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Description
"Today," he began, "is a brand new day, filled with limitless possibilities."
Cliche, cliche. Everything is so cliche around here anymore. Sitting in the audience, watching silently, drooling at his ever word. I just wanted to punch his beady eyes in until the skin around them swell up so much that he can't see through them anymore.
"I want each and everyone of you to fulfill this day, starting with sharing a confession."
Everyone continued to stare at him and I slouched back down.
"You." He pointed to a shy girl a few rows ahead of me. She stood up and made a few small clicks with her heels before going up to the podium.
"Um. I have a fear of needles." She sat back down, that coward. I took one glance out the window, and decided that a storm would blow in soon.
He shuffled around up on the stage until he pointed to someone again. This continued for a few minutes with each of them sharing something stupid like the shy girl.
Motivational speakers make me want to puke. I turned to Melissa, my beautiful, kick-ass girlfriend to whisper my thoughts into her head.
Of course, these people don't stand up there and watch you talk about them. They make you participate.
"Have something to share? Come on up." I stood up confidently and looked to my buds. I made my way to the podium where the smug speaker stood.
"Yeah," I said, "motivational speakers make me want to puke."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." I heard my friends laughing and the teachers shushing me. My principal was coming up through the aisle for me.
"That's interesting." He beckoned the principal to stay where he was. He wanted to kill me up here for himself. "I just want to know, why?"
I laughed and kicked my feet. "You're too cliche."
"Big words, big guy," he said with a piercing tone. "You think you could do better?"
I looked up at my friends and Melissa. They had the same look on their faces. Eyes wide, mouth wide. I would take his challenge.
"I think so." He waved his hands over the floor and handed me the mic.
"Look guys, you have one life to live. Live it. Sadness will pass, so don't waste time on it. Someone will always love you, no matter who you are. Love is a beautiful, destructive thing. Use it well. That's it."
The principal was intrigued by my words of wisdom. Okay, I was a jock. That didn't mean I can't be all zen and stuff. Melissa was in shock, as were all of my football friends.
"Was he any better than I was?" the speaker asked all my peers.
There was a broken chorus of yeahs, yesses, no ways, laughing and cheering. Somehow I felt accomplished for outdoing someone at least three times my age.
"Young woman," he pointed to Melissa. She did her cute little 'who?-little-old-me?' expression and he nodded in response. "Why was he better?"
She looked around for help. "Well... he pretty much covered everything you did in a few seconds. You've been here for over an hour." She blushed.
"Okay, that's enough. Go back to classes now." The principal had to interrupt right where he was falling.
And the motivational speaker only speaks in points, I swear. He pointed to Melissa again, and told her to come up on stage with me, while all of the other kids left.
The principal left with them.
"You can go," he said to me. I left the auditorium. Why did he want to talk to her?
So here's my confession. Every time I hear the word motivational, I vomit. Things changed after that day.
I don't know what he did to her. I never want to. I just wish I had my kick-ass girlfriend back to normal and the puke-inducing speaker out of jail.

Description
"Today," he began, "is a brand new day, filled with limitless possibilities."
Cliche, cliche. Everything is so cliche around here anymore. Sitting in the audience, watching silently, drooling at his ever word. I just wanted to punch his beady eyes in until the skin around them swell up so much that he can't see through them anymore.
"I want each and everyone of you to fulfill this day, starting with sharing a confession."
Everyone continued to stare at him and I slouched back down.
"You." He pointed to a shy girl a few rows ahead of me. She stood up and made a few small clicks with her heels before going up to the podium.
"Um. I have a fear of needles." She sat back down, that coward. I took one glance out the window, and decided that a storm would blow in soon.
He shuffled around up on the stage until he pointed to someone again. This continued for a few minutes with each of them sharing something stupid like the shy girl.
Motivational speakers make me want to puke. I turned to Melissa, my beautiful, kick-ass girlfriend to whisper my thoughts into her head.
Of course, these people don't stand up there and watch you talk about them. They make you participate.
"Have something to share? Come on up." I stood up confidently and looked to my buds. I made my way to the podium where the smug speaker stood.
"Yeah," I said, "motivational speakers make me want to puke."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." I heard my friends laughing and the teachers shushing me. My principal was coming up through the aisle for me.
"That's interesting." He beckoned the principal to stay where he was. He wanted to kill me up here for himself. "I just want to know, why?"
I laughed and kicked my feet. "You're too cliche."
"Big words, big guy," he said with a piercing tone. "You think you could do better?"
I looked up at my friends and Melissa. They had the same look on their faces. Eyes wide, mouth wide. I would take his challenge.
"I think so." He waved his hands over the floor and handed me the mic.
"Look guys, you have one life to live. Live it. Sadness will pass, so don't waste time on it. Someone will always love you, no matter who you are. Love is a beautiful, destructive thing. Use it well. That's it."
The principal was intrigued by my words of wisdom. Okay, I was a jock. That didn't mean I can't be all zen and stuff. Melissa was in shock, as were all of my football friends.
"Was he any better than I was?" the speaker asked all my peers.
There was a broken chorus of yeahs, yesses, no ways, laughing and cheering. Somehow I felt accomplished for outdoing someone at least three times my age.
"Young woman," he pointed to Melissa. She did her cute little 'who?-little-old-me?' expression and he nodded in response. "Why was he better?"
She looked around for help. "Well... he pretty much covered everything you did in a few seconds. You've been here for over an hour." She blushed.
"Okay, that's enough. Go back to classes now." The principal had to interrupt right where he was falling.
And the motivational speaker only speaks in points, I swear. He pointed to Melissa again, and told her to come up on stage with me, while all of the other kids left.
The principal left with them.
"You can go," he said to me. I left the auditorium. Why did he want to talk to her?
So here's my confession. Every time I hear the word motivational, I vomit. Things changed after that day.
I don't know what he did to her. I never want to. I just wish I had my kick-ass girlfriend back to normal and the puke-inducing speaker out of jail.