Chapter 15

Hi! Nice to Meet You All . . . Or Not?

 

 

 

“Well, some of you may know her. She’s a model and an actor, and so we’re taking her in.”

Nobody questions Elle, but Cleo can feel everyone’s glares. In this room full of mirrors, the ten other girls in the national pageant seem to multiply into hundreds. They’re not like the other beauty queens she met last night. Half of them, she can tell, are half-something. With that leg-up, it’s probably worth the investment in becoming a client of Elle’s.

The thing that stands out most is that they’re all poised, and even without any makeup at all, they look so stunning. Even Cleo envies their unique and natural good looks. They wear their high heels like they are fuzzy slippers, and by the looks of it, they could even go for a run with ease. They’re not the type to be intimidated, either. They’re the ones who dominate and could, without a doubt, be their own defense in a criminal case.

“Cleo? Come,” Elle orders, compelling Cleo to present herself in front of these ladies who have already decided to hate her. She’s not blind. Their faces are all hostility and disdain. Not a smile from any of them.

“Welcome, Cleo Walter,” the tallest one of them greets in a monotone, like Cleo’s just one of the many who will soon quit.

Cleo slows down when she passes her and utters, low enough that only the tall one can hear, “Thank you. I’m not quitting.”

The tall one smirks and the rest of them narrow their eyes at Cleo.

“I’m Cleo Walter. Nice to meet you all,” Cleo politely introduces herself, smiling at the wolves around her. She pictures their eyes blazing red, bursting into volcanic eruptions. She won’t let them trouble her.

“Show Cleo the basics of our training and what beauty pageantry is like. I have some calls to make.” Elle graciously walks out on them, leaving Cleo and her fellow beauty queens standing there, waiting for someone to break the ice.

“I’m Nadia,” the tallest one says.

Cleo stares at Nadia and her high ponytail. “Oh, you have a name.”

“We all do. And do you know what else we have?” a doe-eyed girl interjects, stretching her arms upwards.

Cleo doesn’t answer. She’s wondering if she can get out of this day alive. She’s grateful to Elle, but these girls are hell-bent on making her quit, and she hasn’t even done anything—not yet.

“Titles,” doe-eyes goes on “And you’re Miss Nowhere.”

Nadia snorts. “Not even a lady. You’re Miss Unknown. Tell us, just for curiosity’s sake, how did you get Elle’s approval to be here? I mean, you don’t look so bad. But being a beauty queen is not just about the face. Right, Julia?”

“I can never really understand Elle sometimes. Honestly, a charity case?” Julia lounges in the plush chair, checking her toenails and bringing out her green nail polish. She throws her head back and stares at the ceiling.

Cleo looks at herself in the mirror. And what she sees is not just a body. It’s the little girl in pigtails dreaming to become an actor someday. It’s the teenager who did a good job as a model. It’s the Cleo with a slim and fit body and a pretty face. She’s like them, but different. She’s Miss Nowhere, the underdog of pageantry.

Cleo sits next to Julia, taking a peek at her nail polish. “I might be a charity case, but this charity case isn’t backing down. Also, ruby would look much better.”

Someone behind Julia laughs out loud. Her hair has big, loose curls and spirals, glossy and perfectly s-shaped. It’s beautiful.

“What’s so funny, Chezka?” Julia challenges Chezka, sitting upright and glowering at her. “Always acting like the president of this beauty camp.”

Chezka grins at Julia. “She just got here. What’s your problem?”

Julia’s about to say something when Nadia stops her. “Give it up, Jules. Let Chezka, the Lady Pasig, handle the rookie because we’re sure not gonna play friends with her. We don’t have the time for it. Not when we’re competing in the nationals.”

“Come on, Cleo!” Chezka waits by the door, and Cleo follows. They proceed to the back of the house, where the pool is. The pool has LED lighting, creating a separate world of beautiful colors. Underneath the dark skies and the silver moon, the iridescent glow of the swimming pool invites them to take a swim.

The beauty camp has everything they’ll ever need and more. Elle has the amenities, skills, and talents to make a woman the queen that she can be. So, it’s also not surprising that the others prey on Cleo because she didn’t pay anything to be here.

Cleo dips her feet in the pool. “So this beauty camp’s kind of like something that came straight out of a reality show?”

“This one, yeah.” Chezka winks, likewise dipping her feet into the pool. “They’re not all like this.”

“A luxurious house in BGC, Taguig. This place screams rich.”

“That’s Reign of Queens beauty camp for you.” Chezka leans back on her hands and adds, “If you’re here, it means Elle sees your potential. You’re a threat to us, Cleo.”

Chezka’s a blunt person, and Cleo likes that. She doesn’t need sugarcoated words to make her feel better.

“Actually, we’re all a threat to each other. We compete, but that doesn’t stop me from making friends. If I lose, at least I got to know people. So anyway, I’ll give you an idea about how this all works. But first, I need to ask you this: do you have a boyfriend?” Chezka probes, narrowing her eyes at Cleo.

Cleo wants to tell Chezka it’s none of her business, but she also knows this girl isn’t taking a non-answer. “Yes. It’s not against the rules, is it?”

“Nope, it isn’t.” Chezka pauses. “But boyfriends can be very distracting. Anyway! You have to be here every day from 5 p.m. onwards. Some of us have other jobs, so it can’t always be full-time training, except on weekends, maybe. It all depends on everyone’s availability. The good thing about it is Elle’s going to be here for a full five days for the screening.”

“The closed-door screenings. Is there a schedule for it?”

Chezka gives Cleo a thumbs up. “Yes, Elle has it.”

“How does it work?” Cleo’s not sure if what she’s doing so far is right.

“It’s mostly just the panel trying to get to know you. Usual pageantry stuff. Don’t worry, being in Elle’s camp is an advantage. She’ll teach us well.”

Cleo bites the inside of her cheek. “Thanks.”

“And Nadia and the rest? Don’t mind them. I liked the way you handled them. It’s the first step to becoming a true beauty queen.” Chezka chuckles.

“Handling them?”

“No. Speaking your mind.”

Cleo and Chezka exchange knowing looks, freely laughing and snorting at the thought of Nadia and Julia.

“Well, well, you two are getting along so well.”

The two hastily scramble to their feet and face Elle, who’s staring at them like they’re some rebellious teenagers high on sadness and searching for the meaning of life.

“We, um, just dipped our feet in the pool. I—” Cleo starts.

Elle interrupts Cleo. “Not a word, Cleo. Chezka, you all should be getting sleep by now. Wrinkles are a no-no.”

“Yes, sorry. I got carried away. I’ll be going home then.” Chezka turns to Cleo and waves her goodbye, apologizing again to Elle and promising to be back tomorrow on time.

“What did you learn from Chezka today?” Elle’s looking fixedly at Cleo.

Cleo suddenly feels like this is an interrogation or a quiz on what she’s learned in the short amount of time she’s spent with Chezka. “That I should speak my mind.”

 

“Aside from that. What did you learn from her?”

Jeez, I don’t study human behavior, Cleo thinks to herself, not wanting to speak that one out loud. “She’s bubbly?”

“Rules can be bent,” Elle answers for Cleo, watching her reaction. Cleo’s stupefied, honestly. She’s gawking at Elle like she can’t believe the Elle just said that. “Rules are created for a fair system, correct?”

Cleo can only nod.

“But if the rule isn’t fair for you, you bend the rule. Ideally, rules are fair, but what happens when a rule suddenly becomes unjust? Sometimes, you bend the rule for your benefit. Otherwise, the rule will end up bending you.”

Cleo smiles. “Isn’t that just being selfish?”

“Everyone is selfish, Cleo.” Elle opens her phone and takes her time scrolling through her messages. After a while, she finally talks again. “The local government unit has asked me to take in Lady Quezon City too in the beauty camp. They’re willing to support and sponsor her.”

“Oh, what did you say?”

“I said yes.”

 

 

Minutes before Cleo leaves the house for training. She corners her mother in the living room. Thea’s watching an afternoon TV drama and Cleo has no idea how to open up the topic about her inclusion in the pageant.

“Ma?” Cleo calls out, sitting down next to Thea.

Thea smiles indulgently. “What’s on your mind, anak?”

Cleo’s quiet, trying to get a feel for her mother’s frame of mind. Thea’s in a good mood, and she’s always been so gentle with people, but does she really need to know right now that her daughter has registered in the national competition? Should she know yet?

“Nothing.” Cleo leans her head on her mother’s shoulder. “How do you always know when there’s something on our minds?”

Cleo has decided the time’s not quite right. She needs to be an official candidate before she can tell her mother. She needs to prove that she’s not just playing around—she’s serious about it. When the time does come—when she’s an established candidate—then she’ll give it to her mother to decide whether she continues it or not. This time, she’ll give her mother the decision she didn’t get to make for herself.

Thea caresses Cleo’s arm. Her touch is calming. “You’re my daughter. How can I not know when something’s up?”

Cleo wants to stay in her mother’s arms forever. Here, she’s safe. Here, no one gets to judge her. Here, her mother will fight for her, which is why she can’t stay still. She can’t let her mother fight her fights.

In the middle of thinking about what she’s been doing, Cleo’s phone interrupts her reverie. It’s Owen, her escape and solace in this tough time. Usually, she’d have spilled everything to him by now, seeking his comfort, but now that’s all changed. She needs to help herself—be independent of her emotions and not always pour out everything to her boyfriend, who has struggles of his own.

“Hey, babe,” Cleo says, propping herself up by putting a pillow at her side.

“Just checking on you. Do you need to be anywhere today?”

Cleo hasn’t told anyone yet about her registration, not even Owen. She wants it to be a surprise. She doesn’t want to keep talking; she wants to keep doing. She wants the news to break it out for them, not her.

“I’m good. Just trying to find a job,” Cleo assures Owen, knowing all too well he’ll worry.

“I have a friend—”

Cleo knows Owen has a lot of friends who can offer her a job. “Babe, it’s okay. Really. I can do this.”

“Okay, call me if you need anything. We’ll eat wherever you want.” Owen’s voice sounds hoarse, like he hasn’t been sleeping. That’s not the Owen she knows.

“How are you, babe?”

“Better now that you’ve asked,” Owen replies, his tone a bit lighter now, less dreary. “Thank you for asking.”

Cleo blushes at that, twirling a lock of her hair. “I promised you I’d stop being so self-centered, right?? Keep me in the loop, okay?”

“Will surely do. I’m going to go catch up on some sleep now. Love you, babe.”

“Love you, too.”

Thea smiles at Cleo.

“Ma, stop it!” Cleo giggles, not wanting her mom to see how kilig, how mushy, she’s feeling right now. “Yes, he still gives me butterflies in my stomach.”

Thea delicately holds Cleo’s hands. “I know you’re doing something crazy again. I don’t know what it is, but Owen, Anne, and I are here for you. Always.”

Good Lord, what have I done to deserve them?

“Thank you!” Cleo feels giddy, ready to face another hectic day. She kisses her mom’s cheeks and leaves the house. Whatever happens from here, she’ll take responsibility. One step at a time. She needs to come out as the Lady Quezon City.

Cleo can put Nadia and Julia on the back burner for now. She’s got a position to steal, and it’s not theirs. She calls this plan prioritizing the enemies.