Prom Queen

 Who are those girls that want to be prom queen, but know that they never will?

They're everywhere, but I'm talking about one specific kind of girl.

The girl that wants to be prom queen more than anything but knows she never will has friends. She is not alone, nor is she unpopular. She talks to people every day, and she is so funny. That girl has such a goofy grin and knows how to use it to make others smile too. 

She works so hard for what she wants, it's very admirable. She lives by a schedule, planning out her days to reach her goals with grace. She takes on every bit of work that she can to push herself to be better. She writes and writes and writes, working on her senior year college applications. She stays up late to study, but always quits at midnight. If she doesn't understand it by midnight, she just doesn't understand it. 

She has gone through so much. She knows what it is like to be bullied. She knows what it is like to feel that someone else's mental health is her problem to solve. She feels deeply and wholly, an empathetic young woman. She carries many burdens daily, and as she walks through the halls, she thinks "If only they knew, they would pick me to be their queen."

But, they don't know. They think she is a little condescending because they think she is smarter than them. They feel like her tone is disapproving and disgusted when really, she asks "Why?" out of genuine confusion because she wants to know her classmates better. They don't know that there is a whole world outside of her school bubble that loves her and is hoping she wins at every twist life throws at her.

They don't know that she wants to be prom queen because she doesn't talk about it. 

She keeps to herself and daydreams of the crown she will never wear. As a distraction from what she hopes to win, she fills her head with calculus, history, and tragic playwrights instead of filling it with phone numbers, plans for the weekend, and hopes. 

You probably know this girl. 

Be kind to her today.

-Emma Lancaster