The Heartbreak Club

BONUS: JCPenney's #DreamPromposal

Hey guys! I've been selected to write a special entry for JCPenney's #DreamPromposal Contest. This means that you'll get to see a taste of Richmond Prep's prom, some of the looks from the night, and just how it works out for Willa and Ashton.

My own prom (or school formal here in Australia) was Gatsby inspired, and it was the very first time I wore heels—even if they were inevitably kicked off on the dance floor. I'm always so mesmerized by the romance and drama it creates in teen fiction, and I can't wait to experience more with your #DreamPromposal entries!

"And this year's Richmond Preparatory Prom Queen is... Willa Perry."

Willa had never dreamed of going to prom alone.

She'd once imagined Declan fastening her wrist with a corsage of white roses. Maybe they'd be King and Queen, the couple everyone would be watching.

But, it was her mom who had added the final touches to her look tonight—a purple chrysanthemum corsage and a necklace that hovered between her collarbones and sparkled above the neckline of the rose gold dress  she'd bought at JCPenney. Willa was taking herself to prom, and she'd never been happier.

Well, until the spotlight was shone on her, a beacon that attracted the attention of every single student.

"Um... Willa?"

She was going to kill Aubrey for putting her name on the ballot. First the Queen of Hearts, and now Prom Queen. She should have never doubted the school's theatrics.

Swatting the helium balloons draping their golden strings over the walkway, Willa found her way to the stage, her eyes scanning over the glittering crowd. Her eye caught the jocks, and inevitably Declan. She looked away quickly, not wanting to see whoever was on his arm.

It didn't sting like it used to. Their time together was dream-like now. That's the thing about a breakup, the unbearable details fade, leaving you with the realization that you're still whole. You always were.

"And your Prom King..."

Willa caught sight of someone else in the crowd. No. Surely Ashton Hartford was too cool for school functions, too cool to be wearing a suit and a crisp bowtie  with his dark hair slicked away from his ocean blue eyes. Eyes which were fixed on her, raking over her and settling on her awe-struck gaze. 

"Ashton Hartford."

Every person in the room fell still.

Somehow, Ben—donning an eye-catching velvet blazer Willa had also seen on JCPenney's website—had added Ashton on the ballot too, likely with Aubrey's help. Though The Breakup Game had finished, it was still highly valued gossip-worthy content.

"Is the entire school playing some kind of joke?" Ashton murmured as Aubrey gleefully placed a crown on each of their heads. Willa tried to smile for photographs, but her heart was beating too fast.

"Maybe," she whispered. "It's sort of funny. After tonight will all be forgotten."

The King and Queen were to share a dance. Willa was convinced that all the school wanted was another taste of the drama from the last round of The Breakup Game. Willa felt scared to rekindle the touch that had sparked feelings both so deep and so badly timed.

Ashton's hand found her waist and her arms wrapped around his neck. There was nowhere to look but his eyes as he smiled softly. Her mind was quick to run rampant.

But, for the first time, it didn't feel like a performance. In fact, it felt like the hundreds of eyes watching them weren't there at all. It was just Ashton and Willa beneath a shimmering disco ball, untainted by a broken heart.