"Alright, ladies and gentlemen!", Principal Moonay's voice echoed throughout the room. "Its time to crown our King and Queen of the Senior Prom 2012!" Everyone cheered as Megan made her way through the crowd to stand in front of the stage. "Before the coronation, we have to bring up this year's Prom Court!"
"Our Prom Princes are, in order, Mal Duncan...Xander Farway...Bobby Prince...and Ryan Shillings!" The boys ran onstage one by one as they were announced, lining up behind Moonay on his right. "Our Prom Princesses are, Karen Beecher, Megan Morse, Linda Parker, and Amber Vaughn!" The girls all walked onstage, lining up on the left. Megan breathed, her nerves rising high.
"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for!" Moonay extended his hand to the DJ. "The envelopes, please?" The DJ gave him two gold envelopes, one with King written in black cursive on the back, and the other with Queen in the same font. Moonay opened the one with King on it. "And your Prom King is..." He grinned. "No surprise here, Xander Farway!"
Xander pumped his fists in the air as the crowd chanted his name. "Xandman! Xandman! Xandman!" He received congratulatory high fives from the other candidates before going to stand by Moonay. The principal took the plastic gold crown with big fake red rhinestones off its satin pillow. He placed it on top of Xander's head and gave him a sash that said Prom King 2012 as the masses cheered. The other guys were given sashes that said Prom Prince 2012.
"And now, for the big one! Drumroll, please!" Megan crossed her fingers as Principal Moonay opened the Queen envelope and pulled out the card. "And your Prom Queen is..." She shut her eyes and held her breath. Oh please, oh please, oh please, oh please... "Again, no surprise—Megan Morse!"
Megan screamed as the spotlight fell on her, the sound of applause ringing in her ears. She covered her mouth with her hands as she stepped forward. The principal proudly adjusted the delicate diamond rhinestone tiara in her hair and slipped a Prom Queen 2012 sash over her body. Her eyes were overflowing with tears as she was given a bouquet of red roses, crushing them to her chest as if she was afraid they'd be taken from her.
Xander took her by the hand and led her centerstage, waving to the crowds as the student body cheered for them. "Ladies and gentlemen of the class of 2012, I give you your King and Queen of the Prom!" The crowd roared in response. "You did it, Megan!" "Way to go, you two!" "You the man, Xander! You the man!"
Megan was blinking back tears. I can't believe it..., she thought. I won! I actually won! I'm Prom Queen! All of my dreams have come true! I must be the happiest girl in the world! As she waved to the masses below, her head turned to look behind her, and she caught sight of the white concert ticket on the floor, having fallen out of her purse when she walked onstage.
Suddenly, all of her previous happiness vanished. Megan looked out at the cheering classmates, then at Xander, still waving and blowing them kisses, then at the roses in her arms. She fingered her rhinestone tiara as she felt her heart grow heavy. She had finally gotten everything that she had ever wanted. But she didn't feel as happy as she should have been. Here she was, having gone from a middle school loser to a high school prom queen, what should have been the greatest night of her life...and her best friend wasn't there to see her in her moment of glory.
Amber watched Megan and Xander, her eyes bugging out of her skull and her lips twisted into a sneer. She didn't seem to notice a teacher give the other girls sashes that said Prom Princess 2012, until she was tapped on her shoulder. She turned to see the teacher holding out Amber's sash for her, only for her to push her hand away and storm up to Xander and Megan. She pushed them aside, grabbed the microphone, and said through the stereos, "I had sex with Megan's boyfriend!"
The incredibly noisy ballroom suddenly fell dead quiet. Amber whipped her head over to look at a stunned Megan and a mortified Xander with a nasty smirk. "How about that, Megan? I finally beat you at something." She looked over at Xander, who was turning redder in the face with every passing moment. "Go ahead! Tell her, Xander."
Megan turned around to gape at her boyfriend, who was at a loss for words. She looked back at Amber, whose face was tight with anger as she addressed the crowd. "You all think Megan is soooooo great, what with her smiles and her peppy attitude and her annoying niceness, and that's why you voted for her instead of someone who truly bears the regal essence of a queen! I was robbed! That crown should been mine! You hear me?! MINE!"
She grinned wickedly as she looked over at the couple. "Megan, Megan, Megan! Well, with Xander, for once, it wasn't all about you! Now, tell her!" Megan looked back at Xander as he stuttered, "B-B-Babe, don't freak out...I-I swear, I was thinking of you the whole time!"
The ballroom was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. The whole room was on edge, waiting for Megan to react. They expected her to scream. They expected her to burst into tears. They expected her to fly into a rage and get into a catfight with Amber. But instead, Megan simply smiled and shook her head.
"Y'know Xander?", she said as she reached into her dress and pulled out his silver class pin she had placed inside. "I remember the day you gave me this as if it were only yesterday. We'd been going steadily for months, and you said we might as well make it official. I remember, when you gave me your pin, I was the happiest girl in the country." She chuckled a bit. "Well, tonight, I'm the happiest girl in the country again...because I'm giving it back to you." Xander flinched as she threw his pin in his face. "Megan, wait—"
"And Amber,", she said, turning back to her so-called "best friend". "Boy, was I wrong about you. I really thought you'd changed since middle school. But you haven't. You are still the same two-faced, backstabbing, spoiled little brat you were in seventh grade." She reached up and took off her tiara. "You want this crown?" She shoved it into Amber's hands. "Take it."
Megan walked past her towards the steps in the center of the stage. "Hey! Where are you going?", Amber snapped. Megan turned around, bearing a knowing smirk. "I've got somewhere more important to be." She looked at her fellow senior students. "You guys enjoy the rest of your prom." She was met with applause and cheers of approval as she walked off stage, took her silver clutch, and walked out of the ballroom with her head held high.
YOU ARE READING
The Distance Between Us
FanfictionConner Kent and Megan Morse have been best friends since kindergarten, but they drifted apart in middle school. Now Conner has returned to Metropolis after four years of living with his dad. When he comes backs, he finds Megan a changed woman. Wi...
