which had numerous students passing through the large doors arranged in intervals around the building. Many were already chatting in small groups of two or three, though the number leaving was about equal to the number entering. Inside, the building was enormous, with plenty of room for each club to set up a small booth displaying some aspect of their club, whether it was something that a member created or accomplished or just photos of the club members having fun together. For the most part, the officers of the clubs were definitely exuberant enough to attract attention, actually getting several people that had seemed uninterested to head over and check out the display due to their sheer level of enthusiasm for the club.
Trying to find the club that you were looking for was a bit of a pain, however, as the distance between the booths made it virtually impossible to pick out specific details from a distance, especially concerning Avery's height. That was why her father had picked her up and placed her on his shoulders. The strategy was effective, though Avery wished that it didn't involve people staring at her so much due to how conspicuous she was on top of her dad's shoulders, as they found the desired booth in moments and began heading towards it and dodging small crowds of people along the way.