[Discontinued] Not Equal

four//picture day

I hurry back, hoping I didn't miss it. Just to my luck, they haven't started calling out names yet. I find Faith in the middle, anxiously staring up.

"Abby Aarons."

A girl walks up. She has brown ringlets that flow to her mid back. The first thing I notice is that her dress reveals her shoulders and back, and has a thin strap connecting the front and the back. I see her strategy. She wants to find fame and a highly ranked Male. And it will work because she is pretty.

There are Males in the room, watching, looking at whoever they would like to choose as their Pair. I can see many of them looking at her.

They take the photo, and Abby walks off.

"Adrian Accron."

Adrian sashays onto the platform. She has a ginger bob and amber eyes, with dark tan skin, and she is tall. She looks confident and ready.

More girls walk up. Each of them looks more confident than I do.

"Maddilyn Carter."

Oh no.

I can feel the blush coming in my cheeks. Every time I am called up, I react the same way. I can feel everyone's eyes on me, at my crumpled dress, my tangled and messy hair...

I smile.

"Thank you. Kori Clemens."

I walk down the platform, reaching Faith. She smiles at me. "You looked pretty up there." I snort. "Yeah, right. Sure I do." I roll my eyes. At the edge of my vision, I'm aware that Faith is staring at me, but she turns back.

Names are called, people go up, more names are called.

It's a perfect cycle, organized to be accurate and nothing less.

It is so much more than that.

. . .

Faith and I walk down the hallway, our heads down. The hall is full of chatter, but there is not a sound from both of us.

Suddenly, I am pushed from behind. I let out a soft squeal, flinging my hands forward instinctively to catch my fall.

There is laughter. "Loser!" I hear, from behind me.

I turn around. It is Celeste, followed by that pretty Female, Abby, and three other Females. They are giggling uncontrollably. I shift forward to sit up, but one of them pushes me back down and slaps me in the face. This brings another fit of laughter. My cheeks turn red.

Celeste suddenly presses close to me. I can feel her breath on my cheek, and it smells like mint. It feels deadly and rotten. "You better stay away from Cole. He wants me, and I will become a Model, not you." She smirks and slaps me in the face.

Faith gasps. "Stop it, Celeste!"

"Stop it, Celeste!" Celeste mimics. She reaches forward, seizes my dress fold among my collarbone, and tears it, ripping the white, angelic dress.

Faith pushes Celeste. Hard. She hits the wall. Faith's face is pale, not a sickly white, but more like an angry white. Abby and the other Females advance on her, but I am up already. My dress hangs off my shoulder, with rips and holes tattering the white fabric. I punch Abby in the jaw, who shrieks. "Jocelyn!"

Most of the Females with Celeste have blonde hair and blue eyes. One of the Females is named Jocelyn. Her honey blonde hair moves in mesmerizing rippling clouds. Jocelyn shoves me against the wall, and I try to fight back, but she is stronger than me. I can see the muscle in her arms. I twist panicking. Faith starts for her, but the other two girls are there before she can get there. Jocelyn punches my face. I scream. She rips my dress until it hangs by shreds of torn white lace, while I writhe, trying to get a hold of her.