Prom Queen


"Just open the door Dwayne," the girl pounded on the hotel door.

Inside Dwayne sits on his bed silently contemplating if he should open the door. Slowly the pounding and banging are replaced by cries. The cries eat at Dwayne's heart. He stands, and inches towards the door. He's loved her since they were in third grade. His heart longs for her but he knows it'll only end in pain once more. He moves to the bathroom and closes the door. Sitting against the bathtub he places his head in his hands and hopes that she'll leave soon.

Kellyandria, Kelly for short was outside Dwayne's room. The senior trip had gone entirely wrong for her. She had caught her boyfriend Kevin cheating minutes ago. She rushed to Dwayne's room, knowing he would be the one person who would let her in. She was popular, but she didn't have many friends. Not real friends anyway. Kevin was on the football team, Kevin had all the friends. Dwayne was her only friend. Sitting outside the door she couldn't figure out why he was so cold to her.

Dwayne had loved Kelly from the moment he set eyes on her. He knew it, she knew it, the world knew it. For most of their lives, they had been best friends. Closer than anyone else. Once they reached high school things started to change. Kelly cut Dwayne out of her life in pursuit of popularity. Dwayne was crushed, but he still loved her.

Just a few shorts months ago, Kelly and Kevin were going through a rough patch. He had dumped her in the lunch room. Just a few days before prom. Kelly wasn't sure what she would do. Dwayne offered to be her date to prom, Kelly walked away laughing at his offer. Not even giving it a moment of thought. When the night of prom came around, Dwayne went alone. Kelly went with Kevin. They were voted as Prom King and Queen.

Dwayne watched on and finally realized that although he loved Kelly, he would never have the happy ending with her. There would be no white picket fence, two kids and a dog. In that moment he gave up. He would be going to college soon, and there was no point holding onto love from almost a decade ago. A one-sided love. Dwayne finally realized that he could never make someone love him, just because he loved them.

So, here we are, the senior trip in full swing. In the morning the students would exit their hotel and catch buses going back home. Tonight, Kelly would spend the night outside Dwayne's room in total confusion as to why he would not open the door. Dwayne would spend the night in the bathroom. Thinking of all the times Kelly had turned her back on him, and fighting the urge to open the door. Still in love with her, fighting the urge to make the mistake he had made dozens of times before.

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