“Want to make a bet?” Kaya raises a brow.
“I don’t want to win. Then we’ll have to be in the parade and I’ll have to go out at halftime when Coach will want to keep me in the locker room to strategize,” Jaden gripes. They may be popular, and Jaden plays football with Ash, but he’s the most low-key guy I know.
“Don’t worry about it.” Kaya jabs Jaden in the ribs. She has the most pointiest elbows ever, I swear. She returns her attention to me, her expression shrewd. “I saw you and Ben talking earlier. What’s going on between you two?”
“Not too much.” I don’t want to discuss Ben right now, not in front of Ash. He’ll just make fun of us later in class.
“Uh huh.” Kaya’s eyes gleam, her mouth popping open to ask yet another question when a couple of leadership kids come over to where we’re waiting, interrupting her.
Thank God.
We line up, watching as the freshmen exit the stage, including the newly crowned freshman prince and princess. My nerves ratchet up, my breaths coming faster, and Ash grabs hold of my hand, pulling my arm through his.
“Calm down, Callahan. You’ve got this,” he reassures me in that arrogant way of his. He somehow found not only a white button-down shirt but also a black tie, and his jeans are in perfect condition. He looks dressed up without trying too hard.
Me? I look like I tried too hard, but I don’t care. My dress is a dark silvery gray with a lace overlay and a short, flared skirt. The top covers me up so my boobs aren’t spilling out, which they already want to do. Even if I don’t win, I still feel like a princess, and I love it.
Not gonna lie, sure would be nice to win that crown, though.
We stand on the stage and they announce our names, reading off the short bios we all had to turn in a few weeks ago. The longer I stand there, the more wobbly my knees get, and I clutch Ash’s arm tight, clinging to him. He shifts closer, as if he knows I need him to hold me up and keep my focus on the audience. My mom and dad are sitting in the front row, Ava and Jake and Beck sitting in between them, and I don’t look at them for too long. I might start crying or something stupid like it.
When it’s finally our turn to talk, we approach the host—the junior class president—and I have to answer the question first.
“Who’s the person who’s influenced you the most?”
I gaze out at the audience, my smile firmly in place as I say, “I’d have to say it’s my mom. She takes care of our family, my dad, my brothers and sisters and me. She always listens to me without judgment, and she makes time for all of us no matter what. Plus she’s a lot of fun. I like spending time with her and I basically want to be her when I grow up.”
The applause makes me stand up straighter, and I swear I hear a loud sniffle—probably got Mom right smack in the feels. I’m still smiling when they ask Ash his question.
“If you could have any superpower, what would it be?”
Ash makes a face like he’s concentrating, and a few people in the audience—mostly girls—giggle. I’m sure he has a fan club that came in his support tonight. So many girls in our class—and a few freshman too—have major crushes on him.
“I’d want to be able to read minds. So I’d know exactly what everyone’s thinking,” Ash says.
“You sure about that?” the announcer says jokingly. “Some things you might not want to know.”
“True. But then again, there are some things I do want to know.” Ash looks over at me. Like he wants to read my mind.
That would be disastrous.
Within minutes, they’re ready to announce the winners, and the anticipation is nearly killing me. I wait breathlessly, almost crumpling with relief when they announce my name.
And Ash’s too.
The couples that run together don’t always win together too, but it’s happening for us, and honestly I couldn’t be happier. We worked really hard for it this week. The costumes, the games, trying to show we have school spirit. Plus, I had cheer practice every day this week, getting our halftime routine perfected. It’s been exhausting.
The moment they set that crown on my head and place the flowers in my arms, I know it’s all been worth it.
Within minutes of us being hustled onto the stage, we’re ushered backstage just as quick, and I’m bouncing up and down in my too-tight heels, my hand resting on my head, tracing the edge of the tiara. Ash is watching me, amusement lighting his eyes, his homecoming royalty sash hanging from his chest crookedly. Unable to help myself, I reach out and straighten it, my fingers brushing against his shirt, and I can feel the warmth emanating from his skin, even through the fabric.
“Are you actually helping me out, Callahan?” He sounds surprised yet pleased.
“It was crooked.” I shrug. “And hey, we won!”
“I know.” He leans back against the wall, his arms crossed, a satisfied smile on his face. “I knew I’d win.”
“You did not.” I shove at his shoulder, which is like pushing a brick wall. He might only be fifteen, but he’s solid.
“I definitely knew you’d win.” His voice goes serious. “Everyone loves you.”
“Not true.” I can think of at least five people who don’t like me, but I don’t want to list them. “But I guess just enough people do, because we got the votes.”
“It was the sack race,” he tells me, and we go back and forth like this for the rest of the time we’re waiting backstage, until we’re called out one last time when the coronation ends. I’m immediately swarmed by my family, my mom and aunt fighting to hug me first, my dad telling me he’s proud of me like I won the big game, and my Uncle Owen giving me knuckles like he’s always done since I was about three.
It feels good, to have everyone I love surrounding me, telling me how happy they are for me, taking photos with me. My friends gather around and we all pose for endless photos, including me and Kaya, then me and Daphne, then all three of us together. Kaya’s mom gives me a big hug and tells me she misses me, and I reassure her I’m definitely coming over to stay over after the homecoming dance on Saturday night.
Eventually, they all start asking for photos of Ash and me together, and we pose for a few for my parents, for my friends, for the yearbook staff yet again. Our arms are around each other loosely, as if we’re afraid to touch each other too close, and I prefer the distance. Especially when I spot Ben making his way toward us, clutching a single red rose in his hand.
“For you,” Ben says once he’s standing in front of us. Ash releases his hold on me, and I’m suddenly in Ben’s arms as he pulls me in for a hug. He feels safe, he smells good too, and when I withdraw, he thrusts the rose in between us and I take it, sniffing the delicate flower. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” I murmur, smiling up at him. No boy has given me flowers before.
“I can’t believe you won,” Ben says. “You looked pretty up there.” His cheeks turn pink with the admission, and I can’t help but be charmed.
I swear I hear Ash mutter something rude under his breath.
“Thank you,” I say again, because I don’t know what else to say, especially with Ash standing behind us. Listening in, most likely.
“Honey,” Mom calls to me from where she’s standing, chatting with Kaya’s mom. “You almost ready to go?”
“Yeah. Give me another minute,” I tell her before I return my attention to Ben. He’s not even looking at my dad, who’s standing next to Mom, and that’s a first for me too. Every boy I know at school stares at my father with reverence.
But Ben only has eyes for me.
“You’re going to the dance Saturday, right?” he asks me.
I nod, barely able to contain my smile. “Are you?”
“Yeah.” He’s smiling too. “Save a dance for me, okay?”