Maya: Julian, please don't do this just out of pity. I can't take it right now.
Julian: It's not pity, Maya. I've been waiting all night to ask you for a dance.
Beth: Is this some kind of joke? Julian, your dad is the biggest trustee of this school board! My parents paid thousands for our table!
Julian: Money can buy champagne dresses, Beth, but it clearly can't buy class.
Chloe: How dare you talk to us like that!
Julian: I'm talking to you the way you deserve to be talked to after picking on someone who has ten times the courage you do.
Maya wiped her face with the back of her hand, her voice still cracking.
Maya: Julian, my legs... you know about the accident last year. I can't stand up without support.
Julian: I know all about your accident, Maya. And I know how hard you worked in physical therapy every single day.
Maya: How do you know that?
Julian: My sister goes to the same rehabilitation clinic. I saw you in the gym every afternoon pushing yourself until you couldn't breathe.
Maya gasped, her eyes widening in realization.
Maya: That was your sister in the pediatric wing?
Julian: Yeah. She talks about you constantly. She says you're her hero because you never gave up, even when the doctors said your nerve damage was permanent.
Beth: Oh, give me a break! This isn't a charity documentary, Julian! You're ruining the entire atmosphere of Senior Prom!
Julian: The atmosphere was fine until you opened your mouth, Beth.
Chloe: My dad is a senior partner at your father's law firm! Just wait until he hears how you humiliated us!
Julian: Tell your dad whatever you want. My father knows all about honor, and he knows I don't stand by while bullies harass people.
Maya felt a sudden rush of warmth through her chest. For months, she had felt completely invisible, hidden away in her bedroom after the car crash ruined her athletic scholarship and left her confined to a wheelchair.
Maya: I was so scared to come tonight. My mom spent weeks altering this blue dress so it would fit around the chair.
Julian: You look incredible, Maya. Don't let two mean girls ruin a dress your mom worked so hard on.
Beth: Look at them whispering! It's so embarrassing! She's literally stuck in a chair!
Julian: Who said she's stuck?
Julian reached into his pocket and pulled out a small set of keys, unlocking the footrests of her wheelchair. Then, he unbuckled her safety strap.
Maya: Julian... what are you doing?
Julian: You told me last month at the clinic that you had a secret you were saving for graduation. But I think tonight is a much better night for it.
Maya: I haven't tried it in public yet! What if I collapse? What if everyone laughs at me?
Julian: I won't let you fall. I swear on my life, Maya. Trust me.