Wild

Chapter 29

Astrid's POV

"It's the moment you've all been waiting for, people! We're going to crown this year's prom king and queen, and then all eyes and spotlights will be on them as they present the King and Queen dance!"

"What's the King and Queen dance?" Xander asked. 

"Just a tradition where the crowned couple has to dance in front of the whole school," I replied, chewing my gum. 

"Huh." Xander sounded disinterested. 

"You wanna get out of here? I know a cool diner with bomb milkshakes." I teased, raising my brow. Past the blindingly flashing neon lights, I saw Xander nod, and just like we did back then, I grabbed his hand and rushed to the exit. However, nothing really ever goes my way, so of course, the Big Guy staged another show for his entertainment. 

"Xander Griffin!" We turned to see that they crowned the prom king, and my eyes were bloodshot. 

"We can still leave." Xander urged. As much as I wanted to, this was his first prom, and I couldn't just take it away from him.

"It's alright, we'll leave after this." I plastered a smile on my face and pushed him toward the stage, whooping and shouting as he made his way up.

"...and now, your prom queen," for an announcer, Caleb sure is taking a long time opening the envelope. Even though I knew Sabrina had rigged the votes so that she would be crowned, a part of me still hopes that a miracle would happen and my name would be called. 

I clung to that hope even more than Caleb shot a glance my way before reading the envelope that he finally managed to open. 

"...Sabrina Shelling!" 

Who am I kidding? Of course it's her. 

I watch from below as she quote unquote cried while receiving her plastic crown, then blew kisses into the crowd. She didn't forget to throw me a death glare to announce her triumph over me, and I smiled right back at her which she responded by holding Xander's hand as they walked down the stage to approach the dancefloor.  Xander was growing anxious by the moment and I could tell. It breaks me to see him like that sometimes, and that is why I made my way out of the hall when it was time for the King and Queen dance. 

***

The music started playing behind me as I pushed open the doors of the gymnasium, leaving them to slam behind me. A few couples were already making out beside the gymnasium like there's no tomorrow, while a few were already too tired to party and were just sitting outside. I exited the school compound and found a bench to sit on, dumping my purse beside me. 

The moon was outstandingly bright tonight and I wondered if that meant anything at all. I'm not one to believe in signs, but sometimes, it can be fun to make believe that everything happens for a reason and our lives are already written out in stone somewhere in the universe. 

I was still in the middle of studying the bright side of the moon and watching the world spin before my eyes when a coat was draped around my shoulders. It took me no time at all to identify the owner of said coat.

"You know that meant absolutely nothing and I hated every single second of it, right?" 

I look up to see Xander, then looked back down at my dress.

"Plus, dancing with you? I get to walk out with ten toes, not seven."

I burst out laughing. Xander knew all too well how to cheer me up. 

"Mi'lady, would you be so kind to accompany me to the diner? Could really use a milkshake." He asked. 

"Gladly," I replied, took his coat and hit him with it. 

With so much patience, Xander picked it up and put it over my shoulders once again, and we walked toward the nearby diner. 

And I can't even start to describe that night to you. It was just the two of us, plopped down in a booth, leaning against the red cushions, throwing our heads back laughing at all the little things mentioned within those few hours. The atmosphere was chilled, a hint of playfulness in it. The ice cream on top of our milkshake melted away before we even got to the bottom of it, the neon lights reflecting on the windows and we can see ourselves in it. We chatted up about the very start, the moment I laid eyes on him and blurting out about his attractiveness, how we took a liking toward each other and ran away like fugitives - two youngsters in search of freedom, somewhere where we don't even have to care about the slightest problem. The names Veronica, Caleb, Cameron, and Sabrina never even came up mid-conversation, and that was how addicted we were to talking about just us. Even when the night ventured darker and darker, and the stars were burning visibly bright in the cosmos, we talked. 

It was just Xander, me, and milkshakes against the world, and I can never ask for anything better. 

THE END.