Chapter 15: The Preparation
Theo
Monday
"So, what power do I get if I win?" I asked Reign.
I was above myself at this moment. I was seating at Hunter's table. At Hunter's table. At the time, it was just Masha, Reign, Luke and Hunter there.
"You'll be the voice of the students. You are basically a part of what they call council. You are respected, you organize the events here. You will lead every committee in organizing the events, whether that'd be prom, homecoming, the fundraiser. You'd have so much power and responsibility." I raised an eyebrow but nodded nonetheless. "And you'll be a celebrity." She said which made me smiled.
One thing has got me thinking. "How do you know these stuff?" I asked her, eyeing her warily.
She went silent for a few seconds before lifting her head. "It doesn't matter. You only agreed because I mocked you. Now, what do you say?"
"What? You're asking me this now? When I'm already in the committee? Of course?"
Her gaze soften at me as she smiled slightly before nodding. "Great. Now we can train you."
My eyes widened. Almost choking on the coke I just sipped. "Train? For what? I'm perfectly capable. Thank you!"
She rolled her eyes. "Can you plead without batting your eyelashes? Speak in front of the whole school? The council? How to handle yourself in public? How to be composed in times of need? Be a role model?"
I smiled sheepishly. "Oh. I guess. So... when do we start?" I asked her.
"How about tomorrow?" She asked and I nodded. I shoved a whole fry in my mouth. "Oh, and also, you can't campaign without an advocacy. But I do have an idea of what you'll pick already." She informed me.
"Oh, definitely the enhancement of stability of our school's environment." Seems like I already made the point of running for president.
"I don't understand. You're not like... nervous about running? I'd be a mess if I was you." Luke said, shaking his head slightly.
"I mean, I do doubt myself sometimes but I have to trust myself. Then, I'd be unbeatable."
After a few conversations about different topics. Hunter suddenly spoke for the first time since I sat on their table.
"So. You guys up for a party on Thursday? You know what's gonna happen already." Hunter said.
I played around in my phone. Assuming he was talking to his friends. They all agreed and went silent.
I looked up to see them all staring at me. "...What?" I asked, my eyes slightly wide.
"Are you up?" Masha asked me.
I looked at all of their faces before speaking. "I'm invited?" I asked, incredulous I'm even on their table, let alone they're actually inviting me to their birthdays like we're best friends. I mean, in a sense. We are. I think?
Masha looked at me all funnily. "Duh, of course!"
I looked at Hunter, I looked at him like asking him. He nodded with a smile. "I mean, what the hell, why not?"
...
Tuesday
Reign taught me everything she knows. It was a little awkward because of the fact she knows I like her boyfriend. And we don't know each other that much.
One thing that was on my mind the whole time was she reminded me of my cousin, Mal. Mal was a little younger than me. But we were really close growing up. Around when I was in 4th grade, they had to move to a different country and I hadn't heard from them since. Sometimes when my sister didn't want to play with me, Mal would always do. We played games on the internet, we might have seen some inappropriate things. She was the cousin I was closest to. She knew me very well.
Imagine if she was actually Mal. HA.
Mal didn't resemble Reign at all. The color of their hairs are different. Mal had caramel brown hair while Reign had dark brown waves. I missed Mal.
Reign left to go to a comfort room. I sipped from my bottle of water when a person bumped into me, the metal straw poking my lips, hard.
"Ow." I grunted in pain, clutching my mouth.
"Oh. Shit, I'm so sorry." Hunter's voice suddenly said from behind me.
He gently removed my hand from my mouth, then started to inspect the wound that was definitely bleeding.
"No. It's fine, It's minor." I reassured but he insisted on helping me.
He grabbed my handkerchief, gently dabbing at the corner of my mouth while his other hand tenderly gripped my chin. When suddenly, Reign was on our table organizing the bags and things we've got there. I really couldn't focus at the fact that Hunter is here, cleaning up my bloodied lip and Reign watching.
"Ey, dude, what happened." Reign asked.
"I bumped the poor guy while he was drinking." Hunter said. He finished after a few seconds. "Does it still hurt?" He asked.
I shook my head. "A little, but it's manageable. Thank you." I said to him, he gave me a smile that could melt the hardest of metals.
He ruffled my hair before turning to Reign. "Hey, how's your day?" He asked her, tucking strands of her hair behind her ear.
I'm freaking jealous, I know. But I knew I had absolutely no right to be jealous.
"It's fine. How are you?" She asked him back.
I really didn't want to listen to their conversation so I grabbed my handkerchief, cleaning the oozing blood from the wound. I winced a little, but enough for Hunter to look at me, concerned. I licked the metallic tasting wound, grimacing. I plopped down on a chair, licking continuously over the wound while scrolling through my phone. Hunter left, but not before kissing Reign on the cheek. I couldn't help but stare at his walking figure.
"Sorry you had to see that, but um..." Her words trailed off.
"It's fine, you know. He's your boyfriend. You guys are allowed to do that." I explained to her.
She really didn't need to apologize on my behalf. I had no right to be upset to see that. I really didn't.
"Well, let's continue." She said, standing up. I looked at her, bemused. I gestured at my bleeding lip. She waved a hand dismissively. "You'll be fine." She said.
Wow.
"You're a really bad manager." I mumbled.
"I am not, trust me, all this advance training will give you a landslide advantage." She reassured, patting my shoulder in a friendly manner.
I stood up reluctantly and got more into speech, pronunciations that I may confused about. And I can tell, Reign is hella smart. She's charming and kinda kind?
I still have trust issues, I always do, but she hasn't taught me anything wrong. At least I think.
I wiped a bead of sweat on my eyebrows, my throat hella dry from speaking a lot and loud. Reign said I had the brain, I just needed to know my capacity. To know when to play safe, or risk it.
She was real wise. Like she's a hundred years old that have went through everything.
"You're an old woman." I said as we were packing up to leave.
She smirked and looked at me. "I am. And I know you're an old man." She said before turning back to her bag as we shared a wholehearted laugh.
After we finished, Reign and I went to a coffee shop. You know damn well it was Starbucks. We ran into Masha and so she joined us.
"How's it going?" Masha asked as she sat at the chair opposite of mine, sipping her frappuccino. I got a basic iced caramel macchiato.
"Not that much. We just finished training so I don't fuck it up." I said which made her laugh.
Reign suddenly stood up to go to wherever and when she was out of earshot, I leaned on the table, arms crossed. I looked at Masha straight in the eye.
"Do you have any idea why... Reign's forcing me to do this? Well, she's not necessarily forcing me but... she seems so passionate about it." I whispered the second half of my sentence.
She shrugged with a frown and raised eyebrows and I slumped on my chair. "But I'm sure she has good reasons. She's a good person. She wouldn't embarrass you if that's what you're thinking. But I do understand your wariness. You have all the time to get to know her well." She said, squeezing my hand reassuringly.
I thanked her when suddenly, a girl called out my name. I looked up from my phone to see Rhea, her face sparking with recognition.
"Hi!" I greeted. I gestured to the seat beside me and she sat down as I introduced her to Masha.
Reign came back shortly, I also introduced them to each other. We probably hung out about half an hour before Rhea had to leave, not before insisting on paying for all of our drinks, we graciously accepted then she left.
"I like her." Masha said the second she went out the door.
Reign laughed, sipping on her drink while tapping her life away on her laptop.
"Anyway. I forgot to ask you guys earlier, how's the training going?" She asked.
"We're already halfway. But we'll do that after all the events this year, after he's mastered the first half." Reign said, her eyes still focused on the screen in front of her.
"What are the events this year?" I asked.
"There's the homecoming dance on September 19, that's Saturday. Homecoming Q&A competition on September 8, that's on Tuesday. The Thanksgiving fair, the Christmas Ball, the Holiday fundraiser before winter break which I'm sure will be between, I guess, December 15 to December 20, just to give you a head's up. The school officers are not sure about the dates yet, they could be moved." She said all this without stuttering and while focused on the screen. "Then the start of the actual election is after the Holiday Break. Be ready."
"Wait. Isn't Christmas Ball and Winter Formal just the same?" I asked.
"Well. In a way. But in our school, it's different."
"Our school really has its way to be different." I said, to which she nodded. Her soft hair falling to her shoulder. "By the way. How do you know all this stuff." I asked when suddenly, she turned her laptop towards me, the screen showed all the most important events in the whole school year.
"The highlighted ones are the ones we're included." She pointed out.
I scanned the whole list before turning to her. "That's... a lot." I said quietly, still processing how the hell the school can afford all of this every year.
"Yeah, and you have to shine in all of them." Reign said.
I looked at her, tired eyes. I was gonna protest but there's no point. She'll beat me.
"But you should only focus on three events in the whole school year to win. Unfortunately, reputation and image is a big chunk of percentage to win."
"And what are those three?" I asked her. She finally broke her gaze from the computer to me. She pointed at the screen, where there's three tabs highlighted blue.
"Homecoming, Prom which will also be the time election ends and most importantly... the Winter Formal." She stared at me for a few millisecond before turning back to her computer.
I nodded slowly, staring off to one side. Doubt filling my guts as I slowly process the pressure this is going to give me, hopefully I don't die.
...
Wednesday
It was lunch, I was, again, forced to eat on Hunter and friends' table.
"Hey Hunter. I want to ask if I could invite my friends to your birthday?" I asked him.
He nodded with a small smile. "Yeah sure!" He said and I nodded graciously.
"Anyway, do you feel comfortable that every year, you had to throw a really big party?" I asked. He ate a fry while thinking it over.
"Well, yeah, my parents mostly take care of it, they're the one that demands it really. Me, I like a small celebration with only my good friends." I nodded again.
"Well. Can we at least make Theo sing in your party?" Masha said and I stared at her, eyes wide.
Hunter smiled. "Of course, if that's fine with Theo. I'd love to have an amazing voice graze my home." He looked at me, his eyes suggestive.
My eyes wide. "Y-yeah, sure!"
Yup, we're really doing this.