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“What if we make a video,” she says.
I moan. “No more videos,” I say.
“No, hear me out,” she says. “We make our own video. But you have control over what gets shared this time. You can apologize to the guys and tell your side of the story.”
“But what will I say?” I ask. “And, well, look at me! I’m a mess.”
“We’ll help you!” Tessa adds quickly.
“Of course,” Dylan says. “I mean, not with the makeup and the girly stuff. But I can help with the video.”
“It will need to be shared a lot. And quickly,” Adika says.
“You go jump in the shower,” Stephanie says. “We’ll start laying the groundwork and putting out feelers for the video to beshared. This time, we want to make sure the entire school sees it. Especially your guys,” she adds.
My heart pricks at this. My guys. I nod. You would think my eyes would be completely void of moisture by this point. But I can feel the tears beginning to well up again.
“What’s wrong Em?” Stephanie says, rushing back to my side.
I get to my feet, shaking my head, as I try to shake the emotions away. “I just thought you all would hate me. I’ve felt so alone these last couple days. I thought no one would ever want to talk to me again. I’m just really grateful you’re all here,” I say, sniffing.
Stephanie, Adika, and Tessa all approach and wrap me into a big, tight group hug.
Dylan sighs dramatically. “Okay, enough mushy stuff,” he says. “Em, go shower. Tessa, I’ll show you where my mom keeps her makeup and stuff.”
***
“You’re sure about this?” I say, sitting in the chair they set up for me.
“Yes,” Tessa says, squealing and clapping her hands together. She reminds me of a mini-Mom.
“We might not fix everything,” Adika says, straightening the tripod. “But I definitely think this will help with damage control.”
“You look incredible,” Stephanie says.
“You got this, Sis,” Dylan says. “We’re all on your side.”
I take two slow, deep breaths. I feel like I should be used to an audience by now. I’ve had to play the role of prom queen nominee so many times. But it never gets easier. I close my eyes. I think of Ethan’s laughter, and Austin’s smile, and Jaron’s warm touch. I think about Mom and Dad. The way they both came to my rescue and dropped everything to help me preparefor the assembly. I’m doing this for them. Even though I was the target, they all got hurt in the crossfire. But even more than that, I’m doing this for me. I’m done being the victim. It’s time to take my life back!
“You ready?” Stephanie whispers.
I open my eyes and nod. “Let’s do it.”
“Hey Steve,” I begin. “I know you’re wondering what I’m doing, showing my face here again. Well, here’s the thing Steve, I’m not entirely sure myself. Except that three days ago, I was onstage, and I was supposed to introduce myself to the school as a prom queen candidate. But my speech was cut off by some less-than-flattering videos. So, here goes.”
“I’m not the most beautiful candidate. Or the most successful. I’m not graceful and poised, I’m not charming with words, and I’m certainly not successful at anything.” I cross my legs and take a deep breath.
“But I’ll tell you what I am,” I continue. “I am the candidate who has seen every Pride and Prejudice movie that has ever come out. I am the candidate who has read all seven Harry Potter books no less than twelve times. I am a Ravenclaw, in case you were wondering. I am the candidate who can hold her own against my brother in Call of Duty. I am the candidate who knows every word to every Taylor Swift song. I am the candidate who has a poster of Tom Holland above my bed. I am the candidate who likes to spend Friday nights at home in my sweatpants, watching old movies. I’m just me,” I say.
“I’m not perfect. I am very flawed, as most of you witnessed at the assembly. But what you didn’t get to see is that four nights ago my phone was stolen and someone hacked into it and then posted my private journals online and in front of my entire school. Even though those videos were never meant to be seen by anyone, I still deeply regret many of the things I said. Let’s start with the accusations against my parents. I neverasked to be nominated by them. And I know they deeply regret that choice. However, my parents nominating me did not get me the candidacy. Three students from the school also had to nominate me. And I can tell you here and now that neither I nor my parents pressured anyone to put my name in. I certainly didn’t advocate for it, like some of the other candidates did,” I say, chuckling. “Let’s please give my parents some love. They are human. They made a mistake, just like all of us. But they are incredibly devoted teachers who deserve a second chance.”
“That was perfect,” Dylan says, smiling.
“You ready for the next part?” Adika asks.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I say. I shake my hands out and adjust my seating.
“Now, let’s move on to Ethan Hayden,” I say. My smile is genuine when I think about Ethan.
