‘And the winner of the prefect position of head girl for the 2008-2009 academic year is…’
Oh. My. God. This was the moment of truth. All these weeks of stress and hard work had all boiled down to this precise moment in time. It had to be me right? I mean, come on… not even once had it occurred to me that losing would even be an option. No way. No how. I had convinced myself beyond all reasonable doubt that I was the winner. End of story. I KNOW it’s me. It simply HAS to be me…
Suddenly my thoughts were stopped in their tracks. Did I just hear what I think I did? My name doesn’t sound like that... To say I was confused is an understatement. I was beyond mere confusion. Way beyond it. On another planet in fact. Then it finally dawned on me. It wasn’t my name that came out of the principal’s mouth, but that of the girl standing next to me. What the…? Am I dreaming? Hallucinating? My mind filled with unanswered questions. It all seemed so surreal to me. Everything appeared to move in slow motion as I felt myself go numb, frozen in a cocoon of time. Should I smile my fake smile? Cry? Pretend to be happy when I so obviously am not? I felt my opponent’s hands envelope me in a hug. A hug of pity. She felt sorry for me. I couldn’t hold back any longer. Tears streamed down my face. No, NO! Why on earth am I crying?? Not to mention there was a huge crowd of people right outside the door ready to feed off my drama. As we were led out, I took the walk of shame through what seemed like a mosh pit, and I was the victim. ‘Dorothy are you okay?’ ‘Oh Dorothy I’m so sorry…’ I didn’t want to hear any of it. I felt overwhelmed with emotion. Every fibre in my body was taut and an enormous force of pressure attacked me from all angles. After what seemed like a lifetime, I finally made my way out and turned back, heavy-heartedly watching my opponent being congratulated, even by my friends. I felt betrayed. I knew I was being a sore loser. I knew I looked pathetic. But quite frankly,...