The rules of debate

Chapter 4 (technically)

I rush through my day and all my work, excited to see who will be the main speaker. Even if I'm almost guaranteed to get it, I still feel unsure. But I brush that off. Why would I not get it?
I replace those amateur thoughts with notes. Lots of notes on stereotyping. What stereotyping can look like, popular stereotypes.. You name it, I've written it. These notes only make me feel more equipped, filling me with certainty.
This time, I don't get to the clubroom first. When I open up the heavy wooden door, I'm met with a line of my clubmates writing down their votes and putting it into Mrs. Hathaway's dollar tree jar. I get in line and when it's my turn, because we can't vote ourselves, vote for another girl in the club of similar age and skill. We all sit down while Mrs. Hathaway counts the votes, having a small debate on whether or not the world would be better without humans, but I can't seem to get into it, and neither can most of my clubmates. Everyone is focused on Tucker, chatting with him instead of stating their arguments. I huff in annoyance, glancing away at Mrs. Hathaway, who just finished counting the last vote. She gets up and excruciatingly slowly walks to the front of the class, her hands behind her back.
"For our next debate, it looks like our newest member will be leading us... Tucker."
Everyone's smile comes to life, cheering for him while my face falls... what? What did she just say? This can't be right. It just can't.

At the very least I get to volunteer at the library, but I dread that one sweet elderly lady's congratulations on my role. I tell her about every debate I lead whenever I see her, how do I tell her that I lost to someone who only just joined? Not that I lost, I'm sure everyone is just... confused. When a new student comes along, especially one is.. Um.. pleasant to look at, people get distracted and all eyes go to them. But it clears out within a week or two, so while he may become popular here, he won't keep the spotlight, especially not while I'm on the stage. As soon as I'm home, I hop in the shower. Turning the water to warm and just standing there. What do I do now? What is there to do? How is this fair? He only just came to this school, why does he get to take my spot? I don't even know how good he is. He could lead me to my first loss, for all I know. I don't understand what makes him deserve it...

                 My fists clench and my teeth grit,         water dripping down my body.

It's not fair!

That's when the warmth fades, going freezing cold while I'm right underneath the source. I yelp and jump back, then hurriedly twist the knob to turn the water off. It stops, and I sigh. Stepping out of the tub, I slip on my silk pajamas and tie my hair into a low ponytail, then slide into my slippers. My toes curl at the thought of him. And I can't stop thinking of him. At the very moment he came, I shook his hand, I was polite to him and everyone else who joined the club. But they all just had to vote him, I'm starting to think maybe he voted himself. My teammates wouldn't do that to me, right? But they would. Everyone loved him from the moment he came, they voted him not because they believe it's good for the team, but because they approve of him. But, who can beat the original? I can definitely do better than him, so I take this as a challenge.