“Is this the America that we want?”
The calm, gentle voice of Jeremy Best started off the advertisement on the screen as the camera panned across a bleak urban landscape where people were fighting in the streets. Cars were on fire. Stores were being looted. Images of violent clashes between protestors and law enforcement flashed across the screen, highlighting the grim reality faced by many Americans in the current political landscape.
“President Black leads this country through fear and through violence. Our once wonderful life under the likes of President Montrose, God rest his soul, is under attack. These are truly troubled times. Under his iron fist, friendship has become a distant memory. Replaced by distrust… animosity…. And fear. This is NOT the America you wanted to be part of. This is not the country you wanted to raise your family in. We are in dire need of a change.”
Jeremy’s voice offered a sense of encouragement within chaos. The fighting in the streets began to stop, almost as if they had heard his words themselves.
“But fear not my Besties…”
Through the darkness, the sun began to peek through into the city streets.
“It is not too late. We can make things better. There IS hope! And that hope is me.”
The light grew brighter, completely overwhelming the darkness. Jeremy Best emerged within the crowds, the light surrounding him like the symbol of hope that he represented much like an angel appearing to the wisemen. There he was - Jeremy Best - the champion of friendship. Jeremy greeted each person he passed on the street with either a hug or a handshake. He reached down and helped up an elderly man who had been trampled during the chaos.
“My friends, enough is enough. It’s been too long since this country has had a leader you could be proud of. A leader that could be a true role model for everyone to aspire to be. Not a low life degenerate. Not a violent, malevolent, bloodthirsty ruler. We’ve had enough of the nonsense of our past two presidents. Let’s make a change! It’s time… my friends…”
“To make America friendly again!”
The people in the streets began to cheer in response to Jeremy’s proclamation. The groups that were once entangled in conflict with one another now begin to help each other. We fade away from the city streets to other images of people coming together. Neighbors helping neighbors.
“For too long we have let fear and division tear us apart,” Jeremy’s voice continued to play over the new images of hope. His voice was filled with determination. “This isn't about political lines anymore. It’s about showing kindness to your fellow man. Being there for each other. This is what America should be about. True friendship.”
The ad faded away from the scenes of companionship to a rally where Jeremy Best stood at the podium, speaking to a huge crowd of supporters. The American flag waved behind him in front of his “Make America Friendly Again” banner.
“This is our moment!” Jeremy declared with his usual optimism. “This isn’t about me. This is about US. I can’t do this alone. Together we can defeat the evil that has worked so hard to destroy friendship in this country. Together we can triumph over fear. We show them friendship cannot be defeated! And we will come out on the other end… united stronger than we ever have been before.”
“Let’s do this…”
“TOGETHER!”
“Let’s Make America Friendly Again!”
Jeremy held his hands up proudly after his final declaration of his motto. The followers, as he referred to them, his Besties, cheered loudly. The message was clear. Jeremy Best was not just a candidate to become President. He was the BEST candidate for the job.
~~This message has been paid for by Friends for Jeremy Best for President~~
I’m not sure if I’m prepared to do this. I am not sure if I’m ready to tell my story. But I do think it's a story that needs to be told. I am worried about what I’ve gotten myself into. I’m worried about what the future of our country could be.
Allow me to introduce myself.
My name is Javier Mejor and I work within the Best Administration.
My life changed the day I saw that political ad. The one that sparked a fire in my heart and made me finally get involved. I had never been so motivated before in my life. I saw his determination and was inspired by his positivity. I truly wanted to make America friendly again.
My life growing up was a little different than most kids. My family moved here from Mexico while my mother was pregnant with me. Much like others just like them, they came here searching for a better life for themselves and their future family. They believed in the promises of freedom, democracy, and opportunity. And it was because of their hard work that those beliefs were passed down to me.
But it wasn’t being the son of immigrants that made me different from the other kids. There were plenty of kids in Texas that had similar upbringing. But I truly loved America. More specifically, I loved its storied history more than anything else. Especially when it came to the presidents of the United States.
While other kids dreamed of trips to Disney World or spending their summers lounging at the beach, I was more drawn to places with more historical significance. My favorite place to visit was Mount Rushmore. It wasn't just the majestic scenery that captivated me. No, it was the faces of legendary US Presidents carved into the rock—Ryan Rondo, Stu St. Claire, Devin Golden, Chris Kennedy. Their stories, their struggles, and their triumphs fascinated me. It was my passion for US history that would eventually lead me down the road that has gotten me to this position within the Best Administration.
Unfortunately, throughout the years, the country began to get away from the ideals that my parents had moved here for. The presidency almost became a joke under President Peacock with his debauchery. I think we can all agree that the least said about the intern scandal the better. Who knew you could make that come out of a truck?
But then there was President Black. As Jeremy’s ad had pointed out, the country had fallen into some of its darkest times under Alyster. He was a man whose background was filled with violence but for some reason, he had been able to gain the support of the people. Perhaps they just wanted something so different from Peacock, though Black had been Peacock’s own Vice President.
My point is that the ideals of the country had gone astray. I no longer saw the place my parents came here looking for a better life. I no longer saw the country I read about in my history books.
It was when I saw that political ad for Jeremy Best that I realized I could be part of the change. Here was a candidate who spoke not of power or privilege but of friendship. People coming together for common goals and working together. That was what I believed this nation was built on. I knew at that moment that I had to be part of this movement. That I had to lend my voice and my efforts to a cause that certainly transcended politics.
I knew that I had to help make America friendly again.
So I rolled up my sleeves and dove headfirst into the Best campaign. From handing out fliers and buttons to organizing grassroots events and rallying support, I threw myself into every aspect of the campaign with the same passion and determination I had seen demonstrated by Jeremy Best himself. Sure, the work was hard and as a volunteer the pay was nonexistent, but it was still so incredibly rewarding. I met with people from all walks of life, each with their own hopes and dreams of what Jeremy Best was promising them.
A better America.
I still remember being there the night of the election. The campaign headquarters was filled with excitement. Well, excitement and anxiety. We, along with the entire nation, held our breath as the numbers began to roll in throughout the night. President Black got out to an early lead and it seemed like the dream may not come true.
But myself, along with my fellow volunteers and supporters, did not lose that hope. He stayed glued to the screen all night long. I could hear the prayers being said and the nervous glances being shared by the people around me.
Slowly but surely, the numbers began to grow on Jeremy’s side. I could feel the energy in the room changing from apprehension to optimism. Could it actually be happening?
And then… the news broke.
“The results were close,” lead news anchor Rod Sterling explained, “but we can now call this one… Jeremy Best has defeated Alyster Black and will become the new President of the United States!”
Cheers erupted in the headquarters. I couldn’t believe it! Tears of joy filled my eyes as I hugged those around me, strangers mere months ago who had become some of my closest friends as we were now bound together by Jeremy's hopeful vision. The hard work, the late nights, the countless hours spent spreading Jeremy's message... it had all paid off.
We had defied the odds and made history, electing a president who believed in the power of friendship and unity.
The podium at the front of the ballroom at the campaign headquarters had been adorned with the American flag and the “Make America Friendly Again” banner. A large crowd had gathered around the stage, awaiting an appearance by the new president-elect. The crowd cheered loudly, waving banners declaring “Friendship Wins” as they anxiously waited.
“BEST! BEST! BEST! BEST!” The crowd chanted eagerly.
Finally, he gave the people what they wanted. The next president walked out onto the stage, dressed casually in a blue polo and khaki pants as he waved to his supporters with a huge smile on his face showing his gratitude. He lifted up his arms and politely asked for the crowd to quiet down.
“Thank you all,” he said genuinely. “Thank you so much for everything. Wow… just… wow…”
Jeremy seemed overcome by the moment, struggling to find the words.
“Today truly is a historic day. It’s a day of triumph. A day of unity. And most importantly, a day of hope. I came to you all and asked for your help back then because I knew I couldn’t do this by myself. And together we have shown the world that the power of friendship is too strong to be defeated! That the power of friendship can bring this nation together!”
The crowd once again cheered loudly in support.
“My Besties, I stand here humbled and honored to accept the responsibility of leading this great nation as your president. No… not just your president. As your champion. As your Champion of Friendship!”
“BEST! BEST! BEST! BEST! BEST!”
“But just as I asked for your help before, I once again come to you and ask for your help now. Because this will not be work that I can do alone. We faced many challenges in our journey here… and while I am hopeful for my vision and happy to see that friendship has in fact won tonight… there will be more challenges. There will be those who do not see the world the way we do. There will be more that come along just like President Black who think friendship is a threat to their own vision of what America should be. It is still important that we continue to work to fix this divided nation. Let us embrace our shared vision of a kinder, more compassionate country.”
The crowd once again cheered for Jeremy’s thoughts, nodding and clapping in affirmation of his views.
“Today… we send a message to not just the country but to the world. We are not just a land of opportunity, but we are the symbol of friendship! We reject hate. We reject fear. Today we defeated those things! And instead, we embrace love. We embrace unity. And we embrace… FRIENDSHIP!”
“FRIENDSHIP WINS! FRIENDSHIP WINS! FRIENDSHIP WINS!”
“Darn skippy it does! Haha! To those who doubted me… who never thought I’d be here… I am happy to say that we have all proved you wrong! Today we have proved that through friendship… Anything is possible! Together, we start the next chapter in the history of this great nation. I look forward to being your president. I look forward to everything that is about to happen! I promise to be the BEST president you’ve ever seen! Thank you! I love each and every one of you! God bless you all and God bless our new FRIENDLY America!”
The crowd once again erupted into thunderous applause as Jeremy stepped back from the microphone and waved to his supporters. The new president-elect walked off the stage but made sure to stop to hug and shake hands with many of his supporters along the way.
As I stood among the jubilant crowd on election night, celebrating Jeremy Best's victory, I couldn't help but be overwhelmed with a sense of disbelief. After all, it was just a few months ago that I had been a regular guy working at a car dealership, dreaming of making a difference but unsure of how to do it. And now I could take pride in knowing that I had taken part in an extraordinary moment in the history of the country I loved so much.
It was a high that was hard to come down from. But eventually, the celebration had to die down and I had to go back to the real world. Which for me meant going back to Big Bill's Auto Emporium trying to sell used cars. It's hard to transition back from feeling like you were making a difference to trying to convince people to buy cars that probably were in no shape to be sold to anyone.
But then came the phone call that changed everything.
The guy just called himself Frank but said he worked with President Best. Apparently, my hard work had not gone unnoticed during the campaign. I was told the President was impressed with my dedication to the cause and thought they could use someone like that one on his team. So they were offering me an intern position within the Best Administration.
Now this was kind of a big deal.
For one, the White House internship program had been briefly discontinued due to the Peacock scandal, so this would be the first time since then that a president even had an intern.
But more importantly, for me, this was a dream come true!
So yeah, I accepted almost immediately.
I can still remember those feelings I had the first time I stepped into the White House for the first time. I cannot begin to describe the excitement I had walking through the hallowed halls. Just knowing I was stepping on the same floor as the most powerful men in history was enough to fill me with an immense sense of awe.
And then there was the first time I actually met Jeremy. I am not sure I even managed to say a word. He shook my hand and greeted me with the genuine positivity that he displayed in the ad that started it all for me. He expressed his gratitude for my hard work and was excited to have me on his team. Early in his term, I was still just as enamored with his Friendship movement as I had ever been and was ready to do anything for this man.
But it wasn’t long before I started to sense something wasn’t quite right.
Perhaps all was not really what it seemed when it came to President Best.
President Jeremy Best sat at the head of the mahogany table with a beaming, bright smile on his face that at this point seemed permanently painted on. Joining him at the table were some of his key staff members. There was his Vice President, the brash and bold Bryan Baxter, whose rugged figure and no-nonse attitude often clashed with Jeremy’s idealistic outlook. To Jeremy’s right was his Chief of Staff, Frank Stache, a man who seemed constantly under pressure to keep Jeremy focused on the task at hand. Taking a seat next to Frank was the intern, Javier Mejor.
“What’s he doing here?” Frank asked, seeming annoyed about why an intern needed to be in such an important meeting.
“Sorry, I can go,” Javier responded meekly.
“No! No! Stay!” Jeremy gleefully instructed. “Be nice, Frank! I see a lot of myself in our amigo here! I think he brings a lot to the table!”
Javier smiled and nervously nodded to the President. He wasn’t sure how he felt about always being called “amigo” by Jeremy, but he didn’t think the President meant any harm by the title.
“Can we just get this over with,” Vice President Baxter said with agitation.
“Yes, let’s not keep these nice people any longer than we have to, Frank. I’m sure we can wrap this up in what… five… maybe ten minutes or so?”
“Uhh,” Frank tapped his finger nervously on the table, “we have a lot to go over here, Mr. President.”
“Frank, what did I tell you about calling me that? It’s Jeremy.”
“Sorry, sir. But we do have a lot of serious pressing matters to address. There’s the looming trade deficit with China… escalating cyber threats… and then there’s the tensions in the Middle East... “
Jeremy leaned back in his leather chair and yawned as Frank continued.
“Jeremy, we really need to think about addressing the economic challenges posed by the trade deficit with China. It’s really affecting the manufacturing sector and could have some long-term implications for the economy.”
The President leaned forward and put his elbows on the table. “Hmmm,” he seemed to ponder, “I see… I see… yes, what a pickle. What a pickle indeed. You know… I think… if we asked nicely, China would probably just forgive us.”
Vice President Baxter laughed while Frank shook his head. “Sir, I don’t think…”
“Because that’s what friends do, don’t they? Forgive others. We need to work on fostering our friendship with China and turn this into an opportunity for mutual benefit.”
Frank sighed as he shared a glance with Bryan “Mr. Pres… I mean… Jeremy… I really don’t think they’re just going to forgive us. But there is an opportunity at the upcoming summit to…”
Jeremy sat up as if a lightbulb had gone off in his head. “Ah ha! I got it! Tonya…”
Jeremy turned to the chair to the left of Vice President Baxter where a young woman in a black tuxedo jacket accompanied by a black top hat and a colorful scarf around her neck. Tonya Scott was the President’s Secretary of Magic.
Yes, you read that correctly.
“Yes, sir,” Tonya responded cheerfully and eagerly. “How can I help you? Do you want to see the rabbit trick? Or maybe a card trick?” Tonya was typically called on by Jeremy during these meetings when he was getting bored with the more serious discussions.
“No.. I mean… yes, I do want you to do both of those for me but not right now.”
“Oh, okay. Then what’s up?”
“Imagine this… the world summit… featuring… A MAGIC SHOW! Could you just imagine how that could help break the ice with the other world leaders? I can’t think of anything more fun than watching some magic with friends.”
Tonya, used to Jeremy's whimsical requests, nodded with a smile. “Absolutely it would! It will be… MAGICAL!”
“What? No…” Frank tried to interrupt, “We can’t put on a magic show at the…”
“Wonderful! I’m going to need to increase our balloon budget by triple…”
“Triple!??”
“You’re right. Let’s quadruple it. And our bubbles budget too! We want this to be a show they never forget.”
“Mr. President, your balloon budget is already way higher than any president in the history of this country…”
“And that’s because there’s never been a president like me! When China and the rest of the world see our show…”
“It’s not a show, Mr. President! It’s… Bryan… can you?”
Bryan had drifted off in his chair and let out a brief snore before hearing his name. He popped up and tried to play it off. “Huh? Yeah, I agree! What? I wasn’t sleeping, you’re sleeping.”
“Let’s move on to our next topic,” Jeremy said, seemingly satisfied with the solution to those diplomatic issues.
“Uh, okay, so the cybersec…”
“Frank, please don’t interrupt.”
“What? I wasn’t…”
“Secretary Bobo was speaking.”
The empty seat next to Secretary Scott was an empty chair with a nameplate in front of it that said Secretary Bobo. Bobo was Jeremy’s Secretary of Friendtopia. Friendtopia being an imaginary world… and Bobo… Jeremy’s imaginary friend.
Sitting quietly in his chair, Javier nervously wrote down the minutes from the meeting. He never thought when living his dream he’d be writing the sentence ‘Mr. President asks for the thoughts of his imaginary friend, Bobo” - but he certainly had to write that down.
Jeremy nodded his head and smiled while the rest of the table played along.
“What a great idea, Bobo.”
“What now?”
“Bobo would like to continue the discussion of implementing a federal Friendship Day holiday.
“As I’ve mentioned before,” Frank nervously lied, “I’ve been working on getting the paperwork done to make it official. There’s just SOOOOOOOO much paperwork that has to be done to make a holiday, as you know.”
“Yuck, paperwork. That’s why I’m glad I got you on my team, Frank!”
“Glad to be here… so… like I was saying before…”
“Oh! Yes, next topic… roller coasters…”
“What? No! I’m sorry, Mr. President. I mean Jeremy. Roller coasters? What about them?”
“There should be more of them. Like how about… every school should have a roller coaster. Imagine how much more excited kids would be to go to school if there was a roller coaster there?”
“That sounds awesome,” Tonya nodded her head in agreement. “I would’ve never missed a day. And let me tell you, I missed a lot of days…”
“Okay… roller coasters at schools… right… got it. I’ll add that to the list,” Stache looked to placate Jeremy as he pretended to write that down. “And now, I really think we should discuss the cybersecurity issue with…”
“Well, friends,” Jeremy interrupted, “this has been a very productive meeting! I think it’s time to break for some lunch!”
“But cybersecurity…”
“What sounds good?”
“I could go for a pizza,” Vice President Baxter said, standing up and rubbing his large stomach.
“Bryan, a little help…” Frank pleaded.
“Sorry bub, but food wins out. Meeting over.”
As I reflect on President Jeremy Best’s first term, I found my admiration beginning to fade into skepticism. My original hope and excitement still existed in some ways but I definitely could see the cracks in the walls of that Oval Office.
I wanted to believe that Jeremy’s intentions were pure. There was certainly still no denying his passion for friendship and kindness. That all was genuine. But behind the scenes, it was becoming increasingly clear that perhaps Jeremy was not the “best” candidate for the job after all. He spent more time having whimsical adventures with Tonya and Bobo while Frank and Baxter did most of the heavy lifting of navigating the complexities of governance and decision making. Heck, even I felt like I was doing more work than your typical intern. Which I was certainly fine with because I got to get a lot more experience, but I definitely found myself wanting more out of my president.
But thanks to the work being done by Frank and Baxter, Jeremy’s first term was still considered a success. He had record-breaking approval ratings mainly thanks to his charismatic personality.
And so, that first term just flew by. Before we knew it, the next election had snuck up on us and a fresh set of challengers were emerging from the field.
There was Trixie Bordeaux. A young and ambitious contender, capturing the attention of voters with her charm and very similar platform to that of Jeremy himself. She actually was a believer in the Friendship movement but was gaining some popularity for perhaps a more aggressive stance than Jeremy. Frank had already gotten some dirt on her that she may have had some connections to the occult though, which he was ready to use against her if he needed to.
Then there was Johnny Johnson. A son of a former successful politician. However, Johnson never seemed to quite find the same amount of success as his father. But still, he seemed to have a drive to leave his father’s shadow and break out on his own. But Frank also knew that he had some shady dealings that he’d be willing to expose.
Gabrielle Montgomery was certainly a familiar name to a presidential expert like myself. She was a revolutionary in the world of women’s politics and even was once president herself. She was certainly popular but since her run in the office, she had resorted to some pretty scandalous online material that made her perhaps not the greatest to run a country. Not that I’d know anything about that online content myself…
And then there was another former president. Cyrus Truth. Perhaps the front-runner of the group. A beloved former president who was certainly interested in reclaiming the White House. Since his last term, he’d had multiple opportunities to regain that title, but had fallen short including most recently losing a bid against President Peacock. He was known for his integrity and a strong track record of bringing results while in office. I can’t lie, I myself was a big fan of President Truth’s reign. But I am part of the Best Administration so I can’t really support him politically. Good guy though.
No matter who emerged from the primaries, I had a feeling Jeremy was in for a battle.
"After another primary win by Cyrus Truth," reporter Rod Sterling's voice could be heard on the television in the Oval Office, "his final opponent, Trixie Bordeaux has dropped out of the competition... meaning Cyrus Truth will be challenging President Jeremy Best in this year's election!"
Jeremy's key members of his administration had gathered around to watch the news come out. President Jeremy Best welcomed the news with his characteristic optimism, a bright smile lighting up his face. "What great news."
"How is this great news," Frank Stache said, burying his head in his palms. "I had so much dirt on that Trixie girl! She literally might be a witch."
"That can’t be right. Witches aren't even real," Vice President Bryan Baxter scoffed.
"Ahem," Secretary of Magic, Tonya Scott coughed. "I'm no witch but magic knows magic. That girl has been around some magic... witch or not."
"Well, whatever, this is still perhaps a worst-case scenario for us."
"Cyrus seems like a good guy," Jeremy mused, leaning back in his chair. "Maybe we could be friends. Look at him… doesn’t he look like he could use a friend? He seems so sad looking."
"He doesn't want to be your friend, Jeremy. He wants your job. And if you're out of a job, so are we."
Jeremy's smile faltered slightly, but he quickly recovered. "I dunno, Bryan. He seems like a reasonable guy. I bet if we met for a fun game of Connect Four, I could show him why it's best that I just stay president. After all, things are going great right now, aren't they? Why bring about change? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it… people say that all the time!"
Bryan rolled his eyes. "Something tells me he isn't just gonna roll over and say okay, fine, you keep being president."
"Aw. But I'm having so much fun! But no worries, the people love me right? The Besties won't turn against me."
Frank Stache shook his head. "Yeah but people love him too, though. We need to be prepared for a tough campaign. Cyrus Truth will not be easy to defeat."
Baxter leaned forward, whispering into Stache's ear. "Please tell me you got some dirt on him."
Frank's brow furrowed as he considered Baxter's question. He responded in a whisper of his own to the Vice President. "I've looked into it, Bryan. But unfortunately, Cyrus lives up to his name. I haven't found even a tiny bit of grime. But don't worry... I won't give up. I'll find something we can use... whatever it takes."
“Yes, Bobo,” Jeremy interrupts the conspiring between the Vice President and Chief of Staff to address his imaginary Secretary of Friendtopia. “Of course I value your opinion! We all do. What are you thinking about our strategy here?”
The room fell silent as Jeremy listened intently to the imaginary counsel he believed Bobo was providing. After a moment of contemplation, Jeremy's face lit up with excitement. "That's a wonderful idea, Bobo! We should definitely visit Sesame Street..."
"Come on, now's not the time for a playdate with your muppet friends."
"No, it's business related. Big Bird would say some great things about me!"
The advisors exchanged puzzled glances, but Javier spoke up in surprise. "No wait... that's... actually a really good idea. We should definitely get some strong endorsements for President Best."
Jeremy beamed at the approval. "Exactly! I have a lot of friends who can vouch for me. Big Bird, Elmo, Kermit, Blippy, Mr. Rogers..."
"Uhh, Jeremy, Mr. Rogers has been dead for years."
"Oh," Jeremy's smile faded upon remembering Mr. Rogers was one of his two heroes who had passed on. The other would be former President Jake Montrose, of course. "Right... oh how I miss him."
Quick to lift Jeremy's spirits, Tonya Scott, the Secretary of Magic, intervened with a playful gesture. With a flick of her wrist, she conjured a beautiful bird out of thin air. The pure white dove flew through the Oval Office, quickly perking up Jeremy who playfully clapped. "Ooooh! Okay, I'm better now."
"Right..." Frank sighed, trying to get back on topic. "But Javier... good job, boy. This is good. Let's get to work on gathering as many endorsements as we can for Jeremy. There's no way we're losing this election."
The endorsement idea was a big hit. They began to pour in and President Jeremy Best's approval ratings climbed even higher, which is something I didn't even think was possible. It was another triumph for the Best Administration and it looked like maybe the Truth campaign was going to be over before it even began.
But there was something none of us really accounted for.
Remember all the talk about former President Jake Montrose? One of Jeremy's most prominent heroes. The man who was the reason Jeremy ever got into politics in the first place. Jeremy had always said that he owed everything to Jake.
Jeremy had, much like myself now part of his team, was part of Montrose's staff early in his career. His admiration for Montrose was evident in every aspect as he modeled much of himself after Montrose.
However, not long before Jeremy's rise to the presidency, a dark cloud had descended upon Montrose's legacy. He had mysteriously gone missing after a weekend camping trip at Lake Ramon (the national park itself named after former President Randy Ramon). Despite extensive search efforts, Montrose was never found, and he was eventually presumed dead. The circumstances surrounding his disappearance remained shrouded in mystery, fueling a lot of speculation. At the time, rumors and conspiracy theories had swirled on the internet, suggesting that Jeremy's intense admiration for Montrose had crossed into an unhealthy obsession. Some even joked that Jeremy might have had something to do with Montrose's disappearance. However, as time passed, those rumors faded into the background, dismissed as unfounded speculation by mostly nutcases.
But now, with a new election looming, those rumors began to pop up around parts of the internet once again. Suddenly, and perhaps conveniently for Cyrus, questions about Jeremy's character and past associations with Montrose were being raised once again.
As for me, I couldn't possibly imagine that Jeremy would have anything to do with what happened to Montrose. Sure, he's a whimsical personality and has a... well, unconventional approach to how he runs the country... but at his core, I did want to believe he was a good person with a genuine desire to make a positive impact.
But unfortunately, the discourse was enough to cause some doubt among his supporters. People began to question whether Jeremy really was who they all thought he was. Was anyone really that perfect? Was anyone really that nice?
The pressure began to mount for Frank Stache to find something... anything... that could be used to deflect these doubts and put the pressure back on Cyrus Truth's campaign.
The sounds of President Best's laughter filled the Oval Office as he drowned out the pressure of the campaign by watching an episode of Scooby Doo alongside Tonya Scott and Javier Mejor. "Oh, this is my favorite part, amigo!" Jeremy chuckled as he patted his intern firmly on the back. Javier shifted himself uncomfortably, humoring his boss by continuing to watch the cartoon despite not much interest on his part. Though he didn't mind the company of Tonya.
Elsewhere, Frank Stache was diligently pouring over paperwork nearby. His intent focus on the campaign is quite the contrast to Jeremy's more carefree approach. However, both of their activities would be interrupted as Vice President Baxter stormed in. The look on Baxter's face probably indicated he wasn't happy but then again, when was he ever happy?
"Did anyone see what just happened on the TV?" Baxter demanded, his voice echoing loudly through the room.
Jeremy looked up, momentarily confused before responding with a grin, "Yeah, I couldn't believe it was Old Man Withers and not actually a space monster."
Baxter's scowl deepened. "Not on the cartoon, you idiot." Bryan walked over, flipping the cartoon off and turning it over to the much less interesting cable news network.
"Aw," Jeremy voiced his disappointment.
On the news, the screen flashed with the words "BREAKING NEWS," and anchor Rod Sterling's voice filled the room with a sense of foreboding. "We have received some disturbing footage involving Jeremy Best's Chief of Staff."
Frank Stache, sensing trouble, approached as Bryan eyed him suspiciously. "What did you do?"
Stache, now visibly nervous, tried to downplay the situation. "I'm sure it's nothing. You know how they overblow everything to try and get ratings."
The report switched to some grainy footage that showed Frank Stache exiting a car in a parking lot and approaching a shady figure in a trench coat. "That could be anyone," Stache argued, referencing the low quality of the footage.
"Are you the guy," the voice was obvious to everyone in the room as the footage picked up on some of the audio.
"Yeah, you Frank?"
"Yes, it's me. Frank Stache, Chief of Staff for President Jeremy Best."
"Really?" Bryan growled as his agitation increased substantially. "Anyone, Frank. ANYONE?"
Stache audibly gulped as they continued to watch the video as Frank handed over a large wad of cash to the suspicious figure. "Pleasure doin' business witcha, partner. I'll get things done on my end... and in about a week... the news will come out and your boy should have smooooooth sailin' to a campaign win."
As Rod Sterling's voice narrated the unfolding scandal, the tension in the room escalated. "We can confirm that President Best's Chief of Staff, Frank Stache, has been caught bribing this individual on the tape to put out a fake scandal involving Cyrus Truth. In a couple of days, we were going to find out that Cyrus Truth was once a member of a secret dark society called the Observers. This clearly fictional Order of the Observers supposedly had existed for millennia, acquiring knowledge that Cyrus Truth has been able to use for his own political gain. What a load of hogwash."
Bryan's incredulous gaze fell on Stache. "The Order of the Observers? Did you really think the people were going to buy any of this? Jesus Christ, Frank... you've really fucked up this time."
Stache, now cornered, admitted to his desperation. "I didn't know what else to do. Jeremy's numbers were going down, and Truth's were going up. I was trying to level the playing field. I thought the conspiracy nuts out there would have a field day with it!"
Rod Sterling concluded the report with a damning assessment. "It would appear that President Jeremy Best may not be as friendly as we all think he is after all if he is willing to stoop to such lows to win a campaign."
Jeremy, mostly ignoring the rest of the news report, seemed most offended by that last line by Sterling. "What? How could he say such a thing? That wasn't very nice of him!" The President leaned forward, his smile gone from his face for perhaps the first time that Javier could remember. "You know what I'm going to do," Jeremy declared with a sudden burst of determination, "I'm going to start my own news network! The Friendly News Network! That way no one can say such awful things about me!"
Javier, ever the voice of reason, tried to interject. "You can't do that, Mr. President."
"Why not?" Jeremy asked, seemingly genuinely confused.
"Because... news needs to be unbiased."
"Well, what he said wasn't very nice! He was biased! Besides, I am the President, right? I can do whatever I want!"
"I mean... not... exactly..." Javier tried to explain but there was no reasoning with Jeremy in moments like this.
"Stache, I need you to start drawing up the paperwork for the Friendly News Network. You can work on that alongside the federal holiday, Friendship Day."
"But... shouldn't I work on fixing this..."
"No," Vice President Baxter shook his head, "you've done enough. You should definitely just work on those two things and only those two things. The rest of us will do the damage control here."
Frank Stache sighed, resigned to admitting he definitely deserved that.
So my friends, here we are. The election is rapidly approaching and the numbers for Cyrus Truth and Jeremy Best are pretty much dead even. Something that would've been impossible to comprehend mere months ago.
But for me, I find myself caught in a whirlwind of conflicting emotions and doubts.
For so long, I had believed in President Jeremy Best's vision of friendship. I was convinced he was the right person to steer our country toward a brighter future. But these recent events have shaken my faith and left me questioning whether I am on the right side of this political battle.
Even if I discount Jeremy as not being the one orchestrating the attempted "Observer" scandal on Truth and that Jeremy has not been the one getting his hands dirty in these campaigns, I can no longer sit around and think that Jeremy is fit to run the country. At the very least he's surrounded himself with individuals like Baxter and Stache who are willing to cross ethical boundaries. People who clearly do not abide by the image of friendship that was created in his campaign. If he's willing to be associated with people like that, how is he any different than former presidents Peacock and Black?
But perhaps most concerning is Jeremy's apparent detachment from reality. He does not appear to live in the same world as the rest of us. Sure, having a society centered around friendship... around kindness... around compassion and unity... it all sounds nice and would be wonderful. But there are still serious things we have to face as a country. But Jeremy could never face those serious issues.
Could I continue to support a leader who, knowingly or unknowingly, allowed deceit and manipulation to flourish within his administration?
Do I become guilty by association for promoting a facade of friendliness while turning a blind eye to the darker side of politics?
It was time that I faced... well...
The truth.
That Cyrus Truth should beat Jeremy Be…
"Whatcha doin, Amigo?"
Mejor Amigo was startled. He had been so engrossed in writing that he didn't realize Jeremy had returned. He quickly put his pencil down and slid the papers in front of him out of the way, trying to hide his work as FWA World Champion Jeremy Best entered his hotel room. "Oh, it's nothing. What's up, Jeremy?"
Jeremy tilted his head as he walked further into the room. "Sure didn't seem like nothing."
"Really, my friend, it's nothing. Just a little writing, I guess. Something I do on the side. It's silly."
Jeremy arched an eyebrow, his interest piqued. "A side project, huh? You know, if it's something my friend is doing, it can't be silly. Can I take a look?"
Amigo hesitated. The writing was done as a way to vent out some of the thoughts he was having. Wondering if his alignment with the Friendship Wrestling Alliance was the right place for him. But he truly was loyal to Jeremy and worried about what he would think if he saw the depiction of Jeremy in his work.
"C'mon, buddy! I'd love to see what you're writing. I never knew this about you!"
"Okay..." Amigo relented, gathering up the stack of papers and handing them over to Jeremy.
Jeremy smiled as he took a seat on the couch, crossing his legs. "Hmm..." Jeremy's face was hard to read as Amigo nervously waited for more reactions. To his surprise, Jeremy begins to chuckle. "This is clever!" Jeremy stated. "Me? As President? What an idea!"
He continued to read, chuckling along. "Haha! You included Bobo, too! Wonderful! This is great, Amigo. You have something wonderful here, I think."
"Thank you, sir, I always thought if this wrestling thing didn't work out, I could become an author."
Amigo couldn't help but smile at Jeremy's genuine enjoyment of his writing. But as Jeremy delved deeper into the story, his laughter gradually subsided and his smile started to fade. "Wait... what is this?"
Jeremy stood up from the couch. "Is this what you really think about me, Amigo? You think you've picked the wrong side? You think I should lose my title to Cyrus?"
Amigo shook his head vehemently. "No, no, no, no... of course not."
"I mean, it sure sounds like that's what you think."
"It's just a story, my friend. It’s fictional. I assure you."
"I thought winning this title would be the solution, you know. Much like the fake me in your little story. But the war on friendship continues, Amigo. Defeating Alyster Black wasn't enough. There are still so many selfish... uncaring people in this world. People who would choose violence and hatred over friendship. Just like Cyrus Truth. I don't know what his problem is. I have never done anything to him. I didn't attack him. I saved him!"
"But the Stache thing..."
"A point was proven, was it not? In the end, it was all about building a friendship. I wanted to be his friend. It didn't have to be this way. But everyone just wants this darn title. So selfish!"
"But don't you also want the title?"
"I do, but not for the fame and glory of it all. For me, having this championship isn't about me being the best in the world. It's about the ongoing battle against Friendship. The Friendship Wrestling Alliance... we are the Defenders of Friendship... and we have a duty to eliminate anything that threatens Friendship from being the most important value in this company... heck, in the world! And that's why it is very important that Cyrus Truth does not win at the Carnal Contendership. He only cares about his own success. His own legacy. Winning this title back just gives him another notch on the belt to try and cement his status as one of the best ever! And maybe he is… but guess what, he’s not worthy to hold this mantle. He does not deserve to call himself the World Champion of Friendship!"
Jeremy handed the papers back to Amigo. "You are one of my most beloved knights, Amigo. You are of the utmost importance to our cause, you know that right?" Amigo nodded solemnly. "So, do you still think you are on the wrong side?"
"No, sir. I never did."
The smile returned to the face of our champion. Jeremy playfully rubbed Amigo's masked head. "Good to hear! You know, one day... a worthy challenger will emerge for this title... one worthy of the World Champion of Friendship… someone that lives up to those lofty expectations. And you know something Amigo, I would be honored to have that person be you."
Under his mask, Amigo beamed with pride hearing those words from his idol. "Wow, thank you, sir."
"Now, how about you go ahead and give that story a proper ending."
And so I realized I was being silly.
Of course Jeremy Best is the BEST man to be leading this company. Just look at everything he's done! At the end of the day, the world is such a better place since he replaced Alyster Black. Cyrus Truth has obviously led a smear campaign against Jeremy to turn the world against him. He knew he had no chance at winning and the only choice he had was to try and make Jeremy look bad.
And that's when it hit me.
I knew how we could save the campaign.
One last campaign push... one last speech...
To reveal the REAL truth.
That Jeremy Best was going to defeat Cyrus Truth.
A crowd had gathered around at Jeremy’s last campaign stop as Jeremy approached the podium. While he had a smile on his face, his demeanor was as serious as anyone could remember ever seeing him.
“My fellow Besties...
I come to you today...
Not as the President.
But as your... Friend.
Your Best Friend.
As we approach the final stretch of this race, I think it's time that I address the lies spread by my opponent. The blatant fear-mongering that is being spread by Cyrus Truth.
Cyrus wants you to believe that I am not the man for this job. He wants you to doubt the progress we've made together. That I'm not the true friend that I've made myself out to be. So he distracts you with doctored videos and fake news stories so that none of you realize...
The real Truth.
So today I come to you to talk about that.
The Truth.
Once upon a time, Cyrus Truth was also the President of this great country. And I will not lie, he was a good president. I am man enough to be able to give credit where credit is due. He did a good job.
But do we really just want good? Why should we settle for good...
When we already have... the BEST!
The truth of why Cyrus has tried to turn you all on me... is because he is scared.
He's scared of another loss.
Since being president last time, how many times has he come back and tried to win again? He keeps getting opportunity after opportunity after opportunity...
But it has been loss after loss after loss after loss for him when it mattered. How many more losses can one man take in his career if he wants to be taken seriously as a contender for the title of president?
And let's face it.
The truth is...
He's running out of time.
And so Truth.. turns to lies. Lies about your fearless leader. Because lies are all that "The Truth" has left.
So I ask you, my Besties, to remember the journey we've been on together. Remember the victories we've celebrated. The work I've put into the cause. Everything I've done in the last four years has been in the name of Friendship. Something that I assure you Cyrus Truth does not care about. Because if he did, he would know what was best for this country. Trust me, if we let Cyrus Truth win... the dark days will come back again. All the work we have done will become undone.
So let's not be swayed by the false promises or fear tactics of a desperate man clinging onto his one last chance.
Let's focus on what truly matters... the Future of Friendship.
I come to you as a man who is not afraid of the Truth.
I can handle The Truth.
So let's work together... AND
KEEP AMERICA FRIENDLY!”
Jeremy held up his arms, waving to the Besties as they chanted “JEREMY! JEREMY! JEREMY!” Javier watched on from the crowd, proudly smiling at the man he was happy to call his president. And his friend.