Chapter 5
927 Words
The Student Charity Council was the most competitive and prestigious student leadership position on campus.
Council president status guaranteed a flawless community leadership score for college applications and a standout line on graduation recommendation letters.
Campaign season turned the entire grade cutthroat.
Students handed out physical flyers, posted promotional reels on social media, and bribed peers with cafeteria favors to grab votes.
Official school rules mandated fully anonymous public elections for all council positions.
The day the final results were posted, a massive crowd packed the school hallway in front of the bulletin board.
A teacher, Amelia Hawkins, stood beside the board, wearing a pleased smile as she announced the appointments. "Mia Carter will serve as this year's Charity Council President. Jasper Grant will take on the External Specialist role."
I pushed through the crowd for a closer look.
Not a single voting record was listed on the official document.
The entire election process had been skipped entirely.
"Ms. Hawkins," I called out calmly.
Amelia turned toward me, her warm smile fading into impatience. "What is it?"
I asked, "School Regulation Clause 12 states all council leadership positions must be filled via anonymous public student vote. Why was the voting process skipped this year?"
She dismissed my question with a wave of her hand. "Mia boasts extensive family resources capable of funding large-scale charity projects. Exceptional talent deserves exceptional treatment."
"No rule allows administrators to bypass official school policy for special treatment," I said steadily.
"Are you questioning my professional judgment?" Her tone turned sharp and defensive.
"I'm questioning procedural compliance," I said simply.
Mia poked her head out from the crowd, holding up her phone to record the entire confrontation. "Guys, look! Elaine's out here arguing with a teacher over nothing!" She tilted the camera directly at me, her voice dripping with mockery. "She rides a busted Volvo and can't even afford basic nice clothes, yet she's lecturing us on proper procedure? She doesn't even know what high-end charity work entails!"
Her group of friends burst into mocking laughter.
Amelia chimed in, scanning my plain outfit with obvious disdain. "The council needs people with actual connections and resources. Focus on your academics, Elaine. This leadership role isn't suited for students in your situation."
I stood my ground silently, my phone recording every word in my pocket.
A glint of light caught my eye as Amelia turned to speak to a colleague—tiny ruby stud earrings flashing on her ears.
Exactly like the ones held between Mia's fingers in the surveillance still from my walk-in closet.
I snapped a quick, discreet photo for evidence.
"Understood. Thank you for the guidance," I replied evenly.
Once I reached the hallway corner, I pulled up my family's private inventory records.
The ruby earrings, worth forty-seven thousand dollars, were listed in my family's 2019 inventory log, never marked for loan or loss.
Mia had stolen them and somehow gotten them into the teacher's hands.
I saved every piece of evidence, piecing together the full scheme in my mind.
*****
Mia's council permissions were officially approved shortly after. Barely one day into her term, she began assigning work arbitrarily to flex her new authority.
The entire council gathered in the meeting room as she read off mandatory volunteer assignments one by one—hospital care shifts, nursing home companionship, animal shelter duty, library organization work.
Every member received a balanced, hands-on community role except me.
She closed the assignment sheet with a snap. "Meeting adjourned."
I raised my hand from the back row. "What's my assignment?"
Mia pretended to notice me for the first time, flipping lazily through her papers. "Oh, oops. All the volunteer slots are full."
She scribbled furiously at the bottom of the list, a sickly sweet smile spreading across her face. "We've got eight hundred charity inventory logs needing full auditing and sorting. You can handle that. Have it turned in by next week."
"You're assigning eight hundred solo inventory tasks solely to me?" I asked plainly.
"Yep!" Her tone was falsely cheerful. "You're always preaching fairness, right? Someone's gotta take on the tedious work. You're just stepping up for the team—totally equal opportunity."
Her clique snickered loudly at my expense.
I stood abruptly, refusing to back down. "I decline this assignment."
Mia's smile dropped instantly. "What's your problem?"
"School Regulation Clause 19 mandates equal, rotating workload distribution for all council members. Everyone else gets flexible field volunteer work, while I'm stuck with eight hundred tedious solo paperwork tasks. This isn't a fair or compliant policy."
"It's necessary work for the council!" Mia snapped defensively.
"Write out official written task criteria with detailed workload evaluations and email them to the entire council for public review," I challenged.
Mia sputtered, her pen hovering uselessly over the paper, unable to form a single valid argument.
Jasper tried to defuse the tension. "Mia, maybe we can split the work—"
"Stay out of this!" Mia snapped at him sharply.
She slammed her palm down on the table, glaring at me. "Either you finish the work, or you get zero community service credits for the semester. Your graduation's on the line—your call."
"You don't have the authority to make that call. Credit validation falls under the Dean's Office, not council leadership. Without official written documentation for this unequal assignment, I won't comply."
I slung my backpack over my shoulder and walked out of the meeting room without another word.
The loud crash of a folder slamming against the table echoed through the closing door behind me.
- Writer
