He held up an envelope, just about to open it…
Then his hand paused.
He pressed one hand to the little earpiece in his ear. It looked like he was listening to something someone was saying to him.
He nodded quickly and then looked back at the crowd.
With a deep breath, he opened the envelope and smiled brightly.
"And the Homecoming Queen of this year is…" he said, pausing just a moment for suspense.
"…Aurora!"
The gym exploded in cheers. People clapped, and some even stood up. Mia screamed, "I knew it!" and gave Aurora a big hug. Aurora smiled, calm but proud, as she stood up gracefully.
But not everyone was happy.
Diana's mouth dropped open. Her hands clenched into fists. Her friends looked around in shock.
Suddenly, one of Diana's close friends jumped up and shouted, "No! This is fake! It can't be! Diana was supposed to win!"
People around her stared, some frowning.
"She is the Homecoming Queen!" the girl yelled again, her voice shaky. "She's always been the queen!"
