ELLE’S POV
My heart hammered against my ribs like it was trying to escape. The spotlight beamed down, making sweat trickle down my spine as I stood among the line of perfect-faced contestants.
Each one of them looked like they belonged on magazine covers. Then there was me—the scholarship kid, the cleaning lady's daughter, the girl they called "Fluffy Elle."
I heard a ruffle just as they were about to call the winner's name, and I suddenly saw Noah behind the judges, my brows furrowed.
Was Noah about to ruin my chances?
Noah grabbed the microphone from one of the judges and spoke into it. "I saw someone slip a paper at Judge 4's table. Can someone have a look at it? I'm afraid there's going to be unfairness and inequality in the contest. Principal, please look into it."
The judge grabbed the microphone back from Noah. "What the hell are you doing, boy?" His face flushed crimson with anger.
Principal Matthews stood up as murmurs rose throughout the auditorium. Noah glared at the man before turning to me. He didn't smile, and I wondered what he was up to.
The Principal moved to him, and they talked in low tones. Then the Principal was given a microphone.
"Noah, talk!" His voice boomed across the silent room.
"I saw Benita's cousin slipping a note at the Judge. I suspect he is being bribed or he is about to."
The hall was thrown into pandemonium. Parents gasped. Students whispered frantically. The other judges looked disappointed and shook their heads in disgust.
The security guard escorted the accused judge out, who kept insisting he "hadn't decided on whether to take the bribe or not," as if that made it better.
My eyes met with Noah's, and I could have sworn he gave me an assuring smile.
My mind was seriously messing with me.
"Benita, is it true that you wanted to bribe your way..." A girl beside me said to Benita, leaning forward to catch her face.
"Shut up!" Benita yelled at her and scoffed, but her perfectly contoured face had turned pale.
One of the judges announced that Benita would be out of the contest for manipulation and bribery, and that was when it dawned on me.
Noah had just made Benita lose her chance. They were exes but they were still friends, and he did that. Was he trying to help me?
He could have seen someone slipping the note at the judge and still decided not to mention it. Why did he do that?
My fingers twisted around each other as I tried to make sense of it. Noah had never given me the time of day before. If anything, he'd been part of the crowd that made my life hell. So why now? Why this?
The murmurs died down, and the judges resumed their seats.
The tension mounted again, and with Benita gone, I had a little bit of hope of winning. Still, I watched the pretty faces of the remaining contestants and my spirit dampened. Even without Benita, these girls came from money and connections. They had professional training. They had everything I didn't.
I shut my eyes and held my hands together as the host began again. "The winner... is..."
"Please God," I prayed within me. This could change everything. A win would mean validation, respect, maybe even a recording opportunity. It would mean proving that talent mattered more than social status or appearance.
"Elle Willsmith of DE-Fountain Academy."
Wait. What?
Gasps filled the air and someone nudged me. I opened my eyes to see one of the other contestants staring at me in shock.
"Aren't you Elle Willsmith?" she asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.
I nodded, the words not fully registering. Had they actually called my name?
It sank in as the host repeated, "Winner is Elle Willsmith of DE Fountain Academy!"
"No way," I whispered, my voice barely audible even to myself. "This isn't happening."
"It is happening," said the girl next to me, her voice tight with disappointment. "Go claim your prize before they change their minds."
My legs felt like overcooked noodles as I stumbled forward. The stage seemed miles away, the distance stretching with each step.
I made it to the center stage somehow, the lights blinding me. The host's smile was impossibly white against his tanned face.
"Congratulations, Elle! How does it feel to be our winner today?"
I stared at him, mouth dry as sand. "I... I don't..."
"She's in shock," he laughed, turning to the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, let's give a big round of applause to our winner!"
The applause was scattered, reluctant. I scanned the crowd and found Lucas was on his feet, clapping wildly. And somewhere in the back, Noah stood perfectly still, watching me with an expression I couldn't read.
The host pressed a trophy into my hands. It was heavier than I expected, golden and gleaming under the lights.
"Speech!" someone called.
I stepped up to the microphone, my hands trembling. "I want to thank the judges for seeing something in me worth recognizing. I want to thank my mom who works two jobs so I can attend this school, and who taught me that hard work matters more than what people think of you."
I paused, scanning the audience. "And I want to thank everyone who ever called me names, who laughed when I said I wanted to be a musician. You gave me something to prove."
The silence was deafening for a moment, and then, from the back, my mother started clapping again. Lucas joined in, then a few others, until the applause grew to fill the room.
As I walked off the stage, Benita stepped directly into my path.
"Enjoy it while it lasts, Fluffy," she hissed. "Tomorrow, you'll still be nobody."
I looked her straight in the eye. "Maybe. But today, I'm the winner. And you're not."