The Kings of Kentworth

150.

Few minutes later, Mr. Johnson was started again. "Okay," he announced. "And now, it's time for us to crown our new King."

"I eh," Lance uttered. "I need to go."

Stephanie turned to him in confusion. "why?" She asked. "But you just got here."

He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He darted his eyes around the hall and it was clear to Stephanie that he was beginning to get anxious about something.

"You won't understand," he replied.

Stephanie place her hands on his shoulder and looked into his eyes. "Lance," she said. "I understand. Just relax."

Lance took a deep breath and nodded, before he took his attention back to the stage.

"The nominees for this year's King are...," He opened the envelope and went on. "Before I continue, I'd like to add that two of the nominees for this year, Aaron Lamar and Bruce Hanson, have been disqualified for obvious reasons..."

"Ugh," Nadia uttered with disgust. "Good riddance."

"And so, the new nominees are," Mr. Johnson went on. "Caleb Dickson, Matthew Hall, Trevor Bowman and Daniel Chester."

Everyone clapped.

"And this year's king of Kentworth is......" Mr. Johnson looked into the paper for a while the drums rolled again. He then looked up, smiled and said, "Trevor Bowman."

The hall erupted once more. Everyone clapped and cheered.

Trevor seemed a bit confused at first, but then, it all settled in. For some reason, the first person he looked for, was Lance. He searched the cheering crowd up until his eyes landed on him a few meters away; smiling at him.

"Dude!" Caleb said. Trevor turned to face his best friend. "Get your ass up there!"

Trevor hesitated a bit, before he started to move, gently pushing his way through the crowd. When he got to the stage, the confetti fell, and the out going king walked over, placed the crown on his head and hugged him.

Lisa and Trevor looked at each other. He smiled at Lisa and she smiled back; a forces smile obviously. They both turned to the cheering crowd and waved.

It was strange how everything felt so unreal. It all felt somewhat...... incomplete, not just for Lisa, but Trevor as well. Lisa looked down at the cheering crowd and caught sight of her two best friends screaming at the top of thier lungs and showing enormous and heart felt support for thier friend.

Then she suddenly remembered Lenny. She suddenly remembered the look in his eyes when he had poured his heart out to her. She suddenly remembered the sincerity in his voice. The desperation. She then found herself searching the crowd for him, but he was no where to be found. Not even among his friends.

Lisa suddenly started to feel a pool of guilt rise in her throat.

Lance watched Trevor on the stage for a few minutes, before he just spun away without warning and started to walk away. Stephanie turned and held him.

"Lance," she warned. "Don't."

Lance wasn't angry in any way, but still, the way he yanked his hands from her grip made her think otherwise. "I'm sorry, Steph," he said as he raised his hands in surrender as he backed away. "I can't. I just can't."

"Lance come on," she begged. "Don't do this."

Lance instinctively looked up at the stage and met Trevor's eyes; pleading. Begging him to stay.

Stephanie saw Lance's eyes well with tears just before he said, "I'm sorry."

He then spun and started to walk towards the hall entrance.

Up on the stage, Lisa also has her eyes on Lance and Stephanie. She was a bit surprised to see that he was now well enough to attend the school prom and that he looked so good. But she was also confused to see him leaving so soon with Stephanie trying to stop him. She instinctively turned and looked at Trevor. His eyes were already fixed in Lance's direction.

Lisa darted her eyes between a departing Lance and a seriously sad and disappointed Trevor. She looked at him and knew he wasn't happy, even with the crown on his head and she by his side. She couldn't deny it. She felt really sorry for him.

Then, just like that, a crazy idea juts popped into her head.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Mr. Johnson announced as he gestured to Trevor and Lisa. "The new king and queen of Kentworth."

"No!" Lisa spat. "Wait....please."

Mr. Johnson turned to her in confusion and she came close and spoke.

"I....I renounce my crown," Lisa said.

"Excuse me?" The man frown with confusion.

"I said I...." She then paused, before grabbing the microphone from the vice principal and facing the crowd. "I renounce my crown."

The entire hall fell silent.

"I renounce my crown as this year's queen. I don't want the crown anymore," she announced and then she turned to Trevor. "I want to give it to someone else."

Trevor's eyes went wide as he mouthed a soundless. "What are you doing?"

"Oh my God," Megan uttered in shock.

"What the hell is she doing?" Nadia turned to Megan with confusion, and the looked back to the stage.

"I know I have the right to renounce my crown and pass it to another person," Lisa said, before she turned and looked at Mr. Johnson. "Isn't that right, Mr. Johnson."

The man hesitated a bit. He looked out at the crowd, before looking back at Lisa. He then shrugged and said, "sure. Why not?"

Without wasting time, Lisa spun to the crowd and held the microphone to her mouth. "I choose Lance," she said. "I choose Lance Tiffin."