Nova Academy

Voting

Over the next two weeks, Steven had come to enjoy more structure in his life. The schedule was weird and confusing, but once Jasmin explained to him that they made it that way so it wouldn't be so monotonous, it made sense.

Mrs. Rueman smiled at him when he walked in and it made him beam back at her. He loved Mrs. Rueman, she was easily his favorite teacher even if she was relatively strict and prim. She reminded him of Pearl, which gave him conflicting feelings, but he adored her all the same.

He climbed the steps to his assigned seat and puffed a sigh of relief. Today felt easy. He had woken up in a particularly cheerful mood, and it took all his concentration not to start walking on air. It was also a shorter day, even if they were just barely starting it.

Connie slid into the seat next to him and made a face. "I really like your dress."

"You don't look like you like my dress." He pouted, feeling self-conscious.

"No, it's very cute. I'm just trying not to show it. The last thing you need is more people who love you."

It came to him easily. "I only need you to love me."

"Steven!"

"Sorry." He tried to look apologetic but she clearly wasn't buying it.

"Hello all, today before we begin we have an announcement straight from Headmaster Shaun's office." She looked so excited that Steven himself was too. "Student council elections are finally here!"

"Government and school? That sounds terrible." He slumped into his seat. Everything he knew about politics was war and terror and trauma and genocide. The Diamonds had not given him a great view on any kind of political subject but Connie's eyes were shining.

"Are you kidding? This is awesome!" She was radiating pure ecstatic energy as the old woman sat a paper on her desk.

He looked down at his with distaste. "Who are you voting for? I'll just vote for who you do."

He realized his mistake the second her face contorted in fury. "Steven! You can't just vote for who everyone else is voting for! That's how you get idiots and corrupt people in power sucking the life out of their countries and destroying homelands along with the economic welfare! The very infrastructure depends on people voting the right people into office who make them feel safe and important!" She rambled. "Don't you remember Mayor Dewey? He was terrible at his job but no one said anything because he was who everyone else was voting for! Beach City was a mess before Nanafua came along and started fighting for knowledge among the people and safety measures to prevent casualties!" Her arms gesticulated wildly as she spoke. Her hair was down today, so it kept getting in her face and she kept shoving it back as she talked. "Nanafua instilled trust and respect in her people, and we all loved her back fiercely! She knew we needed a change, and she brought it to us with the promise that we would never have to be afraid ever again! Democracy drives everything, Steven. From the ants in the ground with their queen– well thats technically monarchy but whatever– to the birds in the sky to the fish in the ocean. It's everywhere! Don't you want to be apart of that?"

His heart swelled when she looked at him with pleading eyes, begging him to understand.

"Yeah, Connie is really intense about politics," Manuel offered Steven a sympathetic cringe.

"No way, really? I hadn't noticed!" Jacob said sarcastically. "I always thought Connie was into like, dolls and fashion magazines!"

"Yeah seriously, I'm shocked." Anna giggled and turned to Hazel. "Aren't you?"

His eyes lit up. "It's positively groundbreaking. No rant in the entire history of ever has ever reached even close to this one except–!"

"Except all of her last ones." Freddy, who they all called Shaggy because of his hair, drummed his fingers on his desk. "It's not even always about Student Council. Sometimes she'll come to school fuming because a political figure in a completely different country did something stupid."