First off, thank you, thank you so much to those who reviewed. At least I know where to improve or whatever. So just a gist of this chapter, it starts on Monday (the freshman day) and then moves on to Thursday… which is a surprise. One note though, this is the third week of classes.
One more note, FMA characters are not mine. I just wish they were.
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CHAPTER 10: Surprise, Surprise
"Everyone!! Listen up… today's Freshman day and you know the drill. I sent you guys a note during the weekend. Now to remind you, here's what's going to happen. The freshmen are supposed to feel welcome on their first year of high school. We'll all assemble and go to the gym. The freshmen don't know anything about this. So I hope none of the freshmen no about this… So of course, shortened periods again. Riza's gonna write the schedule on the board. I brought the green and white flags that each one should have. Christella will distribute them. Please make sure that each one has one green or one white flag. We also need two people to help out with the HUGE banner some of our batch mates made. Any takers?" Sunny was addressing the class, telling them what was going to happen during the freshmen day. Riza started writing down the schedule, which gave the classes 45 minutes each. Christella, although she had a scowl on her face, followed Sunny's orders and started handing out the flags.
"Alright, Ted and Jake, you can help out with the banners. Go to III-D so Amanda can instruct you on what to do with the banner." Sunny continued after picking out the volunteers. The two boys, Ted and Jake, a tall, brown haired boy, stood up and left. Outside they could already hear the lively and rushed chatter of the students and some occasional 'shhhs and quiets'.
"Now, all of you line up so we can proceed to the gym. Some of the council officers are upstairs, 'holding off' the freshmen. Hurry up, we have to move quick because we all have to be on schedule. No running in the hallways and just form 1 straight line." Sunny gave the last instructions before hopping off the chair she was standing on. She gave Riza a thumbs-up sign before the two joined the rest of the class. As they were leaving the floor, they heard some shouts coming from the fourth floor. It seemed that the freshmen noticed something.
--
"Students, please keep quiet now. The freshmen are already proceeding to the gym. You guys don't want to ruin the surprise now do you?" Maes was speaking through the microphone in the gym, and once in a while he'd listen to something Ms. Ramirez would whisper to him. Eventually the noise died down and just in time: they already heard the lively chatter coming from the freshmen, who were about to enter the gym. The doors leading to the gym itself were closed and long, black cloth covered them. The same cloth also covered the rest of the entrances and the huge windows near the top of the bleachers. Hughes hopped off the stage and listened to some last minute instructions from Ms. Ramirez. The parquet area was cleared: that was where the freshmen were going to stay for the duration of the program. The faculty and administrators were seated either on the sides (on chairs) or on the bleachers.
"I wish this gets over and done with already." Sunny groaned. "We're not going to be able to contain all this excitement anymore." Riza just smiled at her friend. They were seated beside each other near the exit stairs. Once in a while Sunny would look up the bleachers to check if the class was behaving. They did not need another lecture… especially not from Ms. Ramirez.
"I didn't know they communicated using walkie talkies." Riza told Sunny, who was very bored now, as she eyed Hughes who was conversing with, as Riza presumed, a member of the council. She noticed him say something, then look to a portion of the gym. Following his line of sight, she saw one of the council members (she couldn't make out if that was Annika or Aurelia near where the seniors were on the opposite side of the gym, near the stage) give a clear thumbs up sign. Then Hughes said something and just listened to the reply.
'Most likely some of the members outside with the freshmen.' Riza thought, waiting for the program to start. She watched Hughes listen to the walkie talkie before he went over to Ms. Ramirez which probably meant, all systems go. Ms. Ramirez handed Hughes a cordless microphone, which he accepted with a big smile. Noticing that it was getting a bit noisy again, Hughes went back on stage and waved his hands as if to indicate silence. Good thing everyone understood, just in time.
Two people, most likely seniors, were by the door, and with one big pull, the doors opened and very lively music started followed by cheers from the members of the student body and the faculty. Some members of the cheer team preceded the freshmen, dancing and jumping to the music. Riza could see Roy from where she was. He was one of the people who were controlling the freshmen alongside Stella, Ed and Victor.
"Wait for the signal before you wave the flags." Sunny said as she hopped of the bleacher and joined some other juniors, most likely the class reps, in front of the lowest step on the bleacher. The sophomores waved their green and white flags first, followed by a loud whistle from their side, after which a banner which read: TO OUR, was raised. The freshmen, excited and happy were cheering as they went to the middle of the parquet area. As they went, some students also set off big party poppers which showered colorful paper and confetti on them.
The class reps of the juniors all raised their green and white flags, meaning that the rest of the juniors should follow (which they did) and with another blast of the whistle, the banner, which was on the very top level of the bleacher, which read: DEAR FRESHMEN, was raised by 8 people.
Another signal was given and the seniors raised their green and white boards. The freshmen were in the middle of the parquet area now and they were asked to stop. A loud whistle was sounded, which was followed by a lively drum beat (which was provided by a senior at the parquet area). Following instructions from their class reps, the seniors alternated the colors of their boards, flipping it from green to white and vice versa. When a final signal was given, Riza could make out the first part of a huge message. Some students raised green boards forming a W against the white background of other students' boards. It was followed by an E, a huge green heart, and a white U.
Music started playing again followed by a resounding: WELCOME FRESHMEN! The freshmen all had happy smiles on their faces, and the excitement grew by the second.
"On behalf of the whole student body and the faculty and administration, I would like to welcome you freshmen on your first year here at Fountain Hill! And for an hour, your older brothers and sisters will entertain you, because today IS YOUR day. Today is Freshman Day!" Maes shouted through the microphone earning cheers and applause as he left the stage, before the first dancers took the stage.
--
"Alright, I'm in. Classes are going to begin already. But before that, we will have our lovely 15 minute homeroom period again. And I'm sure you'll love the news I'm going to give you." Ms. Ramirez said as she entered the room carrying a small bag. Everyone settled down, eager to hear her news.
"Before I tell you what the surprises are, I'd like to thank everyone for their efforts today. We had a great freshman day. Thank you so much to the class officers for taking over in my absence. Alright… first, I'm going to give your school IDs today. But before if you forgot the rules regarding the ID, let me refresh you. ONE, always wear the ID at all times. I don't want to see it in your pocket, in your bag or in you wallet… or anywhere for that matter. I want it around your neck. TWO: No tampering with the ID. No stickers or anything on it. If you put anything there, I will force you to remove it and you will get a warning slip. THREE: if you lose your ID, let me know. You will have to present an affidavit of loss and pay 300 bucks at the school cashier. FOUR: if you misbehave, any class officer or council officer may get your ID and give it to me. Let me remind you that you will get the corresponding punishment. FIVE: You will use your IDs when you borrow things from the Gym, library or Media Center. You will also use it when you pay for your food. Any questions? I only expect questions from Ms. Hawkeye as she is new." Ms. Ramirez said, arms crossed. No one had any questions, not even Riza.
"Good… now I'm going to give you your ID. Your ID is dark blue in color, with the school seal. It has to be in this gray ID holder. No tampering with the ID holder either. Your ID contains your name, ID number and room number. I'll start. I'm just going to draw a random ID from my lovely bag." Ms. Ramirez said with a grin as she pulled out the first ID.
"Lewis, Vanessa Clarissa." Vanessa stood up and got her ID from Ms. Ramirez before going back to her seat. "Very nice picture, Ms. Lewis." Ms. Ramirez said with a grin as Vanessa headed back to her seat with a big smile.
"Daniels, Rose Carmela. Simon, Ruben. Green Peter James." She called out the next few names.
"Filmore, Flood, Curtis, Hawkeye, Mustang, Adams, Adler." Riza and Roy both stood up and went over to Ms. Ramirez and got their IDs. Once she got it, Riza wore it around her neck. She glanced at the thin, blue card. It read HAWKEYE, Riza Christianna III-A ID no. 07-0056.
"Can I see your ID?" Riza whispered to Roy when they got back to their seats, as Ms. Ramirez called out the next few names. Roy turned to face her.
"I'll show it to you if we swap."
"Deal." Riza slid the ID from the holder and handed it to Roy who did the same. She glanced at his ID which had a very nice picture of him (even if he looked so formal). It read: MUSTANG, Roy III-A ID no. 95-0231.
"You started schooling 1995?" Riza asked him.
"Not really. I started schooling 1994, but I entered the schools held by Fountain Hill in 1995. Nursery."
"I see…"
"You, when did you start schooling?" He asked her as he handed back her ID.
"I was home schooled by my mother until 1996 when I entered my previous school's pre school." Riza simply said as she slid the ID back in its place. Roy just nodded in reply.
--
"That's not the end of the surprise." Ms. Ramirez was once again addressing the class after she had given out 38 IDs (Julia Sung and Nicole Taylor were absent). "The election of class officers, which I know is highly anticipated by a lot of you…" She was looking at Christella's direction. "…Will be this Thursday during homeroom. The administration has given the go signal already. I expect everyone to be in their proper behavior or else I will handpick the officers. And as always, I AM serious about handpicking the officers." Ms. Ramirez said sternly. Everyone either nodded or said yes in reply.
"That's all… enjoy your first class. I'll be back for our Lovely history session later." She said with a wink as she left.
--
"Alright times, up. Exchange your papers and we'll check your quiz." They had just finished a lesson on simple proving and Ms. Stanley gave them a 15 point quiz.
"All answers will be on the board. Note that the method I used may not be the same method you used to prove the statements. So if you have questions, ask me and I'll check your papers." Ms. Stanley told the class before writing down the answers on the board. Riza took out her red pen and glanced at Roy's paper. His handwriting was very neat, very legible. Like Riza, he wrote down all the given statements and the required statements before neatly writing all the proofs and statements in two columns. There were just 3 items, each five points.
"Roy, would you mind if I compared my answers to yours?" Riza asked him.
"No problem. I was wondering the same thing actually… I'm not too sure about my answers." Roy said with a sheepish grin before showing Riza her paper, and she showed his paper.
They had different proofs for the first two numbers but ended up with the same answer. They had the same set of proofs for the last item.
"That's not too good… I mean we have different answers." Roy said.
"I guess you weren't listening to Ms. Stanley then." Riza joked. "She said we can have a different set of proofs but still end up with the same answer. You can have a longer set of proofs as compared to mine, but still your answer may be correct. There's no exact way of proving statements. But I'll let Ms. Stanley double check yours when she's done with the answers." Riza told him. He just merely shrugged before looking at the board for the answers. Their proofs for the last item matched to the one on the board and so both of them checked each other's paper, giving it a good five points.
"Alright, if anyone else has different answers other than the ones written on the board, come to me now." Ms. Stanley announced. Christella, who was in the first row near the door took the opportunity and quickly asked Ms. Stanley before she could leave that spot. Deciding that it would be the best time to ask her, Roy and Riza stood up at the same time.
"Oh well, ladies first then." Roy said, gesturing, a smirk on his face. Riza just raised an eyebrow and gave him a small smile.
"If you insist then, Sir." Riza played along before going to Ms. Stanley followed closely by Roy. While waiting for their teacher to check the answers, Roy talked to Riza.
"I was kidding, but ladies do go first right?" He whispered to her, still clutching her paper.
"I know you were kidding. I was kidding as well." She whispered back turning to him. "Hey, ease up your grip on my paper. You're crumpling it." Riza told him. Indeed the paper was getting crumpled.
"Whoops, sorry…" Roy said, easing up a bit.
"Alright, what can I do for you two?" Ms. Stanley turned to Roy and Riza.
"You go first, Riza." Roy told her. Riza nodded before showing Ms. Stanley Roy's answers while explaining his answers to the teacher.
"Hold on a minute, why are you explaining his answers?" Ms. Stanley asked.
"Oh yeah… well maybe because I understand his set of proofs?" She reasoned.
"I'll take that. Well, Roy's proofs are correct anyway in both numbers. So go ahead give him a perfect score Ms. Hawkeye." Riza nodded.
"Wait don't go yet… I'm going to show her your answers." Roy said, grabbing hold of Riza's arm as she was about to go back to her seat.
"Oh you can explain it right?" She asked him with a smile. He just gave her a look that said please stay or I might make a mistake. "Oh fine… I'll explain if you don't understand it." Riza finished before staying beside him. Roy showed her answers to Ms. Stanley, who double checked it. Once in a while she'd ask a question and Riza would answer it.
"Well, this is good. Give her a perfect score too, Mr. Mustang. You know… you two are really good at proving. I never imagined getting really good answers like yours. Keep it up you two." Ms. Stanley complimented them before they headed back to their seats. All the while, Christella had been eyeing the two, a very frustrated look on her face.
--
Time went by fast and before they knew it, they were just having their last class, PE. They had a fun morning. Ms. Hale gave them a quick grammar lesson then a short quiz, then a lesson on personality development. She showed them pictures of different people and the class had to pick which one fit a specific category (which was flashed on the screen). Then she gave them hand outs. It was a copy of an essay which talked about people's views on an ideal person. It was interesting, and it was in a way factual.
Ms. Ramirez on the other hand finished discussing the Greek civilization and gave a 20 point quiz on the topic. After the quiz, she started the discussion on the Roman Civilization. And as always, before the end of her lesson, she gave a short homework to be written in the notebook.
Now, the class hasn't had a single serious PE class because of the many interruptions during the first 2 weeks of classes. Ms. Song was tall, athletic (of course, she was a PE teacher, and that is one of the qualifications to be a PE teacher), and pretty with long, chestnut brown hair tied up in a neat ponytail.
"Alright, I understand that we haven't had a single real meeting for PE this school year. I do apologize for that, but since we've lost time, let's start with our agenda today. First I'd like to discuss your uniform. I know you're all not wearing it today, because it hasn't come in yet, but I'll just tell you what it looks like. Basically, we have to separate uniforms for boys and girls. Girls have a white shirt, a bit loose because the school doesn't like having body hugging shirts. It has the school seal and you have to wear it with the dark blue jazz pants. The guys, wear their version of the white shirt and shorts which have to be below the knee, but not too long. So basically I'll discuss what we're going to do per quarter and then a brief discussion of the Sports Festival which is scheduled either October or November. Or would you rather have the sports fest discussion come first, seeing as many of you love the sports fest?" She asked, looking at the class. Most of Riza's classmates had big smiles on their faces and were whispering excitedly. In any school, the sports festival was always a favorite activity. Riza knew this well. Whenever the sports festival came around at her previous school, everyone would be excited.
"Miss, would you allow me to take a class vote?" Christella stood up. Ms, Song was startled by the request but gave in. She allowed a class vote to be taken and more than half of the class wanted the discussion of the sports fest to come first.
"Alright then. The sports festival is highly anticipated by a lot of you. And as usual, we have the same sports selection. For those allowing both boys and girls on the team: Chess, badminton, table tennis, lawn tennis, swimming and athletics. There are also sports that have separate teams for boys and girls or in some cases; it only allows one type of sex. Not to be too rude, but some sports fit females better, some fit males better. So for Females: Softball and volleyball are there and for males, you have baseball. And of course, there is the annual cheer dance competition. The males are usually there as lifters and support, but the females are usually the stars of the cheer dance competition. No offense though." Ms. Song joked around. The boys just laughed in reply.
--
They finished discussing the sports fest in an hour. They used up the second hour to discuss what they were doing during the four quarters. The first quarter itself was exciting enough: Social Dances. They were going to learn the basics of the different dances and at the end of the quarter, they were supposed to make a dance out of their own. Due to the fact though that the number of boys and girls weren't equal, some girls would do a dance that didn't require partners.
In no time, the bell rang and Ms. Song immediately dismissed them.
--
The next few days passed by pretty quickly and it was the end of Wednesday already. They were dismissed pretty late but most of them stayed late in the room. Christella had called for a meeting with the class.
"I swear, that girl is going to make a little speech to get her some votes." Sunny said as she and Riza returned their books.
"Well, there's nothing wrong with that." Riza said, as she returned her notebooks and placed them juxtaposed to her books.
"Well Riza, you've never heard Christella speak. Every time she wants to win, she's going to do it by sugar coating a words. Y\You know, her words are like some sweet cola of sorts." Sunny said sarcastically.
"You're bothered aren't you, Sunny?" Riza asked her as she locked her locker.
"Well, I'm not going to say bothered. But there's really no way I'd win even if Ms. Ramirez was given a chance to vote." Sunny replied, locking her locker.
"So, are you going to stick around?" Riza asked Sunny as she retreated back to the room.
"Of course I'm going to stick around. If I don't who's going to control the class when this gets out of hand?" Sunny said with a wink and a matching smirk. Sunny went back in and after a few moments, Riza went back in and almost collided with Roy.
"Oh… sorry about that Roy. Are you leaving?" She asked him after apologizing.
"Yeah. I have a meeting at the office." He answered.
"So you're not going to listen to Christella's speech?" Riza asked again.
"Well, honestly, I've already made up my mind on who to vote for that position. And I can tell you now, it's not going to be Chris." Roy said as he left. "See you tomorrow, Riza." He told her as he left and closed the door quietly. Riza smiled before going back to her place to get her stuff, not really intending to listen to Christella's speech. As she was about to pick up her things and leave, Sunny grabbed her arm and sharply whispered to her.
"Hey, don't leave me here. If you leave me with her as she's making her sugar coated speech, I might not contain myself." Sunny told her.
"Alright, alright I'll stay then." Riza said, stifling her giggles. She put her bag down back on her chair.
"Alright everyone. I need quiet!" Christella started with her speech. Her friends were standing around her, all smiling.
"Alright, to begin, I know I wasn't a good temporary class rep and I paid for it. So I apologize for getting the whole class in trouble. But I want to tell you that I am ready to take up the position again. I learned from my mistakes and I know, I have improved. I will listen to all your pleas and ideas…."
"God, it sounds like her speech from LAST year." Sunny whispered to Riza, who just nodded.
"For those who are undecided," Christella said, looking at Riza with a smile. "Let me assure you that I will serve this class to the best of my abilities."
"Right… that's what you said LAST year, Christella." Sunny said, as she read her book beside Riza.
"What's it to you, Montgomery?" Christella replied, her eyes narrowing.
"What's it to me? I have no idea what the class thinks, but I've had enough of your little lies. You're just sugar coating all your statements, making yourself look good. You know that we know all the perks of being a class rep. I mean besides having a chance to become the batch rep, if and only if Sophia resigns. And besides that --"
"So what? I have no interest in being batch rep anymore. Do you want me to say it again? I have no hard feelings against Sophia. I much nicer towards her." Christella retorted.
"Nicer in what way? I saw how you treated Sophia at the mall a few weeks back. You think that's nice?" Sunny shouted back. The whole class was paying attention now. Riza on the other hand didn't know when to stop the two.
"That was a few weeks back! You said it yourself, Daniella. I told you, I've changed for the better. Trust me I have."
"To trust you is like lying to myself, I swear." Sunny retorted angrily.
"If you think that believing me is lying to yourself, then fine! I don't care what you think. One vote won't make that big of a difference anyway." Christella said.
"Oh really now. A single vote doesn't make that much of a difference now does it? I wonder if you remember saying that last year. Remember you lost by a small margin during the council elections." Sunny told her smugly.
"Oh digging up dirt now on me, are you, Montgomery? If you just know how much dirt I know about YOU." Christella shouted.
"Why I ought to --" Sunny wasn't able to finish her statement because another voice cut in.
"THAT'S ENOUGH." It was Riza, who stood up and was standing behind her desk and was about to pick up her bag. But she wasn't intending to leave without giving the two of them a piece of her mind. "I've had enough of your bickering. You know, honestly both of you, this is wasting everyone's time. You're both digging up dirt on each other. Christella, if you really have changed then you wouldn't be bickering with Sunny here. If you really want to win votes, then convince us that you really have changed! And Sunny, I didn't think you'd stoop down to Christella's level. I thought you had enough sense not to follow her mistakes. But I was wrong wasn't I? You know, if you're both trying to beat each other and out shout each other, then I think you're both doing it. But at what cost? I know that some of you think that I have no right to do this, I understand that. But, if no one's going to stand up to people like you, then who will?" Riza paused, and could see the whole class staring at her. Christella and Sunny were both in shock. "
That's it, I'm leaving. I'll see you guys tomorrow." Riza said quietly before leaving and shutting the door with an audible slam. The whole class was still silent as she left. And no sooner had Riza left, the other members of the class left as well.
--
It was just a mere 2 hours before the homeroom period. Throughout the entire day, the whole class was silent. No one was fighting, no one was even thinking about the elections. There was a lot of work to be done, especially since the teachers didn't think that that was the time to slack off and take things lightly. When they had an activity in English, Riza was silent the whole time, and she couldn't look at Sunny, who was her group mate. She wanted to talk to her, but was a bit afraid of Sunny's reaction. Roy noticed her change of mood and tried to talk to her during recess time but Riza simply shrugged it off saying that it was nothing.
During lunch time, Riza went down to the canteen alone, leaving right after Ms. Ross left She bought her food and sat down at her usual table. After a while, Bianca came and greeted her hello. Riza just simply replied with a sad hello before finishing up her food. She stood up and got her trash and was about to leave when Bianca stopped her.
"Hey are you okay Riza?" She asked, concerned.
"Yeah… I'm fine don't worry. It's funny though. You're not the first person who asked me that." Riza said with a small smile before leaving. "Oh and if you'll need me, I'll be at the library borrowing some books. I promised myself to borrow some books there once I get my ID." Riza told her before she left.
Right after she left, Sunny and Charm reached the table.
"Hey, you just missed Riza. What's up? You look moody today, Sunny." Bianca asked her friend.
"Nah I'm fine… Riza knocked some sense into me yesterday afternoon right after I got into another heated argument with Christella. Where is she?" Sunny asked.
"At the library. She said something about borrowing a book." Sunny stood up without even touching her food.
"Where are you going Sunny?" Charm asked. "You barely touched your food."
"It's just French fries. Go eat it for me, will you Bianca? I'll take my drink. There's something I need to do." Sunny said shortly before she left with her drink.
--
Sunny went up to the second floor as quick as she could while finishing her drink. When she got to the entrance of the bridge leading to the library, she discarded the empty cup and went inside the cold, air conditioned room. She didn't see Riza among the students who were checking out books or those seated at the tables. So she went straight to the stock area and straight to the shelves that had Riza's favorite books. And she was right, Riza was there, taking out some books.
"Riza… can… can we talk?" Sunny asked her friend who wasn't looking at her. Riza sighed, and took down her third book before turning to face Sunny. To Sunny's surprise, Riza's usually-serious face broke into a rare smile.
"Sure, I'll just check these books out… save an empty table for us will you?" Riza said before proceeding to the check out counter.
--
"What did you want to talk about, Sunny?" Riza asked quietly. Deep down, she knew what Sunny wanted to talk about.
"I'd… I'd like to apologize."
"For what?" Riza asked, puzzled. She thought she was the one who had to apologize.
"For the way I acted yesterday. I know it wasn't like me to act like that." Sunny said, her voice close to a whisper.
"I have to apologize, Sunny… I didn't expect you to apologize. I mean, I know I don't have a right to tell you off because I'm a new student and all."
"You have a right to tell me off because you're my friend. And that's what a friend's supposed to do right?" Sunny told her with a smile. Riza just smiled at her friend's wise answer. "I know I acted like a huge jerk yesterday. I thought that I can stop Christella without being a Christella myself. But I was wrong. But at least you had enough guts to stand up to both of us. It's not everyday that new students stood up to the old and popular students."
"I thought you'd get mad at me… I mean Christella got mad at me last week for something she did and I'm sure she's mad at me now."
"Well that's Christella… I'd like to tell you now… don't nominate me. Whatever you do, don't nominate me." Sunny said as she stood up. "Friends?"
"We are friends… why don't you want me to nominate you?" Riza said as she stood up and pushed back her chair.
"You'll know later." Sunny said as she and Riza left.
--
"Well, I've heard good feedback from all your teachers. It seems there hasn't been any trouble so far. So I'm not going to handpick officers… darn it I was looking forward to that." Ms. Ramirez was in the classroom for the elections and was in a very good mood.
"You're not serious are you, Ms. Ramirez?" Ted asked, nervous.
"Of course not… not unless, you DO want me to handpick the officers, eh Mr. Briony?" Ms. Ramirez replied, eyebrow's raised, a serious tone to her voice. Ted immediately shook his head no and the rest of the class just laughed.
"Okay then, I'll start with the elections now. After the elections, which I hope will be over quick, I will discuss all the duties of the different officers. Clear?"
"Yes, miss." Everyone replied in chorus, excited to start the elections and anxious to find out the results.
"Before I begin with all my reminders, I would like to thank all the temporary officers led by Daniella. Thanks for all your help. That's it. Since I don't want to waste your lovely papers and kill trees, we will have a raise of hands to determine the number of votes. I need only ONE HAND. If I see two, even if it is a joke, I will give you a warning slip. I want this to go smoothly and without any problems. Just like the nominations for temporary officers, someone has to nominate you (if you do intend to run), and someone has to second that nomination. Anyone can do that and anyone can close the nominations afterwards. When the nominations are closed, I want the nominees to step out. As many of you know, Mr. Mustang cannot be nominated or elected for any position because he is a council officer. Let's start then." Ms. Ramirez said with a smile. "I open nominations for Class Representative."
Vanessa's hand quickly shot up, followed by Cornelia's. Ms. Ramirez, although she knew who the nomination was for, called on Cornelia who nominated Christella without any hesitation. Vanessa was then called to second and Christella was asked to leave the room. She did, with a big, happy smile on her face.
"Any nominations? I will not move on to the next position if no one runs against Ms. Curtis." Ms. Ramirez called out. Riza shot a look at Charm and then to Sunny who nodded no. To Riza's surprise, Sunny raised her own hand, and Ms. Ramirez acknowledged it.
"I'm not nominating myself, Ms. R… I'm nominating… Riza Hawkeye." All heads turned to Riza who was definitely surprised at the nomination. She looked at Roy who just gave her an encouraging smile before raising his own hand.
"Yes, Mr. Mustang?" Ms. Ramirez said, playing with the chalk.
"I second the nomination." He said shortly before sitting down. With a small smile, Ms. Ramirez asked Riza to leave the room and wrote the candidates' names on the board in her not-so legible handwriting.
Riza stood up, and slowly made her way out. She was a bit nervous and there was mixed feelings inside of her. She wasn't afraid of Christella. After what she told her yesterday, she shouldn't be afraid, but she was afraid of the outcome.
--
"What are you doing out here, Hawkeye?" Christella's voice rang out in the empty hallway as Riza shut the door.
"Well, I'll put it simply. I was nominated. Is there any reason that I would be out here?" Riza shot back, a small smile on her face.
"You think you can lecture me, Hawkeye, but you're wrong. You have no right to do that." Christella retorted. Riza paused to think of what she would say.
"You know what, Christella… that's the very same attitude that made Ms. Ramirez remove you from your position. So I suggest you do show that you have changed, because if you don't I don't know how long people will believe you." Riza said quietly as the door swung open, meaning that the votes have been counted. Christella, jumped off the locker she was sitting on and went back to the room and Riza followed her and closed the door. What Riza saw on the board surprised not only her, but Christella herself. Before the elections, Ms. Ramirez had written down the different positions (like during the elections on the first day). Beside the position of class representative, Ms. Ramirez had written down Riza's name.
"I…" Riza was a loss for words. Christella gave her an angry glare (which Riza ignored and Ms. Ramirez didn't see) before stomping off back to her seat, by the door.
"Congratulations, Riza… you're the new rep. Listen, it's not everyday that a new student becomes the class rep, but I'm not saying it's impossible. Congratulations. It was a landslide. So you start your job now, take over the elections and I'll relax there at the teacher's table." Ms. Ramirez tossed Riza the chalk and Riza caught it (surprisingly without flinching). "Go on, good luck, Ms. Hawkeye." Riza smiled and nodded.
"…First, I would like to thank those who voted for me, but I'll save the rest for later. Thank you Ms. Ramirez and now… as your class representative, I would like to open the nominations for Discipline chairman."
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Rawr, it's very long again. To tell you guys the truth, I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter because of the many mistakes I had with the names and I was bored and I think I got a lotof stuff wrong... (one of the reasons why I miss school 'coz I get my inspiration from stuff at school XD) But I've corrected the names already. If you see any more mistakes, please tell me. If there are questions, please tell me. If you think this isn't great at all, drop me a line. And of course, don't forget to review! 3 I love getting reviews from you guys! Even if it isn't a good review, just review. Thanks a lot and please review (even if I think, this sucks a lot)