"Mister Gilinsky, much improved. Miss Durant, usual satisfactory. Miss...Ortega, see me after class."
In their 6th period English class, Mr. Farrow was handing out the graded tests they all took last week. Jack got a B-, Lucy got a B+, and Nadia unusually got a D+.
Nadia's breathing hastens, she's confused with her score. After class ended & the students left the classroom, Nadia remained in her seat. Mr. Farrow approaches her desk.
"What's going on," he asks. "This isn't like you."
Nadia shook her head. "Minor slip up?"
"A minor slip up for you is a 'B-'...a 'C' at worst. This was a complete bomb."
Mr. Farrow truly cared. He was still young himself so he understood. He wasn't just at West Bev to make a paycheck. Nadia understood this, but she couldn't handle the pep talks right now.
"Yeah, can we talk about this later?" Nadia cleared her throat as she gathered her things. "I have tons of things to do before the pageant tomorrow."
"I won't forget. Go get 'em."
As soon as she got out the classroom, her books and papers fell.
"Shit," she whispered to herself, trying to gather them back up quickly.
As she reaches for the last thing, her blue folder, she sees a hand reach for it and holds her breath once she realizes it's John.
"Thanks," she said plainly.
"Don't mention it," he softly replied.
That was all that was said before he continues walking down the hall. She missed him terribly and it ached deep in her heart.
. . . . .
It was 7 PM when Nadia woke up; her bed was covered with class notes & open textbooks. Immediate panic set in. She had one hour before the dress boutique closed and she needed to pick up her pageant gown & shoes.
"Mom," she frantically cried out into the hallway. "Mom! Why didn't you wake me up?!"
"Nadia? Relax," her mother said as she peeked out her bedroom door. "I already got your pageant stuff, they're in the living room. Now keep it down, my novela is on!"
Nadia took a deep breath but began to panic again once she remembered all she wanted to get done before the next day; all of her homework packets, at least one of her college admission essays, deep conditioning her hair, trying out different makeup looks, the list went on. This would take all night. She was fresh out of energy drinks & low on her weekly allowance. So she made a phone call.
30 minutes later, she found herself outside of Myles's apartment building. Ten minutes after hesitating in the parking lot, she found herself knocking on his door. The inside of his place was far from what she expected. The grounds of the apartment complex were already a sight.
She assumed since he was a drug dealer less than a year out of high school, that his living conditions would be less than. But they weren't. He lived with his cousin who was most likely also a dealer. The place was clean & neat, the floors were hardwood, everything had its place. You would've never thought a dealer lived here, then again, that's probably the whole point.
He took Nadia to his room and closed the door behind him. It was freezing in there but she liked how calm the decor made her feel. He had incense burning, a record player beside a crate filled with vinyl, posters of his favorite bands, & dark grey curtains. On his nightstand was a lamp, a glass of water, & a stack of 3 novels. She didn't expect any of this at all. But she didn't come here to adore interior design, she came for caffeine pills. When she turned to look at Myles, he presented her with a 6-pack of Red Bull & a smile.
"Is this a joke?" Nadia asked.
"Not at all," he replied. "Here."
"Funny. I asked for pills and even though you owe me for taking part in ruining my love life, I'll give you cash for them. 50 is all I've got."
"I'm tellin' you, a pretty girl like you don't wanna get hooked on that shit. And you will."
"Nice pep talk," Nadia scoffed. "Did you tell that to John too?"
"First off, he's not a pretty girl. Second off, his situation was different."
"Different, you say?"
"You don't have to believe me," he shrugged. "And if it matters that much to you, I'll start givin' him placebos."
"It doesn't," she looked over at the random album cover wall art. "If he wants to mess up his life in the name of football then so be it."
Myles shakes his head. "You're a piece of work."
"Thanks, I try."
"Just take the Red Bull and go, man."
"If I wanted Red Bull, I would've went to CVS. I drove all the way here for high-grade caffeine pills, now where are they?" She hissed.
"Sounding like a druggie already."
"Why do you fucking care?! Dealers aren't supposed to care!"
"I'm a human being first. And I'm tired of pretty girls like you depending on outside shit to get their lives in order. You wanna be fan-fucking-tastic then you gotta work for it and learn from it! John broke up with you, big fuckin deal! He's one guy. Get over it and get your shit together."
Nadia hated when people talked to her like that, partly because what they say is true. She thought she had it all figured out but she didn't. Tears filled her eyes and she sat down on the bed. Myles sat down next to her and rubbed her back.
"I'm sorry," he spoke softly. "Look, it's only a little before 8 on a Friday night, what do you need to stay up for? We're young, it's basically still in our DNA to naturally stay up all night."
"I don't even know if I care anymore," her voice cracked. "It's all so much."
"It's really that exhausting being so perfect huh?"
"I'm not perfect," she shook her head. "No matter how hard I try to be."
"If you say you're not perfect, then you're not. If you say you are, then you are."
"Your life quotes weird me out, Myles. You can stop."
He tried to keep a straight face but broke out with laughter and Nadia tried to contain herself too.
"Stop fighting everything you're feeling, Nadia. Goddamn," he laughed.
"Shut up," she told him. Then she couldn't help it, she laughed as well. "And if you must know, I wanted to finish my ridiculous amount of homework, my admissions essay for UCLA, and get my hair in tip-top shape for tomorrow. All things I wanted to do as soon as I got home but I was exhausted. Not to mention, I'm nervous about tomorrow...being in front of a crowd."
"But you're a cheerleader."
"Irrelevant. We cheer in front of crowds as a team. This pageant will look great for colleges to look at but I'm terrified with speaking and modeling in front of people. It's all eyes on me alone." She sighed.
"You can do your homework on Sunday, most admission essays aren't due until November, and your hair looks fine. Overthinkin' shit...again."
Nadia rolls her eyes and takes the 6-pack of Red Bull. She hugs Myles and it lingers longer than she planned. When starting to pull away, their cheeks brush against each others until their foreheads meet. Nadia purses her lips, fighting the urge but she knew of one thing that would relieve her.
"Thank you," she whispered. "I guess you're not that bad."
"You're not too bad either," he responded. "But don't go catchin' feelings."
"What the hell are feelings?" Her lips rush against his.
"Agreed," he breathes as they both lay back.
. . . . .
Emily peeks out from behind the curtain and watches as students, friends, & family fill the auditorium seats. She gets excited and happily goes to find all the girls to give a pep talk. Contestants are sitting in a row at their designated stage makeup mirrors. Everyone starts out wearing matching plain black dresses for introductions.
"Alright everyone!" Emily shouts with glee. "We're on in 15. I'm so proud of everyone and all the money raised for your charities. Remember to smile wide, don't be nervous, and speak clearly during the question segment! And I have a special surprise...remember how I said a friend of mine was going to be the host? That was a little white lie. I was able to pull a massive amount of strings and our host will be none other than actor...Darren Criss."
The girls cheer and squeal at the news and the guys could care less. Kian even side-eyes Lucy until she pokes his side.
"So I'm gonna need my male escorts to stay with the girls and everyone else, please find your seats." Emily makes her way to the back of the auditorium with the light & sound engineers.
Nate kisses Tiffany good luck around the same time Kian kisses Lucy good luck. Gilinsky hurries to Madison's mirror to grab his bowtie he left on the dresser and nearly bumps into Vanessa. Instead of it being awkward, he smiles and gives her a hug.
"You look great," he spoke.
"Thank you," she beamed. "I was at the hairdresser all day."
"Oh, could you uh...help me with my tie?"
"Sure."
She tied his bowtie like a pro. He tried to keep looking up as she did so but now & then, his eyes would fall down to her focused eyes. Her perfume was even fogging his senses.
"There," she said, patting the tie down.
"Thanks V," he exhaled.
The two rejoined the rest of the group, preparing to go on stage. Madison tried not to obviously glare at them and she quickly locked her arms with Jack's. Lucy brushed any sign of lint off Cameron's suit blazer and fixed his hair. Sammy and John were hanging out near Andrea while Nadia had snuck off to the bathroom really quick...only she wasn't using it, she was sneaking a drink out of a flask. She needed some liquid courage but at least her hair was nice like she wanted.
"Beauty is her name," Kalin complimented Vanessa.
"Aw thanks," Vanessa smiled.
Jack subtly rolls his eyes but not subtle enough to the point Madison hadn't noticed.
"I agree," Madison spoke. "You make this boring dress look good, Vanessa. Seriously. It's a good thing you don't have a baby bump or anything!"
Madison chuckled to herself but no one got the joke. Lucy paused a bit and Cameron looked at her, noticing her discomfort.
"The hell is that supposed to mean," Cameron defensively asked as he glared at Madison.
"Cam," Lucy stopped him.
The music started and everyone got in line. Nadia stumbled toward Sammy, her escort, last minute. She desperately needed to eat something and probably should've done so before she started drinking. They could hear Darren Criss on stage, opening the show and everyone got excited.
'Please welcome to the stage Miss Tiffany Kelly...Escorted by Nash Grier. Her charity of choice is Marina Delta- an organization that saves marine life worldwide. Her hobbies include watching old films, vlogging, & styling.'
'Next we have Miss Vanessa Jones...Escorted by Kalin White. Her charity of choice is Healthy Habitat- which helps promote & provide eco-friendly living for a better world. Her hobbies include reading, swimming, & making people smile.'
'Next up is Miss Lucy Durant...Escorted by Cameron Dallas. Her charity of choice is Nature Persuasion- focused on preserving nature & wildlife. Her hobbies include photography & baking.'
'Next to the stage is Miss Madison Beer...Escorted by Jack Gilinsky. Her charity of choice is Helping Hands- a charity dedicated to helping underprivileged children live out their dreams. Her hobbies include singing & shopping.'
'Here we have Miss Nadia Ortega...Escorted by Sam Wilkinson. Her charity is...'
Nadia had slipped right before reaching the front of the stage. She almost brought Sammy down with her causing Kali to cringe in the audience, gripping onto Johnson's jacket.
"Someone had a little too much to drink," Kian quietly chuckled to the stranger sitting next to him.
Sammy helped her up and she tried to pull herself together without feeling mortified. Darren continued with his lines.
'There we go, she's okay folks! Nadia's chosen charity is AquaPure- an organization that provides clean water to third world countries. Her hobbies include drawing, snowboarding, cheerleading, and scrapbooking.'
'Next up we have Miss Andrea Russett...Escorted by John Swift. Her charity of choice is the Pinkhearted Foundation- a charity that helps raise money for Breast Cancer cure research. Her hobbies include acting & fitness.'
"And boyfriend-stealing," Nadia mumbled to herself as she got backstage to change.
Darren introduced 3 other girls and next up was the swimsuit section which Nadia took another shot of alcohol for. It surprisingly went smoothly. Kian whistled in the crowd once Lucy took the stage. Nate even admired her lowkey, remembering their intimate times but he snapped himself out of it.
After that, it was finally time for the formal wear and question segment. One by one the girls came out in their expensive gowns and answered their questions with poise & style; questions they pulled out of a bowl.
And then...it was Madison's turn. She walked on stage looking like Hollywood royalty in a Diane von Furstenberg gown. After Jack walked her to the front of the stage with Darren, she pulled out her question.
"Alright Madison," Darren began to read. "What are your thoughts on the increase of teen pregnancies & what do you feel is a good solution to decreasing that percentage?"
"Of course," Lucy said to Cameron backstage.
"Well Darren," Madison cleared her throat. "I think it's an alarming number that can easily be fixed but only with time. People make mistakes all the time and it's our job to educate instead of scold them. They don't know any better. Even girls older than me don't know any better and it's disheartening. I feel with the proper knowledge and resources like our schools used to have, we can bring those numbers back down and help these girls who are far from ready for parenthood to make better choices."
"Very well said, round of applause for Madison Beer!"
Once Madison and Jack returned backstage, Madison had the nerve to wink at Lucy.
"You know," Lucy said to Cameron. "My parents aren't even here. I could kick her ass, just once."
"She's not worth it," Cameron held onto her shoulder.
Last up was Nadia who was well-enough tipsy for the entire auditorium. Her eyes were a little lower and she giggled to herself for no reason.
"How are you feeling tonight Miss Ortega?" Darren asked.
"Feelin' like a fine wine, Darren. Like a fine wine," she answered with a little southern twang a la Matthew McConaughey. "How about you?"
"I'm feeling great, thanks for asking," he chuckled. "Onto the question you chose...What would be your solution to child & teenage obesity?"
Nadia bursted into laughter. "What solution Darren? I mean...what's the point really? If food makes someone happy then, pfft, eat! You like sweets? Have a whole damn cake on a Sunday afternoon. We should all treat ourselves because at the end of the day, only we love ourselves. We can't depend on any other losers to do that for us, you know? Do you- you feel me, Darren? Eat what tastes like happy! Thank you and God bless us, everyone."
John shakes his head from backstage. He can tell she's been drinking. She didn't even wait for Sammy to escort her back.
"A-and that concludes the final segment. We'll take a brief intermission to tally votes & will return in 10 minutes!"
"What the hell is wrong with you," John fumed at her.
"Yo back off John," she pushed him away.
"You're drunk."
"I'm tipsy, there's a difference." Nadia stumbles.
"Doesn't make it right."
Nadia laughed loudly and John covered her mouth, resulting in her slapping his hand away.
"You? You wanna school me on what's right?" Nadia slurred. "Fucking hypocrite. Go be with Andrea. Go kiss her and hug her and tell her how much you like her more than you like me. Okay? You go be with her and I'll go fuck Myles again." She laughs while finger-combing her hair.
"...What?" There was sheer horror in John's eyes.
"Does it hurt? Do you finally feel what I felt...Swazz? I've been fucking your drug dealer. Not even out of revenge. He makes me feel better than any of your silly little pills."
John felt a rage build up beneath his skin and he had to rip himself away from her presence before he brought more attention than needed. Nadia formed a metaphoric gun with her hand, held the tip up to her lips, & blew the imaginary smoke.
Meanwhile, Vanessa is absolutely glowing as she makes her way over to Lucy.
"Oh my goodness, Lucy, guess what!"
"What's up?" Lucy answers, but in reality her mind is far away. She's in deep thought, still affected by Madison's mind games.
"Kalin asked me out on a date," Vanessa told her quietly.
"Really?" Lucy tried her best to look happy for her best friend. "I'm so happy for you! When's the date?"
"Probably next weekend, we're gonna play mini golf."
"That sounds so cute, Ness."
The music on stage begins and everyone prepares to go back out there, some more enthused than the others. In a single-file line, the girls walk onto the stage to their positions.
"It was a tough decision," Darren said. "But the judges have decided...your 2015 West Bev Pageant Queen is...Lucy Durant!"
Kian jumped out of his seat, cheering for Lucy above the audience applause. Lucy was in pure shock, she didn't expect nor care to win. She looked back at the girls as she walked forward. Vanessa was smiling ear to ear, Andrea was nodding letting Lucy know it was well-deserved, and Madison rocked a fake smile. An equally happy Cameron came from offstage and presented Lucy with a bouquet of two-dozen roses, a tiara, & a silk sash.
"Um," Lucy began. She didn't prepare a speech nor feel like making one. But it was tradition. "Thank you...to everyone, to the judges. Special thanks to my boyfriend Kian, and my best friends, I appreciate everyone's support. I had no idea I could win anything, much less...a pageant. But...I can't accept this."
The crowd murmured with confusion. Kian's eyebrows knitted together, Nate shifted in his seat, and Emily let her head fall into her hands.
"This belongs to a genuine person. No offense to the other contestants, but Vanessa Jones should be your Queen. Because all I've been doing is living a lie. I never wanted to be in this pageant. I like the charity part but I think pageants are silly."
Kali nodded in the audience with agreement. "Right on," she spoke quietly.
Lucy looked at Cameron and he nodded as he patted her on the back.
"It's hard to breathe when you're keeping a secret," Lucy continued. "I haven't been too truthful to those closest to me. Tonight, Madison commented on teenage girls not knowing any better when it comes to sex and pregnancies. Well, last summer, I was one of those girls. And it bothered me because...Madison was well aware that I was one of those girls. So the cat's out of the bag. I was pregnant...and I wasn't ready. So I had to do what I had to do."
Nate was stunned, his mouth couldn't close and he couldn't blink. Tiffany looked at him with sympathy while Kian looked at Lucy with sympathy, covering his mouth & watching as tears rolled down her eyes.
"I walk around like there was never anything wrong...and there was. I didn't want anyone to pity me. But it was just a dark cloud over my head, a cloud I have had to live with. And...I think Vanessa should win because not only is she truthful at all times..." Lucy looks over at Madison. "She also doesn't blackmail people with their secrets to get her way."
"Preach it," Nadia slurred.
Jack looks between Lucy and an angry Madison & proceeds to back away from Madison. She reaches out for him, pleading him not to leave her side, but he does so anyway, leaving the stage.
"Kalin," Lucy calls out as she takes off her tiara. "Crown the rightful Queen."
Lucy also gives him the sash and hands the roses to Vanessa herself. The audience applauds Lucy for her honesty and applauds the new Queen. Darren says some more words over the applause and Lucy leaves the stage, trembling with immense emotion. Cameron holds her tight.
"You got this," Cameron says into her ear. He pulls back and holds her face in his hands. "You did it, Lucy. Are you okay?"
"No," she tearfully shakes her head. "But I can breathe."
Soon, Kian rushes backstage and runs into Lucy's arms.
"Why didn't you tell me baby?" He pets her hair.
"I didn't want you to feel sorry for me," she cried into his shirt. "I didn't wanna be anyone's charity case. But it felt so fucking lonely and I couldn't breathe at night knowing Madison was threatening to tell everyone. That was my fucking secret, not hers."
"Shh, shh, it's okay. I'm still here," Kian rocked her side to side. "We don't have to dwell on it, okay? We'll just...I don't know, let's go talk shit about her while we stuff our faces with pancakes, would you like that?"
Lucy nodded against his chest.
"Where the fuck is she?!" Lucy heard Nate shout.
Nate charged toward her but Cameron held him back. Tears filled Nate's eyes and his face was red. He pointed his finger in her face and Kian turned a bit so he'd partially serve as Lucy's human shield.
"You're fuckin' heartless," Nate screamed through his tears. "Why didn't you tell me?! Why didn't you ask me how I would feel before you got rid of our kid?!"
"I know I should've consulted with you. But you were too busy sticking your tongue down every other girl's throat! You didn't have to give me your answer, your actions said it all," she shouted back.
"You know that's not fair! What the fuck, Lucy!"
"There's no way we could've raised a child together, Nate. Can't you see? The day I caught you cheating on me was the day I found out I was pregnant. I'm a forgiving person but how can I forgive what I saw with my own two eyes? All I saw after that was me being another single teenaged mother statistic. I have things I wanna do in life, places I wanna see...we were stupid that one night. But I'll never let it happen again. And when I decide to have a baby, I'll be ready...and it'll be with someone who loves me. And if you can't respect that...I'm sorry."
"It's her body, dude," Kian added.
"Nate," Tiffany said quietly.
"What?" He unknowingly snapped, making Tiffany jump. "...Sorry. I gotta get outta here. I-I can't...be here."
Vanessa rushed past Nate who was storming out. She hugged Lucy, apologizing for not paying attention. But Lucy was more worried that Nate was about to do something stupid; not to her, but to himself.
_____________________
A/N: Alright Nate, just take it one day at a time.
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