Free God Save the Queen by Amanda Dacyczyn

all that mattered was that I was dancing with him and he was dancing with me. And all the time that we were gliding and turning, we never broke eye contact. I just kept staring into his deep green eyes as he stared into mine. It’s a hackneyed expression, I know, but we really were poetry in motion.
                  All of a sudden, in the middle of a dip my mystery man held me in, a chiming sound was heard. Midnight already? I turned my head from the old clock in the corner to see him still staring at me. Gradually his hands made their way towards my face as mine did towards his. I felt his fingers lightly brush my cheek as he grasped my mask. My fingers grasped his, too, but I sensed some resistance. What did he do, put Super Glue on it?
                  I felt my mask come off as I was finally able to pull off his. Abruptly I heard a sudden gasp, then I let go of mystery man’s mask and quickly looked up at his face. He looked disappointed and slightly angry. I couldn’t begin to describe how I felt at that moment, though I did wonder if this was some kind of perverse fairytale that ended, rather than began, at midnight.
                  I was just about to ask him what was wrong, when he suddenly slammed his hand on his forehead and managed to spit out, “Anya?! Well, this is just great! Just… just wonderful!”
                  It all hit me at once. I suddenly remembered where I had heard his voice before. I grabbed his mask and ripped in off with tremendous force that elicited a howling “Ow!” There, standing in front of me, was not my Prince Charming, only a frog dressed like one.
                  “Kevin? You have got to be kidding me!”
                  I looked at him for one more second before turning on my heels and storming away. Once I had made it off the dance floor I started going through it all in my head.
                  Kevin?
    Kevin was my mystery man?
    That was impossible. I needed glasses or something. It couldn’t have been him; he wasn’t kind or sweet, or the slightest bit charming. He was the opposite of charming, multiplied by a thousand. Was the world out to get me right now? But then I realized that it wasn’t so impossible after all. But he was part of my court; how could he not know it was me?
                  As I was running it all through my head I felt someone grab my arm and turn me around.
                  “Do you think this is some kind of joke?” Kevin growled, still holding my arm. “You thought it would be funny to make a fool out of me, huh? Didn’t you?”
                  I rolled my eyes as I yanked my arm from his grasp. “No, I don’t think this is a joke. God, Kevin, are you really that convinced that I’m out to get you? Actually, I was trying to avoid you all night, but apparently that didn’t work” Again I began to walk away when I suddenly remembered something. “Oh--and Kevin,” I twisted my body around to face him. “You might want to work a little on that pick-up line,” I laughed. “I mean really…” I made my voice lower, “‘I don’t want to follow you all night… unless you want me to. Ha!”
                  I turned to leave one last time, but he caught up and jumped in front, cutting me off from any exit.
                  “Well, at least I don’t go au naturel in front of a security camera on a dare,” he spat out, hoping it would faze me. It didn’t.
                  “Actually, I was in my bra and underwear so I wasn’t au naturel. Now, why don’t go dance off into the field of sunflowers, my little fairy princess, and work on your comebacks, ‘cause they all suck. If you don’t mind, I think I’m going to head off to bed. I’ve suddenly become very tired.” I muffled a fake yawn and pretended to flutter away like a fairy. I made it to the staircase before I felt another