The Prom Queen Read Free

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    Everything came easily to Elana. Always had. She got straight A’s without seeming to, and her family had oodles of money, so she got whatever she wanted. She was so happy and friendly, though, that it was hard to hold it against her.
    What was she thinking right then? Boy, beingnominated sure is fun. Maybe someday I’ll be nominated President of the United States!
    When I made contact with Dawn, she nodded at me, her blue eyes gleaming. I stared at her for a moment, admiring her tan.
    We’d been going through our usual end-of-April rainy spell. But Dawn always had a tan, no matter what the weather. Her long, wavy blond hair gleamed shiny and golden, as if she’d been out in the sun for hours.
    She probably had. Dawn was an ace at tennis and at every other sport. Including boys.
    I knew what she was thinking. It was in her eyes. I’m going to win!
    â€œNow,” the Muppet was saying, “I know each of you would love to be elected prom queen. And this year there’s even more reason to want to win—the queen will receive a special three-thousand-dollar scholarship, donated by Gary Brandt’s father at Brandt Chevrolet.”
    As he made this announcement, I happened to be looking to my left—at Rachel. I could see her emerald eyes light up when he made that announcement. It was like in a cartoon when dollar signs appear in somebody’s eyes. The money would mean a lot to Rachel, I knew. Hey, I wouldn’t have minded three thousand dollars myself.
    As I’ve already mentioned, Rachel’s family was kind of poor, at least compared to the rest of ours. Rachel was the only kid I knew who had to workafter school. It got her frustrated because it took time away from her schoolwork, and her grades were suffering as a result. She said she might not be able to go to college.
    I’d often thought that was why she was so shy—feeling as if she wasn’t as good as the rest of us. She didn’t even know how pretty she was.
    Mr. Sewall’s next words brought me back to the present. “School dismissed!”
    There was the usual end-of-the-day pandemonium. People were shouting congratulations to me and the other nominees. Before I could get off the stage, Dawn grabbed me by the arm.
    â€œI’m going to win,” she whispered fiercely in my ear. “I can just feel it.”
    I smiled at her. Over the years I’d gotten used to Dawn’s competitive boasting. It was as if she thought life was a game, and she had to psych everyone out so she’d win.
    As I was going down the stage steps, Simone brushed past me and almost knocked me over. I watched as she made her way through the crowd toward Justin.
    She seemed pretty angry. And Justin had an embarrassed grin on his face.
    â€œUh, Lizzy?”
    It was Rachel. With that quiet voice of hers, I almost didn’t hear her. “Do you want to come over and study tonight?” she asked.
    â€œI’d like to,” I said genuinely. “But my parentstold me this morning they want me home early and they don’t want me going out after dark.”
    I’m an only child. Maybe that’s why my mom and dad have always been so overprotective. But this time I didn’t mind it. With a killer on the loose, being overly protected sounded just great.
    I could still see Simone arguing heatedly with Justin. Amazing. How much trouble could he get into during one assembly? Justin uttered an exasperated cry, threw his hands up in the air, and hurried out.
    â€œI can’t believe I was nominated,” Rachel said.
    â€œWhy not?” I replied. “You deserve it.”
    â€œI know,” she cracked. “I just didn’t know anyone else knew!”
    I laughed as Elana walked up to us. Her perfect little apple cheeks were flushed red with excitement; she resembled a porcelain doll.
    â€œIt’s time to celebrate,” she said. “How about we all go to Pete’s