First of all I would like to say I'm sorry to all of my fellow competitors if I did not interpret your characters in a satisfactory manner. It can be hard to get the full concept in such short stories...then I would like to say I'm sorry for what Kit did to each of you.. ;) Oh and I'm also sorry that this is such a long story! :p
Assignment 5
Is this supposed to be a confession or an apology? Personally I don’t think anything I did was all that bad. I wanted to win, and I did what it took. Yes, some people got hurt along the way, but no one cared if I was hurting the entire time I’ve been here, so why should I care if I hurt them. Besides there was a prize to be had, and if I had to step on a few faces to get noticed well, so be it… After all this is a competition…
When we were told that there was a modeling contract up for grabs I of course got excited. We all did! This was what we had been working towards all this time. Maybe I didn’t fully realize how much I wanted it until I was forced to imagine someone else getting the gig. That was Ginger’s doing. She called me the night we found out to congratulate me on reaching what she referred to as base camp. “Now you need decide if you want to turn back or keep climbing.”
“I want to climb!” I said. “Of course I do!”
“Really? Because I’m not so sure about that.” She said tauntingly. “You have potential Kit, and you have me backing you, but you have to be prepared to do whatever it takes to win.”
“You mean like showing the dean and the client that I’m the best choice?”
“No I mean like sticking your pick axe deep into the heart of the mountain Kit. In this case your classmates are that obstacle, and you have to climb over them to get to the top using any means necessary to keep them from following you.”
“You think I should sabotage my classmates.”
“No, Kit, what I want is for you to win. If along the way you have to do a little something to give yourself a bit of an edge…well then…so be it.” Ginger cooed sweetly. She sounded way too nice to be saying something so vicious.
“I don’t want to hurt my friends.” I said.
“Oh sweetheart” She sang. “They aren’t your friends…and you better believe they will be looking to take you out every chance they get.” I sighed quietly into the phone. Ginger easily picked up on my reservations. “Well then I guess you should just pack your bag and head back down the mountain Kit. It’s too high and you will never make it. Be sure to congratulate whichever one of your classmates gets the gig for me darling.”
“No!” I growled into the phone. “I’m sick of just being the sweet little shy girl that only got here on dumb luck and a kind word. I know they talk about me behind my back. They say I don’t belong here, that I’m just here because the Dean felt sorry for me. I know Lachlan told Sabi and Ashley that real models ate little mice like me for lunch. I’m just the little Greek girl that no one notices. I’m just the little bug that keeps getting in the way, but I can do this! I am just a good as they are! NO! I’m better than them, I’m smarter than them and I will crush them if that’s what I have to do to prove it!” I didn’t notice that my voice had risen significantly and tears had begun to slide down my cheeks.
“Darn right you are sweetheart.” Ginger roared through the other end of the receiver. “You got this Kit! Now get out there and do whatever it takes to win!”
The next morning I woke up with burning rage inside me. After hardly being noticed all this time, I was determined to walk down those halls with all the swagger of a rock star. In my brain an evil plot was forming, slowly chipping away the competition piece by piece. I was ready.
The first person I saw in the hall was Lachlan. He was leaning back against the wall scribbling something into a notebook. “Hey” I called happily as I pretty much skipped up next to him. He glanced up at me with a bit of a surprised expression.
“Kit…um hi.” He said with a kind smile. Lachlan never really talked to me much, so I know my sudden bottle of sunshine being poured all over him was more than a little suspicious.
“Hey did you and Ashley ever get things worked out?” I asked trying to sound as thoughtful and concerned as any complete stranger could possibly be about the personal affairs of a passing acquaintance.
“What thing?” he asked looking confused.
“Well you know, when she said that you were way too flamboyant to be trying to hide your…”
“Whoa whoa whoa!” Lachlan hollered out. “Stop right there!” I could see the anger and embarrassment in his eyes. Mission accomplished.
“What, I’m just repeating what she said. I mean I’m sure she would deny it if you confronted her, but I know what I heard. I shrugged, doing my best to sound innocent.
“Ok.” Lachlan said shaking his head calmly. “Thanks for telling me Kit. You’re a good girl.” He patted me on the shoulder as he stepped aside of me and walked on down the hall. One down, three to go.
My next target was Delilah. Delilah was the one I had actually gotten to know during my time at camp. She was sweet, sunny and quite honestly perfect. She and I had had more than one midnight destressing session where we would talk about our personal lives and loves beyond this place. It was during one of those sessions that she had divulged to me about her concerns about her father’s past reputation. “He’s not like that now.” She had said. “But people around town still talk about him like he is. What if people begin to think I’m like that too? It would kill my mom for sure! That’s why I want to get out of that town. I want to go someplace where no one knows anything about my family. That way I can be whoever I want to be, and my father can be the man I know he is instead of the guy that everyone says sleeps around.” I knew exactly what to do to throw her off her game, and no, I’m not proud of it.
“Hey Delilah!” I yelled out across the cafeteria. I waved my hands excitedly to grab her attention.
“Hey Kit!” She called back happily. I kind of got a pit in my stomach as I approached her smiling.
“Don’t do it, don’t do it.” My brain called over and over to me as I approached. “Hey did you hear?” I said poking into my finger into her shoulder playfully.
“Hear what?” She asked.
“Whoever wins this contest is going to be on all the social media sites.” I quipped.
“Really?” She laughed. “Sweet!”
“Yeah” I continued. “I heard they were going to be interviewing friends and family and pretty much anyone who knows your family too.”
“Oh” Delilah said. I could see she was getting spooked.
“Yeah, I mean just imagine it. Everyone knowing all about your family, and your personal life like that, crazy huh. Oh and I hear it’s going to be on international news sites too…not just local stuff. Everyone will see it.
“Yeah.” Delilah said. Her smile was terribly forced. She looked like she might burst out in tears. “Um would you excuse me please?” She said with a shaken voice. “I um, forgot something upstairs.” She rushed off quickly and I was left alone.
With two of my opponents visibly shaken and comfortably knocked off their game I moved on to what I considered my biggest competition. Sabi! Sabi was tall dark and stunning. She was also strong willed and incredibly brave. I knew something like idol gossip wasn’t going to faze her…not in the least. So instead I decided to take a more direct approach.
Sabi was very close to her mother. The two had seen the fiery side of hades and come out the other side. She admired her mother’s courage always spoke of her with the upmost respect. The easiest way to get to Sabi was through her mother…or rather something that symbolized her relationship with her mother. That thing was the necklace she had received for her sixteenth birthday. She loved it, and she made a point of letting people know how much it meant to her. All I had to do was slip into the bathroom while she was showering, and take it. I knew I had accomplished my intended goal when I heard the frantic scream five minutes later. I fully intended to give it back of course…just not until the competition was over.
With three of my opponents out of the way there was only one person left between me and sweet victory…unfortunately that person was storming down the hallway with a long angry finger pointed straight at me! “Hey Kerrigan!” She screamed angrily. “I have a bone to pick with you!” Yeah I never really thought about how Ashley would take being confronted by Lachlan. Apparently it wasn’t well. I panicked and ran in the opposite direction as fast as my legs would carry me.
It was obvious that any tactic that involved talking to Ashley was a no go. I needed something else, and quickly. I remembered that Ashely had been in trouble recently for having a messy room. She had received a warning that if she let it get that way again there would not only be sever consequences, but a potential expulsion as well. After making one big loop around the dormitory hall to escape my pursuer, I headed straight to her room to implement my plan.
Upon entry I was shocked. Her room was immaculate! There wasn’t as much as a dust bunny under the bed. I guess that threat had really had an impact. Shaking my head, perhaps a bit uneasy over what I was about to do…I set to work…trashing Ashley’s room. I dumped paper and laundry all over the floor. Pulled the covers off the bed, and tipped all the pictures on their frames. I took a bat she had carefully tucked into the corner of her room and proceeded to put dents in her desk and bed frame. I grabbed an unopened can of soda off her side table and shook it then pointed it at the wall and popped the top. I then quickly slipped out into the hallway and away from her room. Once out of range, I made a quick call to the dorm monitor and mentioned a weird smell coming from the vicinity of Ashley’s room…Well you know what happened next.
I know that deliberately going out of my way to emotionally throw off my classmates was not the best way to handle the situation. I know I could have tried to impress you or the client more. I could have tried to show you what I have learned thus proving I wasn’t just the girl that got the sympathy vote. I don’t need or want anyone to feel sorry for me. I know what I did, and I am prepared to face the consequences of my actions. You wanted me to show you I wanted it and though this may not have been the best course of action I do believe that I accomplished my goal. After all…this is a competition.
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