#hod5

Twenty minutes?

Who did he think he was to demand those precious minutes of my life? He may be the world's most handsome living creature but I don't give jackshit about it.

I was hungry. My grumbling stomach was calling to me to feed it. It had been two hours since Holly and I ate and I felt like I would faint if I didn't stuff anything inside me in the next ten minutes. I would never put him over food. Not if I was being compromised.

Holly jogged towards me with a hopeful grin when she saw me coming out of the wooden double door of the function hall, "How'd it go? Did you do everything we practiced? Tell me you didn't trip or anything. I mean, I know you wouldn't but I heard a lot of the girls talk about tripping and I just wanted to make sure you didn't 'coz that would mean you already surpassed about one fourth of the draftees and that's like fifty girls down." She ranted, letting out a huff after.

I chuckled and flicked her forehead that she didn't quite like. She scowled for a second before she broke into a blinding grin again.

"I didn't okay? It went perfectly fine." I guess. I walked ahead of her and she followed, walking by my side.

Holly dogged me quietly for a few moments until she couldn't take it anymore, "Tell me the details!"

"And I thought you wouldn't ask. You disappoint me Holly." I joked, shaking my head faking disappointment.

She frowned and pouted.

"I'm kidding!" I told her, amused. God! Did she really fall for that? I shoulder bumped her, "Still wanna hear it?"

Her lips slowly tilted up and she nodded.

"Keian winked at me." Holly's eyebrows shot up and her lips formed an 'O'. "Well, I'm not really sure though." Her face fell. I wanted to laugh at how fast her expressions changed. It was quite cute actually. "You know, it's like when you look at someone and you think he's looking at you but he really isn't? That's how it was."

She tapped her finger on her chin as if thinking deeply. I would give it to her, she looked like she really was but I knew better.

"I think he's really looking at you." She finally said.

"Why do you think that?"

"Look," she wrapped an arm on my shoulder and held her hand up, her palm facing us. "There were four others with you on that batch. Brooke is completely out of the list so let's not talk about her." She bent down a finger.

"Why?" I asked in confusion. She was pretty and I could see her running down that catwalk in just two pieces of skimpy material to hide what should be hidden.

"She's a machine gun." She told me as if that was enough explanation.

I didn't ask further since I think I got the hint. Brooke was all talk and no sense. Now that was enough said.

"After you was Watson. Did you see her nose? Totally not real. I can feel it talking to me." She then again put one finger down.

"Webber. Webber. Webber. She's a nice girl."

"So she can be who Keian winked at right?"

"Nope. She's too feminine. She's too shy. I'm actually surprised to find her here. But she's not just Keian's type. Next," she held up her last two fingers which represented me and the last girl, Wu.

"That Asian girl. That one is cute. I mean, how could someone have such a doll face it's so unfair. But I'm pretty sure she's not who Keian was looking at." She nodded in satisfaction to her conclusion. "And that leaves us with you."

I didn't say anything. I just stared at her, urging to go further which she did.

"You don't think Keian is crossed-eyed do you? Wu is on the other side from you. Brain check, doll."

I rolled my eyes. Sometimes, I don't know if I should be offended at how Holly kept on insinuating I don't have the brain where in fact I was the smarter one.

"So that's it?"

"Yup," she said, popping the 'p'.

"Do you really think so?"

"No. I know so." She winked at me and snaked her arm on mine. We walked side by side and talked about anything and everything. My best friend unintentionally changed the subject away from the real one. But this was Holly. I should have known she wouldn't sway that far away from the matter at hand.

"I still can't believe it though. Keian Hall freaking winked at you!"

"And I thought you got over it," I joked, bumping her a little.

"It's unforgettable okay? It's not everyday you get winked by a hot guy!" She released herself from me and twirled dreamily on the hallway.

The girls around us stared at my best friend like she just lost a screw. I quickly held her hand and dragged her towards the exit.

"What?" She asked when we got out, her brows tied up in confusion.

"You look crazy." I shook my head chuckling. "Those girls look at you like you've gone mad."

"They're just jealous they can't make a 360 twirl without falling on their fake butts." She said with a hair flip. Her blonde hair flew to her side, following her head as she moved.

"Okay, Holly. Let's go grab something to eat. We need to feed your brain." I teased.

"Bitch." She mumbled incoherently.

"Heard yah, babe."

"I said I want fish." She denied. I laughed at her. Holly was never a fan of fishes. She never ate them and I never knew why. She said it was "just because."

  "This is shitty," Holly muttered. She had been annoyed since first class but she didn't want to tell me why. Now she had poured her anger on the poor bottle of soda because she couldn't twist the cap.

"Holly? Need help?" I offered.

"No," she snapped. "I can do this. I can do this okay? You don't need to help me. I can do this," she said repeatedly.

O-kay? What was wrong with her? I had never seen her so worked up in our fifteen years of friendship. Well, I saw her once. And that was when the guy from our class in second grade had beaten her in jump rope. She lost by three loops and she practiced everyday and didn't talk to me for the whole month.

She let out a sigh and leaned on her chair, "This is so crappy. Why can't I open a damn cap? It's just a cap! It can't win over me!"

I gawked at her. This wasn't Holly. She was so stressed out today and I didn't even know why. There were bags under her eyes and her hair was pulled up in a bun-which she never does unless she woke up late. It seemed like she didn't get sleep at all.

"Holly."

She didn't answer. She was staring at the bottle as though thinking of a plan on how to open it.

"Holly," I whispered, poking her arm.

She tilted her head towards me, her eyebrows knotted.

"What's the problem?" I inquired.

She shook her head and returned her gaze to the bottle which she found more interesting than to talk to me.

I let out a sigh and decided to let her be. She would open up sooner or later.

The bell rang. A long buzzing sound reverberated across the cafeteria before the sound of a mic being tapped for testing took place.

"Hello?" The voice checked. "Hello and good afternoon dear students. I would like to get the attention of the participants of Bents' model search. Please proceed to the function hall for your deliberation. Thank you."

I was glued to my seat. Deliberation? Weren't they just going to post the list? Why did they have to do it this way? Seriously?

I looked down at the clothes I was wearing. I guess I should be thankful that I wore fitted jeans instead of my baggy pants but the sweatshirt still screamed a big no. My converse wasn't really in its best state and I just want to slap myself for not continuing prepping up.

"Fuck my life," Holly murmured. She dropped her head on the table, face flat.

I facepalmed myself for not realizing it sooner. Holly was dreading this day-the judgment day. Though I didn't think she should worry, I couldn't blame her. We were competing with one hundred and ninety eight students to get a spot. No wonder she was so worked up.

"We'll do just fine, Hols. Don't worry," I consoled, patting her back.

She looked up at me and her face brightened. Holly had always believed in everything I said. And I did hope, this time, I wouldn't break my words.

  "Hello, ladies," Rita greeted us. Her forest green dress flowed smoothly over her thighs as she walked towards the center of the stage. "I know you are all waiting for this day. Thirty lucky girls will have the chance to have the spotlight on them and have a ticket to fame. I assume you already have an idea of what you are going to deal with if your names are called. You will no longer be some normal student. You should act accordingly and feel that you are a model. Because sooner or later, one of you ladies will be the next cover girl of leading magazines throughout the world."

"Before we start, I would like to call in our panel."

Emerging from the side of the stage were Myra, Keian and the jerk Dylan in all their glorious beauty and I couldn't help but study them.

Myra wore an elegant black tube dress which hugged her body in all the right places. Her curves were worth envying over, slim waistline and broad hips. Totally a model material. Her jet black hair reached just above her shoulder and the tips were curled to give a little volume to it.

Keian wore a simple light red v-neck shirt and a black cardigan over it. I wasn't a fan of cardigan-wearing men because they looked so feminine to me. But somehow, Keian still pulled it off, standing there in all his manliness.

As much as I didn't want to look at him, he was worth the stare. He pulled on a white polo, the sleeves folded up to his elbows and black designer jeans. The first three buttons of his top were loosely opened giving him that ragged look. His hair was disheveled and was messy in a sexy kind of way.

I couldn't help but look a him. Though I hated his gut, I couldn't deny the fact that he was extremely stunning. I had never admitted it to Holly because I hadn't admitted it to myself until five seconds ago.

Keian and Myra were all smiles while Dylan had a scowl. He looked so irritated like he wanted to storm out of the room and get this deliberation over and done with as soon as possible.

"Ladies, the names who will be called, please go up here on the stage," Rita said. "Myra?"

Myra nodded. Keian handed her a paper and she unfolded it. "Are you ready for this ladies?" She asked as she looked around the hall.

Everyone screamed yes, including me this time.

She started to call names and I couldn't describe how nervous I was. My heart was drumming hard in my chest and my breathing was starting to get ragged. I reached over to hold onto Holly's hand which rested on the arm rest and spared a glance at her. She gave me a half smile which meant she was nervous like me.

Thirteen girls were already up the stage but neither Holly nor I were one of them. We gripped each other's hand tightly, both silently hoping that we would be called. When it reached the nineteenth girl, I couldn't help but be worried. What if I wasn't chosen? What if neither of our names was called? This would surely devastate me, especially Holly.

Going through all the process of learning how to walk, though not the formal one, made me realize that this wasn't some easy shit to do. They actually put a lot of effort into making themselves look good, making themselves presentable at all times and dealing with the pressure of going out of the runway and not fall off of it or trip. I wasn't saying that I wanted to be one of them, I was just saying that everything I put into hoping to get a spot had given me a different view of the modeling world.

"Holly Halloway."

My best friend stiffened beside me, she was the twenty second girl. She slowly turned her head to me, her eyes bulging out.

"Cera," she whispered.

"It's okay." I smiled at her. "Now go."

She nodded, stood up and made her way on the stage where she belonged.

I let out a sigh and slumped on my seat. Maybe this wasn't for me. Maybe I wasn't really meant to own any Lerato apparel. Maybe I just wasted my time thinking that I could be in this with Holly. Not that I regretted everything I went through but somehow, it made me think that I could actually be one of the thirty girls. I spent so much time improving myself but I knew that these girls with me did, too. So if I wasn't chosen, I guess it was okay. Everyone here was deserving for a spot.

"Cera Ward. Please get on stage now."

My head snapped up. DId I just hear my name?

"Cera Ward are you here?"

Fazed, I stood up and raised my hand.

Myra chuckled and flashed me her pearly whites, "Now you get your butt in here or we'll have to pick another girl," she joked.

My eyes widened. I was chosen! I was one of the thirty girls. I get to have Lerato and I get to be in this with Holly. I searched for my best friend and there I found her, hands clasped with a wide grin on her face. I smiled at her and made my way to the stage.

When I looked back up, my eyes caught Dylan's figure and spared him a glance-which I hoped I didn't. He was scowling, his brows were tied up and he stared at me as if I had killed his pet dog.

Holly giggled and held my hand when I stood by her side. I was happy. I was more than happy that I got in. It was a huge thing for me because I never wanted to be in here and I never had the it for modeling. But somehow, I managed to steal a spot.

Despite the fact that I was ecstatic about being in the top thirty, I had this gut feel that it won't be as nice as I wanted it to be. Because we haven't even started, but the girls had their bitch faces on when I got up the stage--probably looking down on me because of how I looked--and Dylan was sending me his death glare with no apparent reason, I pressume. And right now, I could feel the jerk boring a hole on my head.

What's wrong with him?

Myra finished calling the top thirty and thanked the rest of the girls who didn't get in for participating. They started to disperse and the hall was left with only us on the stage, Rita and the panel.

They gave us last words of encouragement and congratulated us for getting in before they dismissed us. We would be having formal lessons for modeling in the next few days and a couple of photoshoots within the month. Could somebody just shoot me now?

Holly, I, and the rest of the girls left the hall after what seemed like the most agonizing hour of our lives. It was meant to be a life changer but only thirty girls had the chance of a lifetime.

A warm hand grabbed my arm before we could finally leave the building. Holly turned her head when I jerked back and her eyes widened when she saw who had me captured.

I let my arm loose from his grip not because it was hurting me but because it was becoming uncomfortable. "What's your problem?" I whisper-yelled, not wanting to get the attention of others.

"You." Dylan's hazel eyes were piercing right through me, as if scrutinizing each and every part of me.

I crossed my arms over my chest, "What did I do to you?"

He grunted and brushed his hand on his hair, making it messier. "I told you to give me twenty minutes. But when I got out, you were MIA."

I creased my brows thinking of what he was saying.

"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh." He mocked, not bothering to hide the annoyance that laced his voice.

"Why are you so riled up about it? I didn't have to wait for you. I'm hungry and I needed to eat. Do you want me to die of starvation?"

He stared at me blankly and said, "No. But You ditched me."

"So?" I replied before a yellow bulb appeared right above my head. "Oh my God! That was the first time you got stood up by a girl, wasn't it?"

He didn't say anything but averted his gaze.

Bingo!

A smirk broke on my face, "Sorry, babe. I think you got the wrong girl this time."

His head snapped back at me with a frown.

  I turned around feeling victorious but my face immediately fell when I found Holly stoned in place and did a mental facepalm. I held her arm and literally dragged her out of the building and onto the parking lot.