Seasons

The Final Night - II

Anntonia's POV:

The time we have to prepare now is surprisingly longer than the preparation time given to us during the preliminaries. It's probably because the current Miss Universe had a talk with the hosts, the sponsors were introduced, and the series of commercials were also longer. We had the time to do even the smallest details for our bodies to be ready for the swimsuit competition.
 
"You might trip."
 
I was startled when Michelle suddenly appeared behind me, taking the lace I had been playing with since I was finished preparing.
 
"Stop surprising me. I am nervous, okay?"
 
She just smiled widely and threw the lace away. Her eyes were still darting to where the lace was about to fall, but mine started to admire her features. MUBA's forte of makeup really suits her well. It emphasizes her sultry look. Her hair also adds plus points to her sex appeal. I mean, that wet look? That's too gorgeous to handle.
 
"Red suits her well too. The deep cut of the swimsuit is just... I don't know. It's perfect. I.. I have nothing to say."
 
"Thank you."
 
"Huh?"
 
"You do realize you're saying it out loud?" Michelle teased. My eyes widened, and I covered my mouth when I realized that I actually said it loudly, and it wasn't just on my mind.
 
"You're being annoying again, Dee. Go there to your group."
 
"Fine. Good luck!" Michelle was about to leave, but she turned to face me again. "You look really mesmerizing."
 
I wanted to cover her mouth because there are a lot of people in the backstage area, and they might put malice on us.
 
Well, there is, actually. But that's something about which people shouldn't care, right?
 
But then again, she was already rushing to fall in line.
 
A few minutes later, all of us were briefed that we would be going to the stage sooner. I can hear the hosts talking about the Top 20 and then the Top 10. 
 
Miss Nicaragua was assisted by the staff on her way to the stage. We heard the song being played, and it was the song titled Mi Gente by J Balvin and Willy William.
 
The girls started to vibe along to the music as we shook off the nervousness we were feeling by having a mini dance showdown here in the backstage area.
 
It was me and Miss India dance show-off, by the way. I was just vibing lazily, but Miss Chile pushed me to where Miss India was professionally dancing. I felt somewhat pissed that she's so good, so I had to show her what I can do.
 
I don't know. It's the competitive Thai blood in me.
 
The staff wanted us to behave, but they just ended up laughing and shaking their heads because the girls were stopping them. They were enjoying what Miss India and I were doing.
 
We decided to stop before we ran out of energy. We are also a few seconds away from taking the stage because the segment wasn't as long as you think. It's not even a minute given to a candidate to do their ramp with the swimwear.
 
Miss India was called, and she was now on the stage by this minute, for sure. I can hear the yells and chants of the crowd. I was preparing because I was up next. Gladly, I wasn't that nervous anymore. Thanks to the music, I am enjoying the atmosphere.
 
"Thailand!"
 
I went out with so much confidence. My hair extensions were extra heavy, but when I feel them hitting my back, it sends a different type of energy booster to me. I was just swaying my hips side to side and flirting with the camera like it's my prey for tonight.
 
It all came to me. I did this when I was just a candidate for Miss Universe Thailand, and I know that I can still pull off a seductive performance in this portion.
 
Before I finished my ramp, I sent a flying kiss to the last camera. I was about to turn my back to go back to the backstage area when I suddenly caught a glimpse of Max, who was just sitting there on the VVIP with her arms crossed as well as her legs. She's just staring at me with so much depth, and she was smirking.

I ignored her. I don't want to ruin the momentum I am feeling just because of her existence.
 
When I reached the backstage, Miss Nicaragua and Miss Chile welcomed me with a high five, and all of us jumped with joy, like all of us were relieved because we did what we could.
 
We waited for the remaining semi-finalists to finish their ramp. Those who were done were just watching them on the monitoring TV. Miss Nicaragua just kept on commenting and praising the girls.
 
Miss El Salvador was the last one to perform, so all of us were assisted to come near the entrance so we could enter the stage smoothly.
 
All twenty of us once again graced the stage, and mind you, the crowd is literally going crazy. I can't almost hear what the hosts were saying.
 
Right after finishing the swimsuit competition, we were assisted by the MUBA team for retouching.
 
We had a minute before we were called to head back to the stage for the announcement of the Top 10.
 
This is the first time that I am confident that I will secure a placement since I started feeling terrible when the pageant activities started.