So Mark and his Mother moved to Santa Julia so that Mark could start in a new school with his name, his gender, and his hormone treatment.

When he told his parents, Mark’s mother accepted him, unconditionally. Running for student body president puts Mark squarely in the spotlight, and that comes with more pressure than even his friends can imagine. But … he also gets in his own head, and in his own way. It’s because he’s been training himself to, like his father, have a career in politics. Mark pontificates and many of his conversations - even with his friends - can sound like mini-speeches. He has an extensive vocabulary and a very decided voice. Mark’s mother is an oncologist, his father a congressman. There’s community service, extended essays, honor’s classes, and a mandatory high GPA.

Think of it as AP’s bigger, more intimidating sibling. Mark, along with his friends, is in the International Baccalaureate program. Mark is going to run for student body president and bring change to Utopia Heights. It’s time for someone to do something about it, and for the son of a congressman who hopes to go in to politics - who loves Shondaland series and the West Wing - there is no choice but to take this fight the full distance. The fact that Benji has been bullied for months, for years, is inexcusable. He takes the suspension and Mark wishes he were half as brave.įor Mark, Benji’s act of defiance becomes a rallying cry. With a blaring public op-ed in the school blog, Benji tells the school exactly what he thinks of them and their zero-tolerance policy. A suspension on Benji’s record could hurt his college applications (Mark, himself, hopes to get into Harvard). It isn’t right and it isn’t fair, but it will make the least noise. Mark suggests, reluctantly, that Benji apologize. Benji takes a swing at his attackers, breaking a nose, and no matter that he as the one being bullied, Benji is the one asked to apologize or be suspended. When Mark finds Benji being bullied, shoved around, and insulted by a pair of football players, he tries to help … but help comes too late. For Mark, it’s become the unofficial hangout for himself and his friends: Rachel and Nadia, Jewish and Muslim respectively, and in love Pablo, allosexual, and one of Mark’s best friends along with Jenny, who is aromantic and then there’s Benji, who is loud, proud, and high-femme and a late, unofficial entry to their friend group.

The French Club isn’t so much about French.

The [Un]popular Vote by Jasper Sanchez