فصل 38

CHAPTER 38

Loser for President

So, Fantasticos, Mr. Daniels says, I’ve told you about nominating a class president for our first ever school-wide student government. Do we have our first nomination?

Jessica raises her hand. I nominate Shay.

Shay looks back at her and turns forward. She looks like she’s ready for her crown.

Okay, good. Another nomination?

No one.

C’mon. We can’t have an election with only one name.

I wait, glancing around. I know there will be no more names because Shay has made it known since Mr. Daniels first announced the election that anyone who runs against her will regret it. In fact, their children and their children’s children will regret it. And she can actually do something like that.

Nope. There will be no more names.

Albert raises his hand. Whoa, Albert. Way to be brave. I glance back at Shay, whose eyes are now little slits.

But then Albert just asks to go to the bathroom.

After waiting and prodding, Mr. Daniels finally says, I’ll draw a name out of a hat or tell the council that we don’t have a representative. C’mon, folks. Step up.

Another wait. Then Shay raises her hand.

Well, Shay, this is good sportsmanship. Who will you nominate?

She cracks a smile. I nominate Al-ly Nick-er-son.

Wait. No. She didn’t say me? I look back at her staring at me while Mr. Daniels compliments her again.

And then it hits me like a boulder. Of course. She wants to win, so she nominated me. A surefire loser.

Is that okay? Mr. Daniels asks me.

Can I say no?

Yeah, you can say no, but I think you should run.

I really, really want to say no. Just not to him. Okay. I’ll do it . . . I guess.

Good, he says. Now, both of you will need to say a few words tomorrow, and the voting will follow.

Oh, I get to write a speech! Shay says to Jessica. Then I hear her whisper.

I am terrified. I can’t write a speech.

After school, Mr. Daniels apologizes for not being able to help me today because he has class at the college. However, he suggests that I just be honest about why I want to be president of the class. He asks if my mom can work with me that night. I tell him that she will. I know she would in a heartbeat, but I would never ask her to help with this. It would just get her hopes up.

• • •

I figure I should write something down if Shay is going to. I’ll look like a baby with no speech. So I sit down at our dining room table with a blank piece of paper—all bright white and staring at me and making my head hurt.

I want to ask my mom for help so bad, but if she knows I’m running for president of the class, she’ll get excited. She’ll want it even more than me.

I’m afraid to want it.

But a mind movie shows me at the front of the class and Mr. Daniels congratulating me, and I have to admit that I really would like it. I pick up the pencil and concentrate real hard. Real. Hard.

When I write, I press on the paper too hard, but I can’t help it. It makes my hand hurt. I try to spell as best I can. It takes me an hour and a half to write two paragraphs.

I finally go to bed, praying for a high fever, the kind of sickness the whole town talks about. The kind of sickness that Albert would find super interesting. A good reason to not show up tomorrow.