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“How are you not nervous right now?” Izzy asked from where she practically vibrated in her seat. It was already hard enough to sit in the too-tight dress she chose for the evening and the nervous anxiety skittering through her was definitely not helping. Lydia reached over and grabbed at her hand, holding it gently in her own.
“Because I’m not the one up for Prom Queen,” Lydia responded, stroking her thumb across the back of Izzy’s knuckles. Izzy felt immediately calmer as Lydia let go of her hand in favor of resting it on her knee to stop it from bouncing. Izzy took a deep breath and pushed it out steadily just as Lydia’s hand squeezed the fabric covering her leg.
“You should be,” Izzy countered, letting her perfectly manicured hand rest on top of Lydia’s. It was no secret that the two were in a relationship so displays like that one were pretty normal. After Izzy’s brother had come out and made the school just a little safer for the upcoming years, Izzy didn’t have to hide how much she loved Lydia, but that didn’t mean they could both be Prom Queen.
Lydia huffed out a laugh and said, “I want nothing less than to be Prom Queen, Iz. Besides, you would beat me anyway, just like you’re gonna beat everyone else, okay?” Lydia reassured Izzy by stroking a hand across her hair. Izzy could feel her making sure every strand was in its rightful place and her nerves almost completely disappeared at the gesture.
It wasn’t until Mr. Garroway jumped onto the stage and his voice came over the loudspeaker that Izzy froze again. Lydia grasped onto Izzy’s hand again and pulled it to her lips for a gentle, calming kiss as they waited for him to speak.
“It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for! It is time to announce this year’s Prom Court!” The crowd cheered and Lydia pulled Izzy to standing, moving her to the front of the crowd with the other nominees. “This year’s nominees for Prom Queen are; Brinda Darsey, Joan Wafford, Isabelle Lightwood…” At the mention of her name, her friends cheered loud enough that Luke had to pause before announcing the last nominee, “and Vinita Matko!”
The long, dramatic pause filled with a drumroll and cheering from her classmates was too much for Izzy to handle. She wrapped her arms around Lydia’s waist and hid her face in her girlfriend’s neck, leaning into her as best she could. Lydia’s laughter echoed in her ear, but it wasn’t loud enough to drown out the sound of her name.
“Baby, you won! You did it!” Lydia screamed, pushing Izzy away, but holding her at arm’s length so she could press a gentle kiss to her lips.
“I--” Izzy didn’t know what to say. She knew it was a ridiculous reason to be emotional, but she had wanted to be Prom Queen since she entered high school and she always thought she never could, not with a girlfriend on her arm. But Lydia walked her up to the stage, arm in arm, and the most pride-filled look Izzy had ever seen plastered to Lydia’s face.
Just as Lydia went to step back, Mr. Garroway pressed a hand to her shoulder and said, “Just a minute, Lydia.” Izzy glanced at Lydia with wide eyes and then over at her friends and classmates who were smiling knowingly everywhere she looked. “The senior class has decided that this year, there would not be a Prom Queen and a Prom King, but instead,” Mr. Garroway trailed off as Izzy sent a desperate glance to Lydia.
“What is going on?” She asked, her heart beating faster by the minute. Lydia shook her head, her eyebrows furrowed as she shrugged her shoulders.
Mr. Garroway continued, shouting, “Please welcome this year’s Prom Royalty; Isabelle Lightwood and Lydia Branwell!”
If Izzy wasn’t crying before, she was when Lydia ran up the stairs and straight into her arms. She barely remembered any part of getting their crowns and sashes and suddenly, she was slow dancing with Lydia with a crowd of their peers around them. She didn’t think that the night could have gotten any better when she first saw Lydia in her dress but dancing with her like there was no one else in the room made for the most perfect night. She wouldn’t have traded it for anything in the world.