Theo. 

So far, the first day of school was a success. The subjects were pretty easy, the kids were friendly, and I didn’t get lost or doused by the faulty water fountain. 

On the other hand, I was parched since the water fountain wouldn’t even turn on.

The gym was packed with kids signing up for clubs. I scanned the sign-up sheets. Speech, nah. Home Economics, nah. Drama . . . seriously?! 

“Theo! You have to go for Student Body President!” Carter, a skinny Japanese guy, hissed into my ear. I stared at him like he’d grown fuzzy bat wings. 

“Very funny.” I snickered. 

“Honestly! You’ve gotta sign up!”

“Why?”

“Look!” He pointed at a booth. A girl with flashy clothes was signing up. From 8 feet away, I could smell her perfume. Vanilla mixed with cinnamon and cherry. It was an olfactory overdose. 

“So . . .”

“Jennifer Sport. Her mom’s an actress, so Jenn thinks she owns this place. And pretty much everyone agrees.” Carter whispered. 

“Your point is . . .” 

“We can’t let her win. She’ll vote for  bigger bathroom mirrors, school plays, and Class Dress-Up Day!” he wailed.  

Man, maybe he should try out the drama club. I hid a grin.

“What’s so bad about that?” 

“I hate dressing up. But that’s not the point. We need someone who will represent our grade’s interests accurately. So that’s why you should nominate yourself. Or, I’ll nominate you, if you want.”

“Why me? You’ve barely known me for a day.” I frowned.

“That’s just it.  We’ve just met you, and almost everyone in our grade likes you.”  Carter sighed. 

I shrugged. “I’m not into this presidency stuff. Too much work.” 

“Look, you just have to be the figurehead. I know lots of brainiacs who’d jump at the chance to help behind the scenes. And I’m speaking for all the guys in our class when I say we’d rather have you as president than Jennifer Sport.” 

“I’ll think about it.” 

Carter frowned, narrowing his already small eyes. Then he dragged me over to Jenn. 

“Hey!” I protested. He ignored me.

” ‘Sup Jenn. This is Theo, the new guy.”

Jenn slid her amber eyes to me. “Hi Theeo,” she drawled. 

“Theo wants to know what you’ve got planned for your campaign.” Carter said. I stepped on his toes. 

Jenn flicked a golden curl over her shoulder. 

“Weell, I plan to promote healthy eating, to decrease obesity. I also plan to get more support for the drama club, which is underrated IMO. I’ll vote to loosen dress code rules. Plus, I’ll vote for more pep rallies, themed class days and dances to encourage school spirit.” She blew on a nail. “Why’d you want to know anyway?”

“Never mind. Thanks.” He said.

Carter dragged me away. 

“Seriously dude?” I hissed at him. 

He ignored me . . . again. 

“It’s even worse than I thought! Healthy eating? That means no more vending machines or Pizza Days. Drama club? Means we’ll all have to do a play at the end of the year, which will probably be something mushy and old fashioned like Romeo and Juliet!” He growled and made a face.

“And don’t even get me started on so-called themed class days! Just another reason to get us to dress up! And dances are almost as bad as Romeo and Juliet!”

I grinned as I ducked under his flailing hands. Dunno why he hated drama club so much. He’d be perfect for it.

“Please! You must sign up! Or else the rest of the school year will be utter misery!” 

“Fine.” I sighed. 

“Awesome!” He whooped. 

I was already regretting it.