Chapter 15

Chapter 15 THE BIG DEBATE! THE MOMENT OF TRUTH!… AND THE REASON GYM IS CANCELED TODAY! Po LIKED TO WIN. Often, that was a good quality. When he was on the basketball court…or rehearsing for a play…or studying for a test? That drive to succeed was hugely important. But it was possible to be too competitive. To take things too far. To put just winning ahead of how you win. He tried to remember that as he adjusted his microphone in the moments before his debate with Shelly Silver. The entire class had packed into the cafeteria to witness it. And Po found himself craving their applause. But he reminded himself that he wasn't here for applause. He was here to discuss important subjects that his fellow students cared deeply about. And he needed to take that seriously.

Mr. Malory stepped to the center of the stage and addressed the assembled students. "Greetings, Woodsword," he said. "As a neutral party, I've been asked to moderate this debate over my lunch hour. Normally I'd be sad to miss lunch…but I was going to eat a bologna sandwich today, so I'd rather be here with all of you." Mr. Malory paused, as if waiting for laughter. But no one made a sound. He turned to Po and Shelly. "Tough crowd," he whispered to them.

Shelly was at her own lectern, which was set up a few feet away from Po's. She didn't look nervous. In fact, she looked eager to begin. "Let's start with you, Shelly," said Mr. Malory. "Why do you want to be class president?" Shelly didn't hesitate. "I want to make a difference at Woodsword," she answered. "I want to help make our school the very best it can be. I have a plan to expand our after-school activities by twenty percent, and to reduce our carbon footprint by twice that percentage. That's why I gave out reusable spoons when I announced my campaign—the disposable

plasticware that the cafeteria provides us is wasteful and unnecessary, and it has to go." Po was stunned. It hadn't even occurred to him that her handouts were part of a waste-reduction plan. He'd thought she was just trying to be flashy! "And I had to stay up late doing the math, but…I think I may have a solution to the block party dilemma," said Shelly. "If we change the event into a ticketed fundraiser, we have the opportunity to keep the party fun…while actually making money instead of spending it. I think that might satisfy everybody!" The students all applauded for Shelly, and Po found he couldn't blame them. He almost wanted to join them! "Same question for you, Po," said Mr. Malory. "Why do you want to be president?" Po thought for a moment about his answer. And he decided to be honest.

"I don't really want to be president," he said. He heard gasps from the crowd, but he didn't let that stop him. "What I want is to win the election, because winning feels good. And winning a vote makes you feel like people really like you." He sighed. "I like being the center of attention. But that's the only thing I would like about being president. I'm not actually ready for the responsibility. I mean, nobody told me there'd be math involved." He grinned. "And that's why…I've decided to endorse Shelly Silver for class president."

Now Shelly herself gasped. Everyone else seemed to be stunned into silence. Po looked into the crowd and saw that every student was sitting absolutely frozen in place. Then he saw Morgan begin to clap. And Jodi. And Harper and Theo and Ricky. And then everybody else.