Page 39 of TJ Powar Has Something to Prove
Charlie looks off into the distance and takes his time answering. “I can’t stand seeing you so pathetic. If I only beat you because you gave up, where’s the satisfaction?”
TJ scoffs. Of course. “You’re a dick.”
“And you’re...” He taps her nose condescendingly. “Welcome.”
ELEVEN
***
The next day, TJ wakes up far too early. The sun has yet to rise. But she’s too wired to go back to sleep, so in the dark of the hotel room she shares with Simran, she gets ready for the day. By the time her cousin’s alarm goes off, TJ’s fully dressed, propped against her pillows with her laptop.
Simran yawns and squints to turn off her alarm. “What are you doing?”
“Reading through a quotes website.” She likes having some inspirational lines in her back pocket to end impromptu speeches on a snappy note.
Simran nods, then rolls over and promptly seems to fall asleep again. TJ has to fight the urge to laugh. When they were little, Simran took sleepover invitations quite literally, and no one could ever rouse her before noon. Clearly not much has changed.
“You know,” she says, “for a religious person, you’re not very disciplined.”
Simran mutters something about how discipline has got nothing to do with anything.
“What’s that?” TJ says with mock confusion. “Speak up. I can’t hear you.”
After a second, Simran twists in her cocoon of blankets, looking more awake. “You’re bright this morning.”
She looks a little unsettled by the fact. TJ grins. “Well, someone has to be. We’ve got four debates to get through.”
Simran squints at her for another moment before smiling back. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
“I am,” TJ says, and she finds that it’s absolutely true. “Now, seriously, get up. Or we’re going to miss breakfast.”
∗
Breakfast is hosted at the school. Today, TJ manages to eat a muffin and a few pieces of fruit. Schedules are passed around but she doesn’t look at them. She double-checks that both her Proposition and Opposition speeches are in her notebook, colour-coded with green and red sticky notes. Those will be in the afternoon. The first two debates in the morning will be impromptu, meaning they’re given a resolution thirty minutes before the first debate. Their resolution:Be It Resolved That art can be evaluated objectively.
TJ and Simran put their heads together, and a hush of whispers falls over the huge auditorium. No one’s allowed to talk to anyone but their partner during this time. No electronics, either. They only have each other to rely on.
Once the thirty minutes are up, a timer goes off, and hundreds of chairs scrape back as debaters rise to go to their assigned classrooms. TJ swipes a water bottle for the road and tries to ignore the nervous flutters in her stomach.
The other team is already in the room when they arrive, two guys from the Lower Mainland West region in matching navy-blue suits. They stop whispering to each other and look up when TJ enters with Simran. They’ve never come up againstthis team before, but the smile the blond one gives her when she makes eye contact is a little too knowing. Friends of Jenna’s, probably.
As the Speaker calls the debate to order, TJ mentally runs through facts about the debate. She and Simran are arguing Side Negative this round, which she triple-checked already. TJ is first speaker for their side. It’s Cross-Examination Style, so she’ll have to save her questions for the end. But she feels good about this topic. If she can keep her nerves in check, she’ll be fine.
Side Affirmative’s first speaker, the blond guy, stands when he’s called. As usual for his role, he opens the debate with an introduction to the resolution and defines the terms. The definitions are pretty standard until he adds, “Scientific innovations are art as well, because they too require creativity and imagination.”
This isn’t unexpected. Including science in the definition strengthens their argument for objectivity in art. TJ taps her pen against her lips and bends to write.
A lot of his speech is stuff TJ and Simran already had planned for when they argue Side Affirmative later. Other things they haven’t thought of, so TJ scribbles down notes on each new point to use later, even while she brainstorms rebuttals for them in this particular round.
Simran slides over extra notes, since TJ is the one who will be questioning him. And then it’s time. The first speaker wraps up his speech. “I now stand for cross-examination.”
TJ rises before she can give herself time to overthink it. Shemoves to stand in front of her desk. “Thank you for your speech, but I do have a few questions.”
“By all means.” He’s smirking. She ignores it.
“You mentioned you believe scientific creations are somehow a kind of... art,” she says slowly, just to make it sound extra ridiculous. “You also said these creations can be measured objectively by how they improve society. But how do you objectively measure improvement?”
His voice becomes patronizing. “Like I said earlier, all you need for an objective system of measurement is to set rules that can be reproduced by anyone anywhere, and get the same result. Look at the invention of the wheel and ask yourself: Does this move me forward? Does it move me forward faster, with less effort than what came before? The answer to those questions is yes no matter where on earth you’re standing. Therefore, it’s objective.”