Texas High School ELA Question of the Day

Replace the bus setting with a lyrical meditation on highways as veins and exits as decision points, shifting away from the characters.

Insert a text-message transcript between rounds to show what he "really" thinks, interrupting the bus ride's continuity.

Add a paragraph of debate jargon explaining the loss (e.g., theory shells, counterplans) to clarify the round's mechanics.

Replace "I mentioned the snack bar. He grinned, then didn't." with: I said, "You want anything?" He slid one earbud down. "Depends." The word hovered between our shoulders and graduation.