10
Fridays rolled around and so did club day, where everyone's gotta rep something. Found out Sydney Morrow signed up for the debate team.
Stepping into the club, the mystery clicked. There's Sawyer Leighton, all solo by the window, flipping pages like he's in some artsy flick.
He peeks up when I walk in, but plays it cool.
Then Sasha Snow breezes in, center of her universe, and plops next to him.
Sawyer's all heart-eyes, petting her head. Like sunshine, but just for Sasha Snow.
Sasha throws me a look, chin up, daring me. Her sweet face's got an edge.
The room fills up, teacher swans in, all dolled up and watching us split up like it's a rerun.
"Same old, same old, right? Snooze fest. How 'bout a remix, Sasha, switch it up?"
Before Sasha can sass back, buzz-cut boy behind me pipes up, "Nah, let's keep it. We'll get our shot, might even snag a win someday!"
The pros snicker, and buzz-cut's cheeks flame up.
I spin around, "Hey, how's your throw down in a debate, classmate?"He facepalmed with a sheepish grin, "Caught a bit of it in class, you know?"
Ms. Firecracker, our teacher with a flair for the dramatic, was all, "Who's got the guts to throw down in this debate smackdown?" Sawyer Leighton and Sasha Snow shot their hands up, followed by a couple of hotshots from the honors crew.
"Y'all see this lineup?" Ms. Firecracker beamed. "Underdogs, better bring your A-game. You’re up against debate ringers, and that's pure gold for leveling up."
Our squad was shaky, three dudes stepped up, but we were one warrior short.
Ms. Firecracker was revving up like a hype woman, "Peeps, this is the debate bomb that gave Princeton bragging rights at the college debate worlds. Show me what you got!" She was practically bouncing, "Chill if you crash and burn - it's all about the hustle!"
Then I clocked the debate topic on the PPT, and it was déjà vu - I’d slayed this dragon back in my school rep days.
I could still hear the roar, the high-fives, our squad owning that stage, shining like rockstars.
Those glory days, I figured they'd stick around longer. But nope, even the faces of my comrades were turning into ghosts in my mind.
I shot up from my seat, swaggered over to the trio of dudes.
The crowd was buzzing, "Who's this chick?"
"Looks like she's reppin' for the tenth..."
"What's her scorecard like?"
"Bet she's bottom-barrel, brace for a beatdown, folks..."
Sawyer Leighton's eyes met mine; dude was throwing shade, like I was biting off more than I could chew.
No more loser vibes from me, no sucking up like Sydney Morrow.
I was stone-cold, sizing him up.
Like a hunter eyeing the game, weighing whether to go for the jugular or the clean slice.
The debate was a marathon. First ten, everyone's betting on a snoozefest.
We did the intro thing, and the guys next to me were all doom and gloom, "It's a bust, why'd I even bother..."
I glanced over their prep sheets, "Easy, just stick to my script."
I came at Sawyer Leighton hard, dude couldn't catch a breath.
He was slipping up, sweat beads on his forehead, hand all jittery.
My crew, we had them cornered, speechless.
Sasha Snow? More like Silent Snow, barely a peep, like a mouse in a cat party.
Three years of high school debate, two in college - I was a wordsmith, a logic ninja.
I could drop bookish bombs, flex some intellectual muscle.
Closing statement out, the room was dead quiet.
Then it erupted - cheers, claps, the works. It was a no-brainer who crushed it.
Our side, always the underdogs, always snubbed by the elite class, we were on our feet, hands stinging from all the clapping.So there I was, chillin' in class when the buzzcut bro next to me goes all fanboy on me. "Syd, you totally slayed today! Riding that debate like a boss, I'm shook!"
I give him a reassuring pat, like, "You weren't so bad yourself, dude. Rocked it without even breaking a sweat."
Then here comes Teach, looking all kinds of shocked. "Sydney Morrow, you were on fire! Thought you were all shy and stuff, but damn, you got bite!"
I shoot her a smile. "Thanks, Teach."
She's all, "You're like that debate queen from Princeton, all ice but with a venomous edge. What a shame about her, though."
My heart skips. "What was her name?"
"Linden Marlowe," she sighs, "Poor thing went out with a bang, literally."
Bell rings, and I catch Zephyr Yarnell leaning like a total cliché bad boy against the windowsill. Dude's in uniform, which is like seeing a dog walk on its hind legs.
I'm about to bounce over when Sawyer Leighton, looking like he's seen a ghost, steps up. "Why you always on my case, Syd?"
I fix him with a look. "Chase you? Please, you're just a blip on my radar."
Then Sasha Snow steps up, flipping her hair all dramatic. "Syd, heard you needed mommy to save your butt on that quiz."
I just smirk. "You think I cheated? Right under the nose of the proctor? C'mon, even you're not buying that."
I lay it on thick, "Scared, Sawyer? 'Cause my grades stomped yours by like twenty points, boo."
He's all flustered, and I lean in close. "You're scared. But don't sweat it, I'm gonna crush you in every test from now on."
Sasha's trying to throw shade, "Syd, you've been at the bottom since day one, and now you talk big?"
But her snark dies real quick when she sees who's behind me.
"What's going down with my big sis?" Zephyr's arm is heavy on my shoulder, his voice all lazy. "And Sasha, babe, if you're into Sawyer, stop sliding into my DMs, 'kay?"
Sasha's face is all kinds of white, stammering to Sawyer, but he's not having it, drags her out of the room.
Zephyr's eyes are rolling. "You dig a guy like that? Girl, your taste is basic."I peered after their fading forms, hitting 'em with a, "Meh. Peak average."
Zephyr Yarnell was all casual when he dropped the bomb, "How 'bout trading up for a crush on me instead?"
Then his eyes did that sparkly thing, like he was all in for the drama.
Just then, some dudes bounced past, hoop dreams in hand, hollering, "Yo, Zephyr! Game on, we're gonna dunk on those nerds in homeroom."
They skid to a halt by a window, catching Zephyr in the act. The ringleader squinted, "Dude, am I cockblocking your big moment?"
Zephyr shot him a look that could chill a beer, and they tiptoed out like ninjas.
Awkwardness hung in the air, and I'm there trying to decode the vibe.
"You're not all buttoned up for some lame confession, right?"
"What, you're not into dudes who can rock a uniform?" He toyed with his zipper, trying to sell the good boy act.
I cracked up at his try-hard face, and he got all pinchy with my cheeks. "Quit laughing. Spill it, you in or what?"
I shook my head, "Zephyr, you're not my type. Right now, all I'm thinking is..."
Couldn't even finish my sentence before the vice principal's voice bulldozed in, "What are you two lovebirds doing in here?!"
Zephyr snagged my hand, and we booked it, his cross necklace flashing like some indie movie prop. He kept tossing glances back to me. Was this guy a cameo in my life story? If so, he was way too extra.
