fandomhigh | Speech, Tuesday, September 1, 2015 [4th period]

"Afternoon, kids," Josh said, drinking from his mug of coffee because ask him if he cared that it was past lunch time. "I'm Josh Lyman and most of you look pretty familiar--" (not that he could remember most of their names), "--so introductions should go pretty fast. This is Speech class, so I'm going to give you five minutes to throw together a two minute 'hi, my name is' speech. Iinclude your name, class, dorm floor and two facts about your home dimension that doesn't make all of us want to faceplant in boredom into the top of our desks. You can use props, light pyrotechnics, magic, whatever. Just make sure no one can forget your name because let's face it, I'm terrible with names. I'll just call you Skippy all semester long otherwise."

He leaned back against his desk. "Sometimes speeches need a little more research, of course, so this week I want you to head down to the library to find a topic for a fifteen minute long--and yes, I will be counting with a stopwatch--informative speech about, ohhhhhhh, the history of the island. This weekend is also a big reunion weekend, so you may also include interviews with the alumni coming back as first degree sources." He grinned. "Gives you an excuse to walk up to someone you don't know and start up a conversation, right?"

He pointed to his right. "We'll start alphabetically with Bob over there when you're ready to begin your speeches."

...there was no Bob in the class.

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Kathy couldn't do pyrotechnics, but she could do gymnastics. Most of her notes for her speech were for her routine; a basic floor routine that also used the space provided in the classroom. Including the ceiling.

Josh might have been surprised when Kathy began her speech by running out the door, but she was back in under a minute, having run to the gym and back to fetch a ball. It was a kickball; not the kind of ball she normally used in gymnastics, but it would serve the intended purpose.

"I'm Kathy Li," she said, as she started in on her routine. "Senior, on the fifth floor. It's pretty much a copy of this world, except that superheros started appearing a few years ago." She paused for a second, doing a front walkover while keeping the ball still required some concentration. "Also, we might slowly be turning into a dystopian society because Donald Trump has people who are literally willing to vote for him."

"...how did your back do that?" Josh asked. "Because I'm in pain just thinking about it."

"A decade of training and practice," Kathy said with a grin. Then she shifted into a new pose. "...Is this when you ask if I do parties?"

Josh choked. "My wife would kill me with her brain," he declared.

"So, would this be a weird time to ask about letters of recommendation, then?" Kathy asked, pulling herself into a fairly normal position. You know, one that didn't make people wince when they looked at her.

Why was that always everyone's first response?

Josh laughed. "I suppose it depends on the school you want me to write to."

"Well, we did talk about Stanford last spring," Kathy said, proudly. "And UCLA."

"Hmm," Josh said. "Not one of those seems to be Harvard or Yale..."

Snob.

Especially since Princeton beat out both of those school in the rankings anyway.

"I get reduced-cost tuition in California because that's where I live," Kathy pointed out. "And Stanford is top four."

Shh, in Josh's heart it's always 2007...

"Yeah, but Stanford," Josh replied. Somewhere CJ was feeling a sudden urge to beat Josh around the head with a stiletto. He grinned. "Okay, I can write recommendations. It's Buster, right?"

"You forget my name, I forget your coffee order," Kathy threatened. "You like tea, right?"

Pulling out the big guns there, Kathy.

Josh clutched at his heart. "You wound me, intern."

"Chamomile," Kathy said thoughtfully. "No caffeine in that. Nice and soothing."

It also tasted like feet.

"But it tastes like feet," Josh said, looking grossed out.

Kathy nodded sadly. "I'd hate to have to do that to anyone," she told him, all earnestness. "But if that's what it takes to get you to remember my name..." She shrugged, helpless. What else could she do, Josh? What else could she do?

"You drive a hard bargain, Kathy with a K and a y," Josh said.

"I learned that it was important to be memorable," Kathy said, trying hard not to laugh. "In politics and in the classroom."

Speech, Tuesday, September 1, 2015 [4th period]

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