Get on it with it, old man!

Is he getting paid by the word or something?

Am I the only one who thinks he’s kinda hot? OK, Daddy.

I’ll pretend I didn’t see that last one.

‘And so, without further delay,’ Mr Harrington finally says, after delaying for fifteen whole minutes, ‘it’s my honour to announce this year’s Prom King and Queen.’

‘Prom Royalty!’ Josh yells from behind me. ‘It’s gender neutral.’

‘Oh … erm, yes,’ Harrington says. ‘This year’s Prom Royalty …’

The crowd groans as he fumbles with the envelope.

It’s been eighty-four years … some Titanic fan quotes in the live feed.

I look for Kellen and Rhys in the crowd. I know it isn’t going to be them, but I will it to be anyway. Surely our classmates know how important this is? A school like ours finally crowning a same-sex couple? I have to believe people would vote for that at least. Even if it is going against the queen bee and her endless reign of tyranny.

The envelope opens.

‘Tiffany White and Ethan Clark!’

I really shouldn’t have got my hopes up.

Everybody claps as the two of them take the stage. They approach from different sides – it’s all been perfectly choreographed. It wouldn’t surprise me if they’d already rehearsed this. Mr Harrington crowns them, and gold confetti bursts from above, filling the room with tiny pieces of plastic landfill. I don’t think Greta would approve.

‘Thank you, Mr Harrington,’ Tiffany says, taking the microphone. ‘And thank you to everyone who voted for us. I know it’s not really traditional to give a speech,’ she says, ‘but if it’s all the same to all of you, there is something I’d like to say.’

‘Oh God, here we go …’ Bec whispers from behind me.

‘Most of you are already aware that this afternoon somebody did something truly awful. Not to me, but to my dearest partner.’ She squeezes Ethan’s hand for sympathy points. Like a true politician. Of course she’d try to make this about her. ‘So I just want to take this opportunity to say that revenge porn is never OK. There’s no place for this kind of behaviour in civilized society.’

Her gaze drifts down to where Owen is standing, speaking directly to the live stream. ‘And, although I could easily expose the culprit and tell you all his – or her – name right now, we’ve decided to rise above it. Refuse to give them the attention they so clearly crave. Karma will out eventually. I have every faith in that.’

She pauses for a moment, and the crowd actually goes wild with applause. She can’t seriously still be trying to imply this was Chase? And people are actually eating this up? I look down at the live stream to get the general consensus.

I heard it was the trans guy.

She should expose him!

He belongs in prison!

I glance back at Chase. He’s white as a sheet.