Emily's POV

So here I am, at prom, sitting at a table beside the school's golden boy, who is currently laughing at his friends' drunken antics.

"They're so stupid," Aiden commented, shaking his head as Jaden and Luke attempted some truly horrendous dance moves.

I followed his gaze. They were stupid—but in the kind of way that looked like fun. The music shifted, and I didn't miss the way Alyssa's face lit up. ABBA. "Dancing Queen" started playing, and Alyssa was absolutely obsessed.

"Alylili! It's your song!" Luke yelled, grabbing her hand and spinning her around. She twirled with so much joy that I couldn't help but smile.

Beside me, I heard a sharp noise from Aiden. He was glaring at Luke.

"What's your problem?" I asked, confused by the sudden shift in his mood.

"I hate when he holds her hand," he muttered darkly.

"It's your friend," I pointed out, thinking that alone should make it okay.

"That's exactly why I don't like it. I know Luke—especially drunk Luke," he replied, his tone full of meaning.

Mason arrived at the table just then, holding a drink. "A lot of excitement over here," he noted, glancing at us.

"Yeah," Aiden said with a tight smile. "What about you? What's going on with Cady?"

Mason sighed. "She talks a lot."

"And you don't like that?" Aiden teased, but the way Mason didn't laugh made me cringe.

"She just talks about me. It gets boring."

"She's crazy about you," Aiden said, chuckling.

Mason shrugged and grabbed a few appetizers, ignoring Aiden's teasing.

"You should just have fun with her and move on," Aiden said casually, and I raised an eyebrow at his bluntness. I wasn't a fan of Cady, but wow—what a jerk move.

"I don't feel like it," Mason replied, brushing off Aiden's advice.

"Why not? Got someone else in mind?" Aiden pressed.

"Maybe."

"Look at you, being picky," Aiden said with a grin.

Mason rolled his eyes and wisely ignored him. Honestly, Mason had the right idea—this conversation was toxic.

But Aiden wasn't done. His eyes darted back to Alyssa and Luke, who were now laughing and holding hands as they jumped to the beat of the song. "Look who's trying to be picky now," he muttered bitterly. "Freaking Luke."

Without another word, Aiden stood up. Mason followed suit, clearly annoyed.

"I'll go with you," Mason said, glancing at me. "Stay with your queen."

"Are you sure?" Aiden asked.

"Yeah. I need a smoke anyway," Mason replied, and he headed toward the dance floor.

I watched as Mason effortlessly took Alyssa's hand and led her out of the ballroom. The whole thing was so smooth and quick yet I noticed his hand.

"Mason held her hand too," I pointed out, curious to see his reaction.

"But it's Mason, so it's fine," Aiden said like it was the most logical thing in the world.

"What kind of reasoning is that?" I asked, baffled.

"What?" he asked, catching the tone of disapproval in my voice.

"I just think you're being overly protective of your sister. Again."

"I can't let her go through something like that again," he said firmly.

"So you don't trust her? Or your friends?" I countered, and for a moment, his expression faltered.

"I trust them. I just... I just want her to be safe."

"Alyssa doesn't need your protection. She's stronger than you think," I said, crossing my arms.

"Maybe," he admitted reluctantly. "But I don't want her to have to be strong. Not if I can protect her."

"Sure, whatever you say," I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Do you have a better idea?" he shot back, his voice raising slightly.

I stared at him, surprised by the edge in his tone. He must've caught himself because his face softened almost instantly.

"Yes," I said evenly. "Let her make her own choices. Worry about yourself."

"I have nothing to worry about."

"Really?" I challenged. "You don't worry about school? Your grades? Your future?"

His eyes darkened as he stared down at the drink in his hand. "I don't."

"You're that carefree?" I asked, genuinely not understanding how anyone could be so nonchalant.

"I am," he said, his voice steady. "Right now, I only care about my team, my friends, my sister, and my girlfriend."

My heart skipped a beat.

Then he ruined it.

"I mean ex-girlfriend," he corrected quickly.

"I know," I said flatly, my chest tightening.

"Sorry," he said, shaking his head. "That was stupid—a stupid comment. I didn't mean—"

"It doesn't matter, Aiden." I stood up, cutting him off. "I'm done."

I didn't wait for him to respond. I walked toward my friends on the dance floor, my heart heavy but my mind made up. This is it. My crush on him is officially dead. R.I.P. Crush. Time to move on.

"Wait—Emily," he called after me, his voice soft but insistent.

I turned, annoyed. "What?"

"I'm sorry," he said again, but he didn't finish his thought. Instead, he just looked at me, his gaze intense. His eyes dropped, taking in my dress, then traveled back up to my face.

"What now?" I asked, exasperated, bracing for another stupid comment.

"You..." He hesitated.

"What, Aiden? If you're going to say something else ridiculous, just—"

"You look beautiful," he said in a single breath.

I froze, caught off guard. My cheeks burned, and my heart betrayed me with a flutter.

"You can't just say that when I'm angry at you," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Why not?" he asked, a curious tilt to his head.

"Because I'm angry," I repeated, as if it was obvious.

"But it's true," he said, his voice soft. "You really do look amazing in blue. And that dress—it suits you. I like how your hair falls against your back—"

"Don't," I interrupted, unsure if he was messing with me or just being painfully honest.

"Fine," he said with a small nod, stepping back. But he didn't stop looking at me, his gaze lingering as if he were seeing me for the first time.

I hated how much that stare made my heart race.

The whole ballroom seemed to hold its breath as the music faded into the background. The principal, standing on the stage with a microphone in his hand, interrupted the music with a thriving voice.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, his tone warm but formal, "I hope you are all having a fantastic evening and enjoying the wonderful music we've had so far." He paused as the crowd cheered, everyone eager for the night's next moment. My heart raced in my chest. I wasn't ready for this, not even a little bit.

"However," he continued, his voice growing more serious, "we must take a small break to announce our King and Queen of the evening."

My stomach dropped. Oh no.

The room filled with excited murmurs, and everyone shifted in their seats, eager to see who would be crowned royalty. A teacher approached him with two gold envelopes, and behind the principal, a small high table was set up with red cushions and, atop it, the crowns of the King and Queen.

The principal smiled and glanced at the envelopes. "Very well," he said, his voice growing theatrical as he raised the first envelope. "Let's start with the King. Let's see who you voted for as the best personality, the most good-looking, the most popular... as you kids say, the King of this year's prom." The anticipation in the air was palpable.

Aiden. Of course.

"The man who received the most votes..." the principal trailed off as he opened the envelope, scanned the name, and then looked up with a knowing grin. "...Your King is Aiden Anderson!"

The room erupted in cheers, and Aiden stood from his seat with a soft smile that was almost too perfect to be genuine. He waved to the crowd, eyes scanning the room like a movie star.

He stepped up onto the stage, the crowd's applause growing louder. His coach was already waiting with the crown, and after a brief hug, the crown was placed on his head. The principal turned to him with a smile.

"Any words, my boy?" he asked, handing Aiden the microphone.

Aiden's smile widened as he took the mic. "I just want to thank everyone who voted for me," he said simply, his voice carrying across the room. "You guys are amazing." His words were met with a chorus of cheers, along with chants of "You're so hot!" and "Marry me!" from the crowd.

The principal chuckled and raised his hand for silence. "Well then, let's move on to the next announcement."

I felt my breath catch. This could either go perfectly or terribly. But my nerves were on overdrive. I had no idea how this was going to turn out, and the last thing I wanted was for Regina to win. She had dominated this contest every single year, and honestly, I'd never cared about this stupid popularity contest... until now. "now to make the perfect pair for our royalty lets see who you voted for queen, the most beautiful, the most fashionista as you say and popular of course. Your queen is -"

The principal opened the second envelope with a dramatic pause, scanning the name. His expression faltered for just a moment. Was he surprised?

"Oh wow..." he said, his voice quieter now. "Your Queen is... Regina Adams."

I could barely hear my friends' reactions over the immediate wave of boos and cheers that rippled through the crowd. It was like a civil war—half the room was ecstatic, the other half, not so much.

"Oh, please," Nate muttered from beside me.

"I can't believe this" Amy pouted, crossing her arms in frustration.

I was in the middle, unsure how to feel. On one hand, I was relieved that I wouldn't have to go up there and embarrass myself dancing in front of everyone, but on the other hand, the thought of Regina winning yet again, with her perfect little golden crown, made my blood boil.

Regina got up from her seat with a triumphant grin, her golden sparkly dress shimmering as she strutted up to the stage as she owned it. The moment she stepped up there, she crowned herself. The principal barely had a chance to speak as she grabbed the mic from his hand with an almost smug expression.

"Thank you so much!" she declared loudly, her voice oozing with self-satisfaction. "It's amazing to be back and know that I am still loved by all of you!"

I rolled my eyes. Loved by all of you? Yeah, right. More like loved by the popular crowd.

"Many tried to take my place this year," she continued, her voice dripping with smugness, "but we all know there can only be one Queen for this King, right?"

The crowd cheered, and there was even some awkward tension between Aiden and Regina as they stood there on the stage together. Regina turned to him with a playful smile. "Isn't it funny that we're here?" she asked, her tone teasing.

Aiden's face was unreadable, his expression lost as he looked between her and the crowd. For a moment, it almost looked like he was confused, like he wasn't entirely sure where he was. I couldn't help but notice that it was the same expression he'd had when he told me I looked beautiful.

The principal quickly intervened, his voice cutting through the growing awkwardness. "Let's give the King and Queen some space for their first dance," he announced, gesturing to the floor below them.

A huge light appeared in the middle of the ballroom, casting a glowing yellow spotlight onto the dance floor. The crowd parted as Aiden and Regina stepped off the stage and made their way toward the center of the room.

"This is so bad," Jaden muttered, clearly just as uncomfortable as I was.

"I'm here! What happened?" Alyssa announced as she walked over to us, noticing the drama unfolding. She glanced at her brother with an incredulous look. "I can't believe him."

Aiden stood in the center of the spotlight, still wearing that confused expression, glancing between Regina and the crowd. I could see that he was trying to gather himself, his eyes darting nervously between everything.

Regina didn't waste any time. She grabbed his hand and pulled him closer. "Let's dance," she said with a playful smirk.

But Aiden pulled his hand away, shaking his head.

"What are you doing, Aiden" She asked with a laugh not letting the crowd see this awkward moment

The entire room seemed to hold its breath as Aiden turned away from Regina, stepping out of the spotlight.

"AIDEN" She creamed

He didn't walk toward the exit or retreat to the sidelines. No, instead, he walked straight toward our group. My heart skipped a beat as he stopped in front of us. His eyes locked onto mine, and I felt the world narrow down to just him. He extended his hand toward me with a gentle smile on his face.

"Can I have this dance?" he asked, his voice steady but soft.

I stood there frozen for a moment, completely caught off guard. People in the background were cheering and whispering excitedly, but I couldn't hear any of it. All I could hear was the pounding of my heart in my ears.

"I..." I tried to speak, but no words came out.

"She will," Nate suddenly said, pushing me forward before I could even process it. I stumbled slightly, but before I knew it, Aiden's hand was firmly in mine. His smile grew, and he gently pulled me toward the bright lights of the dance floor.

As we walked, the cheers from the crowd seemed to grow louder, but all I could focus on was the sensation of his hand in mine and the surreal feeling of the moment.