Chapter Seven:

SHOW TIME

Now that Miles and I were back in the running, he came up with an idea to help both of us. We could give our speeches the day before the assembly to just our class for practice. Miss Taylor loved it.

On the day of our trial run, Miles volunteered to go first. He stood up straight and spoke with expression. He looked at everyone in the class and made you feel like he was talking to you.

“I’ll put in the work. I’ll go the extra mile. If you believe I can help our class and our school, vote for Miles.”

Everyone cheered. Then, it was my turn. As I stood in front of the class, my hands fidgeted. My paper rustled. I looked at the words and breathed in and out.

“You got it, Jada,” Miles called.

I looked up and saw a room of smiling faces. Then the shiny purple banner over Miss Taylor’s door caught my eye, “Believe.” I saw it every day, but today it meant something special. I started to read.

“When my best friend Mari moved away,” I said, “I didn’t think I’d ever make another friend. But I forgot that I had a whole class of them.”

I looked around the room.

“You laughed at my jokes. You cheered me on. You taught me what being a friend means. Now I want to give something back to you. I want to give something back to our school. I’ll work hard, make sure to listen, and speak up when I need to. If you choose me, I’ll be the voice of a friend, someone you can count on.”

The booming claps made me feel like dancing. I didn’t care if I won the class election. I was already a winner.