May Parker's Guide to Winning the Election

Tip #11: The Debate is Your Platform, Use It

 I'm seated in the auditorium, it's bright lights adding to my nerves. My hands are shaking and my leg is bouncing up and down as I go over my points for the hundredth time this hour. I count off my main points on my fingers, making sure I have the top five memorized. Riley is sitting in the front row with the rest of my campaign team, making sure everything is prepared for the debate. He pulls a fresh legal pad from his backpack and clicks a pen, ready to take notes on all the things we could later use for attack ads.

I try to calm down, but every time I look out at the audience from my seat on the stage, I see a sea of judgmental faces that are just waiting for me to screw up. My leg bounces faster, my hands shake more violently and I feel my heartbeat speed up. I screw my eyes shut and will myself to just be still, but it doesn't work. I feel someone place their hands on top of mine. My eyes open immediately and I find Trip standing in front of me with a soft smile.

"You really need to calm down, May." He says as he sits down, my hands still in his. "You'll give yourself a heart attack." He rubs them in an attempt to comfort me, but that just increases my anxiety.

"Easy for you to say; your entire reputation isn't on the line every time you step on this stage." I mutter, removing my hands from his.

"May, quit acting like this is the end of the world; it's an election. The day after the votes are in, you'll still be here, you'll still be breathing; the only thing that will change is how much work you'll have to put into every school day."

"You don't get this, Trip, if I don't win, I'm done. My parents will disown me; every single one of my family members as far back as this school's first year have been student body president. If I don't carry on that tradition, I might as well not be a Parker anymore." I say, the confession spilling out before my mind has time to think it through.

"That's cold." Trip replies as if he doesn't know what he's supposed to say.

"Just forget it." I say, exhaling deeply. "We have a debate to focus on."

"And here I thought you were in this election for the handsome rival." Trip chuckles, easing the tension.

"Well, I don't have any of those, so I guess I'm not." I smirk, shoving his shoulder a little.

"Aw, that hurt my fragile, misogynist ego." Trip grins, leaning back in his chair.

"Oh, boy, if that hurt, you'll never survive what I have prepared to say in this debate."

"I can't wait." Trip winks as the principal calls the assembly to attention. She introduces the top ten candidates and allows each of us to come to our designated podiums. Mine is stationed in between Trip and a junior, right in the middle of the stage. The principal lines up the students who have the honor of asking questions at the debate at a table right in front of the stage.

At Mount Forrest Academy, the debates are run by the students with little adult supervision. The chosen students from each social group decide on a few questions to ask and the candidates must answer to the best of their abilities in under two minutes. Each candidate is awarded one rebuttal per question and after the person has asked their question or questions, the principal moves on to the next social group.

Today, the first representative is from the populars group. I feel my skin crawl as she looks at Trip, batting her lashes. Talk about unbiased. She smooths out the note card in front of her as the principal hands her a microphone. The girl clears her throat and looks at Trip as if the rest of us aren't even on the stage. I roll my eyes as her high-pitched voice rings in my ears.