tw: (sorry, it didn't load in the intro bc i was in bad wifi when i published it. so i'm putting it in again.) mention of mother forcing ed's onto their daughter.

"Nova, you are a queen, you are beautiful." Ashlyn gushed as Nova walked over to the table, her punch in hands, "When do we bow down to you?"

"I'm tempted to right now." Carlos gushed, standing up and taking Novas hand to give her a spin, "I'm getting hard core, princess that is close to murdering the queen to take her crown, vibes."

"Oddly accurate." Nova laughed. Carlos and Ashlyn had been right, she did look beautiful in the black dress that had a lace upper half, flowey lower half. She looked behind her and found Big Red and Ricky following close after, "The camera guy is kinda rude."

"Agree." Ashlyn said as the three sat down, Big Red and Ricky finally get over, "The two of you look handsome."

"Don't they?" Nova agreed with a nod, "We sang Bet On It the whole ride over here, it's a understatement to say it's stuck in my head."

"I don't believe it." Ricky announced in disbelief as he held his phone toward the pair. A photo of EJ and Gina on full display, "This dude steals my girlfriend and twelve seconds after they break up, he's already playing the field."

"It's kinda his thing, I guess." Nova shrugged with a eye roll, "But who cares? I'm my own woman who has hundred of guys, girls, and theys falling at my feet. And, to top it all off, I show up to homecoming with the best looking guys in the room. I'm a new woman tonight, a happy woman!"

"Yeah!" Big Red cheered, "Ricky can take a lesson from him though."

"Gee, thanks for defending my mortal enemy." Ricky said in disbelief as he shut his phone off, "Nova, help?"

"Well, I threw Ninis bags on the floor and you already busted EJ's lip in, i'd say we both already got some form of anger out." Nova nodded, looking over as Gino and EJ headed toward them, "My advice? Let it go. I had this weight on my shoulders since the first day of school and after tonight, knowing I wasn't even the second choice, I let that stupidness go. Now I feel happy, and healthy, and like I can do anything."

"Take Novas advice." Big Red agreed with a nod of his head, "You made a pact with your dad. You're putting yourself out there again, right? So, put yourself out there. Like, tonight."

"Speak of the devil." Ricky nodded, flipping his phone toward the pair, "Get a load of this player. He's texting me for fashion advice."

"Ricky, tell you're dad i'll be eighteen in six months and that you want a step mom." Nova said, checking out Rickys dad with a grin, "Your dad is such a hottie!"

"Nova, no." Ricky groaned in disbelief, pushing her head back.

"Excuse us!" Gina grinned as she walked over. Nova looked up, eyeing EJ a moment before pretending as though she hadn't seen either of them, "These seats taken?"

"You look pretty." EJ said to Nova when Gina left to get a cup of punch, "How's your night?"

"Oh, delightful." Nova said back with a forced smile. The awkward silence took over them before Nova stood and walked off.

"Trouble in paradise." Nova said as she stood between Big Red and Ricky, the trio watching Gina and EJ argue over by the punch station, "Already? Should have known."

"What is wrong with you, EJ?" Big Red mocked Ginas voice as he tried to read their lips before focusing on EJ now, "I'm just intimidated by how fly Big Red looks in that suit he borrowed from Ricky."

"Don't be intimidated, be inspired. Big Red is an underrated style legend." The red haired boy began mocking Gina once more.

"Dude, you're an idiot." Ricky said in disbelief with a laugh.

"A underrated, style legend idiot." Nova corrected him with a laugh. The three laughed as they looked back over, watching Gina poor a cup of punch of EJs head. Nova snorted as she looked away, trying to contain her laughter. Ricky and Big Red watched with wide eyes as Gina stormed past them quickly, "A turn off events."

"Major turn of events." Big Red agreed before the music began cutting in and out, it suddenly coming to a stop as the gym filled with frowned and groans of disbelief.

"So sorry, everyone. Just a little technical difficulties." the student council spoke up as he had a embarrassment look on his face. Nova patted Big Red and Ricky on the arms before heading over. For a second, it looked like she was going to walk to EJ, he even thought so too until she didn't even look his way.

"Hello, East High." Nova smiled as she held the mic. The crowd all looked up at her, "Aside from this inconvenience, how's everyone night going?"

The crowd clapped as Nova smiled, her teeth bright and beautiful.

"Whats she doing?" Ashlyn whispered to Carlos with a odd look.

"Saving the show." he gushed in return.

"Until our lovely student council can figure out what's wrong, I think a song is in order?" Nova spoke up, questioning as the crowd cheered. Carlos and Ashlyn yelled loudly from table ten, clapping loudly. EJ let his embarrassment from getting a drink poured on him go, watching Nova turn around and whisper something to the band, "I didn't want to be too predictable and sing a song for High School Musical, but these two are a pretty close race in the best disney movies."

As the music began playing, Carlos caught on quickly, "Oh my god, Nova! Yesssss!"

"Insecure, in her skin. Like a puppet, a girl on a string." Nova began to sing, grabbing hold of the mic with a faint smirk on her face, "Broke away. Learn to fly. If you want her back, gotta let her fly."

EJ looked away when Nova met his eye from the stage, feeling guilty and embarrassed.

"So it looks like she jokes on you. Cause the girl that you thought you knew-" Nova began, pulling them mic out of its holder, walking down the stage steps and stopping infront of a table before leaning back on it, "Shes so gone. That's so over now. She's so gone. You won't find her around."

Nova came off the table as the crowd of students cheered, her theater friends yelling and clapping loudly. Nova circled the table with a bright grin, getting spun by a passing stranger before speed walking around the crowd, "You can look but you won't see that girl I use to be. Cause she's, shes so gone."

Nova was helped up onto the table by Ashlyn and Carlos, standing up, "Here I am, this is me. Am I stronger then you ever thought i'd be? Are you shocked? Are you mad? That you're missing out on who I really am."

EJ backed up, hoping not to be seen but couldn't bring himself to leave. He was well aware the meaning behind the song, though all things aside, he felt proud of her.

"Now looks like the jokes on you. Cause the girl that you thought you knew-" Nova began once again into the mic, loosing her heels and jumping off the table, "She's so gone. That's so over now. She's so gone. You won't find her around. You can look but you won't see the girl I use to be, cause she's so gone.

Ricky gave Nova a spin as she passed, earning a grin before she began to sing to tables, making her way back to the stage, "She's so gone. Away, like history. She's so gone. Baby, this is me, yeah."

"She's so gone. That's so over now. She's so gone. You won't find her around. You can look but you won't see the girl I use to be, cause she's so gone." Novas arms were grabbed, being pulling back on the stage as she put the mic back into the holder, "So gone, she's so gone. Gone, gone, gone."

Nova ended it with a flip of her hair and grabbing the mic tightly, breathing heavy before everyone in the gym began yelling and cheering for her loudly. Nova smiled widely, feeling the rush of a solo performance for the first time in a while now. EJ watched her a moment, a half smile on his face before he turned and left.

Nova didn't stick around long after her performance. Feeling tired and needing a long rest. Nova drove home, parking her car and letting her eyes focus on the 2016 audi in the drive way. She hadn't seen it in three months, not since it and her father took off on a business trip to Cuba.

Nova got out of her car quickly, holding her heels in her hands as she headed up to the steps. The door had already been unlocked, something it rarely was. When Nova opened the front door, she was immediately greeted with her parents arguing back and forth. Her name was being thrown around multiple times, her mother yelling while her father laughed in disbelief and went back just as loud.

"Dad, you're home." Nova spoke up, making her presence known as the two looked over at her, "I thought you were on business till december?"

"I was, honey." Alaric spoke as he sighed in relief at the sight of his daughter, "Until your drama school teacher called and said your mother had been a danger to you, which she clearly is, and that I needed to come home before the police were notified."

"A danger?" Novas mom asked in disbelief, "I'm helping her!"

"You're starving our daughter and making her pass out in class!" he yelled back at her in disbelief before facing his daughter, "Nova, pack a few things."

"Where are we going?" she asked, her eyes watery as she felt scared and trapped.

"The lake house for the night until your mother can get the hell out of my house." Alaric spoke, Novas mother laughed loudly at his words.

"You can not kick me out of this house! And take my daughter!" she said in disbelief, putting hand up to stop Novas from walking up the stairs. Nova paused, looking back as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"I can if you are a danger to Novalie and if my name and my money is going into this house." he argued with his ex wife in disbelief, "Unless you want me to take up the Drama Teachers offer and involve the police myself."

Novas mother stared at her father. Nova took it as her que to run up the stairs quickly, heading into her room and grabbing a bag. She was scared of her mother, scared that the police could already be involved, upset by the yelling, upset by feeling torn and put in the middle of something. She dropped the bag and pulled her phone out, dialing a number quickly and pulling it up to her ear.

A few seconds passed before the familiar voice came on the other line, "Nova? Is everything okay?"

•

kylie speaks

sad i had to end this
chapter a little sad but
the empowerment and
absolutely badass nova
was singing she's so gone
and being someone she
once was is all i wanted in
life!

daddy sháo don't mess
around though.