Chapter 32: Win For William

The host spoke again and asked the candidates to return to the stage. "To all the candidates, please go back here, and we will start the program again for the coronation."

  "Win or lose. You're still the most beautiful." Bree's smile eased Daniella's nervousness.

  I replied with a smile to Bree before going on stage again. Earlier I had nervousness in my chest, but suddenly my nervousness doubled. Even if I don't win, it's okay, but my heart is still beating hard.

 "It's not a big pageant, but the judges really struggled. I'll give you a clue: three of the candidates had a bit of a hard time with the judges based on their answers to the question, but only one was really outstanding of all." A student approached and handed an envelope containing the name of the winner to the host. "So, are you ready?" the host asked the students watching. They answered with a shout.

 "You look excited, so we won't take any longer." He opened the envelope. "The Most Beautiful Woman is candidate number—." The students shouted at the candidate they wanted to win. "Candidate number 5!" The student shouts for the winner.

 Daniella was still shocked and looked at the number taped to the side of her gown. She pointed herself out using her index finger, and the host saw it, so the host nodded, which means she is the winner. Daniella smiled and approached the host. The teacher judges placed a crown on her head and a cloth embroidered with "The Most Beautiful Woman Winner."

 Daniella thanked everyone there, even the audience, before the program ended. But Daniella saw that Charice was furious based on her face now. Charice left a sharp stare before finally leaving the stage.

 Bree was so happy while walking towards me. "Congrats, Dan," she said while jumping out of happiness.

 "It's the two of us. You also worked hard just to teach me." Then I smiled and hugged Bree.

 After the scene between the two, they left the stage, and Daniella changed her clothes and was ready to go home. She didn’t even enjoy the booths because there was no time, but she took home a title that she will surely remember until she grows old.

 "Come on, Daniella, as long as there are students that we can keep up with, we can go home while walking." I immediately followed Bree.

 As Bree and I were walking outside the school gate, there were a few students around, but someone stopped them, and it was Charice. "Are you happy?" Charice asked.

 "Of course she won the pageant. What do you want her face to be, sad?" Bree replied.

 Charice grinned. "They were just too touched by your answer, Daniella. But if we look closely, there is a better chance that I will actually win."

 Bree approached Daniella and whispered, "Tell me, Daniella. How thick that woman's face is, she even beat the book." I just looked at her and smiled.

 I turned my gaze to Charice. "Just ask the teacher who became the judge why I won. They have an explanation for that, but if you still don't accept it, it's not my fault that you lost." Charice receives an annoyed smile from me at the same time.

 Charice grinned and seemed to be looking at my back. "The crown is yours, but it's not the crown that's just for me and won't be yours." She looked behind my back again. "Hi! William, are we going home?" Charice's said.

 I was stunned and turned around, and I saw William approaching them. "Are we going home?" Charice asked and looked at me teasingly.

 Meanwhile, William first looked at me for a second and said, "Congrats!" I smiled at William's greetings, but Charice slightly lessened her smile but came back right away as well.

 "Come on, William, it's late at night, so let's go home," Charice said.

 I was surprised by what Charice was saying, so I looked at William again, but Charice gave me a smile that didn't mean well. "Congratulations again, Daniella!" she greeted, but with a fake smile.

 They about to walk, and Charice put her hand on William's arm, which really shocked me. "Excuse me! We have to go home," Charice said, and pulled William away from me and Bree.

 I looked at William, but he didn't look at me until my sight no longer saw them. "I think, Dan, the crown you can't get is William, so that's what she was saying."

 I just looked at Bree sadly. "Are you sure?"

 Bree nodded, so I sighed. "She's probably right. It's hard to snatch what didn't really belong to me in the beginning, so let's just go, so we get home before 12 a.m. in the morning." I started walking, obviously hurt by what I saw.

 Bree was still standing even though Daniella was already walking. "Daniella, extend your patience to William, but if it's not really worth the wait. I'll be the one to take your hand forcefully, still clinging to the rope of William," she said to herself before starting to walk, passing Daniella, who was already a little away from her.

 As the two walked, they talked. "I'm sure your mom, Dan, will be happy," Bree said with a smile.

 I smiled. "Yes, she is, and both of you are my supporters, even if you two are fighting me." I laughed softly as I remembered the time I was arguing with my mother and Bree.

 "It's really like that, Dan. There are different ways to show love. Like this." Bree pulled my hair.

 My eyes widened at what she did. "Your love hurts so much then." I even glared at her.

 "And at least it's true. There are different ways to show love, Daniella. It doesn't mean that telling you I love you is love. It's easy to misinterpret the words, so as long as you can see how they express their love for you."

 I frowned. "How can that be seen?" I wondered.

 "Actually, it's hard to tell if a person's love is sincere, especially if it's between two people. Sometimes in words or even in a person's actions, everyone can be deceived by a word or action, but they say action speaks louder than words. They not actors but like to act. "

 The wrinkle on my forehead was not removed by what Bree meant. "If not in word or action, how else can that be seen?"

 "We're not perfect people, Dan, so once someone loves you, no matter what your attitude and looks are, that's the sign that it's true that it's not mixed acting or whatever you call it. Even if you hurt that person or push him away over and over again," Bree said passionately as she gazed at the full moon.

 "You know, Bree, it's like between the two of us, you're the one in love, not me. Why do you know those words?"

 Bree looks nervous. "I like to read stories and watch TV dramas, so I only noticed based on what I could see."

"Are you sure?" I teasingly asked, still making sure.

  Bree closed her eyes, meaning that at that moment I stopped asking questions because otherwise it would definitely pull my hair again. 

 After they talked, they just continued walking until Bree came home, and Daniella walked for a few more minutes before finally coming home with her crown.