narrative-second best

 someone is always second best than their sister-but in an anonymous competition, they turn out to be the true best

nonnono beauty pageant where she always wins second-turns it its not so bad winning second

30MIN

Jane had never hated someone of her own family more than she did now.

Amira, however, paid no need to her sister's seething glare and continued to apply her makeup, swiping on her lipstick with one flick of the tube. It seemed she was too lost in her own reflection to even care.

Jane looked back at her own mirror, flinching at her plain features. It was wrong to have such a loathing for her own sister-but she was sick of it. Sick of being second best. Sick of watching that wretch waddle up to the stage every year, flutter those broom-like lashes and give a knowing smile to the crowd that Jane knew was directly aimed at her. 

Why wasn't she the one with blond hair? Jane picked up a straggly, lackluster brown stand and tucked it back in her bun. She hadn't even been the one born with sparkling, translucent blue eyes. But tell that to her pageant freak of a mum. 

To be truly honest, all she wanted to do was be a normal girl-maybe even do writing competitions or be praised for being a good student. But in a world where everyone thought her sister was prettier, all she yearned for in this moment and time was to win at least one competition to prove everyone wrong.

She didn't want to be second best.

"Good luck," Amira said, silky voice floating towards Jane. Jane whirled around in her seat and mustered the grimmest expression she could, to which only Amira blew a kiss, eyes narrowed. 

Jane must have been glowering at the makeup-room exit for quite some time, because someone meekly tapped her shoulder. Startled, she turned back around and yelped. The person jumped backwards, almost toppling over in the piles of taffeta and silk their waist was swathed in. 

"Sorry about that," a girl said, brushing her black locks past her shoulder. "I'm Gerogia! I'm new here, so I was hoping I could make some friends." 

Jane was not in the mood, and her lips pursed slightly at the injustice of constantly being swarmed by prettier girls. 

"Oh, but I've heard of your sister though. I hate her already."

Jane was about to turn back to her own business when her ears perked up at the insult. Before Georgia had time to process anything, Jane's enthusiastically shaking hand was in  hers.

"My name's Jane."

Boy, had Jane underestimated Georgia. No wonder she had been so captivated by the girl on their first acquaintance. Without fail, Georgia had already become an audience favourite, her sanguine aura and approachable energy quite unfamiliar in a place filled with fake smiles. Oohs reverberated around the stage as she displayed herself in each intricate outfit, laughs echoing even down to the dressing room as she gave witty responses to the judges.

The judges glanced at each other approvingly, as the contestants strutted up next to each other. Jane had tried her best, but she didn't really know what else to do that would make her stand out. However, it was already worth it to see her trembling mess of a sister, a tear clinging to the corner of her eye for fear of  ruining her mascara. Amira's forced smile had strained itself even further as she desperately looked out to her mother in the judges' seat. 

Her mother helplessly stared back, gesturing for her daughter to keep smiling.

"Runners-up..."

The judges' announcements sounded drowsy and underwater, as Jane slipped into a somnolent trance. The slight hitches of the other girls' breaths and twitching movements seemed miles away, even as they were crammed like glittery sardines in a tin. All she wanted to hear was who was in second place. 

"Second place..." 

All Jane's senses came back into sharp focus. Snapping back into reality, her eyes drilled into her mother as her glossy lips moved over the microphone.

"...Jane Smith."

Not a surprise. But what was the true surprise (or perhaps the most predictable outcome, depending on how you looked at it) was that Georgia had come in first by a long shot. No sharp pang of ignominy pierced Jane this time. In fact, she looked satisfyingly over at Georgia, draped in the winner's sash and shot her a genuine smile. Jane didn't even care to look over at her sister, or be bothered by her anguished wails which were drowned by the applause and cheering. 

Perhaps being second best could still teach others a lesson.