Exposed || Camren

Chapter One: Rewrite

A/N: this is the rewrite, hence the weird chapter name, if you'd like to read the old story just skip ahead. But these rewritten chapters are a good testament to where I'm at now with my writing and I would love to share with you all. Also this chapter wasn't supposed to come out until later this year...but I couldn't help it! I had to share I have been so excited about it. Please enjoy. This story will be a lot different than the original, but shared the same plot and many of the same lovely characters. Much love to you all ❤️❤️❤️

When Camila was just four years old, she was entered into her first beauty pageant. Her mother, Sinuhe, had just moved the young girl from Cuba to Miami, Florida in the hopes for a better life. She tried in every way to adjust Camila to the new environment; early preschool, girl scouts, she even joined a "Mothers of Miami" club so Camila could socialize more. Yet, Camila was painfully shy. She would play by herself during recess, sit at her own crafting table during scout meetings, and refused to go to the M.O.M. gatherings. Sinuhe was lost and unsure of what to do. All she wanted for her daughter was a fulfilling life with many friends and self-confidence.

It was when Sinuhe was about to give up when she saw a flyer. She was working a double at her second job at Biggy Bob's Diner when a bright, neon pink piece of paper taped to the counter caught her eye.

'Little Princess Pageant; for ages two to twelve! Does your little girl have talent? Then sign her up for the chance to win $1,000, a Little Princess tiara, and a three-foot tall trophy!'

Below the text was the address of the theater the pageant was held at and a phone number. Before she could get yelled at, Sinuhe wrote down the information and stuffed the slip of paper into her back pocket.

That weekend, Sinuhe went to the thrift store with Camila and let the young brunette pick out a dress. Camila was entranced by the smooth silks, the poofy skirts, and the shimmering prom dresses. She spent an hour pulling out every dress, even the ones too big for her in the women's section, trying to find the perfect one. Sinuhe smiled with relief as Camila seemed to become more and more excited about the pageant.

After the hour-long search, Camila pulled out the last dress on the rack. The garment was a baby blue dress with a silk bodice and faux diamonds splayed out on the bottom, fading upwards into nothing but blue silk. The skirt was made of white and baby blue tulle that haphazardly spread out in every direction. The sleeves were made of the same blue, as well, and stopped just before the elbow and had the same fake diamonds attached. Instantly, Camila's eyes lit up with joy. She ran up to her mother and presented the dress to Sinuhe. With tired but satisfied eyes and a small smile on her face, Sinuhe purchased the dress.

The days leading up to the pageant, Camila practiced her talent, singing, over and over again. She wanted to wow the judges, so she chose Respect by Aretha Franklin. Camila performed her song everywhere, from her classroom for her classmates to Biggy Bob's Diner for Sinuhe's work friends. Sinuhe was quickly seeing Camila grow from a caterpillar stuck in her cocoon to a beautiful, free butterfly that strived for the spotlight. The hard-working mother couldn't be happier.

On the day of the pageant, Sinuhe asked her coworkers to help with Camila's hair and makeup. So, all packed in Sinuhe's minivan, the team of women (and Camila) made their way to Sunrise and Shine Theatre. Backstage at the pageant, Camila sat patiently in her chair while the women worked on making her look as stage-ready as possible. They packed blush on her cheeks and glitter on her eyes, even pulling her hair up and adding extensions to volumize. By the end of it, Camila was loaded up with makeup, hair, and nervous energy. Yet, she wasn't deathly afraid of being around so many people, nor was she scared of performing in front of them.

For once, she was afraid of something different; she was afraid of losing the pageant.

Camila happily chatted with her competition, all four to six years old and heavily fake-tanned and hair-sprayed. She even received some tips from the older girls, who mostly told her to just be confident and smile pretty. By the time it was time to get on stage, with words of encouragement and some glares from the obviously jealous girls, Camila (and Sinuhe) was more than certain she had it in the bag.