"L A B E L S"

Episode 32

"...Your Fall Ball Queen is...Ms. Scarlett Westerly!"

Scarlett's eyes widen in astonishment as everyone's attention turns towards her. She stands in shock, hearing scattered applauds and a few harsh words from the crowd. Being the school's center of attention wasn't really something she was looking forward to.

Jake forces a small smile, trying to put her mind at ease. Before Scarlett can even move a muscle she hears a loud thud from the microphone and Chelsea's voice booming over the sound system. The guy tries to take the microphone back from her as his voice echoes through the gym. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"I just need to borrow this for a minute." Chelsea yanks the mic from his hand and smiles at the audience. "I just wanted to say a few words about this years Fall Ball Queen," she looks back at Nick with a smirk, "and King."

Taylor stares up at Chelsea in confusion, knowing by the slur of her words she's had more than a few drinks tonight. She looked pissed and Taylor knew that angry Chelsea was far worse than anything slightly evil in this world.

Chelsea turns back to the audience with a smile. "Hi, hey. How's everyone doing tonight?" All she hears is silence mixed with a few she's crazy's and here we go again's. She sees strange looks mixed with eager expressions, excited to see what conniving and evil thing she's about to say. "So, Scarlett Marie Westerly, huh? Well, I can obviously see why you would choose her. I mean, she slept with Jake Cameron...and Nick Jerry so she has the slut quota down but you see...that was three years ago and guess what people?! I have been sleeping with Nick for the past six months!" She smirks and hears muffled gasps and whispering throughout the gym.

Nick's eyes widen in shock and he leaps forward, trying to grab the mic from her hand. "That's enough, Chelsea!"

She yanks the mic away from Nick and looks at him with anger. "No, Nicholas, I don't think it is. I'm easy...remember?" She reminds him of why she's doing this and turns back to the audience with a smirk. "That's right, I have screwed Nicholas Jerry."

A girl in the front yells towards the stage, "who hasn't?!"

Chelsea looks over at Taylor's broken expression and gives her a fake sympathetic look. "Sorry, Tay." She focuses back on the crowd and her smile returns. "Alright...well, I think my spiel is over." She looks over at Scarlett. "Now, lets all give it up for this year's slut...Ms. Slutty Marie!" She holds her arm out towards Scarlett for a moment before tossing the mic to Nick and walking off the stage. He catches the mic and begins searching the crowd for Taylor. Taylor stares up at him with tears in her eyes as she shakes her head and begins walking back towards the exit. He stares at her in regret as he watches her turn and run out of the gym in a flash. He tosses the mic to the guy standing beside him before throwing his crown of leaves on the ground and rushing after Taylor.

Jake looks over at Scarlett with concern and puts a hand on her back. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just hope Taylor's going to be okay."

~~~

Taylor rushes outside, into the storm that had been brewing all night. She continues to run past the picnic tables and across the lawn as her tears mix with the rain falling down.

"Taylor! Wait!" He finally catches up to her and grabs her wrist from behind. "Wait!"

She yanks her wrist away and turns to him with a scowl, raising her hand and slapping him flat across the face. "Don't you dare try to act like this is okay!" There is nothing but pure rage on her words as she screams at him. "And don't even bother asking for my forgiveness after this, Nick! I am through giving you chances and I'm through feeling like I mean nothing! You are a pig and I hate myself because of you! Do you get that?!" She clenches her teeth as she says her next sentence. "I literally HATE myself because of you! But you know what? I'm done...with everything." Her voice begins to crack as the tears build.

He steps closer to her with a looks of sadness. "Tay...I'm sorry."

She shakes her head and backs away. "Don't...just don't. I should have listened; I should have listened to everyone when they told me to run. They told me you were an ass and I shouldn't waste my time with someone like you but you know what? I didn't listen, I didn't listen because I thought that I was the only one that saw the real you! But it turns out...I was just the only one that was blind when it came to you." She turns and runs off, holding up her dress to keep it from tripping her up.

Nick kicks the picnic table beside him and puts his hands on the back of his head in frustration.

~~~

Scarlett sees Chelsea standing in the corner with a smug demeanor and walks over to her with a look of rage. She slaps the cup of spiked punch out of Chelsea's hand, causing it to splash all over her dress.

Chelsea's mouth drops as steps back in shock. "What the hell?!" She looks up at Scarlett as everyone around them snickers.

"Aw, and that was such a pretty dress for such a slutty home wrecking bitch." She glares at Chelsea.

"Slutty? Uh, honey, you might want to look in the mirror before you go around calling someone a name that better suits yourself."

"And you might want to look in the mirror next time you decide to wear a Halloween mask to a Fall Ball." Scarlett looks up at her face and pretends to come to some sort of realization. "Oh...my bad...that's just your face." She gives a quick smirk of sarcasm before her glare returns and she takes a step towards Chelsea with obvious anger. "Taylor doesn't deserve a low life skank like you for a friend. She's a good person and you...your like a demon straight from hell. Why don't you grow up and learn how to control the bitchy attitude that comes with every woman's monthly cycle." She pushes Chelsea back and glares at her one last time. "Get a life and stop screwing with everyone else's." She walks out of the dance with Jake following close behind and hears a rumbling of applause behind them.

Chelsea stands there with her mouth hanging open before glaring at everyone.

They walk outside just after the rain lets up and Jake makes his way over to Scarlett, standing in front of her with a smile. "That was pretty amazing what you did back there."

She shrugs and looks at him with a forced smile. "Yeah? Well, apparently I'm just downright freaking amazing tonight." She snickers jokingly and shakes her head, glancing down at the ground.

He smiles and steps towards her. "Yes, yes you are." He takes one more step forward and puts his hands on the side of her face, kissing her fervently on the lips.

~~~

Joe's sitting on his couch, watching reruns of Friends when he hears the doorbell. His parents stepped out for a while so he gets up and answers the door. His face turns to shock when he sees Taylor standing behind his door wearing a soaking wet light blue dress with curls that had been flattened by the rain and eyes that were dripping with mascara. Joe assumed it was from the rain but he could tell she had obviously been crying by her blood shot eyes. "Taylor? What are you doing here?"

She stares at him for a moment before speaking softly. "Can I come in?"

He moves out of the way so she can walk in and closes the door behind her, completely unaware that he was leaving behind a girl who had just pulled up to his house with rocky road ice cream and high hopes only to find herself with melted ice cream and a broken heart.