Mr. Beauty Queen And Me

Familiar Scene

Heyyy!

Let me tell you, writer's block is a bitch. I don't know why I've had such a hard time writing recently. I finally finished this chapter but I want to warn you it's not edited. I wanted to get it out to you guys first so you know I didn't forget about you.

I hope everyone is having a great summer and I hope to have an easier time writing in the next couple months.

Read, vote, comment, share! Let me know what you think! My PM is always open :)

Much love,
Elle
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I slept fitfully the rest of the night. Never really fully falling asleep before I would jerk myself awake. Sam had eventually come back into the main room after another thirty minutes on the phone. I assume to calm his mom down and collect his own thoughts in private.

It was a long five hours of tossing and turning for me, which meant more time awake to not only think about Sam's secret imperfect home situation, but also that I was going to be in a pageant in only a few hours. By the time 6:30 rolled around, I was restless to get out of bed and do something. Anything.

I decided a hot shower may be my answer to clear my head and take a moment to flush the thoughts that plagued me all night. The searing hot water pelleted down on my head and shoulders, soaking my hair. Steam filled the bathroom and fogged up the mirror. Leaning my forehead against the tiled wall and closing my eyes, I inhaled the humid air to fill my lungs to full capacity.

There was nothing I could do about Sam's personal situation. I wasn't even supposed to hear that conversation, yet now I carried the weight of something much bigger than a pageant. I had no one to confide in to untangle the confusing web that I was stuck in unintentionally. I couldn't directly help Sam or even ask how I could be of use. All I could do was stand back, half in the dark, and watch whatever was going to happen happen.

I eventually stepped out of the shower after spending several long moments standing in thought. Wrapping one big fluffy towel around my torso and another around my hair, I brushed my teeth and placed my glasses back on my nose. I was too distracted to try to put in my contacts yet. Plus, I wanted to wear them for the shortest time as possible, so another hour without them would be better.

I pulled back on my pajama shorts and sweatshirt with my hair still wet from my shower. I didn't bother putting it back into a braid since I needed my hair to dry faster. With such thick hair like mine, it took hours for it to dry completely, so I know I would need to use a hair dryer eventually. It was only 6:45 when I was done, so I turned the bathroom light off before going back into the main room. I wanted to give Sam every minute of sleep I could since he had a long night. 

My efforts didn't matter though because Sam was already awake and sitting up when I tiptoed out. He switched on the lamp and dark circles were suddenly illuminated under his eyes. 

"You're up early," he commented, pushing his legs over the side of the bed so he was sitting on the edge. 

"Hard to stay asleep when I'm this nervous," I replied. It's also hard to sleep when you're trying to figure out why someone would want their mother to kick their own father out of the house, but I left that part out. 

Sam hummed in acknowledgment before sidestepping me to use the bathroom himself. 

The pageant started at 10am and we had three hours to get hair, make-up, dressing, and registration done. Three hours seemed like a long time, but once you start, it seems like time is in fast-forward. I stood in the middle of the room looking around, unsure of what even to start with. I've been through this process hundreds of times, but suddenly, when I'm the only getting ready, my mind goes blank. I was so used to my mom barking out orders to me. What do I start with?