There’s a heartwarming, real-life fairy tale coming from Texas this week, but before I get into details, I’ll have to explain the importance of homecoming in the Lonestar state.

If high school football is the pinnacle of success in a Texas teenager’s years, homecoming is like the Superbowl halftime show. It’s a week-long affair that includes pageantry, school spirit, and grandiose displays of popularity in the form of mums. For my non-Texan readers, mums are gigantic ribbon/fake flower/crafts that kids exchange and hang on their lockers to brag about how many friends they have. They make the school look like Hobby Lobby threw up all over the hallway and serve as yet another reminder who the cool kids are.

Then there’s the homecoming dance. Teens spend hundreds of dollars on formal attire and dinners to impress each other. Asking a date is a big deal, and for some kids, can end in embarrassment.

Meet Lincoln. He’s a 15-year-old in North Texas who went out on a limb and asked one of the cool girls to homecoming, only to find out days later that she pretended to accept his offer as a way to make fun of him.

Lincoln’s mom was heartbroken for him and shared his story on a private Facebook page for moms. The post resonated, and that’s when Barbara-Anne’s mom got in touch.

Barbara-Anne is a 14-year-old ballerina who, because of her dance schedule, homeschools. She wanted the chance to go to a homecoming dance, Lincoln needed a date, and so the two of them had the last laugh. They became fast friends and decided to go together.

The moms in the Facebook group wanted to help the kids have a great night, so they donated toward hair, makeup, pictures, and spending money, and if you ask me, Lincoln could not have had a more beautiful date.

These days we hear so much about the evils of social media, but Lincoln and Barbara-Anne’s story is a reminder of the good it can also bring. It takes a village to raise children, and these days that village is often a virtual one. Cyber friends are more than just random profile pics and comment threads on Facebook. They are real-life people with the power to turn around bad situations.

Bullying happens. High school is hard. But thanks to the compassion of one mom group, strangers became friends. A nice guy and a ballerina danced the night away.

Lincoln and Barbara-Anne: 1

Bullies: 0

The next time the internet gets you down, remember Lincoln and Barbara-Anne’s story. I know I will.