41| The Beauty Pageant (2)

Maya stood in front of the judges, waiting for them to ask her something. Her eyes were particularly focused on Isobel Harper. For some reason, she wanted Isobel to like her and consider her good enough to be Zachary's friend. Impressing parents were never an issue for Maya but the Harpers were another thing.

"What is your goal in life?" Isobel asked her.

Maya paused for a minute, forming an answer in her mind. "I... Well, there are some short term goals like graduating high school, getting admission in a med school, giving the valedictorian speech, be more confident in my skin but I have only one long term goal for now. To find peace in what I do."

Isobel passed her a smile at her answer. Then the other judge asked, "And how exactly would you define peace?"

Maya heaved a long sigh. "Peace for me is satisfaction. I want to enjoy the things I love, without having to worry about losing myself in the way. Love, money, travel, happiness, I want each thing in moderation because excess of any good thing can make it toxic."

Few more questions were asked and Maya was able to answer everything without stuttering. All five girls were now on stage, having discussion with the judges one by one. Once she was done, she took few steps back and Althea moved forwards.

"What is your goal in life, Althea?" Isobel asked the same question again.

"I want to be perfect." Althea stated confidently. "Many people here will disagree with me. They will say, perfection is a mirage. They will say, I am a stupid idealist. But what's the point in living if you don't make the most out of everything?"

"What exactly is perfection for you?" The third judge asked.

"Perfection for me is not just about looking perfect, as some people accuses me of. It is to be at my best, even when the circumstances forces me to bow down. It is to never give my opponents the joy of seeing me defeated. It is to be well-spoken, to be well-dressed, to be well-educated. Life is too short to be ordinary. We can't do everything in this life but whatever we do, I want to do it in the best way possible." Althea answered.

"What about Satisfaction?" Isobel asked.

"Satisfaction is overrated, ma'am. The notion of being satisfied in what you have is what stops you from reaching the stars. To be extraordinary, we have to push ourselves, be better than others, be better than your own self. We need the thrill pumping in our veins, making it harder for us to breathe before we achieve our next goal." She said.

After Althea's turn, all five girls remained standing there while the judges decide the winner. After some ten minutes of discussion, Isobel Harper came to the stage and said in the mic, "I must say girls, you all are brilliant. That's the kind of thinking we need in our women. We want them to be smart and not just beautiful. With that, I will start by announcing the name of our second runner-up."

Maya crossed her fingers and watched the intense exchange of glares between Blaire and Althea.

"Blaire Willow." She said and Blaire's eyes widened. She huffed angrily as the other female judge moved forwards and gave her the runner-up sash.

"It was all staged." She grunted under her breath and stomped out of the stage in anger, throwing the sash to a side.

Althea smirked and then angled her neck to look at Maya. Maya gulped nervously as Althea stared at her from head to toe and then turned her attention back to her mother.

"Now for the first runner-up, we have... Any guesses?" She said and the audience screamed various names. Most of the voices said Althea but Maya felt herself smile when she heard few screams of her name as well.

"Maya Andrews which means this year's Miss. Majesty High is Althea Harper." Isobel announced and with that, all the crowd erupted in cheers. The male judge moved forwards to put the crown on Althea's head while Isobel walked towards Maya with her sash.

"For the record, I voted for you to win." She said, putting on the sash on her. "I liked your ideas."

"Thanks." Maya blushed and watched as everyone gathered around Althea.

Some people came up to congratulate her as well, people who have never talked to her before, people who have never acknowledged her in the hallway. She replied to anyone with a smile and once the people around her dissipated, she walked backstage where Zachary was standing.

"That's stupid. I mean I am happy for my sister but she is blessed with the Harper genes. They should have given you the crown. You are the one that worked hard." Zachary said grumpily.

"I am happy, Zachary." She said on reaching him. "I really am. I never thought I would be able to walk in heels, let alone come second to Althea. Thank you. It wouldn't have been possible without you."

"But still, you deserved to win." He said.

"And I won. I won against the voice in my head." Maya smiled wide.

Zachary stared at her in awe. She was certainly too mature for her age. He was used to dealing with whiny teenagers who only knows how to throw at tantrum at every little thing. But Maya knew how to take a small thing and makes the most of it.

"Are we celebrating or not?" She asked.

"Yes, we are. Gather your friends. My treat." He winked.

••••••••••

After dealing with the crowd of students congratulating her, Althea made her way to the backstage to finally celebrate with her friends. She called the cook at the mansion and told him to arrange the whole celebration feast. She then called her event planner to check if the pool party was ready.

"Where is everyone?" She hopped towards Olive and hugged her.

"Congratulations, you deserved it." Olive said.

"Thanks. But first, where the hell is Zoey?" She asked. Zoey didn't come when her name was being called and it stressed her out so much.

"I called her. She said she is with Travis. That's the only thing I know for now." Olive replied and ran her fingers along her crown.

"Oh." Althea whispered in disappointment. She hated that guy for stealing her friend at this important moment of her senior year.

"And Zachary? He was here few minutes ago." She said and looked around for him.

"He has gone to celebrate with Maya." Olive shrugged.

"Oh." Althea's smile dimmed.

"And Ethan?" She asked. Her eyes searched again and again in the crowd for Ethan during the whole ceremony but he was nowhere to be found. It won't be a lie to say she wanted him here, to cheer her up, to be his usual overenthusiastic self when it comes to her.

"He never came." Olive replied and she felt empty all of sudden.

Althea plastered a fake smile on her face, ignoring the bitter feeling in her stomach. "So it's just us then? Let's go celebrate." She linked her hands with Olive's.

"Actually," Olive slowly pulled her hand away. "Please don't mind but I need to go. We have a friendly soccer match with St. Anthony's. I am already late because I wanted to congratulate you first."

Saying this, Olive picked up her backpack and made her way out of the dressing area. Althea looked around herself. She won the pageant but she was alone. All her friends had something else more important to do at this moment. She was not anybody's priority.

Taking off the crown, she sat down on an empty chair. The corners of her lips dipped down as her eyes froze on the shiny blue crystal on the crown. Why does it feel so anticlimactic? She wanted this so much but right now, she couldn't feel happy. What was the point of all of this then?

Is this the peace Maya was talking about?

•••••••••••

"She looks so sad. I think you should go talk to her." Cindy said to Ethan.

Ethan shook his head and stared at Althea in awe. She was looking breathtaking but the sadness on her face was heartbreaking. He was there, hiding in the crowd, noticing each and every detail of the pageant. The whole ceremony, his eyes remained fixated on her and how beautiful she looked. He knew how much he wanted to win this contest since they were in freshman year. And now she had won it.

"I think you should tell her that there is nothing between us." Cindy said.

"Not yet." Ethan replied.

About two months ago, Cindy came to this school and they both met each other in their Literature class. They were paired together in a project and slowly, they became friends. Cindy told him how her parents moved to this city because in her last school, she was seen kissing a girl. Her parents were extremely homophobic and thought she was 'out of her mind'. They thought changing the atmosphere will improve her 'condition'.

She proposed Ethan to be her pretend boyfriend so she could deal with her parents. It was stupid and cowardly but that's the only option she had. And Ethan agreed immediately, because he himself wanted to prove to Althea that he could be in a sustainable relationship.

"Talk to her at least." Cindy said and walked past him down the stairs.

Ethan braced himself and walked over to Althea. She looked so appealing in that dress that it took all his courage to not pull her into his arms and kiss the hell out of her.

Once he reached her, Althea lifted her head to look at him. "Everybody left." She said dimly.

Ethan sighed and seated himself beside her. "Congratulations. You won."

"Thanks." She whispered and kept staring at her crown. After a long silence, she said, "Am I a bad friend, Ethan? Why are my friends not here to celebrate my happiness?"

Ethan fought the urge to hug her or at least hold her hand. Since his childhood, he has been with her with to enjoy her every achievement. Even though she ignored her, he was always there, existing in the background, waiting for her to need him for anything.

"Let's celebrate." Ethan offered, momentarily forgetting about his plan to make Althea realize his importance.

"No. I don't want to have a party." She said.

Ethan extended his arm and grazed the back of his hand against her silky arm. "We can enjoy without a party."

"How?" She asked.

Ethan stood up and pulled out his phone. He played a song on it, put the phone on an empty table and then extended his arm in front of her.

Althea's eyes switched between his hand and his face and after some contemplation, took his hand. They both stood face to face and he gripped her both hands with his own.

"Why are we dancing?" She asked.

"To celebrate. Remember the routine we used to perform in fourth standard?" He asked.

That salsa you and Zachary used to perform?" She corrected.

"Yes." He nodded.

Althea chuckled as she remembered how stupid they used to look. It was a phase of their childhood when Zachary and Ethan got interested in salsa. They even included Althea sometimes but she soon realized it looked stupid and tacky.

"Are you serious, Ethan?" She asked when Ethan moved her along the rhythm.

"Yes, I am." He said.

"You are stupid." She said but didn't part away.

They both did the same routine after almost eight years and surprisingly, they remembered most of it. He chuckled when she forgot to move back when he rocked forwards and they both ended up bumping their heads. Althea first glared but she ended up laughing as well.

The dance continued and continued until she was breathless and resting her head on his chest. The fast salsa had changed into a slow, steady dance now. Their breaths were coming out in sync and Ethan's hand was resting loosely on Althea's waist.

"I am sorry for what I did that night at the dinner." She said, lifting her head from his chest.

"It's okay. You didn't want me to kiss you. I understand." He replied, staring at her lips that were covered in red lipstick. Her beautiful lips, so soft, so plump.

"It's not about what I wanted." She whispered under her breath.

"What?" He asked in confusion.

"It's hard, Ethan. I... I need to have a plan. I..."

"Do you wanted me to kiss you?" He whispered, inclining his face towards her.

Their eyes locked together and they both felt the world around them stop for a moment. "No. I mean... I don't... I... Maybe. God, I don't know." She stammered.

"Let me help you decide then." He said and kissed her. She gasped when he pulled her tightly against him and he used the gasp to his advantage and entered his tongue in her mouth.

Althea's mind stopped working and all she could feel was his tongue, her tongue, their tongues fighting. She was never one to succumb but at that moment, it felt like the better option to let him win.

She gave up and let his tongue discover her mouth as if his life depended on it. A groan escaped her mouth, followed by a moan from Ethan and they both backed away until they were against a wall.

They kissed for what felt like hours but the minute his lips trailed kisses on Althea's cheeks, her senses returned and she pushed him away. "You have a girlfriend, Ethan." She reminded him.

"Althea," he whispered her name.

"You proved it, Ethan. You can never survive in a relationship." she mumbled in annoyance.

"I... I... I don't..."

"What?" Althea asked breathlessly.

"Nothing." He groaned. "I am sorry. This will never happen again."

Saying this, he left and Althea sat down on the chair to calm her erratic breathing.

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