🌺

The plan was simple. Make Dos see what he's missing. Okay. Sounds easy but in reality, George had no idea where to start. That's why her best friend signed her up sa Mr. & Ms. UDSA High as the representative for the seniors. They're already fourth year students and time passed by so quickly.

At first she didn't have the guts to try it all out but when her friends—particularly Lia, Audrey and Ate Sadie, all vowed to help her out, she had no other choice but to agree. Sana lang talaga ay mag-work ito. Because this can easily fire back at her and embarrass herself into oblivion. She's not even into pageants in the first place.

"Oh my God! Did you see the official candidate photos on facebook? Nangunguna ka sa likes, Georgina!" Audrey exclaimed while she swiped on her tablet. "Complete attendance ang mga Montecillo sa likes. Wow."

Her eyes immediately grew wide and grabbed the tablet from her friend's hand. Nag-scroll siya to check if nandoon si Dos. She frowned when she didn't see his name there.

"Complete maliban kay Dos," Audrey cleared out. "Patapusin mo muna kasi ako, George. Masyado kang excited."

She rolled her eyes before giving back the tablet to Audrey. Nakapasalumbaba siya sa may table while waiting for Ate Sadie to arrive. May class pa daw kasi ito.

"Sadie said she'll campaign you to her classmates," anito. "Baka hindi pa nakikita ni Dos kaya di niya pa nala-like."

She heaved a sigh. Kilala niya si Dos. He's the type of person who doesn't do things if he didn't like it. Walang sinuman ang makakapilit sa kanya gawin ang mga bagay-bagay kung hindi bukal sa kalooban niya.

Kaya gagalingan niya na lang sa intrams. Maybe if other guys likes her, Dos would come back to her. Maybe if he gets jealous enough, he'd realize he still loved her. Or if he had fallen out of love, he'd fall again.

Days passed quickly and it was pageant day. She sat patiently sa may backstage while waiting for her turn. She's wearing a pair of seven-inch heels along with her barbie girl outfit. Siyempre she wore a blonde wig to enhance the costume. Kinakabahan siya. Her hands were a bit sweaty and she felt like her heart was ready to jump out from her chest. Her mom wanted to come and support her but she had some business overseas she needed to attend to. Pati ang daddy niya ay stuck sa States because of an emergency. They called earlier to show their support kahit pa wala sila dito.

Huminga siya ng malalim. You got this, Georgina. You got this.

She almost screamed when she felt someone suddenly par her shoulder.

"Lia!" she blurted out. It was more like a sigh of relief. "You scared me!"

"Chill ka lang, G," she said grinning from ear to ear. "May surprise ako sayo."

Lia took out her phone and showed her a picture. Her eyes grew so wide nang makita doon si Dos sitting beside Box and Kendall. He was wearing a black cap but she's sure it was him. Looks like her sister and Box being best friends was an advantage for her. Nakakapagtaka lang kasi si River ang kapatid ni Box so why was he Box's chaperone? She smiled. It seems like he's not really over her. There's a big chance he's here to actually watch her win. Because knowing Dos Montecillo, no one can force him to do something he doesn't want to.

Ibinalik niya ang telepono sa kaibigan at isinilid naman agad iyon nito sa bulsa. They were both grinning.

"Make him pay, George," Lia said patting her shoulder lightly. "Make him see what he just lost."

She nodded. She's determined to win morse so than before.

Kabahan ka na, Dos. I won't stop until I get you back.

🌺

"Miss UDSA High School is... Georgina Gray!"

Hindi siya makapaniwalang nanalo nga talaga siya. Her answer during the Q&A round didn't really exceed her expectations because of her nerves. Good thing she took most of the major awards including the Miss Talent and Miss Photogenic award. She also won the People's Choice and Darling of the Crowd awards. She lost the Best in Ramp and Miss Congeniality awards to her juniors as well as the Best in Production Number pero it was okay. She garnered high points naman nonetheless.

But that did not secure her win since after the preliminaries, they will all go back to zero. Kaya nga siguro sobrang kinabahan niya when it was her turn to face the judges. Good thing she was able to show her charms right and won the whole competition.

She was so happy as the crown was passed on to her. She felt like crying but it was not the same as what she felt the past few days. The euphoric feeling of winning the title somewhat made her gain the confidence she lost. Parang for a second there, she forgot about the pain. She felt genuinely happy and proud of herself.

Napatingin siya sa may bandang kanan kung saan nakita niyang nakaupo sina Kendall at Box. Dos wasn't there anymore. Her smile faded and she felt lonely again.

What good is the crown if he's not there to see me wear it? She sighed.

"Georgieeee!"

Napabaling ang atensyon niya sa tinig nina Audrey, Lia and Sadie. They all went up to the stage and gave her a hug. They congratulated her and some of our friends also went up to congratulate her. They took some pictures with her and she smiled.

"Ate! Congratulations!" Kendall screamed and ran towards her for a hug. Kasunod nito si Box who also congratulated her. "OMG! I knew you'd win! You're super magaling and they don't have panama!"

Natawa siya sa kapatid as she kept rambling about the pagent. She detailed everything like she was a recorder. Napansin niyang nakatitig lang dito ang kasamang si Box like he's enjoying seeing Kendall excited and happy like that. Nakakainggit but she's happy that Ken has a friend like Box. She just hopes that her sister won't hurt the poor boy that much. He's so whipped for her.

"And then when you won, oh my God I kept screaming! I know naman na that you will win pero it was so exciting!" Kendall continued. "We were holding our breaths kasi during the announcement. I thought I was gonna pass out kasi I have no oxygen na! Even kuya Dos wasn't breathing during the announcement—"

When Kendall realized what she just said, agad nitong natutop ang sariling bibig at maging si Box ay tinakpan din iyon. Her sister smiled awkwardly.

"I'm sorry ate—"

She forced a smile and ruffled her hair a bit. "It's okay, Ken. I'm fine now. I've moved on na."

That was obviously a lie but she's getting good at it na. Whenever someone asks her if she's fine, she immediately says yes. But in reality, she's deeply wounded inside and barely even breathing.

She turned towards Box who turned to her in shock after what she just said. Nginitian niya ito to make it seem like she was telling the truth. Kumunot ang noo nito. Magsasalita sana ito but she was suddenly pulled by Sadie.

"Georgie! Someone wants to talk to you," she said making her a bit confused. Was it Dos? She suddenly felt excited.

"W-Who?"

"A friend of mine. We graduated from Brent together," anito. Then bumaling ito sa kapatid niya at kay Box. "I'll borrow our beauty Queen muna, ha? Madali lang 'to."

Confused, she still followed Sadie and Audrey pababa ng stage. Sumunod naman si Lia who looked like she was talking to Kendall and Box.

"Ate, who are we meeting?"

Sadie just grinned and when they reached a group of people, she tapped a tall looking guy sa shoulder.

"Georgie, meet my friend. Kaz, heto na yung kinukulit mo sa'kin since last week."

Natigilan siya when a guy suddenly came into full view. He was tall, lean and very handsome. He had a pair of chinky eyes and a tall nose. His lips formed a delicate curve as he smiled. Based from his features, he's either half east asian or full since mas dominant iyon compared to the usual hispanic features na meron ang mga Filipinos.

"Hi," bati agad nito when they arrived. "I'm Kazuhiko Avila. Nice to finally meet you, Miss Gray. Or should I say Miss UDSA High. Congratulations. You truly deserve it."

She blinked. Wow. This guy is really handsome. Pero he's not entirely her type. But she can't be rude kasi he's Ate Sadie's friend. Also, he looks friendly so she should be too.

"You can call me George na lang," she said shaking his hand. She smiled at him like how she usually smiles at her friends. "And thank you. Ate Sadie helped me a lot sa pageant."

"I think you would've still won without anyone's help," ani naman nito. "You're very charming and smart. A very lethal combination, if you ask me. The other candidates should've forfeited when they had the chance."

"Ay ayun," Audrey commented beside her. "Manlalandi kaya pala gusto makipagkilala."

Ate Sadie nudged her girlfriend a bit telling her to stop interrupting. Napailing siya. So that's why. Bumaling siya kay Kazuhiko and smiled before answering him.

"But, where's the fun in that, huh?" she sassed. "Mas challenging kaya if there are competitors."

Audrey suddenly clapped—applauding her statement, while Ate Sadie smiled triumphantly. It's like she was silently saying "that's my girl" or something.

"Ohh," Kazuhiko said naman before chuckling. "Palaban."

"And you're mabobola," she fired back smiling. The guy raised both his hands up in surrender making her chuckle even more. She was about to say something when Kendall suddenly tugged her arm.

"Ate, we need to go home na," she said pouting. "The driver's here to fetch us."

"Huh? Already? I thought mamaya pa darating—"

"Tumawag na po kani-kanina lang, ate," segunda naman ni Box who she didn't notice na nakuha na pala yung dala niyang bouquet. "Tara na po. Baka naghihintay na po si manong driver."

Her forehead creased in confusion but she just nodded. Napatingin siya saglit sa mga kaibigan niya who looked as confused as she was.

"I have to go," paalam niya sa mga ito. "It was nice meeting you, Kazuhiko—"

"Ate let's go na po!" pangungulit ni Kendall while pulling her away. Alanganin siyang napangiti at nagpatianod na lamang sa kapatid.

And then she remembered. Her things! Naiwan niya sa backstage yung maleta niya with all her things!

"Wait lang Kenny," paalam niya sa kapatid. "I still need to get my stuff sa backstage—"

Napasinghap siya nang biglang makita si Dos sa di kalayuan. He was loading her things inside the trunk of his car. He wasn't wearing the cap he used a while ago kaya she immediately recognized him. Biglang kumabog ang dibdib niya. She stopped walking.

Kendall immediately noticed her kaya bumaling ito sa kanya. She was smiling awkwardly and it was as though she felt sorry yet she didn't look like it.

"W-What's going on?"

"Um... I booked a taxi?" was her lame excuse. "I'm sorry, Ate. But Kuya Dos was scary. He said, 'Call Georgina' and I just made sunod na lang 'coz he looked like he was ready to make suntok someone and I don't want that to be me."

"So you threw me under the bus?"

"It's okay naman since Kuya Dos is under the bus din." Kendall smiled adorably at her so how can she be mad?

Truthfully, she wasn't. Not even a bit. There's a big part pa nga na super excited to finally see him again. Nagulat lang talaga siya. Plus, bawal din ipahalata.

"Kuya!" Box called his cousin and ran towards him. Napatingin sa kanila si Dos and everything around her started to slow down. Parang sa mga movies.

Dos looked like his old self. He was still handsome as hell and like this Asian version of Damon Salvatore from that popular vampire show. Dangerous yet the type you'd want to be caught in.

"H-Hi," she said as they got closer. "I'm sorry if Ken bothered you—"

Dos ignored her. Her mouth fell wide open when he didn't even spare her a glance and went to his side of the car.

Oh my gosh! She forgot how annoyingly rude he was making her frown.

"Anong hinihintay mo?" bigla nitong sambit cutting her thoughts short. "Get in."

She rolled her eyes bago inabot ang handle ng pinto of the back seat. But Box—who was already inside, locked it and smiled widely. Kendall—who was leaning beside the boy pointed the empty passenger seat in front of them. Napailing siya.

These kids. What gift kaya do they want this Christmas?

Kunwari ay napipilitan siyang sumakay sa tabi ni Dos. But before she could close the door, she heard someone calling her from the outside.

"George!" It was Kazuhiko. "Wait—"

But before she could get off the car, bigla iyon pinaharurot ni Dos paalis. Buti na lang she had fast reflexes and was able to hold on and close the car door.

"What the fudge, Dos!" she yelled when the car started to slow down. "I almost fell out! I could've died!"

"But you didn't," he replied coldy. "Now shut up and let me drive."

She fumed. How dare him to tell her to shut up?! Maybe it was because of the sudden adrenalin kaya hindi siya nakapagcomplain pa. She tried her best to calm herself down kasi kung nagkataong hindi siga nakakapit, she would've fallen from the sit and break open her skull sa pavement. Dos is really annoying!

"You know what? Fuck you. You're not the boss of me."

She clearly saw how the side of Dos' lip raised at her cussing. Yes, she knows how to cuss when it's necessary. She was so annoyed at him that she wanted to scream.

"Is that how a Beauty Queen should act?" he spat causing her brows to furrow. "Tsk. I wonder what that guy you're flirting with would think if he finds out you're such a potty mouth."

"I'm not!" she argued. Her voice was high-pitched na sa sobrang inis. "You're just pissing me off, that's why! Ugh."

"Tsk." Dos reached from under his seat and threw her a pair of slippers.

"Hey!" she exclaimed in dismay. "That's dirty! Yung gown ko!"

Dos ignored her and just glued his eyes on the road. Was he telling her to wear the slippers? Well, she's kinda uncomfortable wearing her heels na so it would be nice to wear something flat.

"You should've handed it like a normal person," she muttered. "But thanks. You're an asshole pa din pero 99.9% percent na lang."

Dos scoffed as she turned away from him. Hindi sila nag-imikan on their way to her house.

Hindi sila nagusap the whole ride and before she knew it, nakarating na sila sa tapat ng kanyang bahay. Kendall hopped off the car first at sumunod na din siya. She expected Dos to get her things but he didn't. Instead, the trunk door just opened. She rolled her eyes.

What did she expect ba? Dos was back to his old rude self. He won't help her even if she was wearing a gown.

She was having trouble with the luggage so Box got off the car to help her. But Dos beat him to it and with one swift move ay naitanggal nito ang bag niya from the trunk.

"Thanks," she said.

"I didn't do it for you," he spat as he carried it malapit sa may gate. "Magagasgasan yung kotse ko sa pinaggagagawa mo."

She glared at him but didn't say anything. Maybe because she was too tired to argue or because she's afraid of committing murder right in front of her house.

Kendall already went in and called for help. So she bade goodbye to Dos and Box and said a simple thank you bago tumalikod. But before she could go inside the gate, Dos called her.

"Congratulations," he said, shocking her. "You did great. It suits you."

Iyon lamang at sumakay na itong muli sa sasakyan. He sped off leaving her frozen on her feet.

There was still hope. Her annoying cat is still there.

🌺

madami dapat ako hanash
pero sasarilihin ko na lang
because i am not my character.
and characters are born
with flaws that they will
eventually overcome.
yon lang po. salamat :)