THE BEGINNING
Chapter.1
Part.1
I pressed two fingers to my temples and rubbed frantically,
trying to send my headache into the depths of hell.
But it was almost as stubborn as I was, and wouldn’t go away.
I rocked back and forth in the hard plastic seat,
and next to me my best friend, Spencer King, shot me a weird look, and hesitantly
placed her hand on my back.
This seriously. Wasn’t. Happening.
“Mol, seriously. Cool it.” She snapped.
“Giving a speech isn’t that terrible. Your so over reacting.” I silently glared at her.
“In front. Of the. Entire. School!” I shot back. “I am only afraid of three things.
Tornados, bugs, and school speeches!”
Around us, life was going on as nothing was happening.
The entire senior class had been assembled to announce the class valedictorian,
and it was kind of a huge thing for my family, since I would be a valedictorian legacy.
My brother before me had had the honor I didn’t want so much.
“Well, they haven’t even formally announced it yet. I mean, how many
students got that email anyway?”
She asked me, and I smiled feebly at her. I knew that,
despite my minor panic attack, she was trying to make me feel better.
“Four.” I told her. “And Scott didn’t even get one.
I just know it’s going to be me.” In five minutes time, we would all know the truth.
If the stupid principal would just tell us already instead of standing at the podium,
sweating like he was the one that was going to give a speech in front of the entire
student body, alumnae, and parents.
I blanched. My school, Belvedere High School,
had over three thousand students. I didn’t want to even begin to process h
ow many people we were going to attempt to cram into out gym.
From across the room, Josh Brennan, my boyfriend of almost two years,
shot me a proud smile. I stuck my tongue out at him. He had gotten the email also,
and it seemed like there was no doubt in his mind who would get valedictorian.
If I didn’t love him so much, I would hit him for being to confident in me.
Finally, Mr. Knox, our chubby but nice principal dabbed his forehead
with a handkerchief and opened his mouth to speak. But he was cut off by the loud,
screeching feedback.
See? The microphone didn’t want me to be valedictorian either.
Everyone stopped chatting to cover their ears.
Finally, the room was silent. Mr. Knox cleared his throat.
“Thank you.” He said gruffly, before continuing.
“Before I announce our valedictorian, I was to thank all of our students for making
Belvedere one of the finest public high schools in Los Angles…” I closed my eyes
and went back to rubbing my head, trying to drown him out.
How did anyone even write a speech? I had to write one for sophomore year,
but once I had to say it to the entire class I threw up in front of everyone,
and was excused from the assignment with a different project.
First, you had to write a paper about something you barely even knew, or cared,
about until you had to write about it. Then, you had a few short weeks to attempt
to memorize it. Then, you had to get on stage with a microphone and recite it to
everyone in the room. No mistakes.
With hand motions.
This was never going to work out.
I slapped my hands together in silent prayer. But I knew it was useless.
To the untrained eye, it was probably have appeared that I had been begging
for valedictorian. I worked my butt off for straight A’s in all my classes,
including my two A.P classes, History and English. Even Science, which I hated.
I basically ran the school from my Vice President seat on Student Counsel, and in
my spare time I was completely dedicated to being Captain of the Jaguars,
Belvedere’s cheerleading team. We only had one team. Belvedere didn’t do
junior varsity in anything. We shot to do one thing.
Win.
I would have killed to crawl under a rock and hide until the next
ice age at that moment.
Light applause jerked me painfully out of my thoughts with a jolt.
Had I missed the announcement? I shot Spencer a panicked look, immediately relaxed.
She had her elbows on her knees, chin resting on the palm of her hand. Her eyelids
were drooped tiredly over her brown eyes. I sighed and told myself I needed to calm
down or I was going to get an ulcer.
“Thank you.” Mr. Knox said, waving at the crowd with his handkerchief.
“And finally,” he said, gripping both sides of the podium with his hands.
He leaned toward the microphone until his mouth almost touched it. “I am very,
very pleased and happy to announce that the senior class of two thousand and ten’s
valedictorian is…” He glanced down at something on the podium and I felt my face slip
into a sour pout.
He raised his eyebrows and grinned, as if he was creating massive amounts of suspense.
“Molly Lynn Marie Reeds!” Everyone burst into loud, supportive applause and I felt
my back stiffen. Spencer hugged me and I got a bunch of congratulatory slaps on the
back, but they all might as well been delivered to my face instead, because that’s all I
felt. “Congratulations!” Mr. Knox beamed. “Have a great spring break everyone.”
I ducked my way out of the gym and almost ran to my locker.
I tried my hardest to put on a proud, brave face for my classmates and I felt it slipping.
It was only a silly speech. Nothing to get sick over.
I almost laughed aloud at my little joke.
Almost.
Home
