Valhalla High (A Magnus Chase Fanfic)

Prom Night Part 3

The air was tense with anticipation as Gunilla unfolded a piece of paper. I could hear the crinkling both because the cafeteria was unnaturally silent and Gunilla's microphone was picking up the noise. "This year's prom queen is Dede Chidozie!"

A girl in my grade who I'd only seen in passing was accompanied, smiling, to where Gunilla stood. The DJ handed a plastic tiara over to Gunilla who placed it on Dede's head. "I won't have to make a speech, will I?" Dede asked.

Gunilla actually smiled. "I'd prefer that you didn't."

Dede sighed with relief and was greeted with cheers and congratulations as she rejoined the crowd. "I'm glad I'm not her," I thought as I watched a couple guys grab her hair (she spun around and fixed a glare so hard on them that they scampered). "Being popular must be exhausting."

     "Tell me about it," Alex said.

      Gunilla cleared her throat into the microphone. "Silence. The prom king still needs to be announced. This year it was a tie between Magni and Mothi."

    The two twins whooped as they strutted towards Gunilla. "Where's our crowns?" Mothi asked, speaking into the microphone.

     Gunilla's face soured. "There is only one."

     The twins exchanged glances. "We demand a crown for each of us," Magni said.

    Mothi nodded in agreement. "It is our right as co-prom kings."

The DJ was looking uncomfortable. "Neither of you will be crowned," Gunilla said.

"Why?" Magni challenged.

"Is it because we're boys?" Mothi asked.

"That's sexist," Magni added.

"Our father won't stand for it," Mothi said. "You know, Coach Thor."

"Your father respects me," Gunilla said calmly.

Sam leaned in to whisper. "She's nervous. I can tell by the way she's patting her hip. She's wanting to throw her axe only it's not there because the security guards took it."

"Well it's a good thing axes are prohibited at prom," I said.

"I dunno," Halfborn said. "It would certainly be more interesting."

     An image of Halfborn running bare-chested through the cafeteria and shouting as he swung an axe to and fro filled my mind. I did not like said image. It was too bloody. "Look!" Mallory said, jerking our attention back to the showdown.

     The DJ was tapping his fingers against his pant leg and looking everywhere but at Magni and Mothi. Even from the distance I could see his face shining with sweat. Magni and Mothi's dates were now crowding around Gunilla. "Great, this is just getting worse and worse," Sam muttered.

    Amir looked like he really wanted to give her a reassuring hug or squeeze her hand. He settled for a sympathetic look. "What is it?"

      "Those are Evelyn and Rose," Sam said. "Two more Valkyries. I'd better help Gunilla."

      "Why?" I asked. "She's always mean to you."

     It was common knowledge that Gunilla hated Loki and any of his children, including Sam. She'd dated a son of Loki until she found out he'd cheated on her with a girl from Jotunheim High. "That doesn't mean she deserves to be beaten up," Sam insisted. "Besides, the DJ is leaving her to fight alone."

    It was true. The DJ had taken the opportunity to slip through the crowd. "Give us our crowns now!" Magni and Mothi hollered.

      Some of the teachers were coming forward, trying to calm things down, but everyone was riled up. Half of the senior class seemed to be roaring in approval of Magni and Mothi's demands. "You cannot go over there without a plan," Amir told Sam. "It would be madness."

   I recognized the stubborn look on Sam's face. She was going to do it anyways. "I'm going with you," I said.

    "And I," Alex said, stepping forward.

     "No one will say I left my betrothed undefended," Amir said and Sam blushed.

     "We're coming too," Mallory said and Halfborn nodded in agreement.

    TJ saluted to Sam. Jack and Riptide squared their shoulders. Blitzen straightened his tie and Hearthstone signed, "We fight as one."

     We walked forward. My friends picked up makeshift weapons: fallen water bottles, a discarded high heel, a half-used roll on duct tape. I almost tripped over a fallen banner and an idea struck me. I retained my balance, grabbed the banner, and ran forward. "There's no need to fight!" I shouted as loudly as I could, waving my banner like some  circus employee feeding the lions for the first time.

      The cafeteria went silent. Magni and Mothi looked like they were going to smack me. Gunilla gave me a glare that told me she didn't appreciate my intrusion, but I didn't care. I wasn't going to let her pride hurt her. "Behold!" I said, tearing the paper banner in two. "The capes for our prom kings!"

    I draped the paper banners over the two twins' shoulders. I'd torn the blue papers quickly, so it was a messy job. My heart thumped in my chest as I waited for the twins' responses. "This isn't a crown," Mothi said.

      "It's a cape," I said. "Even better."

      "It makes you look like a king," Evelyn told Mothi.

      "You look dashing," Rose agreed.

       I could sense Magni and Mothi were still a little angry, but they allowed their dates to pull them back to the dance floor. "Where's the music?" someone shouted.

     "The DJ is gone!" another person yelled.

    Jack stepped forward. "Don't worry," he told Gunilla. "I can do it."

   Of course, it wouldn't be prom without Jack playing "Shake It Off." Magni and Mothi certainly shook it off — their anger at least. I saw them both looking utterly love-struck at their dates. It's funny how one intense emotion can bleed into another. "Fancy a last dance of the night?" Alex asked me.

    Just then, "Old Town Road" started playing and we decided to skip it. "That better not be the last song of the night," Mallory muttered.

      "Grab your partners," Gunilla said into the microphone as the last chords of "Old Town Road" faded. "And give it up for the closing song."

   Jack put on "Together" by Ella Eyre and then scampered over to where Riptide was waiting for him. Alex and I danced, our bodies moving like a symphony — a very colorful, rainbow-flavored, and nimble one. By the end of the song, I was nearly breathing hard. Then, Alex kissed me and I was left breathless.