Page 43 of The Reverse Cinderella
Max turned her to face him and put his hands on her shoulders. “Hey, if you don’t want to do this, you don’t have to.”
“I’m worried that I’m not going to be a good mayor,” Piaget said softly. “I don’t know half of what a mayor does. If I actually win, will I be so busy that I have to give up college?”
“You’re not going to give up on your dream, Piaget. I won’t let you,” Max hugged her. “Why are you doing this if it’s not what you want?”
“I don’t want him to win. He’s despicable. He doesn’t care about the people in this city. He wants to ship the homeless off and make them someone else’s problem rather than helping them,” she leaned into Max, enjoying his comforting presence. “He couldn’t even pronounce my name right.”
Max chuckled. “That is definitely a crime.”
“I know!” Piaget sighed. “I don’t want him to win and I’m the only one who has stepped up so far to stop him.”
“When does the application process close?”
“Next week. The first debate is this week,” Piaget groaned. “I’m not ready. I don’t like talking in front of people.”
Max chuckled. “You talk every day to people on the radio.”
“That’s different! I can’t actually see them,” she complained. “I’m going to freeze up there, I just know it.”
“Maybe you could get a bunch of students at the college to set up a mock debate for you to practice with?” Max suggested. “So that you feel more comfortable with the real thing.”
Piaget looked up at him. “Do you think the college would let me?”
“I think, what did you call your teacher? Lydia?” at Piaget’s nod, Max continued. “I think you are her favorite student and she will definitely help you out with a mock debate.”
“That’s a really great idea,” Piaget mulled it over. If Mrs. Brown was willing, it would help her to have the practice.
“Now, let’s get whatever else you need for the spaghetti. Then we’ll go back to your apartment and make up all sorts of cue cards for you to study from so that you feel better about these debates.”
“Really?” Piaget asked, thankful that Max would do this for her.
He smiled at her. “What are study buddies for?”