There's nothing like a good old cup of hot tea on a nice winter day. You're bundled up in your bed, watching a good movie, and sipping a good cup. It just keeps you warm while your toes are possibly freezing off of your feet. 

But, at the same time, it's even better when it's spilled at your school. And not when it's just a drop or two. I'm talking about the whole damn cup. Where the leak is so huge that you're going to need several layers of paper towels to soak it up. 

Now that's the kind of tea that a lot of people love it around here. And I'm not going to disagree with the fact that I'm one of those people who loves it.

"Nope. No chances of going to there. The GPA and acceptance rates are so out of my reach," I think to myself, as I close my tab. Most people usually have some sort of direction as to where they want to go after high school. You see, I'm not one of those fortunate people. 

I'm at that place where I don't know what I'm going to do, and I have almost no time left. So now, I'm scrambling to find a career that will work out for me and won't leave me crippled with student debt. 

And the worst part is, nothing is working for me. Nothing seems appealing enough. No matter how much research that I try to do, nothing just seems to click with me. That's what I really hate about choosing a college major. 

As I'm scrolling through more and more pages about choosing the right college and major, I feel a tap come upon my shoulder. I finish looking at the screen, and then I turn around. My best friend, Alison, is standing right there, with a big smile stretched across her face like someone pulled her cheeks out. 

I raise an eyebrow, and say, "Everything good? You look like someone kissed you for the first time." 

Alison shook her head, and says, "I got news. Really good news."

 I lean in a little bit, with a fake smile on my face. "You made more butterscotch cupcakes?"

 "I wish." 

"You finally got a cat?" 

"Keep guessing." 

"You finally found concealer that matches?" 

"Now that's just cruel." She takes out her pencil case. "I got news on Ray and Sophia. This doesn't really involve me in the situation." 

I shrug. "Okay. Unless this is really good news, then I don't know what you're so hyped about." 

"Basically, Ray tried to defend Sophia, Sophia pretended to act like Ray had insulted her, and when news spread, she went sobbing it back to Ray just to get his vote back because of the elections." 

My jaw drops open, and I lean in a little bit more. "Are you serious?" I ask. 

She nods. "Dead serious. I heard it from literally everyone around me. I thought it would help in making the elections go a little bit smoother. Because we all know how much you want to be Ray's vice president, since you guys are such close friends." 

I smile a little bit, and then take out my speech note cards so that I can add this to my notes. Honestly, this is the best thing that I can add to my speech. 

When it comes to elections, a lot of people play dirty. Really dirty. Honestly, that's what you got to do sometimes. You just have to pull some strings to get what you want. And this is arguably the best kinds of strings that I've ever had to pull. 

I smile a little bit, and say, "Thanks, Alison. This is going to help me so much." 

Alison smiles, and says, "You're good. I can't wait to see you crush her." She holds her hand up in a high five, to which I gladly accept. 

 They say practice makes perfect. You just gotta keep practicing until you get the hang of it. Sure, there are some things where it takes a lot of time to practice until you make it perfect enough to execute. And surely enough, Sophia's downfall has been one of them. 

For so long, all I wanted to see was her fall weak to her knees, crying about the defeat she had just accepted. Alas, these were all fantasies of mine, but now, I can somewhat see that happening. Which is great, because I can almost taste victory dripping onto my tongue. It's like the sweet sap of the tree that I've grown so long, and it tastes amazing. 

For days, I'm memorizing my speech on end, because addressing the audience is something that is really important. Eye contact, confidence, and all that is all important when it comes to giving a good speech. And it's crucial when it comes to winning the audience over on election day. 

*******

The clock is ticking. It's like little droplets of water dripping from the awnings of a building after a storm. The students are like the streams of water that flow onto the asphalt after dripping from the awnings. Of course, the noise level coming from them makes me feel a little bit anxious, because of the fact that everyone seems so cheerful. 

I look at the other speakers sitting in the seats nearby. Nothing but confidence is plastered across their faces, which only makes me feel a little bit more anxious about everything that I'm doing. The only thing that can distract me right now is the bright blue nail polish that's smoothly painted on my nails. 

I turn my head once more, and I see Ray and Sophia sitting next to each other. Smiles are sewn across their faces, with nothing but joyous conversation radiating between the two. Lots of laughing, joking, and smiling, which only makes me a little bit more envious. 

I let out a large sigh, and sit back to watch the final bits of teachers and students come in. After what seems like an eternity, our principal, Ms. Robinson, comes up to the podium and gives the welcoming speech. 

In all honesty, I don't listen at all, because I want to get this done with. I want to smash the nail into Sophia's coffin so that the envy that I carry will be buried in the ground also. 

After the opening speech, the treasurer candidates give their opening speeches. Everyone's eyes are on me right now, and it's intimidating. I can't imagine the strife of public speakers who do this on a regular basis. I feel like I'm going to drown in my own sweat anytime soon. 

Eventually, after the treasurers finish up their speeches, the principal calls my name to come up to the podium. With a large gulp, I walk up to the podium, with my note cards in hand. Wiping the sweat off of my forehead, I clear my throat, and start my speech. 

"Good morning, everyone. My name is Victoria Bell, and as you can tell, I'm running to be your vice president of this year. When it comes to student council, not only should the vice president have strong goals in mind, but their morals should be grounded. If their morals aren't right, then the whole council is going to be screwed. Am I right, or am I wrong?" 

Cheers erupt from the entire audience, with some people yelling, "Yeah!" along with it. 

I smile, and say, "Now, we wouldn't want a person who clearly acts awful to people trying to help them, and then they cry it up to them so that they get a vote for the elections, right?" Everyone cheers a little bit louder, which is like the hammer that is slowly nailing Sophia's coffin shut. 

My smile fades a little bit, and I turn to Sophia. "Well, it's really unfortunate to say that the other candidate for your vice president has done what I just described," I say, while enunciating the words so that everyone can hear me loud and clear to notice what kind of a person Sophia is. 

A gasp is let out from everyone nearby, and they all look at Sophia. I look back at her as well, and her eyes are as wide as saucers when she hears what I just said. I smile a little bit to myself, while confusion is sprayed onto Ray's face. 

He himself looks like he doesn't know what I'm talking about, but I sure do. Sophia looks back at Ray, who just shakes his head like he still doesn't know what I'm talking about. I'm just glad I got that out of my way, because this is working all in my favor. 

My words are the last slam that the hammer needs to nail Sophia's coffin shut. Now, I don't know how she's going to break out of the coffin, because there's no way. I can finally declare victory. 

For now, at least. 

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Oh boy! There's some drama stirring up here, isn't there? But, I think we both know the other sides of the story. Do you think Victoria is going to get what she deserves? And how will Sophia recover from this huge blow?

Hey everyone! How are you all? How is life? I just wanted so say something really quickly. Thank you all for the massive amount of support you guys have given me. And a special thank you to IMGINARYSOLARSYSTEM and DarkRoyallty. It truly means so much to me that you guys are supporting me. So, thank you all! Love you!

Please vote/comment/follow/share/message if you like my work! I'll see you all next Sunday with a new chapter of I Never Imagined! Have an excellent week!

Love you guys,

S.V.T.S