"She was the queen.."

Chapter 16

The next round of "who's the princess" is happening tonight. Celine now lives at Nika's house and she woke up first to prepare Nika's breakfast.

Celine - (In the middle of the night, I heard Celine crying. I felt bad for her but knew she needed space, so I didn't wake up to check on her. I made breakfast for her this morning, hoping it would cheer her up.) How are you feeling?

Nika - Bad. I couldn't stop thinking about everything that happened this week - Elijah becoming my boyfriend, the end of my friendship with March, Tatiana making my life a nightmare, and almost getting eliminated from the competition.

Celine - I'm sorry you feel that way. I can't believe March turned out to be a horrible person. If you felt pressured by me telling you to choose him, I'm sorry.

Nika - It's okay, you didn't know.

Celine - What are you going to do now? Are you still going to compete?

Nika - I thought about it all night and, it might be a dumb idea, but I've decided to break up with Elijah.

Celine was shocked but kept her composure.

Celine - Why?

Nika - He didn't do anything wrong, but if I'm going to focus on the competition, having a boyfriend will only distract me. I need to be fully focused.

Celine - Are you sure about this?

Nika - Yes, I am.

Celine - It's your choice. If he respects you, he won't be upset.

They called Elijah together.

Elijah - Hi, princess, how are you?

Nika - I'm good. How about you?

Elijah - I'm fine. I thought we could see each other today before your competition.

Nika - Um, I have to tell you something.

Elijah - Go ahead.

Nika took a deep breath.

Nika - Listen, I really like you. You've been a sweetheart, and I appreciate it. But I don't think this is the right time for a serious relationship.

Elijah stayed silent.

Nika - Are you still there?

Elijah - Yes, I am. I was processing. You know that I love you, right? But if this is how you feel, I respect it.

Nika - Really? Thank you for understanding.

They talked a bit more and then hung up.

Nika - (Elijah is so mature. I'm lucky to have him in my life.)

Nika and Celine got dressed and went to Kanye's house.

Nika - (I feel confident now. Nothing can stop me.)

They arrived at the studio and Kanye looked upset.

Kanye - Oh, you're back? Why did you leave suddenly? Do you think this is a playground?

Nika - I wasn't feeling well, so I came back home without informing you. I'm sorry.

Kanye saw she was being honest and gave her a pass.

Kanye - It's okay. Just don't do it again.

Nika - I won't.

They started working on new verses. Nika wrote her lines, and when Kanye played a beat, she rapped with anger and confidence. After finishing, Kanye smiled.

Kanye - That's what I'm talking about.

Celine was also proud of her and hugged her.

Hours later, it's the night of the competition. Nika put her dress on and she's ready to perform. The beat start and Nika completely becomes another person. Her flow is on point, her delivery is on point, her cadence is on point, enunciation, breath control.. everything is perfect. Her stage performance is better than in her previous performances. The crowd goes crazy.

"...Don't think i'm gonna take you back after you called me a bitch..."

She finishes the performance and the crowd is on fire. She couldn't help but smile at the crowd cheering for her. All the 19 contestants join Nika on stage and the judges start naming the 10 finalists.

".. The 5th finalist is.. NIKA MARAJ!"

Nika jumps of excitement and throw kisses at the crowd.

Nika - (I DID IT. I FUCKING DID IT. IM ON THE TOP 10!!)

After the judges announced the finalists, Nika goes backstage and is welcomed with a cloud of applause. She hugs her dad first, and then Celine.

Celine - You're a queen! I knew you would do well.

Nika - I felt comfortable on stage. I think I made the right decision.

Celine - I caught your last verse. You were taking shots at March!

Nika playfully shushed her. They laughed together.

Meanwhile, Tatiana and Lucia discussed Nika's unexpected improvement.

Lucia - What happened? How did she suddenly get so good again?

Tatiana - I don't know, i'm also so confused. I thought my plan worked.

Lucia - Your plan?

Tatiana rolled her eyes.

Tatiana - Yes! She obviously likes March so i tried to date him to make her jealous, sad and distract her from the competition. It worked as she was almost out of the competition last time, but now she seems unbothered by him.. She even threw shot at him in her performance, she's so weird.

March - Wait, you used me?

Tatiana was caught off guard.

Tatiana - W.. What are you doing here?

March - Am I just a pawn in your scheme to eliminate Nika? You ruined our friendship. What's wrong with you?

Tatiana - I didn't make you call her a bitch; you did that on your own.

March - And i was wrong. You're the bitch.

 March walked away, leaving Tatiana frustrated.

Tatiana - As if I care. We need to find another way to get her out of the competition. I am going to win. I am the princess.