#hod4

[leadingmehome-ships]

AHHHHH! stoked. and our friendly neighborhood burt reynolds is at the end ;)

[leadingmehome-ships]

I swear to god if they end hart of dixie without

a gumbo reference, a mighty mouse and donkey kong reference, or the sweetie pie dance or planksgiving or rose being prominent or giving us some lemon/wade/george high school shenanigans....amongst many other things....I WILL BE EXTREMELY UPSET.

[tsukkiikeii]

Heels on Duty : Chapter 4

Girls paced back and forth inside the waiting room, restlessly trying to calm themselves before they head out to the function hall for their turn. Others were smiling in front of the mirror, some were practicing their walk and a few kept putting on make up as if applying a massive amount of it would help them get through.

Holly was silently sitting beside me holding her phone on both hands. She may not show it but I knew that she was as nervous as everyone else inside this room was. Her hands were clammy and slightly trembling which were signs that she was thinking hard about something.

From the start, I knew Holly could make it. She didn't need to try to look pretty 'cause she already was, unlike me. She didn't need books to walk straight 'cause she already could, unlike me. Everything about this whole search, Holly could easily get through without even trying, or she could try a little to make sure she got this, unlike me.

I had to try to look pretty, I had to learn how to walk straight, I had to make an effort on everything if I wanted to be in this. I realized I just needed a motivation to push through.

This time, it was a word that made me want to get into the top thirty, Lerato. The girl from the door called out Holly's name along with four other girls' names as she held her clipboard on one hand and stopped the door from closing with the other.

Holly raised her hand and stood up. "Follow me." The girl left and the door closed with a thud behind her.

My best friend looked down at me, slightly smiling. I held her hand and squeezed it lightly. There wasn't any word worth saying right now. Instead, I grinned and patted her butt. She smiled widely and nodded, leaping out the room.

While waiting for Holly, I did a mental math on how many girls had gone in since the screening started at seven. We were two hundred all in all. It was the second hour and Holly had been called, she was at number fifty three. Each batch was given ten minutes each to present, approximately. I was on the last ten so I'd probably be up on the last hour. As if that needed any math really. Anyone could come up with that conclusion without sweat.

I let out a sigh. Maybe I could ask Holly to grab lunch first before I go out there. I didn't want to ruin my chance on having a pair or two of Lerato's apparel because I fainted due to hunger. That wouldn't just humiliate me but would also defeat my purpose of spending hours practicing my walk and all.

Add the fact that Holly would feel bad if she got in and I didn't. When I told her I wanted to be in this as much as she did, or not as much, she broke into that proud grin my mom used to give me every time I won my tournaments. She promised me we would both be in the top thirty and I nodded at that. Though I wasn't certain I'd be in, I had to pull off that confident facade and let her think I believed in what she believed, too. I did. Partly.

  "I swear that was the most time-stopping time of my life." Holly gushed then took a bite off her burger. "I mean," she swallowed, "Dylan is so freaking hot! Can you imagine? My knees almost gave in in the middle of the screening! He has the most knee-melting stare and drool-worthy smile--"

"Smirk," I corrected.

She rolled her eyes at me. "But seriously, though, I never thought he have this effect on me!" She unconsciously poked the poor burger again and again with the fork which was peacefully lying on the table not a while ago.

"Oh yeah?" I blurted, amused.

"Yeah. He's like a god who's fallen from Olympus," She says dreamily.

I just chuckled and twisted the pasta on my fork.

"It's true! He is the modernized Apollo."

"Do you even know Apollo?"

She threw me a piece of the burger she oh so un-lady-likely pinched off her meal. My nose scrunched.

"Shut up. Remember this Ces, if I see you so as to crack in an un-Cera-like grin whenever Dylan's around, you so won't know what hit you." She grinned devilishly.

My brows shot up. "Are you challenging me?"

"Maybe," she sang.

I knew Holly meant it. She would rub it on my face anytime she got the chance to and I wouldn't want that. She could be the most annoying person in this world next to my brothers. But don't get me wrong, I love them to bits.

It's just that sometimes, I wondered if Holly was their sister and I was the best friend. My brothers and my best friend had this connection I couldn't quite fathom. Especially with Cale. Those two were like cat and dog but you could see through their banters they were enjoying it.

But since all my older brothers were away for college, Holly took the first spot of being the most annoying person. Because my little brother Clark was such a sweetie I couldn't not like him to pieces.

"Then get ready for your defeat," I stated cockily as I chew on my pasta.

She grinned mischeavously as if she knew something I didn't. "Tell yourself that, babe."

  "Wallace, Ward, Watson, Webber, Wu. Follow me," The clipboard girl said. Her glasses were hanging low on the bridge of her nose as she looked around the room.

I stood up and took a deep breath before I turned to Holly and smiled, "This is it."

She nodded with a smile across her face.

Turning from her, I paced towards the door that would lead me to getting my hand on a Lerato apparel.

"Double time. Casual wear goes first, the pants, skirt comes next and dress comes last," the organizer Niccolo said as he kept on clapping his hands.

The girls, including me, scattered about the area changing as fast as we could for the first part of the screening. We were briefed that we would go out one after the other like how a real fashion show goes. Because after the thirty lucky girls were chosen, they would live like a model, act like a model, feel like a model.

When everyone was settled, Niccolo gestured for us to line up according to our last names making me fall second in line. He held the first girl's shoulder, Brook Wallace, and tapped her shoulder as he said 'Go'.

Brook's blond hair bounced over her shoulder as she walked out of the backstage. Her heels clicked on the wooden stage as she strutted in perfect tune to the beat.

After five seconds, Niccolo tapped me and I went out remembering everything Holly had told me in a split second. It was like near death where everthing flashes in front of you.  Stand straight.

Chin up.

Smile.

I sauntered across the stage with nothing filling my mind but getting it done right. I put it in my head that I was a model and feel like I was one.

A few meters from where we were walking was the panel seated behind a long collapsible table with their pens in between their fingers like cigarettes.

Myra looked all business like pressing her pen down the piece of paper every now and then whenever she saw something worth noting. Keian's eyes, on the other hand, never once left the stage. He had a smile of amusement and glee plastered on his face as he now tapped his pen on the table tuning it to the beat.

When I exited the stage, Niccolo was waiting and hurriedly ushered me to dress up for the next clothe and he was there, too, for the last one.

During my first two walks, nothing changed on the expressions we got from the judges. Myra was still stiff, Keian was still playful while Dylan... Well, Dylan looked amused. His lips always quirk up on the corner whenever my eyes pass by him. He was rather annoying, really. But I forced back the frown that threatened to creep on my face whenever that happened. I wouldn't let him get to me.

Letting out a huff of air, I braced myself the yet the worst thing to happen in my life. Wear a dress. I had never worn one before on my own freewill but my mother's pushy ways.

On Niccolo's signal, I walked out the stage with all the courage and confidence I could muster. The pastel yellow sundress I chose for a dress flowed smoothly over my thighs as I walked about.

Doing a three-sixty turn before reaching the front, I flashed the judges a smile I had kept hidden for so long. The smile I only use whenever I was having fun with my family and Holly and when I was doing something I enjoy doing.

I guess I didn't hate modeling as much I as I wanted to think I did. It wasn't bad. It was rather fun to do really. Maybe the reason why I thought I hated it was because I was afraid to try it. I was afraid of the rejection, of the looks the people would give me. I was not the most confident person in the world. I curl up with the mere glance a stranger gives my way without knowing what they really thought.

You could say I was one hell of an insecure mess. But it was me. It was what I grew accustomed to. I was really glad this search came up. I was thankful for Bents. I could show a part of me now which was bottled up for so long inside me, a part of which wanted to come out but couldn't. A part I didn't dare to let out.

The panel stood up, clapping their hands, when we finished. We lined up side by side on the stage facing the judges.

"Fabulous!" Myra praised, her face was brighter and friendlier compared to ealier. "No one tripped, no wardrobe malfuction and no scowls. What more can I say?"

Keian nodded at that. He played with his pen when he spoke, "I agree with Myra. This has to be the best batch. But somebody really caught my attention and I won't even mention who she is," he teased, grinning playfully at us.

The girls giggle while I couldn't help but chuckle. But it was caught it my throat when Keian winked at me. Did Keian just wink at me?

I mentally fanned myself. He winked at me. This one freaking hot creature winked at me! But did he really? It could be anyone of us. It wasn't that I was the one who had captured his interest right? I cleared my mind off it. It wasn't the time to be thinking of something else. I had to focus and it was distracting me.

"Would they even care, Ian? I would bet they'd be more interested to who caught my eyes." Dylan boasted.

"Then why don't you tell us?" Keian challenged playfully.

"It's solely for my pleasure."

Myra raised her hands to her side to stop the guys from their little petty argument. "Stop. I have a feeling this will go to something nasty."

The boys barked in laughter while we stood there, awkward.

"Sorry about that girls. These two don't know when to shut their holes up." Myra shook her head. "Now why don't you introduce youself?"

Brook went first and she blabbered a lot of things about her which I only caught a little, by little, I meant her name. Myra said her thank you and so were the other two and asked Brook to wait for the announcement in two days. She thanked them too and took her leave. "Now Cera, tell us something about yourself," Dylan said but with a tinge of teasing. I forced a smile though my jaws already hurt. "Sure. I'm Cera Ward. Born in a family of seven. I have three older brothers and one younger than me. I play tracks for the university and knows basic self defense since I learned karate when I was a kid." I didn't know whether to laugh at Dylan's expression because he looked like he was drained of blood. His blanched look was better-much better-than his normal appearance. At least it could make me laugh. I continued sharing things about which weren't so personal to be made public. "Interesting," Keian mused. "I wonder what type of guy would be able to handle a tough girl like you." He had that knowing smirk on his face again as though he knew something he wasn't supposed to know. Dylan glared at him which he utterly ignored. Myra, on the other hand, was shaking her head like saying 'I don't know what to do anymore' "Forgive these two, ladies," she said to us. "Cera?" "Yes?" "Thank you," she mouthed and smiled at me. "You will hear from us in two days." I nodded and smiled back at her. As I was turning to leave, Dylan shouted my name. When I looked back he was standing, his hands were pressed on the table.

"Give me twenty minutes, I'll meet you out."

Previous: Chapter 3 Next: Chapter 5

[jigsawgamez]

GUESS WHO'S BACK, BACK AGAIN,