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Nodding, I glance down at myself, readjusting the white sash that I slipped on only a moment ago. It says in sparkly blue lettering, Homecoming Queen.
“I still can’t believe I won,” I murmur, reaching up to readjust the tiara on my head.
Iris bats my hand away and fixes my crown. “There you go. Now it’s straight.” She takes a step back, taking me in. “Oh, Willow, you look beautiful.”
I feel beautiful, especially when I remember the look on Rhett’s face when he saw me out on the football field at halftime during the crowning ceremony. The boys all stood in a line waiting for us while our fathers escorted us out to the makeshift stage, including Iris’s. The king was announced first, my knees almost buckling when the announcer said Rhett’s name. Thank goodness I had a firm grip on my father’s arm or I might’ve collapsed.
And when my name was announced as the homecoming queen, I actually started to cry. Me, the girl who made fun of the fact that we were actually having this silly ritual at our school after never doing it in the history of Lancaster Prep. I cried like a baby when they dropped the sash over my body and set that crown onto my head, Iris screaming her encouragement the entire time. My father looked so proud as he watched us, but I could see there was a bit of sadness lingering in his gaze too.
His little girl is all grown up. I know that’s what he was thinking.
Now here I am about to make my appearance at the homecoming dance without my king.
“Thank you,” I tell her, reaching out to clasp her hand and give it a squeeze. “I wish you would’ve won.”
“Liar,” she whispers, making us both laugh. “You deserved to win. The crown looks good on you.”
I smile at her, feeling like I might cry all over again, which is dumb. I swear the only reason I’m so emotional is because I’m hormonal. Or maybe it’s because all of these moments we’re experiencing feel so final during our senior year. After this, we go on to college or a gap year or whatever plan we might have for our future. That’s why I need to live in the now and enjoy every single moment before it’s gone for good.
The music stops from inside the auditorium and the DJ starts talking.
“I think that’s our cue to go inside,” Iris says, slipping her arm through mine. “Come on. I’ll be your escort.”
We rush into the auditorium, the DJ passing the mic to Whit, who starts talking about creating new traditions at Lancaster Prep. We stand off to the side with the rest of the homecoming court, Iris my unofficial escort, just like she said, and when I glance over at her, I see that she’s repeatedly shaking her head.
“I can’t believe my dad is doing this. I can’t get away with shit at this place now,” she mutters.
It takes everything in my power not to burst out laughing, but I somehow manage to remain quiet.
Whit introduces each couple. The freshman prince and princess, then the sophomores, and then the juniors. His gaze catches mine as he says, “And finally we have the senior queen and king …”
His voice drifts, and he does a double take when he sees his daughter. “Make that just the queen since our king must still be out on the football field. Willow Lancaster!”
I walk onto the stage, smiling at Whit, who kisses me on the cheek before I turn to the crowd, smiling. I spot a few familiar faces. Bronwyn is smiling at me, offering a little wave. I spot Alana who looks bored, standing beside Silas because those two can’t seem to stay away from each other.
I’m so glad I didn’t insist on pursuing Silas. He is so not the guy for me.
Whit says a few more things and then we all exit the stage, me fighting the wave of disappointment that Rhett wasn’t able to make it. We walk down the steps and onto the floor, the DJ starting up a new song that’s slow and romantic. Of course. Couples shuffle out onto the dance floor and I watch them all embrace each other and start to sway to the beat.
My heart aches at Rhett not being here. He’s going to miss the majority of the dance, and I glance toward the double doors, contemplating if I should head back down to the stadium and watch the last minutes of the game.
The guilt that swarms me over not being there and supporting him is all-encompassing. The last month that we’ve been together has been the best days of my life. We spend almost every waking moment together. I go to sleep smiling, thinking of him, and I wake up excited in the morning, eager to be with him. I didn’t know it could be like this, and I’m so grateful he’s mine.
And that I’m his.
I stare at the doors, and it’s almost as if I willed them to swing open, revealing Rhett and Brooks still in their uniforms, looking dirty and tired. I stand there frozen, unsure of when or where I lost Iris, but I don’t even care anymore. Her boyfriend is here.
And so is mine.
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
Rhett
I’m out of breath and my entire body hurts after that fucking brutal game but in the end we won, and then Brooks and I hauled ass running up the hill to get here, hoping we didn’t miss the homecoming ceremony they planned on having during the dance.
Damn, looks like we just missed it.
But there’s my girl, standing alone wearing the homecoming queen sash and the tiara on her head, looking fucking gorgeous in that black velvet dress, a matching thin black velvet choker around her neck. Her dark hair spills down her back in soft waves, clipped back with a black velvet bow. She’s wearing shiny black Chanel Mary Jane shoes on her feet, and I only know they’re Chanel because she told me.
