Page 107 of The Prom Queen Project
“Yes.”
Dani frowned. “Wait…what?”
“You guys gonna help me or not?”
“Eh, what the hell.” Andrew shrugged. “These popular assholes never did anything for us, anyway.”
A sly grin crept across my face.
“I love this song!” I shrieked, my face consumed by a wide grin.
“I—wha—”
Elliot’s chair nearly toppled over as I jerked his arm, pulling him onto the dance floor.It was Panic at the Disco, for fucks sake.Who doesn’t love I Write Sins Not Tragedies?
I could see Andrew’s face light up the second the first note blared through the speakers. He shot out of his seat, a mischievous grin spreading across his face as he turned to Dani and Kendra, motioning for them to join us. They didn’t reactfast enough, though, because he grabbed their arms, yanking them toward the center of the room. In seconds, we were all on the dance floor, shouting the lyrics at the top of our lungs and laughing like nothing else mattered.
A smile naturally settled on my lips as my body moved to the beat. Elliot’s hand found mine, steadying me as we lost ourselves in the thumping of the bass and crashing of the cymbals. Everything else blurred as time seemed to slow down around me.
The noise faded until all that remained was laughter emanating from the people surrounding me—no, not justpeople—my friends. Tears threatened to spill as joy swelled inside me. I’d spent so long trying to thrive in high school that I never truly let myself experience it. And this moment—this chaotic, beautiful, perfect moment—it was worth experiencing.
The lights dimmed as the music faded, transitioning from one song to the next. Our movements stopped as we desperately tried to catch our breath. Our chests heaved as we locked eyes with one another.
To no surprise and as dramatically as ever, Andrew began fanning himself with his hand, eliciting a smack on the wrist from Dani. He didn’t seem to care, offering her a shrug before fanning her instead. She narrowed her eyes, dragging him away. Many others vacated the floor as the tempo of the music slowed and the gentle hum of a violin filled the air. Kendra’s eyes darkened as she shot a glance at the speaker, then back at me.
Her head cocked to the side and with a ‘not-so-subtle’ shove, she nudged me toward Elliot, offering a“oops,”as she sauntered off the floor, leaving me to fall into Elliot’s embrace. The only people next to us were paired up as they swayed together. Pushing myself upright, I rested my arms on Elliot’s shoulders as his fingers gripped my waist. He spoke jestfully.
“You think she ships us or something?”
“Oh, yeah. Definitely,” I replied, matching his tone. “She’s team Clot all the way.”
Elliott’s laugh was deep and rich. I savored the sound.
“Well, for the record, I am, too.”
My cheeks were tinged as I pulled my gaze from his, but the second I did that, Elliot lifted my chin with his thumb. I almost forgot we were dancing when our eyes reconnected. My movements stuttered as I peered up at him, nearly losing myself with every moment that passed. Eyes truly did act as windows to the soul, and his soul was beautiful.
“I never thanked you, by the way.” I cleared my throat. “For agreeing to fake date me.”
“I should be the one thanking you, Princess.”
“Why?”
“I got to hang out with my crush.”
“And I got to hang out with mine.”
“Call it even?”
“Deal.”
I rested my head on his shoulder as the rest of the song continued. The hum of music was slowly drowned out, replaced by the sound of his heartbeat.But that was music enough to me. Then, like a knife slashing through my self-proclaimed fairytale, a different sound—which was definitely not Elliot’s heartbeat—pulled me back to reality.
“Never thought I’d be saying this to you two,” Mrs. Hawthorne announced as she walked toward us. She interlocked her fingers. “But it was a pleasure having you both in my class. Twice.”
“Thanks.”
“Thank you.”
