November 30: National Woodsmen’s Day

I found out I won the election today. Principal Adams divulged the results over the PA system during last period. Some of the people in my health class clapped, causing me to timorously blush into my desk’s wood veneer. When the bell rang, Jeremy was waiting for me, right outside the classroom’s threshold. He held me up in the air like a pirate showing off his looted plunder, and after he put me down he wrested one of Luke’s posters from the wall and shredded it. At first I was psyched at how supportive he was being, but then I realized that the effusiveness of his enthusiasm wasn’t just about me.

“Babe,” he said, his face practically glowing. “How cool is this? You just won the supreme popularity contest. Pretty nice having Jeremy Malone for a boyfriend, right?”

I felt like I’d been socked in the stomach, and it was even worse when he didn’t understand why I was upset.

I know I still should have felt euphoric about winning. A part of me wanted to do a victory dance on Luke’s face. But for some reason, I also felt chagrined and a little guilty. Embarrassed at my own self-importance, and about taking my campaign and this whole SDC issue so seriously. Jeremy’s words just confirmed everything Luke had teased me about. Had he been right, even a little? Had I really only won because I was Jeremy’s girlfriend? Was the whole Junior Class Vice President job just one big joke?