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Red, White and Blue
DO YOU CHICKEN NUGGET?
Chapter 1: 1 I can't imagine why I have signed up for speech. My heart is beating out of my chest as I search for a way to slow down time. I pass the recently mop floors and imagine the cartoons where the for sparkle and shine. I enter the room prepared to say my speech with Matthew. I feel everyone's eyes gaze at me as I take a seat.
“Can we go first!” Matthew barks at the grey bearded judge. My face turns red and I feel like I just ran a marathon.
“Sure you can,” Gray beard responds.
“Are you serious!” I mumble under my breath. I walk onto the platform that's really just a clear space in front of a whiteboard.
“Are you ready boys?” Ai! Ai! Captain is what I respond to him mentally
“Sure am,” I try to say in my most casual voice but instead I’m trembling with fear.
We begin our speech, and although I don't remember any of what I say in the moment, I do remember how I felt I imagine my face is the color of blood. When I say the speech, my voice is shakes. I am as nervous as a ten-year-old boy can get. When we finish, we take a seat and listen to the others. I think we didn't do such a great job, but especially when I hear the others. They blew through their speeches, as if that's what they have practiced since birth.
When the other competitors are finished the grey bearded man wants to “Thank all of us for our hard work and time given to our speeches!” We wait for the bell to ring so we can see all of the results
r-r-ring r-r-ring.
“Great job, Christian!” Matthew practically shouts.
“Thanks, you too,” I respond.
“What do you think we got?” I ask Matthew, interested in what he thinks.
“I don't know. As long as we don't get a white I'm happy” Matthew screeches.
“Yeah, I hope we get a blue, but I doubt it,” I sigh.
As we walk into the hallway and it overflows with other people, and chatter. We enter the gym, where it’s not so crowded. “I hope my parents don’t see how bad I did.” I think to myself. I look for a parent. I spot my dad by the food and go over to get a drink.
“Hi, Dad,” I say.
“How did you do?” he asks curiously.
“Ugh, horrible!” I want to say.
“Oh, okay I guess,” I respond.
“Well, I bet you did just fine,” He says enthusiastically.
I walk back to Mom with Dad behind me. I take a seat next to my mom and tell her I think I did okay. She turns around and starts talking with Matthew's mom.
“I hope my parents aren’t here when I score,” I think to myself.
I pull out my phone and start playing games, until the lady, who I assume is a principal, walked onto the stage.
“Hello is everyone having a good time!” she shouts instead of asks a question.
“Yes,” a very low faint noise responds.
“Well, how about we get onto the rewards then!” she shouts.
She gives us the guidelines of what each ribbon represents but to shorten it, white is terrible, red is average, and blue’s great, except she goes through 15 minute guidelines.
“ Now, I want you to know you all did a great job!” She says.
10 minutes later…
Matthew Christian with the football speech...drum roll please...
Blue Ribbon.
My heart beats with excitement. I want to take off running like a gazelle that's been let loose. I walk up to the states and take the ribbon the place starts and ends I walked back to my seat and people start taking pictures. Looking back on that day I know that I shouldn't have told my parents to not watch me, even if it will make me really nervous. Because one day, i may look back and realize that was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and be sad, that they weren’t there to witness it.
MTN DEW
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