With only less than an hour left before the dance was over, the Wintersville students gathered around as the principal called for all homecoming king and queen nominees to join her on the small stage they had prepared to announce the winners. Levi quickly said, "that's my cue" before running off, followed by all the students rushing to huddle around to see the winner. Skye found it a little silly that people took something that wouldn't matter in a couple of years so seriously, but she made her way to the front of the crowd with Xavier, Danny, and Nini anyway in support of Levi and Hunter knowing how excited they were for this.

While the boys stood on one side and the girls stood on the other, the principal announced the nominee's names before opening up the small envelope that would announce who won. Practically everybody was on edge to find out the winner, as this meant everything because it's high school. Regardless, the anticipation made the students grow impatient.

The principal announced the king first, being handed the small envelope by the vice-principal. She urged that everybody remain quiet as she opened it up, then spoke into the microphone. "Levi Daniels!"

The crowd roared as Levi jumped for joy, quickly bro-hugging Hunter before going up to accept his crown. Skye, Xavier, Danny, and Nini clapped for him, cheering his name and saying "go, Levi!" Skye, shockingly, was actually proud to see Levi win, but she dreaded to hear the name of the winner for homecoming queen.

As the vice principal placed the crown on Levi's head, it was now time to open up and see who was the queen. The students immediately went silent, covering their mouths and looking around frantically in excitement.

She opened up the envelope, a smile creeping up on her face before announcing the name. "Nicole Myers!"

Everyone cheered once more as Nikki's name was announced, well, all except Skye. Nikki gasped in shock as her name was called, embracing the other female nominees before accepting her crown. It almost made Skye sick seeing that Levi and Nikki were the winners, but she had to put on a brave face. She just had to.

Skye didn't want to appear upset in front of her friends (she still couldn't believe they were considered her friends, just shows how far she's come since her fight with Nikki in August), but Nini knew something was up. Obviously, the boys were too dumb to think anything of it, but when you're a girl, you just know. It's like some sort of female radar. Ya know, like gaydar, but for sad girls.

"Who is that?" Nini whispered to Skye.

"My ex-best friend." She replied, not even batting an eye.

The principal called for the king and queen to share a slow dance, having a small light shine on them as everyone circled around them. Skye, still standing in the front, watches as Levi places one hand on Nikki's waist and uses the other to clasp her hand. Nikki's boyfriend, Victor, yells out "don't go stealing my girl, Daniels!" from the other side of the circle, producing a laugh from the other students.

"I won't, I won't." Levi rolled his eyes, then turned his attention to Nikki who looked up at him with a smile. Skye couldn't explain why this made her blood practically boil. Why couldn't she stand this? It was her ex-best friend and her friend (who just so happened to be her date) that she was actually getting along with slow dancing together while everyone watched. Not exactly how Skye imagined this dance going.

Skye watched with a faint frown, trying her best to be positive and not tear up. She had to be happy for Levi. He spoke so many times about how much he wanted this. She even remembered him saying he wanted it so bad because he wanted to live like his favorite eighties and nineties high school movies. He was surely living it, but not in the way Skye wanted him to.

As the slow song played, Levi briefly averted his eyes, meeting with Skye's as she stood with the crowd. Time almost froze for a moment, as that was what it felt like for them. His eyes meeting with hers almost made her heart stop, but she told herself there were multiple factors to that. She was just in a bit of denial. But for Levi, he realized in that very moment that he wished it was Skye slow dancing with him instead.

Nikki's face grew puzzled when Levi looked away, then she looked in the same direction he was looking in and saw Skye standing right there, making the smile she once had quickly go away. The girl didn't want to admit it, but everything always leads to Skye. She could never escape the doting brown-eyed girl she once called her ride or die.

The dancing pair looked back at each other in a moment of awkwardness, tensing up as the song neared its end. Once it did, the students clapped then resumed back to fast-paced music for the rest of the night. Levi and Nikki let go of each other the moment they could, the tall, slender girl rushing back to her boyfriend while the even taller and more muscular boy returned to his friends.

Skye forced a smile on her face upon Levi's return, welcoming back the homecoming king with a small side hug. "Congrats, king. Don't let the newfound fame get to your head."

"Hey, I'm the same old me, just with this big crown." He beamed.

"Looks good on you." She said, which made Levi's cheeks turn a faint tint a pink.

"Thanks."

"Yo, Daniels!" Hunter yelled out, running over to Levi and squeezing his shoulders from behind. "I'm proud of you bro!"

"Aye, man, it should've been you!" He turned. Pfft, please. Levi was destined to win.

"Nah, you totally deserved it!" Hunter exclaimed.

Seeing this as an opportunity to escape, Skye makes up an excuse to leave, having an overwhelming feeling succumb her. "I have to go to the bathroom."

"No, wait!" Levi yelled, then Hunter joined in and agreed with him.

"Yeah, Skye, wait! Dance with us! We gotta make the rest of our final homecoming the best!" He whined.

"Are you asking me to pee on the fricking floor? Gross!" She sassed, sounding more angsty than usual. "I have to go."

As Skye walked away, Nini grew worried after her friend, and decided to go after her and make up the same excuse. "I'm coming with her. I also have to go."

"Okay, babe," Danny replied to Nini as she was the one by his side, then she quickly kissed him and hurried after Skye.

Once Skye walked into the empty bathroom, she threw herself into a stall and locked it shut. Taking quick, shaky breaths, she pressed her hands against each side of the stall to hold herself up, feeling as if she could fall to her knees at any moment. Skye couldn't put it into words why she felt like this, but all she wanted was for it to stop.

Nini burst through the bathroom door, which shook Skye up a little, and immediately scanned the room to see which stall she could possibly be in. "Skye? You in there?"

Skye's eyes widened as she heard the familiar voice, but her mind was too all over the place so she couldn't even tell whether it was Nini or Nikki. Both similar spelling names, so it made Skye's head practically spin on top of everything else. "Nini? Is that you?"

"Yeah, which stall are you in?" She asked, but instead of saying which one, Skye opened the door and met eyes with Nini, who looked extremely worried for her.

"Here."

"Skye..." Nini frowned, extending her arms out for a hug, and Skye immediately accepted it, crying into Nini's shoulder and praying she wasn't ruining her hair or her outfit, but Nini wouldn't have cared either way.

"They looked so good together, Nini. And there's just me." Skye sighed. It didn't even matter whether Nikki had a boyfriend, she and Levi looked made for each other, and Skye couldn't help but feel like the odd one out.

"Don't say that," Nini said.

"I can never compete with her." She teared up. "Guys always like Nikki, they never want me."

Skye could go through a million instances where a guy would come up to her and ask "can you tell me about your friend over there?" Not once did they ask about her, but could she blame them? Nikki was liked by many, effortlessly beautiful, you name it. Skye could remember when Levi called her beautiful, and she still had a hard time believing it. Why believe it was Nikki was right there? Skye was always the type to one-up others, but never could she ever one-up her.

Nini let go of Skye, trying her best to knock some sense into her as she thought her words were total bullshit. "Skye, Levi wouldn't have asked you to be his date if he didn't want you."

"But look at where it's gotten me. Slow dancing with my ex-best friend, standing so close, and..." she paused, reflecting on what happened out there. "And looking over at me just for a moment."

"But would it have been different if it wasn't her in that position?" Nini asked.

"I don't know." Skye looked down. She really didn't know how to answer that question. If it were Megan or some other random girl in Nikki's position, she would have felt nothing, but for some reason watching her ex-best friend dance with Levi made her feel a type of way that she didn't want to feel.

"What are you gonna do now?" She questioned.

What was she going to do now? There were two options Skye go do, but no way would Nini allow her to go through with the first option. "I either leave or I stay, and frankly I'd rather leave and pretend this night never happened."

"Well, I think you should get back out there and show everyone what a badass you are." Nini insisted, giving Skye a little nudge.

"You think?" Skye asked.

"Yeah, and I'll have your back the whole time." She replied, which did make Skye feel better, but then she thought about one issue.

"What about Danny?"

"He's got the guys. Us two girls need to stick together." Nini said.

"Yeah." Skye grinned briefly, then began to wipe away her tears that weren't coming down as much now. "Um, does my makeup look a mess?"

"I don't know what mascara you use, but it's indestructible." She giggled. Actually, it was pretty solid mascara. You wouldn't have ever guessed she was crying. Nini definitely had to ask what it was for future reference.

"Whew, thank god." Skye laughed. There was no way she would go back into the gym looking like a maniac, so she was thankful her makeup was still intact. Gotta love a good mascara and setting spray, right?

"Do you wanna go back out there?" Nini asked, she wasn't going to force her, but thankfully Skye said she wanted to.

"I do." She replied.

"Then let's make the best out of these-" Nini said then quickly looked down at her phone. "Twenty minutes we have left."

"Okay." Skye softly grinned. "Oh, and Nini?"

"Hm?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Thank you," Skye said, truly meaning it with all of her heart. She was so thankful to have met her, and while Skye didn't want to think about it, how would she have met Nini if it weren't for Levi? She probably never would've.

"I got your back, Skye. Always." Nini grinned, then the two walked out of the bathroom together, Skye putting on a brave face as they walked back into the gym.

They met back with the group, who had just got done dancing, the next song now playing, which they didn't pay attention to whatsoever. "We're back!"

"You guys missed the Electric Slide!" Xavier exclaimed as he slid across the slippery gym floor. "Poor Levi over here still doesn't know the moves."

"Dammit!" Nini cursed. "It would've been just like old times."

"I know right-"

While Nini and Xavier conversed, Levi walked up to Skye as if nothing happened. Nini looked over at Skye with wide eyes before looking back over to Xavier, giving them space by discreetly stepping away, which Skye cursed her for in her mind. "Hey, Skye."

"Hm?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I think it's safe to say you won tonight's bet, right?" Levi chuckled, referring to what he heard Xavier say about his poor dance moves.

"I sure don't feel like a winner." Skye crossed her arms, which confused Levi.

"Huh?" He questioned.

"Nothing, it's fine." She lied. "My feet hurt, that's all."

"Oh, understandable." Levi awkwardly laughed.

Skye couldn't stand any more of this, so she decided to basically walk away from the conversation, leaving Levi stunned. "I'm gonna go hang out with Nini."

"Wait-"

"Tell the queen I said congratulations." She turned, whipping her hair back around as she left him high and dry.

And as Skye walked away from Levi, the beginning of Fergie's London Bridge played, which was ironic considering the first thing said in the song is "oh shit". But while Skye walked away like a badass, all Levi could do was stand there and think, specifically think how he could ease this newfound tension. He didn't know what he was going to do, but now he had to worry about tomorrow's game and the parade. Oh shit indeed.

•••

MARIA TALKS!

um chile anyways so...

the ceo of angst prevails 💅🏻

feel free to hate on me now while i laugh at your comments and most importantly never forget them votes cause i lose readers every chapter nowadays purr