Chapter 2
Sarah, seeing Tiffany, suddenly got uncomfortable.
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She hugged Tiffany and said she’d buy her a drink tomorrow.
Michelle handed me my speech. “How’s it going? You feeling confident?”
“Yeah, I’m not gonna let those who don’t deserve it take this position.”
I put emphasis on the words “don’t deserve it.”
Sarah glared at me. Tiffany looked thoughtful.
“That’s not something you need to worry about. You’re definitely not going to get it, just wait and see.”
Sarah said and slammed the door shut behind her.
“Why is she so sure you won’t win? You think she’s gonna try to sabotage you?” Michelle asked, frowning.
“Let her try.” I casually stapled my speech together.
I wasn’t the pushover I was before.
B
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اور
Gifts
My roommate deliberately slandered me
20 min left
Chapter 3
The next day, at the class meeting, my name 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.
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?!”
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Chapter 3
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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 myself to keep it together.
Sarah was watching me, a hint of cruelty in her eyes.
I made eye contact with her, “How do you know my medication is for depression?”
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Chapter 3
“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.”
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.
The class started whispering in sympathy. Some people even
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Chapter 3
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.”
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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.
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