HughTube

Chapter 5

I headed straight to the school office and signed up to run for Student Council President. Even the school secretary gave me an odd look when I signed up, but I didn't care. I wanted to run. Maybe this was my thing? And if it wasn't, I'd have HughTube to help me figure out why not.

After school, I ran home and went right to work on my campaign posters. I laid this long roll of poster paper out on the family room floor, and I grabbed some of my sister Nancy's paints. I wanted to make the posters simple but funny: HUGH-RAY FOR HUGH! Also: GIVE A HECK FOR HOLLENBECK! Okay, not the most brilliant slogans, but kind of snappy, you have to admit.

But just as I was finishing the posters, the paint still wet, my mom came out from the hallway and almost stepped on them. "Mom, watch out!" She almost spilled her coffee on them too!

After Mom caught her breath, she looked down and realized what I was doing. "Give a heck for Hollenbeck??"

"I needed something catchy," I said defensively.

"That is catchy!" Mom said with a forced smile. That didn't make me happy. I didn't need her pity. Or maybe I did.

"You're running for Student Council President?" she asked.

"Yeah, of course."

"Ohhh, this is for your HughTube thing," she said, happy that she was starting to make sense of it all.

"Kind of," I said, "but I'm serious about it."

But she was sticking with her own explanation in her head, so she didn't really hear me. She just went into the kitchen to get a coffee refill.

Now it was my sister's turn. She came out from the back too and was caught off guard by my posters. "Whoa! Hey, are those my paints?"

"Mom bought them," I retorted.

"That's okay!" Say what you want about Nancy, she doesn't hold a grudge. In fact, most of the time, she's an 11-year-old ball of positivity. Yeah, that's as annoying as it sounds.

"You're running for Student Council President?" Nancy asked.

"What is it with everybody?" I was getting a little paranoid. "I really think I can win."

"That's great!" chirped my sister. "But... it's so totally not you."

This really got my goat. "How do you know what's me?" I demanded.

"I don't know what's you, but I know what's not you. And this is not you."

Now it was Dad's turn. He came in through the front door and, yeah, almost stepped on my posters.

Nancy perked up. "Hi Daddy!"

"Hey sweetie." He looked down at me and the posters. "Hugh, you're running for Student Council President?" he asked with genuine confusion.

Well, that's three for three. All I could do was hold my head in my hands. Mom saw me and tried her best to come to my rescue. "Come on, I think it's wonderful you're running for Student Council President. Let's all help Hugh with his posters!"

"Thanks, but I've got it," I said, waving her away.

Then Nancy's eyes lit up. "Hey, maybe I should run for something at my school!"

"They have elections in elementary school?" I chuckled. "How about 'Best Super Happy Caring Friend'?"

"That's a great idea! Thanks!" Nancy ran back down the hall, bubbly as can be. "I'm gonna need my paints back!" she called loudly from her room.

My dad raised an eyebrow. "You know, I think she could win."

He was right. She could win 'Best Super Happy Caring Friend' no problem. In fact, she could probably win Student Council President too, if they had such a thing at her school. She was, after all, a people person, and in her own way, she actually got it. But we're all aware of my problem by now. No getting it for old Hugh. I was just going to have to give the school campaign thing a try, and if I crashed and burned, well... at least it would all be preserved on video for everyone's future enjoyment.