“You’re joking, right?” I shake my head, biting back a smile. “Simon! Miss Shields told us the topic two weeks ago!”
“I’ve been a little distracted. A debate topic was the least of my worries.”
She laughs. “Well, you’ll be happy to know that there probably would have been very little research you could’ve done on the subject anyway, considering your own experience.”
I set my fork on the table and cock my head to the side. “What do you mean?’
She takes a sip of orange juice and smirks. “You’ll see.”
***
We walk into the debate hall with ten minutes to spare. Most of the students are there, along with teachers and moderators. The room is huge, and there are cafeteria-type rows of tables set out with each school’s name on a paper placard set in the middle.
Arleen and I quickly find our seats across from each other, and I look around for some hint of what the debate subject is. Arleen’s comment has piqued my curiosity.
The first half of the day will comprise a series of rapid-fire questioning. The debates will be about current events mostly centering around the tournament topic. The second half of the day we will engage in a debate with another school on the topic itself.
There are students with PowerPoint presentations ready to go—visual aids with charted statistics, pie charts, and percentages. Others have reference books, and are already mock-debating within their groups, but I can’t make out what they’re saying. None of these things can be used during the final debate, but we’ll have twenty minutes to discuss the side we want to take. And when the time comes, we will state which side we’re on: Proposition or Opposition.
“What’s it about, Arleen?”
She smiles widely and shakes her head. “Should contraceptives be made available to teenagers in high schools."
I laugh. “Are you shitting me?”
She shakes her head with a sly smile. “Nope.”
I lean back and look off to the corner of the ceiling. Of all the debate subjects…
“Simon, Arleen. Are you ready to go?” Miss Shields appears behind me.
“Yeah.” I nod reassuringly. “I think we’re the most prepared students here.”
“Good.” She raises an eyebrow. “Where is your research?”
Arleen swallows, and I glance up at Miss Shields. With a smirk, I point to my head. “It’s all in here, Miss Shields.”
Miss Shields frowns.
“Don’t worry. I’ve done extensive research on this subject.”
“Well, you two are my rebuttal speakers. You’ll be the last students to make your point. Make sure you reiterate the facts, Simon.” She looks back to Arleen. “We’re all counting on you two.”
The rest of our class joins us, one by one. And just as the MC is announcing that discussions will begin in twenty minutes, Arleen leans in and whispers, “Are you sure you know what you’re going to say?”
“Nope!” I laugh. “But I’ve got some time to think about it. Which side are we taking?”
“With your expertise? Let’s pray for Proposition,” Arleen giggles.
***
The first half of the day flies. They give us a set of fifty questions, where we have a few minutes to talk amongst ourselves and find our stance. Then the two teams debate. At the end, they tally the scores and declare the winner.
The second half of the day, the debate on the topic commences. First, Mallory and Francesca will deliver what’s called the first proposition constructive. This will be the six-minute foundation on which we make our case. Then the other team will present theirs.
There’s then a second constructive, where both sides will come back with further evidence to prove their stance, and refute the opposing team’s.
Then the rebuttal comes. This is where Arleen and I will have to come up with a five-minute conclusion to our team’s stance.
After receiving our victory on the morning debates, we go out for a brief lunch and are back again before the MC returns to the podium.
A short, stocky student stands on the opposite team and states her position. “We oppose the idea of contraceptives being made available to teenagers in high schools."
I smile, and Arleen peeks at me out of the corner of her eye with a smirk.
“We might just win this thing after all.” She winks.
We sit attentively, listening to the Opposition make their case. The points they make are valid, and worth consideration, but even with the strong moral points they make about promoting sex at a young age, I think it’s safe to say my entire existence has proven them wrong.
Arleen leans into me. “Do you want to take this, or should I?”