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“Now, I am thrilled to present the award for second place,” Keenan said, a large grin on his face as he moved the crowd back to the task at hand. “As I said before, the judges expressed to me this was not an easy or simple decision for them to make.”
“Come on,” I whispered, hoping I wouldn’t get this slot. I didn’t want to repeat the year before. “No second place, no second place...”
“I’m pleased to say this year’s second place award goes to New Burlington Public Library.”
The group broke out into louder applause, and I started, shocked by what Keenan had just said. New Burlington Public Library? Second place? Sure, they did an outstanding display of banned book titles on their float, with large editions ofTo Kill a Mockingbird, Fahrenheit 451, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,andA Clockwork Orangegetting the most prominent spots. It was creative, cute, and a great statement about the power of the written word and the meaning of the First Amendment.
But second place?
Morgan put her mouth to my ear as the staff from the library ascended the dais to collect their ribbon and gift cards. They looked happy and just about as shocked as I was. Blood rushed to my ears, and the knot in my stomach hardened to a steel ball.
“Youmusthave won this,” she said as the staff was handed their awards, the rest of the crowd clapping and cheering their accomplishment. “There’s no way you didn’t.”
I eyed her, the confidence in her voice setting me on edge. There was only one more award to give out—the big one—and by my calculation, the competition had become much stiffer. Our float was a contender, but so was Robert’s. And his was... fantastic. It was better than what we’d done, and something deep inside me couldn’t deny that reality. Still, given what had transpired regarding second and third place, the judging team was liable to choose anyone in the field as the winner. They might not have felt the same way about Robert’s entry as I did and might not have seen the artistry for what it was.
Anything is possible, and you know that.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Keenan boomed once the library staff had their awards, and the applause died down. “I am thrilled to announce the final award of the day, the award for first place in the annual float competition.”
Morgan’s hand found mine, and she gripped it tightly as Keenan drew out his words. I squeezed back, grateful I had a good friend to lean on. The truth was my world was small and had become even smaller since leaving Chicago for New Burlington. I could count on one hand the number of people I considered worth more than passing politeness, and Morgan ranked at the top. I needed her in my life, probably more than she needed me.
“As I mentioned, the decision wasn’t easy for our panel of esteemed judges to make. This year’s competition moved things to a different level, as we saw the degree of effort exceed anything offered in the past.”
“Just say it,” Morgan muttered, and I bit back a laugh. She sounded as excited as me, and I was grateful for that too.
“Judges, have you made your selection?” Keenan asked, even though it was unnecessary. They clearly had, or they wouldn’t have signaled for the award presentation to begin. Even so, they nodded, and Keenan flashed a wide smile at the crowd. “With that, I believe it is time to announce who has won our grand prize in this year’s float contest and who will take home bragging rights from this, our most competitive year.”
I took one more cautious, deep breath. And then I held it.
“I know I’ve kept you all in suspense for long enough,” Keenan said, his voice straining and stretching against the microphone, almost distorting it. Morgan gripped my hand so hard I thought my fingers would break. “But the winner of this year’s float contest is... Robert Kilgore!”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
ROBERT
For a moment, I wasn’t sure Keenan called my name. In fact, he had to call it twice before I understood that my team had won and we’d accomplished the goal we’d been working so hard toward these last few weeks. But it was true. Damn right, we’d done it. All the clapping, cheering, and enthusiasm was for us, and only us.
