The last season...JESUS. I don't What I'm supposed to say for this description but here goes nothin'.
Mia Walker's life has had many downs. She's always been able to pick herself back up with the help of her friends. But without her friends by her...
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"Look, here's the thing." Jessica starts. "There should be more of us here. And lately, I have been thinking about why they're not here. I have a history of causing trouble with my speeches. Principal Bolan actually had to approve my speech just so I wouldn't make trouble. But that was a month ago. And my life has changed since then." she slowly nods her head. "But don't worry, I'm not causing any trouble today. Because I just want you to hear me. Some of you circulated a petition this year, demanding I be removed from office. Saying that I was a one-issue president, and I had made my point, and I should just shut up. Well, no girls signed that petition."
Laughter fills the field. "So, news, boys, our point is far from made. And we're not shutting up." The students start to applaud. "But you are right about one thing: I am a one-issue president. I'm a one-issue person. I spent the last couple of years angry. Hurt. Scared. But I'm not gonna do that anymore. I'm gonna focus on my one issue. Which is love."
Some of the students laugh at those words. "Oh, what? Does talking about love make you embarrassed? Is it girly? What? Because it's the thing. It's the only thing. It's easy to hate. It's easy to fear. It's goddamn hard to love. But it's not optional. It's essential. It's life or death. I challenge you. Love each other. Do it. Do it better. Now and every day. I love you all." Jessica finishes.
She opens her mouth, "Oh, and fuck the patriarchy." she smiles.
Mia laughs, she claps her hands and cheers with everyone else.
"It comes down to one question. Will you survive high school? Will I survive? Because I know too many people who didn't." Clay starts. Mia inhales quietly.
"In the past two years, three people who I loved have died." Clay blinks away his tears and looks down. "And two...two other people...who I thought I hated, also died." He wipes away his tears. "But I learned that hate is too simple. Jessica's right. Hate is easy. Love and understanding are harder. But they are how we take care of each other, how we survive."
"My dad loves to tell me stories about when he was in high school. The stories usually involve chess club and obscure bands with funny haircuts, because the 80s were a strange, strange time." Clay smiles softly. "But he always gets one thing right. He knows high school can hurt. That it can be painful. That there are days when that's all it is. And he once told me that he's living proof...you can survive. You can get through it. He's living proof, and so am I. And so are all of you." Mia slowly nods her head, a lump forming in her throat.
"And the thing is, for me, for us, this class, this...this generation, high school actually is life or death." Clay states. "We show up every day not knowing if this is the day we die. If this is the day someone shows up with a gun and tries to kill us all. We practice what we'll do if that happens. Life or death." Clay leans forward.
