Beauty King [boyxboy]

Chapter 7

January's POV

We were laughing and joking around, making our way back to our room. Suddenly, the click clack of high heels could be heard. Oh. No. I started bounding up the steps. "Hey what's wrong?" Stefon furrowed his brow, confused. "Well we have this curfew thing and we gotta get to bed before it!" I babbled hurriedly, then asked Stefon for the time. 12.05. Maybe, maybe we could still make it.

No such luck. As we were about to reach our level, Mrs Metzger suddenly loomed above me. She clucked her tongue, "Oh honey, did you forget what I told you? Strike one!" She screeched and made a quick flourish on her clipboard, then was about to walk away when she saw Stefon. "And Stefon, where were you this afternoon? We had to get the other photographer to cover your work. Please do not let this happen, again." She sneered and then marched away.

I knew it was supposed to be serious, but we couldn't help but laugh. I made a quick note to not make any offenses again, and then after brushing my teeth, I settled into bed and fell into a peaceful slumber.

***

Wednesday morning, the third day of the pageant. We were rehearsing our introductions for the pageant with Mrs Martinez. She was very strict, and you could clearly tell she was a perfectionist, how she controlled how big our strides should be, how she was always correcting our posture. Then, she even taught us about all kinds of different smiles. Wow, I had never known there were so many kinds. 

Then, we spent the next hour walking around the room with a book on our head. It was supposed to help us with our posture, and man it was not easy. Karinne and I often dropped the books and we spent a lot of time giggling, catching the attention of Mrs Martinez who told us off straightaway.

"After the dance, you guys will queue up in a row backstage. The music will commence, the emcee will announce your name, and people will clap, signaling it's time for your entrance. You walk in, pose, and wait for the emcee to introduce you to everyone. Then you get to say a line before you make your way back inside. Understood?" Choruses of yeses and ayes filled the room and Mrs Martinez nodded, satisfied.

Then, she made us line up and start rehearsing. I was the last in line, and Mrs Martinez was carefully inspecting everyone. How they strutted, how they posed. She adjusted and told many off; one girl was so upset that she even cried and burst out of the room. "Next!" Mrs Martinez commanded. Oh puff, it was my turn. I had barely taken a step when Stacy purposely stepped in front and made me knock into her. "Ow!" Stacy cried dramatically, hand held to her head. "Mr Costello!" Mrs Martinez cried in dismay, "Stop ruining my pageant! Stace dear, are you alright?"

Stacy. She was clearly bent on making me look bad in front of everyone.

***

Dance was scheduled to the night that day because apparently, François had to take care of something. This meant that we were meeting our stylists first. Marco was sporting a yellow cardigan with sunflowers today, which I thought was really cute actually. We were to finish deciding on my clothes for the rest of the pageant segments today, which left the winter wear and formal wear components, as well as the talent and question and answer segments.

"Marco was thinking ethereal look for winter wear: base colours -- nude and white." Marco's eyes lighted up with glee, looking for my agreement. I nodded, it was easy to say yes on whatever Marco suggested, he was an extremely superb stylist. We settled on white pants, topped off with a nude turtleneck wool sweater. The look was completed with silver gloves and boots. 

Then, for formal wear, we decided to go bold. A long-sleeved pink shirt, with a navy blue tuxedo jacket and pants. The look screamed loud and "Look at me!", but it also gave off a sophisticated aura, which said "Not everyone can look good in this".

Question and answer was a breeze. We simply decided on some cougar blue jeans, and a cute yellow shirt with a hood. Marco was excited for the talent segment, but I inwardly cringed. "Sorry, Marco, but I really felt like this was the only component where I could wear my own thing and be myself you know. You think I could just wear my own clothes?" Marco totally understood. He waved me along, and left to talk to the clothes department.

***

The day quickly passed, and soon it was time for dance practice. We had early dinner and when it was 6, everyone gathered at Central Park. François had specially arranged with the authorities to allow us to dance there. "Je pense qu'il est un beau lieu to learn our new dance routine today! The fresh air, the singing birds, the peace!" François clapped his hands in glee. I took a while to admire the scenery around us; it really was a beautiful place.

We had 4 hours of practice today. For the first quarter of it, François ran through the opening dance number again and again, ensuring everyone made no mistake, nobody missed a beat, and basically perfecting our moves. Then, the shock came when François began to tell us about the second routine.

"Ah! The time has come, eh? It was soooo hard to decide, who to give the solo to in the second routine, but there is someone, someone who has impressed me so much that the person deserves to be commended." I was only half-listening to François, running through the harder part in the first dance which I had messed up a little earlier. "January Costello." There was a hushed silence around me, but I didn't really notice, I was still in my own counting and dancing world.

"Jan darling, won't you come up front?" "Huh?" I snapped out of it, shuffling to the front, not exactly certain what was going on. "Well because you have been so good, you are going to receive the solo!" François clapped in glee, but I was just stunned. What? I had heard François mentioning this the previous dance practice, but I had always thought Stacy was going to get it. I mean, she really was amazing at dancing.

Well, however strange François' decision was, maybe things really were looking up.

***

I dragged myself back to the hotel, groaning. I was sore all over from the long practice we had just now. The closing number was hiphop, and it was much harder than jazz, just a tad quicker and more challenging. I would find myself going stiff and just being awkward and lanky, but François was so awesome. He never got frustrated and just encouraged me and guided me. Throughout the whole time though, I could feel a pair of eyes burning right through my back. I was a hundred percent certain who that person was.

Karinne was super happy for me and fabulously supportive. She said that if I still had troubles, we could have extra practice the next day. I really was grateful for meeting her in the pageant. Even if I didn't win, I would still have won because I got a great friend through this.

I had only gotten in the room when Stefon pounced on me. "Come on, you have two hours till your curfew, let's practise for your talent segment." I moaned, "Can't we do it tomorrow? I'm reeaally dead beat." A gentle look cast upon Stefon's face, like he cared about me, which I had never seen before. But just like that, the look was gone within seconds and Stefon got his guitar and was out the door.

"You have five minutes to take a quick shower. Meet me at the rooftop afterwards." I just stared after him, disbelievingly.