Twenty-five #2
“And maybe you don’t know yourself either.
” I scoffed, throwing my hands into the air.
Creeping closer to her, I bored a hole into the side of her skull as I glared, watching as she continued to poke and prod her skin.
“Why did you run for Prom Queen, Meredith? Why did you really ? Because I have a hard time believing it was because I ‘inspired’ you.”
Her jaw tightened. She spun her heels, her hair widely flying in front of her face as it stuck to her lips.
“It’s because you took everything from me!” she screamed, her voice cracking as she spoke. “You took it and then threw it away like it was nothing, so now I’m gonna do the same to you. You don’t need to win Prom Queen if you don’t care about being popular.”
“ Wow. You give a whole new meaning to the word selfish.”
“Whatever.” She laughed humorlessly. “Everything I thought I knew about you was a lie, so I don’t owe you the truth, Clarke. I don’t owe you anything.”
I had been faking my relationship with Elliot for the better part of a year, but I had been faking my friendship with Meredith for much longer.
For the past four years, I’d never let anyone see the real me, especially not Meredith.
She never knew my past, my passions, my fears—none of it.
I kept everything hidden. I couldn’t expect her to open up when I couldn’t trust her enough to do the same.
The truth was, our friendship ended before it even had a chance to begin.
Was she pretending, too? I knew I shouldn’t feel bad for her, but I did.
Maybe I hurt her just as much as she hurt me.
“You’ve lied just as much as I have. I feel like I barely recognize you anymore. You really expect me to believe popularity and status are all you have? How do you expect me to trust you again?”
The silence stretched for what felt like minutes and then… then there was a sniff. As I lifted my gaze to meet hers, I caught a glimpse of Meredith wiping her cheek as she pivoted, exiting the bathroom swiftly. That was all the answer I needed. The truth spoke for itself.
Looking into the mirror one last time, I nodded as I sucked in a breath before leaving hastily.
The hinges groaned as I pushed open the door, walking back into the banquet hall.
My hands trembled as I mustered the last bit of courage inside me, letting it boil to the surface.
As I skirted the perimeter of the dance floor, I did my best to avoid the prying eyes of curious strangers.
When I reached the head of the banquet hall, I stepped onto the small platform where a podium stood waiting at its center.
That’s when I saw it — the ballot box. I watched as a girl I had never seen before cast her vote for Prom King and Queen as she scribbled two names onto a small piece of paper, tossing it into the box.
When she left, I plucked a pencil from a plastic container, jimmying it into the keyhole of the ballot box. The tip snapped.
“Uh, what are you doing?”
I looked up to find Dani and Andrew standing in front of me, smug looks written across their faces. Pursing my lips, I laid the pencil down and exhaled slowly. Shit .
“Uhhhh…”
“You rigging the votes?” Andrew smirked, resting his hip against the podium.
“No way. She wouldn’t — ”
“Yes.”
Dani frowned. “Wait…what?”
“You guys gonna help me or not?”
“Eh, what the hell.” Andrew shrugged. “These popular assholes never did anything for us, anyway.”
A sly grin crept across my face.
“I love this song!” I shrieked, my face consumed by a wide grin.
“I — wha — ”
Elliot’s chair nearly toppled over as I jerked his arm, pulling him onto the dance floor. It was Panic at the Disco, for fucks sake. Who doesn’t love I Write Sins Not Tragedies?
I could see Andrew’s face light up the second the first note blared through the speakers.
He shot out of his seat, a mischievous grin spreading across his face as he turned to Dani and Kendra, motioning for them to join us.
They didn’t react fast enough, though, because he grabbed their arms, yanking them toward the center of the room.
In seconds, we were all on the dance floor, shouting the lyrics at the top of our lungs and laughing like nothing else mattered.
A smile naturally settled on my lips as my body moved to the beat. Elliot’s hand found mine, steadying me as we lost ourselves in the thumping of the bass and crashing of the cymbals. Everything else blurred as time seemed to slow down around me.
The noise faded until all that remained was laughter emanating from the people surrounding me —no , not just people— my friends.
Tears threatened to spill as joy swelled inside me.
I’d spent so long trying to thrive in high school that I never truly let myself experience it.
And this moment — this chaotic, beautiful, perfect moment — it was worth experiencing.
The lights dimmed as the music faded, transitioning from one song to the next. Our movements stopped as we desperately tried to catch our breath. Our chests heaved as we locked eyes with one another.
To no surprise and as dramatically as ever, Andrew began fanning himself with his hand, eliciting a smack on the wrist from Dani.
He didn’t seem to care, offering her a shrug before fanning her instead.
She narrowed her eyes, dragging him away.
Many others vacated the floor as the tempo of the music slowed and the gentle hum of a violin filled the air.
Kendra’s eyes darkened as she shot a glance at the speaker, then back at me.
Her head cocked to the side and with a ‘not-so-subtle’ shove, she nudged me toward Elliot, offering a “oops,” as she sauntered off the floor, leaving me to fall into Elliot’s embrace.
The only people next to us were paired up as they swayed together.
Pushing myself upright, I rested my arms on Elliot’s shoulders as his fingers gripped my waist. He spoke jestfully.
“You think she ships us or something?”
“Oh, yeah. Definitely,” I replied, matching his tone. “She’s team Clot all the way.”
Elliott’s laugh was deep and rich. I savored the sound.
“Well, for the record, I am, too.”
My cheeks were tinged as I pulled my gaze from his, but the second I did that, Elliot lifted my chin with his thumb.
I almost forgot we were dancing when our eyes reconnected.
My movements stuttered as I peered up at him, nearly losing myself with every moment that passed.
Eyes truly did act as windows to the soul, and his soul was beautiful.
“I never thanked you, by the way.” I cleared my throat. “For agreeing to fake date me.”
“I should be the one thanking you, Princess.”
“Why?”
“I got to hang out with my crush.”
“And I got to hang out with mine.”
“Call it even?”
“Deal.”
I rested my head on his shoulder as the rest of the song continued.
The hum of music was slowly drowned out, replaced by the sound of his heartbeat.
But that was music enough to me . Then, like a knife slashing through my self-proclaimed fairytale, a different sound — which was definitely not Elliot’s heartbeat — pulled me back to reality.
“Never thought I’d be saying this to you two,” Mrs. Hawthorne announced as she walked toward us. She interlocked her fingers. “But it was a pleasure having you both in my class. Twice.”
“Thanks.”
“Thank you.”
“And for what it’s worth, I knew you’d both fucking kill that mock exam.”
My eyes widened. Elliot’s mouth dropped, his jaw going slack. Mrs. Hawthorne pivoted on the balls of her feet, leaving the two of us alone once again. Our eyes followed her, watching until her silhouette merged with the crowd.
“She…did she just — ”
“Yeah…yeah, she did.”
“What kind of backwards ass alternate universe am I in right now?”
“Is it weird to say she reminds me of my mom?”
“Don’t insult your Mom like that.”
“I’m not.” I chuckled as we headed back toward our table. “She’s got this weird no-cursing rule.”
“And yet, she chose your dad?” He smirked, trying to hide his smile. “Dude swears more than me.”
“Weird, right?”
When I sat down in my chair, Elliot lowered his lips to my forehead, placing a wet kiss on my skin while smacking his lips. My smile was crooked as I pushed him away with a laugh. He slapped on another, causing me to chuckle even harder.
“I’ll be back. Gotta pee!”
“Okay.”
“Hurry up.”
“Pee safely!”
“Make sure to wipe your dick!”
Elliot threw up his middle finger as he walked off.
Five minutes into his absence, I started to get restless.
How much pee could one person hold? I bounced my leg, watching as the teachers prepped the platform for Prom King and Queen announcements.
Two large plinth-looking podiums with mannequin heads on them were dragged to the center.
The lights swelled with life, the bulbs on the chandeliers flickering slightly as they brightened.
“Where’s Elliot?” I questioned aloud.
The group shrugged, looking back and forth between one another. I anxiously chewed on the inside of my cheek.
Andrew pursed his lips as he rose to his feet. “Maybe he stepped out for a quick smoke. I’ll go check.”
Just as he was about to leave, static filled the air as Principal Hawkins tapped the microphone.
Andrew frowned, muttering a quick sorry as he sat back down.
Fuck. I plucked at the skin around my fingernails.
Kendra placed her hand on my shoulder, shooting me a smile.
As I looked toward Andrew and Dani, they did the same. I exhaled softly, smiling back.
“It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for, folks! It’s time to announce this year’s Prom King and Queen,” he said, clicking his tongue. “You voted, and the results are in.”
A shadow swooshed beside me, settling into Elliot’s seat.
My eyes lit up. He was back . Disappointment surged through me when I turned my head and saw who was sitting beside me.
Definitely not Elliot . Andrew stared, his expression steeped in disdain; Kendra followed suit, her face twisted with disgust; and Dani’s gaze was seething with malice.
“What do you want, Ryan?” I whispered angrily.
“Just enjoying the show.”
I scowled as he hiked one leg over the other and leaned back in the chair.
“The Prom King you all chose this year — let’s hear it for Mason Garcia!”
The students cheered as Mason dusted off his jacket and jogged to the front.
Ryan rocketed to his feet, whooping and hollering as he cupped his hands over his mouth.
Me on the other hand — my ass stayed firmly glued to the seat.
The principal placed the crown on Mason’s head.
His teeth were nauseatingly white as he wore a toothy grin.
“Congratulations, Mason. And now, this year’s Prom Queen is…”
The principal’s words tapered off as he paused for dramatic effect. I sat on the edge of my chair, waiting for him to continue. Just then, Ryan crouched down, bringing his lips close to my ear.
“You know you’re not gonna win, right?”
His tone was rich with smugness, and a chuckle followed the end of his words. I glanced at him, my lips curling upward as I blinked with deliberate calm.
“I know.”
Principal Hawkins’ voice boomed through the microphone once again, as Ryan gawked at me wordlessly.
“Meredith Sawyer!”
She jumped up from her seat, blowing kisses left and right as she approached the principal.
Applause filled the air. My hands came together in a slow and measured clap.
Ryan narrowed his eyes at me before leaving our table, unsure of what to say.
The principal laid the tiara on Meredith’s hair as she waved at the crowd.
“So there ya have it! Summerville High’s Royal couple. Give it up one more time for Meredith and Mason.”
Just as the room erupted into more applause, a familiar face sulked through the door and approached the table. Elliot . Andrew glared silently at him as if asking, ‘Where the hell were you?’ but Elliot ignored his glances and focused all his attention on me instead.
“Hey,” Elliot’s voice soothed as he placed his hand on my shoulder. “Come here. I have something to show you.”
“Uh, okay.”
He grabbed my hand, leading me away from the chaos and into a small corridor. I stared at him questioningly. What was he up to?
“Sorry, I missed the Prom Queen announcement, but I had to grab something from my car.”
Pushing his hand inside his jacket, he fumbled around for a few seconds before pulling something out. Was that what I thought it was? Clutched in his fingers was a plastic tiara with rose colored gems that sparkled as he waved his hand. My lips parted.
“What the — how? What?”
“Andrew told me what you did. Making sure Meredith won Prom Queen.”
“But, I — I didn’t — ” I stuttered, stumbling over my words. “When we looked at the ballots, she won, anyway. I didn’t actually do anything.”
“But if you did have more votes, would you have switched them to make her win?”
“Yeah, but — ”
“No, buts. You did something amazing for someone who, in my opinion, didn’t deserve it, but that’s what makes you a good person. It’s one of the reasons I fell for you.”
“Elliot…” I breathed out shakily. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”
“Hm?”
“I…I think I’m in love with you.”
His eyes shimmered, full of light, as a smile made its way onto his lips. “Well, I know I’m in love with you. No thinking necessary.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. You’re incredible and I know you didn’t win Prom Queen like you wanted, but you still deserve this fucking crown,” he muttered, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. Gently, he rested the tiara on my head. “You may not be a Queen, but you will always be my Princess.”
As soon as those words left his mouth, I grabbed his face, pulling his lips toward mine.
So yeah, maybe I had it all wrong when I said the person who invented Prom Queen was the world’s shittiest human.
Maybe there was more to the story about why it was invented than I’d ever know.
Maybe it was to give a voice to the voiceless, or maybe it was to shine a spotlight on those who were desperate to feel worthy, or maybe it was to highlight the importance of making people feel appreciated for their efforts.
Hell — maybe it was to play dress up and act like British royalty. In time, it’s possible we twisted the meaning to contort it to our own sick image, but whatever the answer was, not knowing didn’t bother me anymore because whether I had that stupid plastic tiara or not, I knew I was worthy.
High school only needed to be a popularity contest if we allowed it. It was all a matter of perspective. And looking back on it, my perspective is who gives a fuck.