way to the stage.
Another cheerleader is called and I notice Claire’s knee is bouncing nervously on the seat in front of us. “Are you okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, just ready to get out of here, you know?”
Margaret continues speaking and I lean close to Claire and say, “Uh, yes. This place is noisy and loud and thank goodness you’re still sitting here since the guys had to go on stage—”
“Starlee Jones!”
My name echoes through the gymnasium, followed by the rumble of voices and some louder-than-expected cheers.
“Did she just say my name?”
“She did,” Claire smiles. “You’re on the court!”
My heart thunders. “Is this a joke?”
She frowns. “No. I swear. I just…I thought you’d appreciate it more than anyone else. We all did.”
She pushes me up and I stand, feeling every eye in the gym focused on me. Holy crap, this is overwhelming. Too much. Insane. I take a step or two, trying to wrap my head around this, but I glance at Christina’s face—at the mean smirk on her mouth. I don’t know if I can go up there.
I’m not sure how long I stand there. Probably not long, just the length of time it takes for Jake to jump off the stage and appear in front of me.
“Hey,” he says with a wide, gorgeous smile. I think I hear a girl or two swoon behind me.
“Hi.”
He loops his arm through mine and I follow him across the wooden floor to the stage.
“This is crazy,” I say. “Who would vote for me?”
“Who would vote for the beautiful, mysterious new girl? Uh, everyone.”
That’s the last thing he says before leaving me next to the cheerleader I don’t know. Her hair is short and dark and she’s whispering furiously with Christina.
“That’s the homecoming court! Tomorrow, you’ll vote for the final two and we’ll announce the winners at the game! Good luck, everyone!”
The marching band starts again and the students spill out of the bleachers, headed for their buses or the parking lot.
As the room clears, I hear Christina say to the other girls on her way off the stage, loud enough for me to hear. “Don’t worry, every year there’s a pity vote. I guess we know who got it this year. It’s more embarrassing than anything else.”
They laugh and nod in agreement because she’s right, of course. I’m not homecoming queen material, and a quick look over my shoulder at the Wayward Sons makes me realize how out of my league I really am.
33
Starlee
“Well it makes sense to me,” Leelee says from her spot behind the counter. “You are all very sweet, well-mannered, handsome people. Who wouldn’t pick you all for the homecoming court.”
“Well-mannered may be a stretch for a few of the guys,” Katie says, before glancing at Sierra. “No offense.”
“None taken,” she replies and takes a sip of her coffee. She’s sitting on the couch in the front of the office. “Ms. Nye is right though, it does make sense. Katie, who was homecoming queen your senior year?”
“Angela Morgan.”
“And was she super popular?”
Katie thinks about it. “Kind of. She was pretty. Nice, but wasn’t one of the main crew.”