05
The next day, at the class meeting, my name
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was called first.
But when I opened my speech, I saw that
after the first page, all the content was
swapped with cheesy fan fiction!
I looked at Sarah, who was smirking, thinking
she was clever.
I laughed.
Seriously? That’s the best she could do?
I flipped the papers over, put them on the
desk, and started speaking from memory.
A speech for class representative isn’t a
serious occasion. What’s important is that
you’re genuine, and you get everyone’s trust.
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Besides, I had already memorized most of the
speech anyway, and I could be more engaging
if I spoke off–the–cuff.
I finished to a round of applause.
I was about to step down when I saw that
Sarah was scowling and was pushing Jessica.
Jessica hesitated, then stood up and yelled at
- me. “Ashley, you’re not fit to be class rep.
You have depression, what if you have an
episode and cause problems for the whole
class?!”
The classroom buzzed.
Sarah quickly stood up, looking worried.
“Yeah, Ashley, we saw the meds you were
taking.”
<
“I know you want to be a leader, but maybe
focus on your health first.”
The students started talking.
“Really? Doesn’t seem like it.”
“Her roommates said she takes meds, can’t be a lie. You can’t judge a book by its cover, right?”
“Depression’s just a fashion statement these days. I could probably get diagnosed just by taking a questionnaire.”
“It must be hard living with her, you have to treat her like a queen.
The negativity was overwhelming. I stabbed my fingernails into my palms telling pu
(
arah was watching me, a hint of cruelty in
er eyes.
made eye contact with her, “How do you
<now my medication is for depression?”
“It says on the bottle. We’ve all seen them!”
Jessica started yelling in agreement, and
Tiffany nodded slowly.
I took a deep breath, bit my lip, and put on a
shamefaced look. “Actually, I haven’t been
sleeping well since my finals. The pills are for
insomnia.”
“Sometimes people with depression can also
have trouble sleeping. The doctor gave me
these. I kept them in my drawer so my
roommates wouldn’t misunderstand.‘
L
I looked at Sarah with a confused gaze.
“I’m sure my drawer was locked. How did you
see my meds?”
“And when we all got to the classroom today,
no one asked me about it. This only happened
when my speech was over.”
I pinched my thigh, tears welling up in my
eyes.
“Oh I see. Sarah’s running for class rep, she
must care too much, that’s why she’s worried
that I’m not fit for the role.”
“Regardless of the results today, I’m grateful you all listened to what I had to say.”
I bowed and quickly wiped away my tears.
く
The class started whispering in sympathy.
Some people even turned to glare at Sarah.
“That was low, pulling a stunt like that.”
“Poor Ashley, all she has is insomnia, and her
roommates stabbed her in the back.”
I walked off stage in the middle of applause,
making sure to not sit near Sarah and her
cronies.
Sarah’s face was ashen.
It was her turn to speak next.
