Before she passed away from cancer, A. J. Walters made her husband Sean and daughter Brittany promise her one thing：Sean would accompany Brittany, a high school senior, to the homecoming game, where she was in the running for homecoming 1 . A. J. was a beloved administrative assistant at Brittany's high school. It was 2 to her that her daughter go. Brittany and Sean 3
Days later, on the morning of Friday, A. J. 4 . Keeping their 5 , that very afternoon, an emotional Brittany walked arm in arm with her father. They crossed the football field with the other candidates to await the6 of the voting.
Brittany wasn't7 homecoming queen that day；Nyla was. But, like many in the community, Nyla had also8 A. J. Out of 9 , moments after receiving the crown, Nyla walked over to Brittany, removed the crown from her head, and10 it on her friend's. The two11 , tearfully holding each other for support. "She'd rather have her 12 than a crown, " Nyla said. By13 it to Brittany, "I was telling her that she was her mom's queen, and that she was loved by many, 14 me. "
"I felt so much love from her, and I just felt so much15 for her, " said Brittany, "I can 16 my mom through Nyla. They have the17 caring and giving spirit. "
Nyla is no less perfect for 18 of a crown. A friend of the Walters family said, "There's an old19 goes, "Real queens fix each other's crowns. " But the fact is, real queens 20 their crowns to let other queens shine. "
