“Yes?”
“It’s just…that suit…”
“Don’t flirt with me in front of your girlfriend, Ellie.”
“I was gonna say you look like a glitter bomb exploded on you.”
Andrew snarled, pouting as he plopped into his seat. Our laughter mixed together as we all crowded around the table, joining him. Just then, slowly approaching from the side, Dani walked over, eyeing us skeptically. She paused, her gaze scanning each of our faces.
“Hey, guys,” she said with narrowed eyes. “What’d I miss?”
That fueled our laughter even more.
Our conversation drifted as we spoke of final exams, the books I gave them, video games, graduation, and, oddly enough, we somehow also landed on which type of potato was best. Fries, wedges, hash browns, chips…there were so many.The only right answer was French fries, of course.The casual conversation tugged at the strings of my heart as a memory flickered through my mind.
As if on an old film projector, the picture in my head was distorted and fuzzy, but I could still see it—Elliot, Andrew, and Dani cackling in the lunchroom while I stuffed my mouth with lettuce and ate my feelings.Everything had changed. I pushed those thoughts aside as I excused myself, walking to thebathroom. Standing in front of the mirror, I clutched the sides of the sink, eyeing my reflection. It was an odd sensation, the way my skin tingled, and my chest tightened. It felt similar to a hug, yet far too constricting. Prom was everything I had been looking forward to, but I was also dreading it.
“You eye fucking yourself or something?”
I spun around, just as Meredith strutted over, her maroon dress almost a carbon copy of mine.Because why wouldn’t we almost wear the same outfit?Forcing me aside with her presence, she took my place at the mirror, swiping at her lower lip to rid herself of the red smudge that her gloss had made. I huffed, my shoulders deflating as I glared at her.
“You don’t always have to be mean, ya know. You could probably make somerealfriends if you just—”
“You don’t know me, Clarke.”
“And maybe you don’t know yourself either.” I scoffed, throwing my hands into the air. Creeping closer to her, I bored a hole into the side of her skull as I glared, watching as she continued to poke and prod her skin. “Why did you run for Prom Queen, Meredith? Why did youreally? Because I have a hard time believing it was because I ‘inspired’ you.”
Her jaw tightened. She spun her heels, her hair widely flying in front of her face as it stuck to her lips.
“It’s because you took everything from me!” she screamed, her voice cracking as she spoke. “You took it and then threw it away like it was nothing, so now I’m gonna do the same to you. You don’t need to win Prom Queen if you don’t care about being popular.”
“Wow.You give a whole new meaning to the word selfish.”
“Whatever.” She laughed humorlessly. “Everything I thought I knew about you was a lie, so I don’t owe you the truth, Clarke. I don’t owe you anything.”
I had been faking my relationship with Elliot for the better part of a year, but I had been faking my friendship with Meredith for much longer.
For the past four years, I’d never let anyone see the real me, especially not Meredith. She never knew my past, my passions, my fears—none of it. I kept everything hidden. I couldn’t expect her to open up when I couldn’t trust her enough to do the same. The truth was, our friendship ended before it even had a chance to begin.Was she pretending, too?I knew I shouldn’t feel bad for her, but I did. Maybe I hurt her just as much as she hurt me.
“You’ve lied just as much as I have. I feel like I barely recognize you anymore. You really expect me to believe popularity and status are all you have? How do you expect me to trust you again?”
The silence stretched for what felt like minutes and then…thenthere was a sniff. As I lifted my gaze to meet hers, I caught a glimpse of Meredith wiping her cheek as she pivoted, exiting the bathroom swiftly. That was all the answer I needed. The truth spoke for itself.
Looking into the mirror one last time, I nodded as I sucked in a breath before leaving hastily. The hinges groaned as I pushed open the door, walking back into the banquet hall. My hands trembled as I mustered the last bit of courage inside me, letting it boil to the surface. As I skirted the perimeter of the dance floor, I did my best to avoid the prying eyes of curious strangers.
When I reached the head of the banquet hall, I stepped onto the small platform where a podium stood waiting at its center.
That’s when I saw it—the ballot box. I watched as a girl I had never seen before cast her vote for Prom King and Queen as she scribbled two names onto a small piece of paper, tossing it into the box. When she left, I plucked a pencil from a plastic container, jimmying it into the keyhole of the ballot box. The tip snapped.
“Uh, what are you doing?”
I looked up to find Dani and Andrew standing in front of me, smug looks written across their faces. Pursing my lips, I laid the pencil down and exhaled slowly.Shit.
“Uhhhh…”
“You rigging the votes?” Andrew smirked, resting his hip against the podium.
“No way. She wouldn’t—”
