A Winner in Disguise

Chapter 21 - Award

      “I have to get out of here.” She muttered to herself.

       “What? What’s wrong, what did I do?” Daniel began running after her as she pushed through the crowds of teens. Kaden hadn’t even noticed her, luckily. She ran up to Alexa, who was socializing with the boy. Taking her wrist, the two ducked behind a fake tree.

       “What is it? I was just about to get his number!” Alexa rolled her eyes impatiently.

       “Kaden’s here! He was dancing with another girl!”

       “I thought he was sick!” Alexa peeked behind the tree and gasped as she saw Kaden on the dance floor.

       “So did I.” Jaclyn said with her eyes narrowed.

       “What are you going to do?” Jaclyn froze and thought about it. If she were to run up to Kaden and confront him, things would go seriously downhill. But she couldn’t just let him get away with this!

       “I’m going to confront him after prom is over.” Alexa nodded and walked back to her date.

       Just then, Daniel found her and took her hand, leading her to the back corner of the gym.

       “What was that all about? Jaclyn, tell me what I did wrong!” Daniel was shaking, and she could only stare up at him nervously.

       “It’s Kaden. He’s here!”

       “With another girl?” Daniel said incredulously. She nodded, and wiped a tear away from her eye, clearly embarrassed.

       “Why are you crying?” His voice softened and he took her hand.

       “If he sees us together, he’ll think we are together.”

       “No he won’t! That’s stupid. Please don’t cry Jaclyn.” He squeezed her hand lightly.

       “You don’t know him like I do, Daniel. He will react, and make a big show of it too.”

       “He has no right to react like that; he’s doing the same thing with that other girl!”

“I’ll think of something.” Jaclyn turned and left Daniel standing there, as she walked back to the punch table. Her eyes narrowed as she watched Kaden dance with the other girl, holding her close. He was a lying cheater, and she felt nothing but resentment towards him. She angrily wiped a tear falling down her foundation coated cheek.

       The principal walked onto the stage, with a big smile on her face. She moved the microphone down to her mouth,    

       “Thank you all for making this a wonderful prom! It is now time to announce the prom king and queen! We have observed the couples dancing, and we know exactly who we’re going to pick. Can I get a drumroll, please?” The band members behind her motioned to the drummer. He rattled his sticks on the drum, and the anticipation in the crowd rose.

       “This year’s prom king and queen are…Jaclyn and Daniel!” The crowd cheered loudly, looking for her. The band quickly began playing a lively tune to celebrate. Meanwhile, Jaclyn felt no sense of celebration at all. She froze, her heels stuck to the gym floor. A spotlight aimed down at her tear covered, messy face. She desperately tried to cover herself, walking this way and that. Ducking behind a nearby tree did nothing. Daniel stood in the corner of the gym with his own spotlight illuminating his face. He certainly didn’t look excited about winning. But the worst reaction of all was Kaden, who stood in the middle of the dance floor gaping at Jaclyn. Jaclyn couldn’t tear her eyes away, staring right back at him with tears running down her face. The electrifying emotion that passed between them was so strong, Jaclyn couldn’t hear a thing. All six senses were trained on Kaden, standing in his suit, which would have looked good if he had been her date.

       Jaclyn slowly shook her head, feeling the tears running down her face. Slowly, everything else came into perspective. She ripped away her gaze from Kaden to see the crowd staring at her without a sound. Even the principal was in shock.

       “Jaclyn and Daniel, you won.” The principal said and cleared her throat, clearly trying to make the moment any less awkward than it was. Jaclyn took one last glance at Kaden, and then turned to face the principal.

       “I know.” She turned around and exited the gym.

~~~~~~~~

       Jaclyn walked across the pavement, feeling as if she couldn’t breathe. The winter air surrounded her, and she shivered in her dress. She heard the sound of heels running after her.

       “Ouch, ugh, I should have worn flats.” A voice muttered, but Jaclyn kept walking across the asphalt parking lot. She didn’t feel up to talking to anyone. Could she even trust anyone anymore?

       “Jaclyn!” Alexa caught up to her and stepped in front of her, blocking the way. She was holding heels in her hand.

       “What are you doing?” Alexa said breathlessly.

       “I’m leaving.” She tried to push past Alexa.

       “Why? Go accept that award, Jaclyn! You deserve it!”

       “It’s too late. I can’t go back in there! Did you see the look on Kaden’s face?” She said, angrily wiping away tears.      

       “Yes I did. That is exactly why you need to get yourself back in that gym! Accept it; show him that you’re happy, and that his little betrayal didn’t affect you! Be strong Jaclyn, for me.” Jaclyn stood staring into Alexa’s eyes. She just couldn’t shake off the moment when Kaden had stared at her. The two had said so much to each other, but in reality no words were said at all. They didn’t have to be said. The look they shared was enough to hurt Jaclyn much more than words. Alexa took Jaclyn into her arms, and hugged her in the cold winter air. Jaclyn was crying, shaking, and regretting everything.

       “Everything happens for a reason, Jaclyn. His betrayal was giving you a lesson. Think of it as a good thing! Heartbreak is just a step closer to the right guy.” Alexa said, pulling back to face Jaclyn. Jaclyn shuddered and stopped crying to stare at Alexa.

       “You’re right. Alexa, that’s it! You’re right!” Jaclyn wiped away her tears and turned back to enter the gym to accept her award.

       “Hold on, fast one. You might not want to go back in just yet.” Alexa held up her travel size makeup kit and a mirror. She opened the mirror and Jaclyn gasped with fright. Her mascara had run down her entire face, and she looked hideous. This made her cry again.

       “Don’t cry, come with me.”

       Alexa led Jaclyn to the limo, and wiped off all her makeup, creating a fast but pretty new look. Jaclyn hugged Alexa tight.

       “I love you, Alexa. Thank you so much.” Alexa hugged her tighter.

       “Now get back in that gym, and show Kaden what you’re made of.”

A/N: Yikes, the drama! I hope you all are really enjoying this story <3 Just in case you were wondering, the picture for this chapter is of Kaden and his date (the blonde girl).