you should see me in a crown leah johnson

I take a step back- tray still in my death grip- and brace myself. “Lighty, watch it! I’ve got a thing to do.” Derek Lawson leans into the word thing like what he’s prepping for is some big mystery as he plants himself directly in front of me. All I need is the email confirming that I got the scholarship and. I’ll be on my way to Pennington, the best private college in the state, living the life I’ve always dreamed about: one surrounded by people like me, in a place I fit, on track to becoming a doctor. I’m grateful that in a few months all this will be behind me. Or, worse, a video of that fall blowing up on Campbell Confidential, the gossipy, Twitter-esque app some senior created a few years ago that has become my worst nightmare. I shudder at the thought of a slip that douses me in ranch dressing or a trip that lands me in the lap of one of the guys from the wrestling team. I’m clutching my tray with both hands, hoping that Beyoncé grants me the strength to make it to my usual lunch table without any incidents. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams … or make them come true? But Mack is also in the running for queen. She’s smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. There’s nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington. But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz’s plans come crashing down … until she’s reminded of her school’s scholarship for prom king and queen. But it’s okay-Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor. Liz Lighty has always believed she’s too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. Photos courtesy of Leah Johnson and design by Kendra Kay Creative.

Leah Johnson, BAJ'16, released her debut novel, You Should See Me in a Crown, in June 2020 under Scholastic.

You should see me in a crown leah johnson