Page 74 of We're At It Again

“I would like to start with announcing the prom king.” He tore the seal and read the name. “Austin Jockstrap Chambers.” He said, doing a double-take once he realized what he read.

Laughter erupted from the crowd; Hudson included. Austin walked up with a frown; the crown placed on his head. I gave Hudson a look, but he remained too distracted by his laughter. Principal Quinn waited for the laughter to die down before announcing the prom queen.

“And this year’s prom queen is… Luna Delgato!”

Shock washed over me. The applause was like a background noise as I turned to Hudson.

“What did you do?”

He smiled, eyes twinkling with pride.

“Giving you what you deserve.”

From the crowd, Cynthia threw a fit. Her banshee screams drowned out the cheers. Face flushed with anger, she stormed through the crowd and left the gym. Hudson nudged me forward.

“Go get your crown.”

Troubled with nerves, I made my way to the stage. Principal Quinn placed the crown on my head, and applause filled the room. I was too shocked to register anything. As I looked out over the crowd, my eyes found Hudson’s. He was beaming, his love and pride clear in every fiber of his being. It felt like a dream, each moment more unreal, but having Hudson back made me feel luckier.

Principal Quinn announced it was time for me to have a dance with the prom king. Hudson’s expression darkened. As I descended the stage, Hudson held out his hand. He had a confident smirk playing on his lips.

“Rules are meant to be broken.”

I grinned and took his hand. Amidst the onlookers, he took me to the dance floor, unconcerned about their presence. He held me close as we danced.

“What did you do?” I asked, my voice filled with curiosity.

He grinned, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

“I saw Cynthia stuffing the ballot box, so I switched it out for another one.”

“Why?”

He chuckled; eyes filled with sincerity.

“You’ve always been a queen in my eyes.” He said. “And it was number one on the list.”

My eyes filled with tears of happiness. Overwhelmed by emotion, I leaned up and kissed him. The rest of the onlookers joined us on the dance floor, but we remained focused on each other.

“Everything has become so different in such a short time, something I never expected.”

He smiled down at me.

“I hope a good different.”

I nodded, my eyes shining.

“My life could not get any better.”

I could tell my words touched him.

“For years, I dreamed of being with you. I just never imagined it would happen.” He said. “Who would have known, right?”

With a tender smile, I brushed a stray hair away from his forehead before cupping his cheek.

“Your mom knew.”

He chuckled, a fond smile spreading across his face.

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