about any other part of the game. Julia spent the whole second half standing by the fence behind the players’ bench.
Kyle didn’t come, but Patrick hung out for a while.
I played around with doing the article as a poem, but it didn’t feel right. I wasn’t worried. I had extra time since we’d get Monday off for Columbus Day. I ended up writing it like it was an infomercial for the greatest hits of the Zenger Panthers. I was pretty happy with the way it came out.
We voted on Tuesday in homeroom. It felt weird to vote for myself. Sort of like cheating. Kyle and Patrick voted for me, too. So did Mouth. He told me so. Five times. Maybe six. That is—he told me five times. He didn’t vote five times. But even if he had, it wouldn’t make a difference. I voted for him. But I didn’t tell him.
On the way out of homeroom, the new girl—her name was Lee—said, “Your speech moved me to tears. I voted for you. You owe me ten dollars.” She held her hand out.
I stared at the black fishnet sleeve that covered her arm.
“Duh,” she said. “Joking.”
She turned and walked off before I could say anything clever.
“Good luck,” Patrick said at the end of the day.
“Thanks. But I don’t have a prayer.”
“Come on. You’ve got to at least kind of think that you could possibly win.”
“I guess.” Maybe he was right. Even though I knew for sure that I wouldn’t win, I also sort of thought I might. It didn’t makesense, but that’s how it was. Everyone who was running probably thought the same thing. Which meant six of us were wrong.
I’d find out soon enough.
October 17
I hope you’re sitting down. I mean, sitting down when you read this. Right now, I guess you’re floating. I wonder if you can blow bubbles? Ick.
Anyhow, here’s the shocking news. I won. My speech worked. I’m a student-council member. Can you believe that? It would be great, except that Julia lost. I made it and she didn’t. I’ll bet you saw that coming. You’re probably laughing your head off at me while you’re reading this. Your squishy, transparent, fishlike head with beady little black dots for eyes.
Mouth lost. He only got three votes. But he came right up to me and said, “Congratulations.” That’s a shortened version.
I wanted to tell Julia that I was sorry she’d lost. But I figured she wouldn’t want to be reminded of it. Especially by someone who won. Oh crap—I didn’t even think about that. I probably just killed any chance I had. Not that I had a chance. Though I sort of thought I did, even though I know I don’t. Like I thought I had a chance to win the election.
Friday afternoon, I could see Patrick’s grin from all the way down the hall.
“Now what?” I asked when I reached him and Kyle.
“We have to go,” he said.
I looked at the poster he was pointing to. There was a harvest dance next week, right after the game. “No way.”
“You have to go,” Kyle said. “Unless you’re planning to spend the next four years with your nose in a book.”
“No argument,” Patrick said. “We’re going. It’s for your own good. Someday, you’ll thank us for dragging you out into the world.”
I reached inside my backpack. “I’ll tell you what. While we’re doing each other favors, let me do one for you.” I handed him my copy of
Ender’s Game
.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“Just read it. Trust me.”
“Weird title.”
“That’s not a bad thing.”
“I’m sort of busy.”
“With what? You told me you aren’t getting much homework. Just give it a try. Okay?”
He shrugged. “I’ll see.”
“What about the game tonight? You going?”
He shook his head. “I think I’d rather read a book.”
Back at home, I found myself facing another interesting weekend. Mom suddenly realized that we didn’t live in a house—we lived in a baby-mauling machine. My God, the horrors that surrounded us. Electricity running through the walls. The horror! Deadly poisons behind the
Kyle didn’t come, but Patrick hung out for a while.
I played around with doing the article as a poem, but it didn’t feel right. I wasn’t worried. I had extra time since we’d get Monday off for Columbus Day. I ended up writing it like it was an infomercial for the greatest hits of the Zenger Panthers. I was pretty happy with the way it came out.
We voted on Tuesday in homeroom. It felt weird to vote for myself. Sort of like cheating. Kyle and Patrick voted for me, too. So did Mouth. He told me so. Five times. Maybe six. That is—he told me five times. He didn’t vote five times. But even if he had, it wouldn’t make a difference. I voted for him. But I didn’t tell him.
On the way out of homeroom, the new girl—her name was Lee—said, “Your speech moved me to tears. I voted for you. You owe me ten dollars.” She held her hand out.
I stared at the black fishnet sleeve that covered her arm.
“Duh,” she said. “Joking.”
She turned and walked off before I could say anything clever.
“Good luck,” Patrick said at the end of the day.
“Thanks. But I don’t have a prayer.”
“Come on. You’ve got to at least kind of think that you could possibly win.”
“I guess.” Maybe he was right. Even though I knew for sure that I wouldn’t win, I also sort of thought I might. It didn’t makesense, but that’s how it was. Everyone who was running probably thought the same thing. Which meant six of us were wrong.
I’d find out soon enough.
October 17
I hope you’re sitting down. I mean, sitting down when you read this. Right now, I guess you’re floating. I wonder if you can blow bubbles? Ick.
Anyhow, here’s the shocking news. I won. My speech worked. I’m a student-council member. Can you believe that? It would be great, except that Julia lost. I made it and she didn’t. I’ll bet you saw that coming. You’re probably laughing your head off at me while you’re reading this. Your squishy, transparent, fishlike head with beady little black dots for eyes.
Mouth lost. He only got three votes. But he came right up to me and said, “Congratulations.” That’s a shortened version.
I wanted to tell Julia that I was sorry she’d lost. But I figured she wouldn’t want to be reminded of it. Especially by someone who won. Oh crap—I didn’t even think about that. I probably just killed any chance I had. Not that I had a chance. Though I sort of thought I did, even though I know I don’t. Like I thought I had a chance to win the election.
Friday afternoon, I could see Patrick’s grin from all the way down the hall.
“Now what?” I asked when I reached him and Kyle.
“We have to go,” he said.
I looked at the poster he was pointing to. There was a harvest dance next week, right after the game. “No way.”
“You have to go,” Kyle said. “Unless you’re planning to spend the next four years with your nose in a book.”
“No argument,” Patrick said. “We’re going. It’s for your own good. Someday, you’ll thank us for dragging you out into the world.”
I reached inside my backpack. “I’ll tell you what. While we’re doing each other favors, let me do one for you.” I handed him my copy of
Ender’s Game
.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“Just read it. Trust me.”
“Weird title.”
“That’s not a bad thing.”
“I’m sort of busy.”
“With what? You told me you aren’t getting much homework. Just give it a try. Okay?”
He shrugged. “I’ll see.”
“What about the game tonight? You going?”
He shook his head. “I think I’d rather read a book.”
Back at home, I found myself facing another interesting weekend. Mom suddenly realized that we didn’t live in a house—we lived in a baby-mauling machine. My God, the horrors that surrounded us. Electricity running through the walls. The horror! Deadly poisons behind the
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