Senior Low
"And the award for most handsome goes to...Dylan Mckay!"
Brenda watched as David and Donna called out the names of the winners of The West Beverly class of '93 senior poll. It was the popularity contest to end all popularity contests. One in which Brenda knew she couldn't win, that is if she even really wanted to win anything. She sure as hell didn't want to win most likely to OD at Kelly Taylor's birthday party, but that was mostly her claim to fame lately.
The sound of Dylan's name ringing out in the quad caused her hands to tremble a bit but it wasn't surprising. Most of the girls in their class had secret crushes on him, and it was no surprise he would get all the votes to win "most handsome."
Brenda looked around for him, as she stood near Kelly. She and Kelly weren't really standing together, but they weren't shooting each other daggers either. They were both just there. Kelly was busy fluffing her hair up, and straightening her blouse out, obviously getting ready for the next category to be called.
Everybody from the gang had been called up to the stage so far like Oscar winners. It was almost embarrassing how "popular" the gang was. Brandon, and Andrea had won "most likely to succeed, Donna won "best dressed," David "best dancer," Steve "biggest flirt," and now Dylan "most handsome." Brenda knew Kelly would be next for "most beautiful."
It was as certain as the sky being blue, and the grass being green that Kelly would win "most beautiful" at West Beverly. It didn't matter how deceitful she had been this year, or how many guys she managed to seduce. Kelly was always the most popular girl in school and she won things. That was just how it went. First it was "spring queen," then it was Dylan, and now it would be "most beautiful." Brenda tried to stuff the jealousy down as it rose inside her, but it would always be there, even with Kelly and Dylan being broken up now. She really wasn't in the mood to watch Kelly win things, in fact going to pop a pill right now seemed like a better idea, but she wouldn't give into those urges anymore. She was dealing with it all now head on, Kelly and her urge to self medicate. Brenda was staying clean, but it didn't mean she didn't need something. Watching your friends win everything while you stand back in the grass wasn't exactly the stuff her golden memories would be made of, or the best way to take your mind off an addiction She had to be stronger than this. Stronger than West Beverly, and the heartache she had suffered, stronger than her pill urge.
Their classmates were looking around waiting for Dylan to walk to the stage. People were turning around and trying to spot him. Brenda knew in a second he wasn't and wouldn't be around to accept his "award." Brenda knew him well enough to know, there was no way in hell Dylan Mckay would even acknowledge this kind of thing.
Brenda crossed her arms, as Kelly turned around and eyed her giving her a sort of half-smile. Brenda turned away from her as something made her look up now, and high up on a ledge above she spotted Dylan looking down at the ceremony. He was sitting on a ledge leaned up against a pillar. Suddenly, he spotted her too, and their eyes connected like powerful currents. Dylan didn't smile, or nod, or wave, he just gazed at her. Brenda had to look away. She couldn't let herself get sucked into all this again. Missing Dylan, had almost killed her.
"Where is Dylan?" Kelly actually turned around again and asked her.
"Beats me," Brenda answered her, sort of clapping now even though Dylan wasn't on stage.
Kelly tried to smile again, and turned around quickly.
"Alright Dylan wherever you are we'll hold onto this for you," David told the crowd jokingly pretending to put Dylan's prize under his vest. The crowd laughed and Brenda wondered if she should just beat it before the next category was called.
"David just call the next category," Donna told him pretending to smack him in the head. The crowd laughed like mindless drones soaking up all this frivolousness.
"Alright and finally the award for your most beautiful goes to the one the only..." David opened up the envelope, "thee Kelly Taylor..."
"Oh my lord," Kelly put her hands to her mouth gleefully as she walked up to the stage to take her prize.
Brenda clapped sheepishly as Kelly walked to the stage. She took the envelope from David and sort of gave a curtsy to the crowd or more like her loyal subjects really. The cat calls, and whistles rang out loudly for Kelly, as she soaked up the attention. It was all so disgusting. Senior Poll day sucked.
Brenda hated all of it. The celebrating of such superficiality, and favoritism. It all seemed so pointless after almost dying. She knew Dylan hated it all too.
After Kelly's big win the crowd sort of dispersed as all the categories had been called. Brenda looked up again at the ledge to see if Dylan was still there but she couldn't spot him now.
#
Dylan watched from above as the winners for the Senior Poll were called. It was your typical practice in absurdity. As if any of this had anything to do with anything real in the world. It was just more mindless distractions to entertain them all before they finally checked out of West Beverly for good. He felt embarrassed and super annoyed at whatever he had "won." He would have no part in it. If people only knew how empty and dark his soul felt they definitely wouldn't be nominating him for anything.
He knew though who was at the top of his senior poll in all categories. He watched her, as she watched the stage kind of clapping from time to time. She still looked so sad, and unsure. Brenda. Seeing her around school again was great, but they weren't a part of each other's lives anymore. It hurt to look down at the mostly strangers below, to see the one girl who he felt he knew better than anyone. She was the one girl though, he could never have again. How could they have been so close, to almost being like strangers now when they passed each other in the hall? He wanted to go down to her, and pull her out of here. Let everyone else celebrate themselves, he'd take her to the beach and celebrate the ocean, and the soft lines of her skin, and the way her eyes and lips could melt him away from the world. He'd celebrate her mind and body all day long if he could, but he couldn't. He couldn't take her anywhere now. She would never go with him, and he didn't blame her.
#
Brandon clapped for Kelly as she accepted her "most beautiful" win. He knew it was a shallow category but he couldn't not be happy for her. Seeing the girl you love smiling like a summer day did something to you.
The crowd had managed to disperse a little and he tried to catch up with her, as people wanted to stop and chat, to congratulate the girl who won "most beautiful."
"Hey Kel," Brandon approached her.
"Well if it isn't most likely to succeed..." Kelly eyed him up and down.
Brandon rubbed his nose kind of embarrassed. "Yeah most likely to to be clueless should be the only thing I win this year."
"I think all of us, myself included deserve that award," Kelly agreed with him. "So how have you been since everything...how's Bren holding up?"
"She's good. Real good. Staying clean you know..."
"We see each other and say hi now once in awhile, but that's about it..." Kelly mentioned sadly.
"It's just going to take time Kel, for everyone..."
"I know, I mean I know I have no right to think I deserve to be in her life, but still, I just miss her..."
Brandon didn't know what to say. It sucked that Brenda and Kelly could never be the friends they had been again. It sucked knowing that Kelly deserved for Brenda to not be able to forgive her, but still he couldn't deny his personal feelings for Kelly. They were like two fireflies that had buzzed around each other for years before finally starting to create a light. The timing was unfortunate, but he couldn't tell his heart that. The heart had a mind of its own.
"I know my sister Kel, and I know she misses you too."
"How could she Brandon, I mean really after what I did. I caused your sister to start popping pills, I can't even believe you talk to me actually." Kelly folded her arms looking down. She didn't know where this was all coming from, but despite winning "most beautiful" she didn't feel that way inside. Sure it was flattering, and made her feel like all the effort she had put into her looks over the years had paid off, but she didn't feel worthy of where it really mattered. She didn't feel worthy of Brandon's love or attention.
"Kel.. you know you're not just "most beautiful" to me. You've never been just that, and I know that what happened this summer wasn't the real you. That's not the girl I know, or who I think I know. We all make mistakes," Brandon told her sincerely.
"Well I wish I could stop making them..." Kelly tucked her hair behind her ears.
"Me too, because I know what I'm about to do..." Brandon touched her face softly and couldn't resist pulling her lips to his. Her lips felt soft, and sweet like he imagined the petals of a rose to taste.
Their lips lingered together for a moment, and then their foreheads settled against each other, as Kelly held his hand that was against her cheek now.
"Brandon..." she couldn't stop the surprised smile and hot blush from spreading across her face.
Brandon grinned. "Would it be a total mistake if I asked you to go to prom with me?"
Kelly's heart thumped madly in her chest. She was crazy about Brandon Walsh. She always had been. She had taken some really ugly turns to get here, but here they were.
"Would it be a total mistake if I said yes?" Kelly bit her lip.
Brandon shrugged playfully. "You know we've all made a lot of mistakes lately, maybe it's time we did something right..." With that he started to kiss her again. It didn't matter if he didn't end up most likely to succeed, or if Kelly wouldn't always be most beautiful, together they could form a whole new category entirely.
They continued to kiss as their arms wrapped around each other tightly, letting their award envelopes fall to the ground and blow away for good.
Author's note: So that was my version of the senior poll. It still sucks Brenda didn't win anything but with the way she got kind of displaced from the group towards the end of season 3 I felt it still had to happen. I know it's hard to root for Kelly but I do think Brandon managed to bring out a better side to her that we hadn't gotten to see. In this story I wanted Kelly to feel regret for her actions but I also wanted her to make a sort of breakthrough. I feel like Brandon was her breakthrough. She doesn't have to be thee Kelly Taylor with Brandon. She gets to be a different version of herself. Let me know what you think? More to come as prom is still coming up! I'm trying to update as much as I can. Life gets in the way sometimes, but stay posted!