Maya stood in front of the judges, waiting for them to ask her something. Her eyes were particularly focused on Isobel Harper. For some reason, she wanted Isobel to like her and consider her good enough to be Zachary's friend. Impressing parents were never an issue for Maya but the Harpers were another thing.
"What is your goal in life?" Isobel asked her.
Maya paused for a minute, forming an answer in her mind. "I... Well, there are some short term goals like graduating high school, getting admission in a med school, giving the valedictorian speech, be more confident in my skin but I have only one long term goal for now. To find peace in what I do."
Isobel passed her a smile at her answer. Then the other judge asked, "And how exactly would you define peace?"
Maya heaved a long sigh. "Peace for me is satisfaction. I want to enjoy the things I love, without having to worry about losing myself in the way. Love, money, travel, happiness, I want each thing in moderation because excess of any good thing can make it toxic."
Few more questions were asked and Maya was able to answer everything without stuttering. All five girls were now on stage, having discussion with the judges one by one. Once she was done, she took few steps back and Althea moved forwards.
"What is your goal in life, Althea?" Isobel asked the same question again.
"I want to be perfect." Althea stated confidently. "Many people here will disagree with me. They will say, perfection is a mirage. They will say, I am a stupid idealist. But what's the point in living if you don't make the most out of everything?"
"What exactly is perfection for you?" The third judge asked.
"Perfection for me is not just about looking perfect, as some people accuses me of. It is to be at my best, even when the circumstances forces me to bow down. It is to never give my opponents the joy of seeing me defeated. It is to be well-spoken, to be well-dressed, to be well-educated. Life is too short to be ordinary. We can't do everything in this life but whatever we do, I want to do it in the best way possible." Althea answered.
"What about Satisfaction?" Isobel asked.
"Satisfaction is overrated, ma'am. The notion of being satisfied in what you have is what stops you from reaching the stars. To be extraordinary, we have to push ourselves, be better than others, be better than your own self. We need the thrill pumping in our veins, making it harder for us to breathe before we achieve our next goal." She said.
After Althea's turn, all five girls remained standing there while the judges decide the winner. After some ten minutes of discussion, Isobel Harper came to the stage and said in the mic, "I must say girls, you all are brilliant. That's the kind of thinking we need in our women. We want them to be smart and not just beautiful. With that, I will start by announcing the name of our second runner-up."
Maya crossed her fingers and watched the intense exchange of glares between Blaire and Althea.
"Blaire Willow." She said and Blaire's eyes widened. She huffed angrily as the other female judge moved forwards and gave her the runner-up sash.
"It was all staged." She grunted under her breath and stomped out of the stage in anger, throwing the sash to a side.
Althea smirked and then angled her neck to look at Maya. Maya gulped nervously as Althea stared at her from head to toe and then turned her attention back to her mother.
"Now for the first runner-up, we have... Any guesses?" She said and the audience screamed various names. Most of the voices said Althea but Maya felt herself smile when she heard few screams of her name as well.
YOU ARE READING
Privileged
Teen Fiction"You want to know what I think of you?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. I smirked in a confident manner and nodded, eager to hear his answer. He took a brief pause and his heated gaze lingered on my face. "I think you are a privileged, spoilt brat...
