The sun was shining a bit too brightly for a Monday morning as Rita walked into Jewel Girls High School. It was *Girl Child Day*, and excitement buzzed in the air like an electric current. Students dressed in vibrant colors were buzzing around, chatting excitedly about the events to come. But Rita? She wasn't one to get swept up easily in the frenzy. She had her own plans for the day—plans that didn't involve competing for the spotlight.
"Rita! Wait up!" Evelyn's voice called from behind, breaking Rita's concentration. She turned around, giving Evelyn a casual wave.
"Slow down, Eve. You're going to break into a sweat before we even get to class," Rita teased, her voice light but full of that familiar sarcasm Evelyn had come to expect.
Evelyn laughed, catching up to her. "You know me too well. I'm just excited. It's Girl Child Day! It's not every day we get to do something cool in school." She winked.
Rita couldn't help but smile at her friend. "Well, cool or not, we're here to learn, right? The only excitement I need is the last bell ringing, telling us to go home."
"Of course," Evelyn shot back, "but can't we enjoy a little fun in between?"
Rita couldn't argue. It *was* Girl Child Day, and the school had a whole lineup of activities planned. This year, the theme was *Empowering Girls, Empowering the Future*—something that made Rita feel like she could do anything. But honestly? She was just looking forward to the food.
As they entered the classroom, the first thing Rita noticed was the decorations. Streamers of pink, purple, and gold hung from the ceiling, and colorful posters covered the walls. She rolled her eyes. "It's like a party in here," she murmured. "I hope it's not too much."
"Well, it is a party, isn't it?" Evelyn said, plopping herself into the seat beside Rita. "And you better be ready. The headmistress said something about a speech competition."
Rita groaned inwardly. *A speech competition?* Her stomach twisted. Public speaking was not her thing. She could barely stand the thought of standing in front of the class, let alone giving a speech to the entire school.
"Not a chance," Rita whispered to Evelyn, shaking her head. "You'll have to go up and accept the award for me if I win."
"Ha! I'll just be sitting back here, cheering you on," Evelyn said, sticking her tongue out at Rita.
The bell rang, signaling the start of class, but the buzz around the Girl Child Day activities didn't stop. After the morning lessons, the students were called to the school hall for the first round of events. There were dances, songs, and even a mini-play that the drama club had prepared. And just as Evelyn predicted, there was a speech competition. Rita thought about ducking out, but the pull of the food stalls outside the hall was too strong to ignore.
"Alright, alright! The first event begins now!" a teacher announced. "Let's get ready for the speech competition!"
Rita shot a quick glance at Evelyn, who gave her a thumbs-up with a mischievous smile.
"I guess we're going for it," Rita muttered to herself, bracing herself for the worst. But before she could even process what was happening, Evelyn had already signed her up.
"Rita, you're gonna nail it! Trust me!" Evelyn whispered.
"Do you not know what 'not signing me up for things' means?" Rita shot back, her tone a mix of panic and amusement.
They were next in line. Rita walked up to the stage, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. The microphone was too close, but she took a deep breath. She had no choice now.
Her voice crackled at first, but then she started talking about her dreams for a better future for girls, sharing how she believed that education and ambition could break barriers. To her surprise, the words came easily. By the end of her speech, she felt like she could do anything.
As Rita returned to her seat, the applause from the audience was so loud that she couldn't help but smile, proud of herself. "Well, that wasn't as terrible as I thought," she admitted to Evelyn, who gave her a proud, exaggerated wink.
"Of course it wasn't. You were awesome. You're basically the next president, I bet!" Evelyn teased, leaning in.
Rita rolled her eyes. "Let's just get through the day without me embarrassing myself more."
---
As the day wore on, the atmosphere in the school grew more electric. The hallways were alive with the sounds of laughter and chatting. Rita and Evelyn continued to walk through the crowd when suddenly, Rita froze. She saw Anne standing by the notice board, scanning through the list of students and events, as usual, looking so poised and dignified.
"Look, there's Anne," Rita muttered, her voice tinged with hesitation. She always felt a little on edge around Anne. It wasn't that Anne was rude—on the contrary, she was always friendly. But Rita couldn't shake the feeling that Anne was somehow better at everything. She was the head girl, and with that title came an unspoken expectation to be perfect.
Evelyn noticed the tension in Rita's posture. "What's going on? I thought you two were... well, at least friendly," she said, raising an eyebrow.
"I mean, we are," Rita replied, "but she's in my class now, and it's... weird. You know how she is."
"You're not jealous, are you?" Evelyn teased. Rita shot her a glare.
"I'm not jealous," Rita said firmly. "It's just—okay, maybe a little. But that's not the point."
"Well, let's see what happens. Maybe you two will be a good team," Evelyn said.
Just then, Anne turned around and caught Rita's eye. She smiled warmly, walking toward them. "Hey, Rita! I didn't know you were speaking earlier. That was amazing!" Anne's voice was full of genuine admiration.
Rita blinked, surprised. "Thanks, Anne. I didn't expect to get through it without tripping over my own words."
"Believe me, you did great. I've got a lot to learn from you," Anne said with a chuckle.
Rita couldn't help but laugh too. "We'll see about that. I'm just glad I didn't embarrass myself."
"Embarrass yourself? Nah. You're gonna do great this year. I can feel it," Anne said, giving Rita an encouraging pat on the back.
Evelyn watched the exchange with a knowing grin. "Looks like you two are gonna get along just fine."