The night was cool, the kind of crisp evening air that made me want to pull my jacket a little tighter around me.
My bag—filled with my clothes and makeup—was slung over my shoulder. I went to Mom to greet her before heading out.
She smiled warmly.
"Good luck," she said.
I waved and stepped outside.
That's when I heard the faint beep of a car.
My eyes drifted to it.
Jake was leaning casually on the hood, spinning a key in his hand.
Impressive.
Where did he even get that car? I thought.
The window slid down, and there was Mark, grinning like he owned the night.
Of course, I climbed in.
The ride was short, but the excitement made it feel longer.
Soon, we arrived at the beauty contest hall.
It wasn't our school's gym or anything simple—it was huge. People from all sorts of families and schools were gathered. The air buzzed with energy.
I spotted Emma coming down from the entrance, walking with her dad, a middle-aged man who looked kind and composed.
I walked over, greeted him politely, and then took her hand as we went inside with Mark and Jake.
Inside, Liam, Ethan, and Regina were already standing near Mr. Rick, looking perfectly poised.
The moment Mr. Rick saw us, he pulled us along, guiding us toward our designated room.
"Room 37," he said, opening the door. "Get ready. Quickly."
The room was bigger than my own bedroom at home.
Of course, it didn't have a bed—just racks of clothes, tables stacked with makeup, mirrors, and a buzz of preparation energy.
"Change quickly," Mr. Rick added. "The competition is starting soon."
He glanced at Emma and Liam. "You two will start first. Finish dressing."
We all nodded, and soon they emerged.
Unreal.
Liam's hair was perfect, his heart-shaped birthmark catching the lights just right, giving him that sweet, cute charm.
His black suit with the matching tie made him look sharp and confident.
Emma looked like an angel in her silky white dress, the grey in her eyes somehow making her seem ethereal and untouchable.
I couldn't help but praise them quietly.
"Wow… Liam. Emma… you both look amazing."
I glanced at the others—Regina and Mark, and of course Ethan—all ready in their own way.
Then the announcement came.
"You're up."
I followed with the others, excitement bubbling in my chest.
We all did.
This was it.
The contest had begun.
The first contest looked simple on paper.
"Just persuade a child to like you." Easy, right? Wrong.
So, so wrong.
The first five contestants from different schools went up… and failed miserably.
The kid was crying like it was the apocalypse.
He was kicking, wailing, even tried to throw a chair.
"Yes! Really!" I muttered under my breath, gripping my bag like it might explode.
The other contestants were flustered, waving toys, making silly noises, trying to reason with him.
Nothing.
Nada.
Zip.
Then it was Emma and Liam's turn.
Liam strode forward, all calm and annoyingly confident. The kid turned to him, probably thinking, Finally, someone useless like the rest!
Liam crouched down, looked him straight in the eyes, and made the most ridiculous faces I've ever seen.
Tongue out, eyes wide, pretending to sneeze.
The kid froze… then started sniffing.
Emma scanned the room.
"He's still upset," she whispered, her brow furrowed.
The kid grabbed a nearby chair and tried to fling it at Liam.
Liam caught it with one hand. "Whoa, easy there, little man! Wanna play instead?"
The kid blinked.
Then smirked.
Then tried to punch Liam.
Liam laughed, dodged, and tickled his sides.
The crying dropped a notch.
Emma, meanwhile, pulled a stuffed bear from her bag.
"Here, try this!" she said.
The kid hesitated, sniffled, then hugged it like it was the best thing he'd ever seen.
Silence.
Then the audience started clapping slowly… and then louder.
Emma's father clapped quietly, trying not to make it obvious that he was proud.
Mr. Rick leaned over to us. "Unreal. Absolutely unreal."
The judge asked them how they did it.
Emma explained smoothly, "I realized the other contestants were just trying to calm him down, which didn't work. So I looked for what he really wanted. Liam played with him, and I gave him something he liked."
The audience erupted in applause again.
I clapped so hard my hands hurt.
Back at our corner, Regina was fussing with her turquoise dress while Mark adjusted his midnight-blue suit.
"I have to admit," I muttered to Nena, "she looks good, but Mark? Way better."
Mark rolled his eyes at me. "Thanks for the analysis, Ayana."
Regina shot me a glare sharp enough to cut glass.
Liam and Emma walked back in, both grinning.
"That kid was… insane, but cute!" Emma said, shaking her head.
Liam nodded, his hair perfectly in place despite all the chaos.
"Yeah… first time I've had fun babysitting in my life," he said, then shot Ethan a proud look.
Ethan nudged him. "Not bad."
Liam froze.
First time he'd heard praise from Ethan.
His grin was practically blinding.
I leaned over and whispered, "Shut up, so they can actually hear you."
He laughed, red in the ears, and I couldn't help smiling.
The night was just starting, and honestly… I couldn't wait to see what chaos the next round would bring.
Next up was the brain challenge.
Which meant… Mark and Regina.
I crossed my arms and leaned forward in my seat. "This should be interesting."
Ethan muttered beside me, "That's one way to say dangerous."
Liam snorted.
Emma elbowed him. "Behave."
The stage lights shifted, and the host announced, "For the brain competition, contestants will face two areas: mathematics and fashion knowledge."
I blinked.
"…Fashion?"
Nena whispered beside me, "Regina's about to enter her natural habitat."
Regina stepped forward confidently, turquoise dress shimmering under the lights.
Mark adjusted his midnight-blue suit and his glasses, looking like a walking math textbook that somehow became attractive.
The judge spoke first. "Mark, your mathematics question."
A screen lit up behind them.
The problem appeared.
It was long.
Really long.
Like the kind of equation that made my brain shut down halfway through reading it.
I leaned toward Liam. "What language is that?"
"Math," he whispered.
"Disgusting."
Mark didn't even blink.
He looked at the screen for about three seconds.
Three.
Seconds.
Then he calmly picked up the marker.
"Answer: 384," he said.
The judge raised an eyebrow. "You solved that already?"
Mark adjusted his glasses. "Yes."
The audience murmured.
The judge checked the tablet… then nodded.
"Correct."
The crowd clapped loudly.
Jake whistled behind me. "Of course he did. The guy eats numbers for breakfast."
I muttered, "Pretty sure he seasons them with logic."
Mark stepped back calmly like he hadn't just terrified every math teacher in the building.
Then it was Regina's turn.
The judge smiled slightly. "Fashion question."
A picture appeared on the screen.
A model in a complicated layered outfit with strange cuts and colors.
The judge asked, "Identify the style, the era inspiration, and the designer influence."
I blinked.
"…What."
Regina didn't hesitate.
"That's modern reinterpretation of late Victorian silhouette, mixed with minimalist Japanese street influence," she said smoothly. "The asymmetry suggests inspiration from Rei Kawakubo, while the structure hints at Alexander McQueen's tailoring style."
The entire hall went quiet.
Then the judge slowly nodded.
"Correct."
The audience clapped again.
Even I had to admit… that was impressive.
Liam leaned toward me. "Okay, that was actually cool."
I nodded slowly. "Yeah… but don't tell her I said that."
On stage, Mark glanced at Regina.
"Good answer," he said politely.
Regina smirked. "Try to keep up."
He rolled his eyes.
The judge announced, "Excellent performance from all contestants."
More applause filled the hall.
Back in our section, Ethan crossed his arms.
"Expected."
Jake nudged me. "Your team's stacked."
I grinned.
"Obviously."
Mark and Regina walked back toward us.
Mark looked calm as usual.
Regina looked like she had just won a small war.
"Not bad," Liam said.
Mark adjusted his glasses. "Thank you."
Regina flipped her hair. "Of course we were good."
I smirked.
"Yeah, yeah. Save the speech for when you actually win."
She glared.
Mark laughed quietly.
And just like that…
Only one challenge remained.
Singing.
Which meant—
Me.
And Ethan.
I slowly turned to look at him.
"…Please tell me you're actually good."
He stared back at me.
"Relax."
Then he added calmly,
"I am."