In just a few hours, I will finally enter the biggest event of my life. Just thinking about it could make me throw up all I've eaten for breakfast. Backing out is not an option anymore. That is why I chose to follow this path: a path towards...the stage.

Just like that, the Ms. PGM pageant finally arrived. Because we are told to gather backstage before 7 am, I am now waiting for Laira near the door towards the backstage. Finally, she arrived.

"Orel," she said with a nervous face after arriving.

"..."

With a stunned face, I couldn't prevent to hang my mouth open. Right now, an extremely beautiful girl is before my eyes.

"Orel?" she muttered with a puzzled expression.

Her hairstyle is now new because it is now loose and slightly curled. Also, her sky blue dress suits her very well. It is a sleeveless gown designed with a white flower near its chest and laces at certain places. Because it has a simple design, Laira's beauty is emphasized. Is this the dress that Laira mentioned before? It is not that flashy, you know.

"Is my clothes…really that strange?" she asked with a worried look.

"Of course not. You look good on it…extremely!" I replied in a flustered tone.

Because of what I've said, her face suddenly turned into bright red.

"Th…thanks," she replied shyly.

"Is this your boyfriend?" a woman asked after appearing.

"N-no, Aunty," she instantly replied, flustered.

She...she just denied my whole existence in this world!

"This is Orel….my classmate," she introduced shyly.

"The one who will play the violin, right? That explains it. So that is the reason why he is wearing a suit," he aunt followed with a smile.

"Uhmm…"I muttered.

"My name is Trisha, the kid sister of her mother. Nice to meet you," she said with a smile.

"Nice to meet you," I replied politely.

“How’s your condition? Are you prepared to play the violin?”

“Yes. I will make sure that this will be my grandest violin performance," I replied seriously.

Trisha gave me a smile and replied, "Then, I’m expecting that. By the way, how old are you when you started playing violin?"

"I think…I started when I turned eight. I stopped playing it after I entered high school though."

"Then, does that mean that you just recently started to play it again?"

"Well…yes."

"But I assure you that Orel is a very outstanding violinist. I heard him performing after all," Laira attested.

“Laira…” I whispered, not expecting the sudden praise.

"Are you two really not dating?" Trisha suddenly asked with a teasing smile.

"!"

She winked at Laira and said, "Don’t worry. I won’t tell Maria about this."

"L-let’s go. You will still put a make-up on me backstage, remember?"Laira said and walked towards the door of the backstage.

"..."

Well, I think she is not yet ready to tell our relationship to her family. Anyway, I wonder why her mom couldn’t go here.

“Her mom is working right now. She really wants to go here but…she can’t ditch her work, right?” Trisha suddenly said.

Is she a psychic?

“I see," I rp

“That is why she ordered me to come here and record Laira’s performance using a video camera.”

“Then, you don’t have to because our classmates will also do that. I will just ask for a copy so you can show it to her Mom.”

“Really? Then, thanks. That will be really convenient. That way, I won’t have to leave the backstage until this whole thing finishes.”

“You’re welcome.”

“…”

“?”

"Orel, I know that Laira is not that friendly so…please take care of her."

"Don’t worry because…Laira can now make friends with her own strength."

She gave me a smile and said, "Then, thanks for all of your hard work. I know that you helped her, right?"

I then got slightly surprised and after a couple of seconds, gave her a smile.

“Well…you’re welcome again.”

After a while, the Ms. PGM finally started. Because I am at the backstage, all I can hear are the noisy crowds cheering for their favorite candidate while all of them are walking on the stage. Among them, I can hear Laira's supporters, our classmates. It is easy to identify them because of Meryl's energetic cheer. Well, I am confident that Laira will do well on this. Ms. Sarrah trained her strictly after all.

"I did it,"Laira said with a slight exhausted expression after the fashion show ended.

"Good job. You finally managed to resist those stares, huh," I said with a smile.

"Yup," she replied with a satisfied smile.

"Laira, sit down here. You’re tired right?" her Aunt said.

"Yes. Thank you."

So it is finally my turn, huh. I will never allow Laira to leave me behind. I will also...defeat my stage fright.

"Hey, Charl’s performance will begin!"one contestant said.

"Don’t block my view!"another one followed.

"I can’t see a thing. Can’t you at least move a little?"another contestant complained.

Even the contestants are dying to get a glimpse on her performance. Well, her performances in the previous years are enough to make me realize that she is a tough opponent. The first time I've watched her dance performance, I can tell that she is amazing even though I am an amateur in the ballroom world. And she improves every year on top of that. That is why watching her is not a good idea. Luckily, Laira just transferred here this year so she doesn't know how formidable her opponent is. That is why this ignorance...can become her strength.

“Orel?”Laira suddenly said with a worried face.

“Hmm?”

“Why are you staring at my face? Is it perhaps…my make-up? Is it ruined already?” she asked, worried.

“Can you please calm down? You’re too nervous, you know. And also, you’re the most beautiful here right now so don’t lose confidence on that face," I followed with a serious look.

Because of that, her rosy cheeks become redder.

“Laira…let’s win this,” I said with a serious face.

“Right," she replied with a smile.

“It’s really nice to be young,” her Aunt suddenly said with a teasing smile.

“…”

“...”

After minutes of waiting, it is finally our turn.

“The next contestant is the one who ranked as no. 10 on the votes. Please welcome, Laira Vargas!”

After the introduction, a loud applause has been heard throughout the gymnasium.

I went to the stage together with Laira. After Laira went to the center of the stage, I sat down on my seat. After exactly 5 seconds, I started to play my violin.

“I first met him on my kindergarten’s playground.

He suddenly approached me with a very bored face.

He then asked why I have a bored expression even though we are the same~.

A~ I wonder if it’s some kind of a fateful encounter~.

A~ I wonder if it’s the start of the word that they call love~.

I am always there.

He is always there.

That special place, only the two of us.

Without a clue that we will soon be separated~.

I wonder what I should do just to forget this feeling of love so it will not hurt as badly just like before.

I wonder what façade I should wear when the day that we will part once again arrived~.

I wonder what will be his reaction after he learned that I will go to a city, very far from this place.

I wonder what will happen to us after I said that I can’t stay together with him~.

What should I do~?

What should I do~?

I once again met that person accidentally.

Inside that classroom where he sat at the farthest back.

But when I talked to him he couldn’t even recognize me anymore~.

A~ I wonder if it’s some kind of a fateful encounter~.

A~ I wonder if it’s the start of the word that they call love~.

I am always there.

He is always there.

That brand new place, only the two of us.

Without a clue that I will leave this place once again~.

I wonder what I should do just to forget this feeling of love so it will not hurt as badly just like before.

I wonder what façade I should wear when the day that we will part once again arrived.

I wonder what will be his reaction after he learned that I will go to a city, very far from this place.

I wonder what will happen to us after I said that I can’t stay together with him.

Farewell, my first crush~.

Farewell, my first love~.”

The crowd is still silent even though Laira finished singing. Isn't it amazing? Why are they all silent? Did I perhaps screw up?

Suddenly, a loud applause has been heard throughout the area. It is the loudest applause since the start of this pageant. Some are even requesting for an encore. They didn't request for an encore in Charl's performance, right? With this...we can win!

When I looked at Laira, I can tell that she is quite surprised from their reaction. Not to mention that this whole song is her composition. I'm just wondering why she composed something like that.

"And that concludes contestant number five's performance. Sorry but an encore is forbidden. We are already over-timing after all," the host said with enthusiasm.

"Boo!" the crowd reacted.

"But that song…it is the first time I heard it. Wait…is it your composition?"the host asked.

"Y-yes,"Laira answered nervously.

"Boom! What a revelation. That is quite a song you know. What a beautiful and calming song. What’s the title of that song?”

“F-farewell.”

“Fantastic! It is indeed a masterpiece. I am sure that you worked really hard in composing that song, right?"

"It’s true but once you’ve finished it…you will be surely fulfilled," she explained with a smile.

She really worked hard on composing that song after all.

"I can see that this year’s winner is not yet decided! Thank you contestant number five, Laira Vargas. And moving on..."

"Here, you two," her Aunt said to us and handed one mineral bottle for each of us after we arrived at the backstage.

"Thank you," we replied and took both the mineral water bottles from her hand.

After I finished drinking half of it, I said, "This is the last. Answer that question with all you’ve got."

"Is it really fine that we skipped practicing this part?"Laira asked with a worried look.

"I already explained it, right?" I followed with a serious face.

"..."

"The question and answer portion here at Ms. PGM pageant is always word definition. Your answer shouldn’t be dictionary-based. It should be your own original answer."

"But..." Laira muttered, still worried.

"Don’t worry. You can do it. Have confidence in yourself," I said with a smile.

"Then…I will," she said after making a determined face.

After awhile, it is now the question and answer portion. Right now, Charl is the one on the stage.

"And here's your question, what does the word 'victory' means for you?"the host asked.

That is quite a perfect question for her.

"Thank you for that wonderful question. For me, victory is something that you can only obtain through hard work, a thing that you can never achieve without putting your entire self on the line. It might be true that achieving this will be quite hard but I think that as long you don't give up...you will be the victor," she answered seriously and ended her answer with a confident smile.

Suddenly, the whole crowd gave her a loud applause for that answer.

What a very positive answer. But if I'm the judge, I will give her a zero point for that naive answer. Even though they said "for you", that doesn’t mean that your answer should be so far from reality. That means that she sees this world as a bright and happy one, full of flowers and butterflies. But that isn't reality. There can only be one victor. Even though it is harsh, that is the truth. Even if you work hard, that will not surely grant you the victory that you wanted. Then, does that mean that you should just give up to avoid wasting energy? No. Working hard is better than doing nothing. As long as you work hard, there is a possibility that it can lead you to the next victory. Nothing isimpossible after all.

If that is her answer, I will give her a perfect 100. Well, that is my answer so I will give myself a 100 but…what about you, readers?

Just like that, the other 3 contestants answered their question and...

"And moving on to our question and answer portion, here is contestant no. 5, Laira Vargas," the host introduced.

"Laira, good luck," I said seriously.

"I’m going," she replied with a smile.

After Laira showed up at the stage, the crowd once again clapped their hands with all of their might. It looks like she is now quite popular.

Suddenly, my cross emitted a very bright violet light. Three days left, huh. Well, I have to put an end to all of this after this pageant.

"And here's your question. For you, what is the difference between crush and love?"

A double definition? And on top of that, it is based on her song. Did they make the questions just now?

After 3 seconds of silence, Laira took a deep breath and started answering.

"Love...and crush. To be honest, I don't know what those two really mean...until a certain day where I met someone. This is what I learned from him. Crush is just a simple admiration towards a very admirable person. On the other hand, love is accepting all about him, not just his admirable side but also his nature, moods, beliefs, characteristics and others that defines who he really is. That is why crush is the incomplete version of love. You can never say that you love someone if all you can see are his good sides. You also have to look properly on his bad sides and if you still feel the same way even after doing this…that is the real start of love," she replied calmly.

Not bad for a sudden answer.

After the crowd gave her the applause, the host replied, "Thank you for that wonderful answer contestant no. 5. And moving on…”

"Is my answer fine? I just told him what first entered my mind so…" she asked with a flustered face.

"Perfect 100," I said with a thumb up and a smile.

"Thanks," she replied with a sudden relieved face.

"Is that answer based on your life?" her Aunt asked with a teasing smile.

"N-no," she immediately replied.

I just got denied again.

"Let’s just wait for the results. You already did everything you have to do,"Trisha said with a serious expression.

"Thanks, Aunty," Laira replied.

After the question and answer portion finished, they are finally announcing the winners starting from the fourth runner up.

"And the fourth runner up is...contestant no. 4, Anna Mae Arcillo."

*applause*

"And the third runner up is...contestant no. 6, LorrieMelencio."

*applause*

Laira will be the winner! Hurry up and announce it already!

"And the second runner up is...contestant no. 2, Katrine Quintana."

*applause*

Down to the last two, huh.Charl versus Laira. Even though I'm just listening, I know that Laira is praying very hard at the stage right now.

"And the 1st runner up is...contestant no. 5, Laira Vargas."

*applause*

"..."

It's...not Charl?

"Darn!" I reacted with a frustrated face.

"..."

"And the winner is...no other than Charlotte Ravehart! Another victory to the most famous girl in PGM making this a six consecutive wins for her! This will surely be an unforgettable part of this pageant’s history!"

*applause*

It's so close. Why just second? Second is not important! The second tallest mountain, the second person to reach the moon, the second country with the most population...only the first is considered important!

"2nd place...That is the highest place Laira got in her whole life. That is why…don’t make that expression when she arrive," her Aunt suddenly said with a gentle smile.

"I’m…sorry. It’s just…it’s so close,” I replied and made a defeated look.

"Well, I can’t deny that though," she followed with sad eyes.

"She is the only first timer who received a place today. All of the rest who received a place already competed before. The stage performance is 30 percent, the question and answer portion is 30 percent, the audience impact is 30 percent and the votes of the boys are 10%. That is why I am sure that she lost because of those votes.”

"That is why…you should welcome her with a smile. If you are not smiling, I’m sure that she won’t too. I am sure that she did all of her best so…don’t make her lose that fact," her Aunt said with a smile.

After the pageant finished, Laira went towards us with a disappointed face.

"Sorry, Orel," she whispered sadly while looking down.

I then flicked her forehead with a little force.

"Ouch," she reacted and placed both of her hands on her forehead.

"It looks like I am the happiest boyfriend in this whole world right now. My girlfriend became the winner after all," I said with a big smile.

“Huh?” she reacted with a confused look on her face.

“No matter what happens, you are the winner…in my heart. You did your best, Laira. Good job," I followed with a gentle smile.

"Thanks," she replied with a smile.

"Just as I thought," her Aunt suddenly interrupted with a teasing smile.

"..."

"..."

"Sorry...Laira. It slipped from my tongue..." I whispered.

After we finished changing into our school uniforms, our classmates congratulated us very cheerfully. Well, second place...is not that bad after all.

Because Laira's Aunt went home just after the pageant finished, we are now walking together towards our homes.

"Laira…sorry," I suddenly said while we are walking in front of the park.

"Why are you apologizing?” Laira asked.

"Well, I am confident that you will win but…."

“You said that I am the winner in your heart, right? That is…already fine for me,” she muttered while smiling.

“You know what I mean, right? It’s my fault that--”

"Of course not!" she said with an unusual loud voice and furrowed eyebows.

"..."

"Without you, I am sure that I won’t even achieve that second place. You gave me the courage…to take the first step and that is…the most important part."

"..."

"Orel, I lied to you back when I confessed to you," she suddenly said with serious eyes yet blushing cheeks.

“…"

“I said that I love you but…I just like you back then. I just learned recently that those two are really different. But now, I can say for sure that I love you. I really love you. Orel…”

Aren't I supposed to be the one saying this?

Suddenly, she closed her eyes and puckered her lips.

"!"

Mission complete, huh. I've took many detours but now, it’s finally over.

I placed my hands on her small shoulders and drew closer to her face. Just before our lips touched, I suddenly heard someone running away from us.

When I looked at our right side, I saw Sheena running away.

Huh? Did she just...saw us?

Suddenly, my cross emitted the red light and formed these words:

[Chase after her.]

[Leave her alone.]

Darn it!

"Laira, wait for me her. I’m going to chase after her."

"Orel…" she whispered with a surprised face.

I immediately went after Sheena as fast as I could.

"Hey! Sheena!" I shouted as I chase after her.

"...*pant*...*pant*..."

Darn! How can she run that fast? I can’t even close the distance between the two of us. Anyway, why am I chasing after her? She is just a representation of the real Sheena, right? Why?

Finally, she gradually lost her speed and I somehow grabbed her arm after we reached a street without a single passerby that can be found in the residential area.

"Why did you suddenly ran away?" I asked while panting.

"..."

"Won’t you even congratulate Laira?"

"..."

"Even though she didn’t win, she is still the first runner-up, you know. How about congratulating her right now?"

What the heck am I saying? Is this really what I want to say?

"..."

Because she isn't facing me, I can't see her expression right now. What is wrong with her?

"Sheena!" I shouted.

"Why did you…go after me?" she muttered in a cold tone.

"!"

"Why?" she followed.

"Well..." I whispered and looked down with a confused face.

"..."

"I don’t know! You ran away so…I chased after you. Is it that strange?"

She then faced me with tears welling up in her eyes.

"Shee...na..." I whispered, surprised from her facial expression.

Why is she…crying?

"You and your girlfriend were about to kiss and because your best friend saw you and ran away, you decided to chase after her? Are you an idiot? Why did you leave her behind?" she angrily asked.

"..."

“Tell me!”

“..”

“Tell me why!”

“…”

“Why?”

"..."

"Why did you...choose her?" she continued, now with a shaking voice.

"!"

"I am always by your side these past eleven years. I’ve waited for eleven whole years! I waited for the day that you will love me back! But…but…what did you do? You introduced me to your new girlfriend without a notice. Don’t you know how painful is that? And what’s worse is she became my friend. I treated her as a real friend but deep inside…I envied her. Can you blame me? That girl…Laira stole you from me! What do you think should I feel right now?" she asked, tears runnimg down on her face.

This is without a doubt…Sheena’s true feelings. This representation of her…is so exactly like the real her.

“…”

Before I know it, I once again smelled a familiar scent and a soft sensation touched my lips. Sheena...kissed me.

"!"

She then drew back and looked at me with moist eyes and blushing face.

"Or, I…love you," she confessed.

How could I let this happen? This...this shouldn't happen in this world.

"Or..." she said with unusual charming eyes.

This is bad. This will surely affect my mission. I have to do something!

"Is this…really not possible? Is it really that hard to love me back?" she continued and tears started to form on her eyes once again.

"!"

Darn! I have to say it. I just….have to..

"Sorry but…Laira is…the one I…love," I said after averting my gaze.

Because of my reply, tears oncecagain ran down on her face.

Darn! This is the correct answer right? Then…then…why is my heart aching this bad?

I then immediately ran away from her as fast as I can.

This is the right thing to do. I...I…

"L-Laira..." I muttered with a surprised face after seeing her.

Just after I turned left, I immediately saw Laira standing with widened eyes.

Did she perhaps saw us?

"Laira..." I said with a worried face.

"Do you…love Sheena?" she said while looking down. Because of it, I can’t see her current expression.

"!"

She saw us! What should I reply? I should carefully choose my words here.

"N-no. You are--"

"Shut up!” she yelled angrily.

“!”

This is the first time…she shouted like that.

“I saw all of that. I can tell. You…love her, not me," she said, her voice shaking.

"You’re wrong. Please listen to me firs--"

"I don’t want to hear your excuses. We’re…finish. Let’s break up…this instant," she said and turned around.

This can't happen!

“Wait a minute! Won’t you at least hear me?” I shouted as she walk away from me.

“…”

"You are the only one that I love and it will never change. That is why…I will prove it to you! No matter what happens…I will not give up on our relationship!"

I still have 3 days. I will find a way...to fix this problem.