“He doesn’t act like her boyfriend,” Sara blurts.
My gaze drifts back to Sara.
“He’s not affectionate with her at all,” she goes on, her voice low, but loud enough for me to hear. “He doesn’t kiss her or touch her. He seems completely disinterested in her. You see the dress she’s wearing tonight, right? He didn’t even check her out. I checked her out. Most boyfriends wouldn’t be able to keep their hands off their girlfriend in a dress like that, but Hunter seemed about as interested as he would’ve been if Wally wore it.”
As much as I appreciate what she’s trying to do, the last thing I want to do is talk about Hunter and Valerie. The fact that there is a Hunter and Valerie makes me want to puke.
I look up at Sara, intending to steer the conversation into gentler waters, but when I do, I can see I’ve lost her attention. Her gaze is fixed on a spot behind me with the dopey, semi-paralyzed look I only ever see on her face when she’s looking at Wally.
Then I hear his voice behind me. “Wanna dance?”
A helpless grin splits Sara’s face and she nods. “I’ll catch up with you later, Riley,” she says, walking toward him as if in a trance.
I back out of her way and offer a little smile. “All right. Have fun.”
I glance at Wally, hoping to see some indication of affection on his face. If he’s feeling anything but vague boredom, I can’t tell. It makes me nervous.
On instinct, I look back toward Valerie as Wally and Sara make their way to the dance floor.
She’s looking at me, too. With a smug little smile, she waves at me.
I roll my eyes and walk off.
Chapter Thirty Three
Riley
The student body is gathered around the stage as the principal dawdles, talking about our team’s victory against the rival school and a bunch of other crap no one cares about.
Well, all of it is probably crap some of them don’t care about, but even the ones who don’t care about homecoming court are probably impatient to get the music playing again, and that can’t happen until after these announcements.
Finally, the principal gets to the part we’ve all been waiting for.
He asks homecoming court to gather in front of the stage. I’ve never come to homecoming before, so I didn’t realize we would all have to be around each other, even if some of us didn’t make the final cut.
Reluctantly, I wander over to stand with Anderson at the end of the line. Once we’re all there, the principal asks the crowd to give us a hand.
“All right, ladies and gentlemen, now for the part you have all been waiting for!”
There are some cheers of agreement from the crowd.
“Let’s get our first couple on stage. Your Duke and Duchess, Melina Eggers and Wally Kazinsky!”
Everybody cheers as Melina and Wally step out of line and head up on the stage to get their sashes.
“That’s right, let’s give them a round of applause.” He looks over at them with a big smile. “Congratulations, guys.”
They smile and wave, thanking the audience for the votes, but you can tell they’re not that excited to be third place.
“All right,” the principal says, theatrically opening the next envelope. “And for our homecoming prince and princess, let’s have a round of applause for Riley Bishop and Anderson Milner!”
What?
I’m too stunned to move, so Anderson grabs my wrist and lightly drags me toward the stairs leading to the stage.
“Wait,” I say, but the crowd is too loud for him to hear me. “I don’t want to—”
He hauls me up on stage with him, anyway. My face burns with so many eyes on me. They’re clapping this time, but probably only because they were told to—or maybe because they like Anderson, I don’t know.
I shuffle up behind him and turn around to face the crowd, but my stomach feels sick.
The Carrie stuff began as a joke, but I don’t understand why I’m up here now unless it’s for a terrible reason. There’s no way in hell the student body voted me homecoming princess. There might be a sect of people who hate Valerie because of her mean girl bullshit, who would cheer at someone knocking her down a peg or two, even if it was by sleeping with her boyfriend. But that sect would be small, a minority, not enough people to vote me onto homecoming court—let alone to secure me a crown.
I swallow nervously as Lyndsay Edwards comes at me with a tiara and a sash. She beams as she places the tiara on my head, then she carefully puts the sash around me so as not to mess up my hair.
I look down, experiencing a moment of surreality as I gaze at the crimson sash labeling me homecoming princess.
I look back up, intending to glance at the crowd, but my gaze is caught on Hunter. He’s turned around, watching me with hungry eyes. I think I even see a glint of pride.
Even though I don’t believe he’s behind this, I get a flashback from middle school. I remember him wanting to buy me new clothes so that his shallow friends would accept me.
The principal addresses the crowd again. “Okay, now for the moment you’ve really been waiting for. Can I get a drum roll, please?”
The crowd cheers, and people start beating their palms against their thighs.
“Your homecoming queen and homecoming king are none other than... Valerie Johnson and Hunter Maxwell!”
The crowd goes wild. Hunter turns around, smiling and thanking everybody. Valerie takes his hand and hauls him toward the stage with her.
My stomach twists painfully at the sight, and I hope it doesn’t show on my face.
Valerie smiles at me, her eyes cold as she climbs the stairs to the stage. Her expression warms back up as she turns around, still holding Hunter’s hand, to thank her royal subjects. She feigns modesty and waves, throwing kisses and thank yous like they’re candy at a parade.
The crown they give her is much bigger than mine. Hunter’s crown is similar to Anderson’s, but fancier. A red crown with faux-fur lining fit for the king of the school.
Even though I’m not into all of this, a faint smile tugs at my lips. I’m glad he won. I know he’s into this kind of stuff.
I am not glad Valerie’s his queen. I’m even less glad about it as she reaches over to take his hand again, but this time he shakes her off, playing it off by reaching for the scepter Lyndsay is holding for him.
Oh my God, they gave him a scepter.
I can’t help grinning and shaking my head.
Hunter’s head is big enough; he does not need a scepter.
“All right, everybody, let’s hear it for our court one more time.” Everyone claps and cheers. “And now, for our homecoming royalty’s first dance.”
The student body gathers around as we head to the center of the dance floor with our respective partners.
The principal announces that this next song is a throwback the chaperones will appreciate, then the opening chords of Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time begin to play.
I really don’t want to dance with Anderson, but he’s my prince, so I have to. As I settle my hands on his shoulders, it’s Hunter I’m thinking about, so my gaze drifts in his direction.
He’s looking at me, too. More specifically, he’s looking at Anderson’s hands on me, his eyes narrowed with dislike.