"Mike, please come to the center of the stage—"
Principal Tom smiled and invited Mike, who was standing at the side of the stage.
"Congratulations, Mike!" Kevin, the captain of the Math Olympiad team, said with a hint of sourness.
He had originally wanted to say a few suggestive words, but after seeing Mike's handsome face, he swallowed them back.
After gently patting Mike's shoulder, Kevin sincerely offered his congratulations.
Generally speaking, the school's most popular boy and girl each year are chosen from the twelfth grade students.
After all, an extra year of high school makes it easier to build one's reputation.
But Mike was simply too outstanding, whether in terms of his looks or his performance on the football team.
Therefore, for him to win the title of the school's most popular boy this year as an Eleventh Grade student was well-deserved.
Amidst the enthusiastic applause of the crowd, Mike, who had returned to the center of the stage, seemed to be radiating light.
"Congratulations, Mike, the school will be proud of you—" Principal Tom complimented Mike with a smile.
Then, in front of everyone, Principal Tom picked up the envelope again and read, "This year's most popular girl is..."
"She is intelligent and kind, optimistic and proactive, and also possesses a strong heart..."
"The girl with so many wonderful qualities is.... Cady!"
"Let's welcome Cady to the stage!"
...
Hearing that the title of most popular girl had indeed gone to Cady, the students below were first stunned, and then burst into applause.
At the same time, many students secretly cast their gaze towards the Regina at the side of the stage.
It was well known that based on popularity, the title of most popular girl should have gone to Regina.
Now that the honor she thought was hers had flown away, according to Regina's usual temper, there was likely to be a good show to watch.
Many students who enjoyed watching drama also showed expressions of anticipation.
As for Regina, she was indeed a bit surprised to hear that the most popular girl was not her.
However, having already signed with Miracle Records, her horizons had broadened, and she no longer cared as much about the school's "Queen" honor.
Moreover, Cady was still her "good sister."
With these various factors intertwined, Regina quickly maintained the smile on her face and nodded friendly to Cady, who was not far away.
It was clear that Regina had grown a lot in the past six months.
Likewise, her generous display now also slightly disappointed many students who were waiting for a show.
Meanwhile, at the side of the stage, Cady, who heard the name of the most popular girl, was actually even more surprised than Regina.
As a transfer student this year, she didn't think she would receive such an honor.
Then, she humbly said "thank you" all the way until she stood beside Mike at the center of the stage.
"Congratulations, Cady, you are an excellent girl and deserve this honor," Principal Tom said, sensing the girl's unease, and offered words of comfort.
Principal Tom, who was nearing retirement age, showed great fondness for the boy and girl on stage.
Not only because they helped Medford win this year's Math Olympiad Champion, but also because their achievement of winning the school's most popular boy and girl titles would be recorded in the school's history.
And as long as the two of them achieved good success in their respective fields in the future, it would be counted as an achievement made by Principal Tom during his tenure.
For an old man nearing retirement, this would also be a good topic of conversation in his post-retirement life.
It could be said that Principal Tom was very optimistic about the future development of both Mike and Cady.
Next, Dean Tim came to the center of the stage, carrying a pair of crowns that had been prepared in advance.
Principal Tom placed the silver tiara, representing the "Queen," on Cady's head, and then placed the golden crown, representing the "King," on Mike's head.
"As this year's 'King' and 'Queen,' do you have anything you'd like to say to everyone?" Principal Tom asked, handing over the microphone.
"Ladies first—" Mike smiled and offered the microphone to Cady.
It was clear that compared to Mike, the girl obviously had a lot more to say at the moment.
"I know I'm not social enough, and I have many flaws..." Cady began her self-analysis. Having grown up in Africa and only received homeschooling, she had many differences from ordinary people in her life.
These differences couldn't be called wrong, but to integrate into normal collective life, she indeed needed some changes.
And such changes often require a long time, and someone to provide help.
"I'm very lucky to have met many wonderful friends here." Cady thought of the help she had received during this time and continued emotionally, "So, this crown doesn't belong to me alone; it belongs to everyone who has helped me..."
At this point, the girl specifically glanced at Mike beside her. Then, she took off the crown from her head and broke off a small piece.
The school's crown was made of hard plastic, so breaking it off was not difficult.
"Ms. Sharon, thank you for your tolerance and guidance; you've taught me many principles of life..." Cady handed the first piece of the crown to Ms. Sharon on stage.
"You are a good child; I am proud of you—" Ms. Sharon took the crown piece and encouraged her with a smile.
After Cady nodded, she broke off another small piece of the crown: "Janis, you were the first friend I made at school; I want to share the 'Queen' honor with you—"
With that, the girl tossed the crown piece to Janis below the stage.
"I knew I didn't misjudge you—" Receiving the crown piece representing the "Queen," Janis was very happy.
Although she usually dressed in heavy makeup and punk style, she still harbored a "Queen" dream in her heart.
"Next, I also want to thank The Plastics..." Cady broke off another small piece of the crown and looked at Regina and the others by the stage.
"Me...me...and me, Cady." Seeing the girl shift her gaze, Damian, who was standing beside Janis, frantically waved at the girl.
"Uh, alright—." Cady turned her gaze back, threw the broken crown piece in her hand to Damian, and said, "Thank you too, Damian, you've given me a lot of help..."
Generally speaking, the silver tiara is given to ladies. Although Damian was effeminate, the title of "Queen" was indeed not very suitable for him.
"You're welcome, Cady, you've already repaid me." Being able to receive a silver tiara piece made Damian equally excited.
Then, he raised the crown piece and saluted the girl.
"You deserve it..." Seeing how happy he was, Cady no longer debated whether it was appropriate.
Then, the girl divided the remaining part of the crown in her hand into four pieces at once, and after throwing three of them to the other three girls of The Plastics who had come closer, she said, "Regina, Karen, Gretchen, thank you for accepting me. The Plastics is the best group—"
Upon receiving the silver tiara pieces representing the "Queen," the girls of The Plastics also showed happy smiles.
"You've made a good friend," June said to her daughter beside her.
"Uh-huh—" Regina shrugged, maintaining her tsundere demeanor.
At this point, Cady's speech was completely finished.
The students present also gave her enthusiastic applause for her genuine display.
It should be known that Cady sharing the most popular title with her friends had never happened at school before.
It could be said that the girl's actions were very bold and also very admirable.
Then, after the enthusiastic applause ended, the microphone came into Mike's hand.
"First, I want to thank everyone for your recognition of me. Second, I hope we can all get along well next year as well..." Mike's speech was conventional and didn't sound as interesting as Cady's.
Not long after his brief speech ended, he saw Georgie below the stage waving frantically.
"Sorry, Georgie, I don't want to ruin the crown. If you want, I can share the 'King's' authority with you—" Mike said with a smile.
A complete plastic crown still had some collection value; if broken, it would only become trash.
Below, Georgie, whose thoughts had been exposed, quickly waved his hands, indicating that he had no intention of coveting "royal power."
Watching his nervous demeanor, the students present also broke into bursts of good-natured laughter.
At this point, the school dance was also nearing its end.