“Lana will dress up as a nerd!” Kelsey shouted. All the buildup in Lana dissipated. A few moments ago, she couldn't wait for it, getting ready for the big reveal. Only, it came down to nothing. “A week?” Lana let out a nervous laugh, like one from the nerd counterparts they were referencing, only without the cracky voice and obnoxious nasal tone. Or, whatever Kelsey was going for. Even with the grace Lana mustered, the laugh rang out, and was choked out by the silence. Kelsey cowered back into her chair- the one she surged upward from just moments ago to proclaim her idea. She buried her face in her hands. Kelsey had a epiphany while in sixth period. They were each reading through Romeo and Juliet, taking turns, when Kelsey paused on her turn. It was during the scene whe they showed up in disguises. Lana asked what she was thinking about all about after class. With an excited look in her eye, she said “I know how we can catch Leroy's attention!” Lana gathered herself and hopped down from the podium. She held out a placated hand towards her leader. “C'mon Kelsey, I know you can help me to get Leroy's attention, but a nerd ploy isn't going to cut it.” Kelsey reached out to Lana, took her friend’s hand, then stood up. “Speech, if I might ask?” Lana requested. Kelsey nodded slightly. Lana looked around to all the faces in the crowd. “Fellow Debate members! Our Leader has spoken! We all know of our persuasive skillset, and we can use that to our advantage! Her nerd idea isn't far off! I suggest that we all dress up nerdy er...-like! To show our school spirit!” A few voices whispered around the group. Some voicing out their concerns. One raised their hand. “Yes, Keaton?” Lana pointed to him. “That sounds like a great idea, however, don't you think the school is going to find something strange about all of us dressing up as something we aren't?” Keaton said. His eyes shifted and a slight pause, a sign that he was nervous to speak his mind. “We aren't completely sure this is how we are going to get Leroy's attention?” “I know his likes and dislikes… from someone on the inside.” Lana winked at a girl in the crowd. “Suffices to say, anyone who shows school spirit and pride is a good cookie in Principal Leroy's book.” “This team seems to be mostly invisible, since we are a middle class,” Kelsey explained. Everyone knew it. The most notable of some groups were the Anime, Dungeons and Dragons clubs. On the opposite side of the spectrum, the Football team. "Are you sure we want this type of attention?" The girl that Lana winked at pushed her way out of the crowd. "Lana has piqued some interest in this club at the school, which is a new dynamic for us- We can debate whether it's good or bad later.” Another member stated. The girl that Lana winked at pushed her way out of the crowd and marched towards Lana. She pointed a finger of judgement towards Lana’s collarbone. “I think you aren't doing it for the good of the team, little miss here just wants more trophies to hang on her wall!” “You’ve made a point, Lily. I like my reputation.” Lana stated, calmly stepping back. She took a deep breath and reassured her position. “However, I know my intentions are pure, I'm not trying to climb up the pecking order!” Kelsey stepped in between them. “Lily, Lana is right. Yes, it seems to me that this is a double-edged sword. A ‘you scratch my back and I will scratch yours’ situation. But, we have this as any other chance to make our mark.” She pointed upward. “WHO’S WITH ME! VALKYRIE DEBATE-!” "HOLD IT!" Another member interrupted. He plowed towards the middle. "Don't you think the other clubs might find this derogatory?" "Once they know why we are doing it, they'll respect our aim to bring attention to the VDA." Lana said. "Wait." Another boy said, raising his hand. "Yes, Keaton?" Lana asked. Keaton weaved his way towards the middle. “Can we make it just a day? A week is kinda stretching it…” Kelsey and Lana met eye to eye. They both smiled in unison. They knew what each other were thinking. “All those in favor of a week, raise your hand.” Kelsey scanned the room. No hands were raised. “All those in favor of a day, raise your hand.” Lana counted the hands raised. Eagerly, Keaton hopped up and down with two hands raised. “Notioned carried.” Kelsey noted. She glanced to Lana and said “This time I'll have Lana do it, so there aren't any interruptions…” Keaton shrugged with a cheesy grin on his face, his eyes darting from one team member to another. Lana stood up on a podium “Valkyrie Debate Association!” She cheered. “V-D-A!” The team’s bellow shook the ground. Once she left the room, Lana felt a pit form in her stomach. Now came the hard part, to see if they can actually pull it off. Note to self, do not, under any circumstance, say to the Debate team, that words meant nothing until put into action. She remembered one kid tried that after a debate that didn't go so well. He was never heard from or seen again. Or at least, not talked to for a couple of days. Keaton learned his lesson then and there. As she walked under the colors of silver and blue under the commons, she heard rushing footsteps coming towards her. “Way to show some Valkyrie pride!” Kelsey huffed and puffed. She crouched down and set her hands on her thighs. “Heh, one min- Heh..one minute, need toooo, Heh...catch my breath!” Lana rolled her eyes. “Oh, is the volleyball girl out of breath?” Kelsey’s heavy breathing stopped. Lana had a concerned look on her face. Was Kelsey about to faint? Kelsey popped her head up. With a flicker of mischief in her eye, she bolted for the door “Gotcha! Race you to the flagpole!” “Oh no you don't!” She took of into a run, shot through the doors into the cool evening air. The lights up ahead marked the flagpole, casting a gloss over the metal. Next to it, was a statue of an angel, garbed in intricate armor with flowing silk. It was a wonder of artistry, somehow, a kid created this one year for their senior project. If the stone silk was as soft as it looked, Lana would've snuggled in it. “Beat ‘cha!” Kelsey said in a sing song voice, emphasizing the ‘cha’. Lana stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry. “I gotta get in better shape.” Lana said, hoping to inflate Kelsey's ego. Lana found it amusing when Kelsey did stupid things when she felt bold. Besides, Lana felt a rush of energy coming over her. Kelsey shook her head. “You need to stop-” Lana sprinted towards her car. Once she reached the door, she looked back, expecting to see Kelsey in pursuit. Kelsey walked casually. “Do it once, call it a joke, do it twice, call me a fool.” Once Kelsey reached her car, Kelsey sighed “I saw you turning in a paper to the office,” Lana’s eyes darted around. Usually, she could turn in a scholarship application form without notice. But now, her pastime activities were surveillanced by her friends, especially Kelsey. She whipped up a quick excuse. “Gotta be Well-rounded, right?” Lana flinched as she realized how funny it sounded. “Can I be candid with you?” Kelsey asked. Lana caught that she was using a method from the Debate team. Something to diffuse the situation, while cutting to the core of the argument. “Sure,” Lana said. “Can you not be so a go-getter? It may sound disheartening, but you are starting to rub the others the wrong way.” Kelsey opened her car door. “Lily is the beginning." Lana grimaced. Why did Kelsey have to play Devil’s advocate? Lily was naturally skeptical. Maybe she was right. The newfound attention may have been working it's slippery magic. She didn't want to die a nobody, but that could've twisted it's ugly head and transform into an untamed hunger for attention. A smiled formed as she was reeled back to a reassuring thought. A simple mantra: I don't need popularity, I have my friends. Lana stoutly formed her reply “Kelsey, I'm doing this for the VDA, not me,” “Just stop and smell the roses sometime, Okay?” Kelsey said. “Okay.” Lana pointed to her noggin. Kelsey closed the door, started the car and drove away. Lana studied the statue again and smiled. Even at a distance, it was beautiful. She crossed off Kelsey’s suggestion in her head “There! Done!” she noted to herself as she climbed into the driver's seat. [hr] A week later... “Dad, can I borrow these?” Lana held up a pair of glasses. Her dad gave her a quizzical look. “Why do you need them? They're Bifocals.” “We are having a spirit week at school, I need to borrow them for a costume.” “Try mom’s reading glasses.” he suggested. Lana ran up the stairs. “Uhn-Ah! Wait ‘til she gets home.” Dad interjected. Lana grumbled. Making a beeline to her room, spying on her brother on the way. As usual, he was fiddling with his Rubik's cube. Once in the door, she flopped on her Hello Kitty bed and waved out her smartphone. Her frown shifted to a soft smile as she typed away Hoping on the group text, she texted ‘Everyone Hyped for Tomorrow?!’ A flood of yeses came surging through. Some of them complained a little bit about how their phones exploded. She texted ‘Lol’ with an emoji sticking its tongue out. Then swerving to private messaging, she texted Lily ‘How's it spreading?’ Her phone chimed a few seconds later. She read ‘Yes your highness. Your royal decree is now in the realms of Facebook, Instagram, now taking over the vassalage of Twitter.’ Lily was the expert in spreading news-sometimes gossip. though she didn't do much of the gossip. That made her an incredible asset to the Debate team. She knew a lot about people's personal lives. Though she wouldn't go spreading it will-nilly. If you wanted information, you needed to bribe her, otherwise she was sealed as tight a drum, and she kept it that way. Lana bounded off her bed and took a peak in the closet. Searching through the far corner of her exile shirts, she found it: the sweater she knitted in 7th grade. She pulled it from the rack. Trying not to grimace, she folded the mismatched purple and red sweater and set it on her desk. One more thing. She pulled out a roll of duct tape from her desk drawer and set it on the sweater in anticipation. Her phone chimed. Pulled to it like a cow in a tractor beam, she hovered towards the device and started sifting through the texts in the group chat. It was official. The Principle announced ‘VDA day is tomorrow! Dress up nerdy! Glasses are 5 dollars or feel free to bring your own! Pay 1 dollar up front to support the VDA!’ She heard the garage door opening. Hurrying downstairs, she heard her Mother call “Come help with the Groceries!” “Mom!” She shouted. “What is it Lana?” Her mother tugged at four plastic bags. “Can I borrow your reading glasses?” Lana asked, giddy in her steps. Mom moved past her and into the kitchen to set the bags down. “Yes you can. But what for?” Dad hurried down the stairs. His voice retreating, he explained “Her school is doing a VDA day, where they dress up nerdy just for the day.” “Wow Dad! I didn't know that you payed attention to those posts!” A voice sounded from the flight of stairs above them. “You forget, us oldies tend to hover around Facebook every now and then." Dad shouted from the garage. “Well in that case, ask your brother, his glasses should do.” Mom leaned down to whisper in Lana's ear. “He fits the bill better than any of us!” “Hey! I heard that!” The voice from the upstairs said. He swerved around the corner, rubik's cube in hand, twisting and turning it every which way with one hand. “Lana should've got glasses like the rest of us.” “My mistake. I like my Contacts lenses, thank you very much!” She sassed back. “Stop Dilly-dallying and get the rest inside!” Dad came hauling in eight bags of groceries four bags each clasped in his hands and wrists. Mom started towards the Kitchen “I'll start making dinner.” Lana was about ready to turn in. After wrestling with her brother after dinner, she finally got his glasses. She wrapped a thin piece of duct tape around the bridge, in between the eyes. Calling it good, she hopped into bed then tapped away on her phone. She was winding down and ending conversations in the texts. ‘ready for tomorrow, Kel?’ she typed. ‘Ready!’ she received back. ‘Okay! Goodnight!’ Her head hit the Hello Kitty’s tummy as she curled up to rest. Her sweater was as itch as she remembered. Thankfully, it was just a day. She entered the doors of the building, finding three plastic folding tables set up. Three members of the Debate team attended the tables, putting on wristbands. She pushed her glasses up, then in a nasally voice she could muster. “One please!” She dropped her dollar into the slot as Lily put a wristband on her. “Don't get too carried away.” “I won’t!” Lana skipped towards the display that the team worked on the previous week.at first, it was blurry, the. She took off her glasses and read. It said ‘Why support the VDA?’ It listed all the good reasons from ‘Help the foundation of kids working for a brighter future’ to ‘learn service skills that will aid you as you help support society’. One of her all time favorites was emboldened “Make new friends!” She looked to the bustling crowds of students, many glasses in the sea of people. Of only more projects of these brought more and more together. She read the banner in from of the auditorium, a light gray banner with blue lettering ‘VDA Assembly Today!’ She reached for her phone and took a picture of it. Suddenly, she heard a voice behind her “Lana?” She turned around, and put the phone in her pocket. “Hey Keaton!” He waved. “Hey! Er- excited for today?” “Yep!” She sprung on her tippy-toes. He scratched the back of his neck, “You-uh went really all out today.” He gulped. “I didn't recognize you at first.” “Oh, no makeup?” She patted her soft, unadulterated face. “Heh, it's to play tricks on Leroy. I'll hide out until the assembly,” “Gotcha.” Keaton said. “You know, if it weren't for Lily, I would be lost finding you also.” “She knows what I look like without my makeup,” Lana explained. “There are a couple times I’ve been caught without it.” The bell rang. Five minutes of warning. Lana pushed her glasses back on the bridge of her nose and took to her way down the hall. “Gotta run! See you after class, pretty boy!” “Wait… wha-?” Lana booked it to her first period. Time passed slowly as the last few minutes of the period ended. Her teacher stood up and broke the silence. Or, what the silence was. A couple of pencils stopped their scraping against the paper. Mrs. Diederich started “Okay, everyone to the assembly!” The classes left the room in flocks, as the glint of eyeglasses shone before her like sparkles in a fairy tale. Nothing like a job well done. As the spectacles took their seats in the auditorium, they focused on the stage, where the Principal spoke into the mic. At first no sound except a the din of students chattering about. “Testing, Testing!” The speakers boomed. Many students covered their ear and embellishing the screech of the speakers with their groanings. When the speaker came to a manageable volume, the Principle affirmed “Alright, we’re good now.” He turned to the audience “Please take your seats, we’ll start in a minute.” Kelsey took a seat to the left of her. “You are ready to shine?” “Lights! Camera! Glasses!” She said, pulling out her phone, she handed it to Kelsey. Kelsey started with a funny face and took a picture with Lana’s phone. The Principal got up and started. “Thanks to the Technicians, we got the volume just right. Special thanks to them! Give them a round of applause!” The crowd roared. “Well, Happy Vision Diability Awareness Day!” Before he could finish the next sentence, the school cheered. “I love your Valkyrie Pride! But please hold your applause.” He pivoted suddenly “Just kidding! Give yourself some applause to the finest set of young people anyone has ever seen!” The school cheered louder. “Thanks to you, We raised over one thousand dollars to give to the Charity for Finer Vision!” He was interrupted yet again, with a minor look of annoyance in his face. It melted as soon as he started again. “Now, this wasn't brought to my attention until one young lady had the vision- Heh. pun not intended. To introduce me to the idea. Originally, we were going to make it a dance, called ‘Glass Masquerade’ but we decided to settle with this name. VDA! “A girl in this school has been working hard, you know her around the class, but mostly, what amazes me beyond anything, is that she will work quietly through her peers, understanding that nothing can be accomplished without teamwork. Now, to quit my babbling, I invite Lana Svenson to come up and claim her scholarship!” The crowd cheered the loudest when she walked up towards the stage. Butterflies in her stomach wriggled around while her feet floated on air. She immediately regretted not putting on makeup that morning. But either way, it was supposed to add to her disguise. She got up on the stage. The crew handed her a cardboard ballot, while the Principal Held the microphone. She stuttered a little, “T-thank you evrryone… I-I d-don't know what to say,” A rush of adrenaline coursed through her veins, making it hard to speak. The cardboard ballot shuddered as her hands grew clammy. She paused, scanning the massive crowd. Looking for anything to root onto. Then, she spotted Lily’s face. In her chair, Lily obviously looked disinterested. Lana smirked. She knew just what to say to prove Lily wrong. She started “I know it may seem like I've been chasing the dollar with these scholarships, or trying my best to stay on Principal Leroy’s good side.” A glance from him with a hearty laugh made her sure she was on the right path “Here I am, chasing dreams, when I've come across something more precious.” She looked to Principal Leroy. “With the Principal’s permission, I would like to invite twenty-seven students on stage." Principal Leroy smiled. If he were speaking into a mic, then the school would hear him say “As you wish, this is your ball.” “I would like to invite the members of the Valkyrie Debate Association to come up!” As the group filed in to the stage, each one with a look of excitement, shock, or a mix of both took their rightful place. The crowd cheered. But, not any cheer, it felt close to home. A distant memory resurfaced. Short and sweet, Lana thought to herself. Short and sweet. “When I was younger, I felt like a face in the crowd. One in seven billion. Just like how you are wearing glasses, I only saw what was in front of me, and only through a small window. But, when an outgoing person found me, the encouraged me, prodded me to join their club.” Lana snickered. “Let’s just say that their club was very persuasive!” Everyone laughed. Lana looked to Keaton, red faced from trying to hold his composure, then to Kelsey, who didn't bother to hide it. Even to Lily, she was smiling. “Take off your glasses, even if they are prescription!” Lana instructed. The sea shifted and flowed as they took off their glasses. “This is the big picture, and it gets even bigger when you make a friend. We have this gift of vision, and others need our vision and ideas to see the bigger picture! So, I challenge you, make a friend today, expand your horizons! ” Lana looked to all her teammates, and clapped. The audience followed. Kelsey popped a phone up and took a picture. Lana knew it well, her Cat cover on the front of it. A new picture was captured. With it, a new memory.