Senior Standoff

1.9

The next weeks went by in a blur. I watched as the leaves changed and the air grew colder. With no big events until Homecoming, I spent my time cultivating a social media presence. I took my time on selfies with cute captions. I exchanged quick quips about pop culture with my classmates. Watched as my follower count rose, keeping our spot in the polls steady.

And it paid off near the end of October, when Asher and I were chosen for Homecoming Court. All of the Top Five teams had gotten a spot. For most, the opportunity to win Homecoming King and Queen was exciting. Sure, it was no Prom. But, the title of royalty still spoke in its own way. But here? Homecoming was a double-edged sword. Being on court was a fun and exciting way to campaign as a fan favorite in the game. Winning the title was a death sentence.

There was only once in Senior Standoff history that the winners of Homecoming King and Queen even came close to Prom Court. It was almost like a curse. The only person who had managed to break it was Trevor Davis my freshman year. After a messy breakup between him and his girlfriend, he switched teammates for his new girl. Somehow, he was so universally loved that the new couple won Prom King and Queen.

The nervous energy was obvious to me that afternoon as Scarlet and I staked out one of the girls' bathrooms after school. Tonight was the Homecoming Game. As members of the court, we would be riding on a float during the pre-game parade.

I had a hard time imagining Asher on the float. Or at the game. The dance. Any of it. The picture floored me a bit. He was going to have to pretend to at least partially care about the whole event. Scarlet and I shared a laugh about it.

"He's going to look a bit out of place," she agreed. I was just finishing her eye makeup.

"Oh, I'm going to let him hear about it," I told her. "He could stand to be taken down a peg or two."

The corner of Scarlet's mouth twitched upwards.

"What?" I asked, her smile contagious.

"You have to promise you won't tell Ky I said this," she insisted, looking at me seriously.

"Promise."

"You and Asher would be cute together. At lunch, you guys always look like you're having the best time. Just watching you guys, you seem like a good match."

I dropped my hands for a moment, sitting back. "You're right. I can never tell Ky you said that."

"I definitely see why Ky thinks he's an asshole, but this vendetta he has just doesn't make sense to me. I mean, he treats you right, doesn't he?"

I considered the interactions I'd had with him over the past weeks. "Yeah. He does. We're good friends."

"Well, that's what matters. You'd think Ky could see that and get that stick out of his ass."

I finished off her makeup. She took a look in the mirror, her now poison-red lips lighting up her face in a wide grin. "I look like a total bombshell! Thank you so much!"