Oblivious to Him - Part II

Chapter 25 - Yes. This Dress Does Say Dethrone

Brynn played her role perfectly as she initiated the final phase of Drew's plan. Between the stunning gown, her perfect figure, and the glam look a Hollywood movie star would be lucky to achieve, she was a queen poised at the ready to checkmate a king.

I reached out and grabbed onto Oscar's arm, barely able to keep it together. I wasn't even the one who had to go on stage, and I was still shaking like a leaf.

As Oscar repositioned me so he could tuck me safely into his side, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I peered over to find Drew standing next to us with a shit-eating grin on his face and wiggling his eyebrows in excitement.

"Did you really only come to the dance for this?" I asked, noticing his form-fitting black sweatpants and a midnight blue hoodie. His hair was half-styled as if he had just woken up from a nap.

He shrugged his shoulders, "Didn't see the point of coming for anything but this."

I returned his smirk with an approving nod and turned back to face the stage.

Brynn strutted to center stage, right behind the microphone stand. Clearly, a seasoned vet when it came to being nominated for homecoming queen – and winning it too. A collection of beautiful girls followed suit, hardly even glancing at Brynn. Either out of jealousy or fear, it was honestly a toss-up as to why they all avoided looking her way.

Probably a good mixture of both.

Austin crossed the stage in front of the girls, casually flirting with winks and exaggerated glances as he went. Now that I wasn't captivated by him like everyone else, I glanced at Brynn as he slowly got closer to her. How had no one noticed her looking at him like that before? Like he was shredding her heart to pieces with every glance landing everywhere but on her.

She snapped out of it and switched to her signature glare as he completely disregarded her feelings or their so-called "relationship."

He boldly went in for a kiss when he finally strolled before Brynn. She was having none of it and leaned away from him, refusing to let his lips get anywhere near hers. He pulled back, confusion washing over his annoying, perfect face. After an intense beat of staring, he brushed her rejection off like it was nothing and took his spot right next to her. Like a flick of a switch, he went back to flashing his megawatt smile and pandering to the crowd.

Was that the first time Brynn ever refused to play along while in public?

Once the homecoming court was standing across the stage in a line, the principal approached the mic again. Tapping it with his finger to make sure it was still on. With audio feedback a dog could hear in Wyoming, we all had to learn that, yes, the mic was still working. The students broke into a fit of laughter and chatter while the principal tried to collect himself, dabbing the sweat off his forehead with a napkin.

"Okay, kids, let's settle down," he loosely commanded. A whoop and a "go Austin" broke free from the quiet murmurs. Austin, being the golden boy that he is, soaked up the attention with glee and popped the collar of his white dress shirt.

"Douche!" hollered Drew, making the kids around us snap their heads toward him in surprise. He gave them a brooding 'what?' look, forcing them to turn back around in disbelief.

Austin must not have heard Drew's comment because he transitioned from pose to pose as if he was a D-list model at the end of a runway. I mean, seriously! How did anyone find this level of self-absorption attractive?

"Well, this has been quite the year so far for Fire Hawk High!" The principal attempted to rally the crowd. A few awkward beats of silence later, "Jeez. Tough crowd tonight." He pulled at his collar and cracked a smile, painfully aware of how little the students cared.