Hanging With The Bad Boys (Edited)

Chapter 61- Best Prom Night - Part 2

I spend the next hour dancing, drinking, eating, and chatting with my friends, while Brandon talks to Blake, Jack, and some jocks, and Isabella surveys the room.

When Isabella kisses Brandon, I roll my eyes.

The principal takes the stage and announces, "Hello everyone, we'll soon announce prom king and queen," sparking cheers from the crowd. I see Stephanie, Nikki, and Jackie perfecting their makeup.

Three minutes later, the principal announces, "The four girls nominated are Stephanie, Nikki, Jackie, and Anastasia." I gasp—me? Arlene smiles and says, "You'll thank me later." I head to the stage, where the other girls glare at me.

"The boys are Justin, Jordan, Brandon, and Jack; please come up," the principal continues, and the crowd cheers.

We await the results as he declares, "Our prom king is... Justin James." The gym erupts in applause. Justin receives his crown and shakes the principal's hand, looking genuinely happy while Jordan seems unaffected.

The principal then announces, "Our prom queen is... Anastasia Montez!" I gasp again; Stephanie faints as I walk up for my crown. The crowd cheers, with Arlene screaming the loudest.

The principal congratulates us and says, "Now you must dance," as Justin smirks at me. We descend the stairs, hand in hand. He wraps his arms around my waist, and I put mine around his neck. We sway to "Me and You" by One Direction, wishing this moment could last forever.

As I gaze into Justin's gray eyes, he hesitates, then leans in to kiss me, catching me off guard. I freeze for a moment but kiss him back, feeling butterflies—this is what kisses should feel like.

We break apart, and I blush as he whispers, "I really like you, Anne, and I promise I won't hurt you," before kissing me again.

Best Prom Ever.

----------------

I wake up at 11:00 a.m. after a late night. After being crowned prom queen, Justin and I hung out at the boardwalk, and I think I've been in love with him since the start of the year.

I shower and head downstairs. Dad is out of the country, and Stacy is visiting her mom. Speaking of moms, I need to visit mine today before my friends come over.

I see Freddie cleaning the kitchen. "Hi Fred, take the weekend off; I'll see you Monday. I'll tell Dad to pay you for this weekend."

"Okay, Anne. If you need me tomorrow, just call," he replies.

I eat breakfast and scroll through my camera; the photos from last night are beautiful.

My phone buzzes.

Jerk: Hi Anne, our first date is tomorrow evening. I'll pick you up at 6.

Me: Okay.

I leave the house thirty minutes later and drive to the prison. After signing in, I take a seat to wait for my mom.

She looks worse than last time. We pick up the telephones simultaneously.

"Hi, Mom. How are you?"

"Fine. I'm glad you came to check on me," she replies.

"Yeah, I have to; graduation is soon, and I'll be busy with college."

"I'll miss you, but promise you'll visit me before you leave," she says, her blue eyes shining with hope.

"I promise, Mom," I reassure her, and she nods.

"Last night was prom, and I was crowned prom queen. Can you believe it?"

Mom laughs, "Actually, I can. You've always been special; your friends have really changed you."

"They're the best friends I could ask for," I say, smiling.

"When you visit next, bring Jessica's son. I want to see him," she suggests.

"Bye, Mom. See you in a couple of months," I say, and we blow kisses to each other.

When I get home, I order pizza and watch TV until the girls arrive. I enjoy 'Camp Rock 2: Final Jam' and 'High School Musical 3.'

________________________