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"Mike, please come to the center of the stage," Principal Tom invited, gesturing warmly to Mike, who was standing off to the side.
"Congrats, Mike," Kevin, the Math Olympiad captain, said, his voice dripping with a little bit of sour grapes.
He had some sarcastic remarks locked and loaded, but one look at Mike's annoyingly handsome face made him swallow them back down.
He patted Mike on the shoulder and offered his genuine congratulations.
Usually, the Prom King and Queen—or in this case, the school's "Most Popular"—were seniors. After all, having an extra year on campus made it easier to build a reputation.
But Mike was simply too outstanding to ignore, whether it was his looks or his performance on the football field.
So, taking the title of "Most Popular Guy" as a junior was well-deserved.
Amidst thunderous applause, Mike returned to the center of the stage, practically glowing under the spotlight.
"Congratulations, Mike. The school is proud of you," Principal Tom complimented him with a smile.
Then, with everyone watching, Principal Tom picked up the second envelope. "And this year's Most Popular Girl is..."
"She is smart, kind, optimistic, and possesses a strong heart..."
"With so many wonderful qualities, she is... Cady!"
"Let's welcome Cady!"
---
Hearing that Cady had actually secured the title of Most Popular Girl, the students below were stunned for a moment before breaking into applause.
At the same time, many eyes darted toward the "Queen Bee" standing near the stage.
By popularity metrics alone, the title should have gone to the Queen Bee, Regina George.
Now that the honor had slipped through her fingers, given Regina's usual temperament, everyone expected fireworks.
Quite a few drama-loving students wore expressions of anticipation, ready for a show.
However, Regina was surprisingly calm. Sure, she was a little surprised that she didn't win.
But having already signed a contract with Miracle Records, her horizons had expanded. The title of "School Princess" didn't carry the same weight it used to.
Besides, Cady was her "sister" now.
Weighing everything together, Regina maintained her smile and gave a friendly nod to Cady, who wasn't far away.
It seemed the "Queen Bee" had done a lot of growing up over the last six months.
Her gracious reaction was actually a bit of a letdown for the students hoping for a public meltdown.
On the side of the stage, Cady was even more shocked than Regina.
As a transfer student who had only been there for a year, she never expected to win such an honor.
She walked to the center of the stage, murmuring a humble stream of "thank yous," and took her place next to Mike.
"Congratulations, Cady. You're an excellent student and you deserve this," Principal Tom said, noticing her discomfort and offering some reassurance.
Nearing retirement, Principal Tom had a soft spot for this pair. Not only had they brought home the Math Olympiad championship, but their story of sweeping the "Most Popular" titles as an academic duo would go down in school history.
Their future successes would reflect well on his tenure, giving the old principal something to brag about in his retirement years.
Naturally, he was very optimistic about their futures.
Next, Vice Principal Tim approached the center of the stage carrying a pair of crowns that had been prepared in advance.
Principal Tom placed the silver tiara, representing the "Princess," on Cady's head, and the gold crown, representing the "King," on Mike's.
"As this year's King and Princess, do you have anything you'd like to say?" Principal Tom asked, handing over the microphone.
"Ladies first," Mike smiled, gesturing for Cady to take the mic.
It was clear the girl had a lot more on her heart to share than he did.
"I know I don't fit in perfectly, and I have a lot of flaws..." Cady began her self-reflection. Growing up in Africa with only homeschooling, she was different from the average teenager.
That difference wasn't bad, but integrating into a normal high school social hierarchy required change. And that kind of change usually took time and help.
"I was lucky to meet so many good friends here," Cady continued emotionally, thinking of all the help she had received. "So, this crown doesn't just belong to me. It belongs to everyone who helped me..."
Saying this, she glanced at Mike. Then, she took the tiara off her head and snapped off a piece of it.
The school's crowns were made of hard plastic, so breaking them wasn't difficult.
"Ms. Sharon, thank you for your patience and guidance. You taught me so much about how to be a person..." Cady handed the first piece of the tiara to Ms. Sharon on stage.
"You're a good kid, Cady. I'm proud of you," Ms. Sharon said, accepting the fragment with a smile.
Cady nodded, then snapped off another piece. "Janis, you were the first friend I made at this school. I want to share this honor with you."
She tossed the fragment down to the punk girl, Janis, in the audience.
"I knew I picked a winner," Janis beamed, catching the piece of the silver crown. Despite her heavy eyeliner and anti-establishment vibe, she still harbored a secret "princess" dream.
"Next, I want to thank the Plastics..." Cady snapped off another piece and looked toward Regina and the others near the stage.
"Me! Me! And me, Cady!" Seeing her gaze shift, Damian, standing next to Janis, waved frantically.
"Uh, okay," Cady laughed, tossing a piece to him. "Thank you too, Damian. You helped me so much."
Usually, the silver tiara was for the ladies, and while Damian was flamboyant, the title "Princess" was a bit of a stretch.
"Don't mention it, Cady! This is all the payment I need!" Damian was thrilled to get a piece of the crown, holding it up in salute.
"You earned it," Cady smiled, not worrying about the semantics.
Then, she broke the remaining crown into four pieces. She threw three of them to the other members of the Plastics who had come forward. "Regina, Karen, Gretchen—thank you for accepting me. The Plastics are the best."
Holding their pieces of the silver tiara, the girls of the Plastics smiled genuinely.
"You made a good friend," Ashley, Regina's mom, said to her daughter.
"Mmhmm," Regina shrugged, keeping her cool, "whatever" attitude intact.
With that, Cady's speech concluded.
The students gave her a warm round of applause for her genuine display of emotion. Sharing the crown like that was unprecedented at the school. It was a bold move, and people respected it.
Once the applause died down, Mike took the microphone.
"First, thanks for the recognition. Second, I hope we can all get along just as well next year..." Mike's speech was standard and polite, lacking the emotional punch of Cady's.
As he finished his brief remarks, he spotted Georgie frantically waving from the audience.
"Sorry, Georgie, I'm not breaking this crown. But if you want, I can share the 'royal authority' with you," Mike joked.
A complete plastic crown had some souvenir value; a broken one was just trash.
Down below, Georgie, realizing his thoughts had been read, quickly waved his hands to deny any ambition for the "throne."
Seeing his panic, the students erupted in good-natured laughter.
With that, the school dance came to a close.
Next up was the winter break—two glorious weeks of freedom.