Tate had never been in the spotlight before, but now, thanks to Landon, she was practically glowing under it—and not in a good way.
Posters with her name on them were plastered all over the school. Students whispered about her in the hallways. Some smiled at her like she had suddenly become interesting. Others stared, trying to figure out what made her special.
She didn't like it.
She preferred being invisible. But with Landon's over-the-top campaign energy, that had become impossible. He was always dragging her into conversations, introducing her to random people, hyping her up like she was some kind of celebrity.
"You have to smile more, Tate," he said as they walked down the hallway. "I don't want people to think my vice is unhappy with her position."
"I'm not unhappy," Tate replied, rubbing her temple. "I'm just exhausted. You've introduced me to practically everyone in this school. I don't even feel comfortable with all these people knowing my name."
Landon grinned. "Don't worry. You'll be fine. I promise. We just need to show the school why we're the perfect candidates. After that, I won't stress you again."
Tate sighed. It was already too late to back out. She had accepted her fate. This was her life now.
As they walked, more students called her name—at least five in under a minute.
She kept repeating in her head: I'll be fine. I just have to get through this. That's all.
Then, as if things weren't already overwhelming, Landon added, "Oh, I forgot to tell you—you'll be working with someone for the campaign. I asked Martha, but she declined. Damien volunteered to help out."
Tate stopped in her tracks. "No… not Damien."
Landon frowned. "Why not? He's a great pick. He's good-looking, he's popular—especially with the girls."
He lowered his voice and added with a smirk, "I heard Dolly from 9th grade asked him out and even declared her undying love for him. He rejected her, though."
He shrugged like that sealed the deal. "So yeah, pretty sure he's a good pick."
Tate wanted to scream. Of all people… Damien?
She had just gotten rid of him. Just stopped thinking about his stupid wood-fruit cologne. Just stopped having to awkwardly avoid his eyes.
Now she'd have to be around him again?
But she didn't say any of that out loud. Because Landon was right—Damien was a good pick. And if they wanted this campaign to go smoothly, she couldn't afford to let her personal feelings get in the way.
Even if her stomach was already twisting at the thought.
When Tate got home in the evening, she walked in just in time to see her mom hurriedly shoving something into a drawer.
She narrowed her eyes. Suspicious.
"Hey… Mom."
Her mom spun around, looking startled. "Tate! I—I didn't know you were back so early."
Tate raised a brow. "Mom, it's past closing time."
Her mom let out a nervous laugh. "Haha, Tate, you're so funny. Go upstairs and freshen up. I'm almost done making dinner, and your dad will be home soon."
Tate eyed her mother suspiciously. She knew she was hiding something. And she was going to find out what. But for now, she decided to play along.
"Okay, ma."
She went up to her room, freshened up, and decided to focus on her homework before dinner. She didn't want the campaign to affect her studies. She was finally getting back on track academically, and she didn't want to slip again.
After finishing her assignments, she went downstairs to eat. Dinner passed by smoothly, and afterward, she helped her mom with the dishes. Just as she was about to head upstairs for the night, her mom called out
"Tate, your dad and I want to talk to you in the living room."
Tate froze. Her heartbeat picked up. What's going on?
Had she done something wrong?
When she got to the living room, her parents were already seated. Her dad had a serious look on his face.
"Tate, sit," he said firmly.
Oh, shit.
She hesitantly sat down, her stomach twisting with anxiety.
Her mom cleared her throat. "Your dad and I have noticed something about you," she began. "We talked about it before deciding to bring it up."
Tate's mind raced. Noticed what?
"We've seen a change in you," her mom continued. "Your aura is different. You're more confident in yourself." She exchanged a glance with Tate's dad before adding, "Your homeroom teacher called us yesterday."
Tate's breath hitched. Oh no.
"He told us you've improved academically," her mom said, smiling. "You scored above average on the last test, which he said was new for you. He also mentioned that you're campaigning as vice to your class governor."
Her dad nodded. "Your mom also told me you've made a new friend—Martha. She seems to be a great influence on you."
Tate exhaled in relief. So I'm not in trouble?
Instead, her parents were… proud of her?
She hadn't thought too much of her progress, but the fact that they saw it as something big made her heart swell.
Her mom reached for the drawer she had been hiding something in earlier. "To show you how proud we are of you, we got you a gift."
She handed Tate a neatly wrapped box.
Tate hesitated, looking at it skeptically.
Her dad chuckled. "Go on, open it."
Tate carefully unwrapped the box, lifted the lid, and
She gasped.
Inside was a brand-new phone.
Not just any phone. The latest model. The one that had just dropped a few weeks ago.
Her mouth fell open.
"OH MY GOD!" she squealed, jumping up.
She threw her arms around her parents, hugging them tight. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Her dad laughed. "You're crushing us, Tate."
She quickly stepped back. "Sorry!"
Her mom smiled warmly. "It was supposed to be your birthday gift. I know your birthday is next month, but we decided to give it to you early—to motivate you."
Her dad nodded. "And we might not be around for your birthday. Your mom's sister's son is getting married, and we may have to travel out of the country to Nigeria for the wedding."
Her mom added, "We wanted to give you this so we can stay in touch while we're away."
Tate's chest tightened with emotion. "I love you, Mom. I love you, Dad. Thank you so much."
Her parents beamed. "You're welcome."
"You can go up to your room now if you want," her dad said.
As she turned to leave, her mom called after her, "Make sure you call your brother. He always asks about you and misses you."
Tate nodded. "Okay, Mom."
She headed to her room, shutting the door behind her.
She sat on her bed, staring at the phone in her hands.
It didn't feel real.
She had always wanted a phone. And now she had one.
She smiled to herself. It's going to be so much easier to talk to Martha now. The next day, as soon as Tate arrived at school, she rushed to find Martha, barely able to contain her excitement.
"Martha, guess what?" she said, practically bouncing on her feet.
Martha's eyes lit up. "What?!"
Tate grinned. "I got a cellphone!"
Martha let out a squeal. "What?! Let me see!"
Tate pulled out her phone, and Martha gasped, eyes wide in amazement. "Oh my God, Tate! It's the latest model!"
"I know, right? I didn't expect it at all! My parents got it for me as an early birthday gift," Tate said, still buzzing with excitement.
"That's so cool!" Martha said as she grabbed the phone. "Let me put in my number immediately."
She quickly saved her number and handed the phone back.
Then, her expression shifted to something more thoughtful. "Tate, this is a great opportunity for the campaign. You can promote it on social media."
Tate's excitement faltered. "I don't think that's a good idea."
Martha frowned. "Why not? It's a great way for people to get to know you and Landon better."
Tate shifted uncomfortably. "I just don't think it's necessary. Landon doesn't even have any competition. I feel like this whole campaign is over the top."
Martha shook her head. "He still has to prove to the teachers and students that he's a good pick."
Tate groaned internally. She had been trying to avoid all the extra attention, and now Martha wanted her to open a social media account? That was basically giving people even easier access to her.
Martha grinned mischievously. "You have to open an account. Even if I have to force you," she joked.
Tate rolled her eyes. "Why don't you help with the campaign? You clearly have more ideas than I do."
"Nah, it's not really my scene," Martha said with a shrug. "But Damien is helping. I'm sure he'll do a great job—he probably has a ton of ideas already."
Tate's stomach twisted at the mention of Damien. "How do you know that?" she asked.
Martha smirked. "He told me. Ever since he started sitting close to me, we've been talking. He's actually really cool. He even followed my account, and we chat on social media."
Tate blinked. She hadn't expected Martha and Damien to start talking like that or for them to actually become friends.
Martha nudged her. "Once I set up your account, you can follow us, and we can talk online too."
Tate groaned. "Nooo, I don't want to, Martha."
Martha laughed, grabbing Tate's arm and dragging her toward the classroom. "Too bad. Let's go! I'm setting up your account right now."