* * *
Small plumes of dust rose as I made my way toward the river, and the yellow grass cracked under my feet. The river wound all the way through Uncle Tody’s property. It was lined with ancient weeping willows and tufts of low brush. Finding Liam was slim with such an expansive shoreline.
Liam’s pants were over-heating my forearm as I reached the river’s edge. Waterfowl squawked in the shallows, washing off the heat of the day.
Being in the country made me realize how little I knew about the real world. Most of my education regarded social interactions, managing my image and maintaining my ranking. While I could list the top five ranked in all ten cities, I had no idea how to have an honest conversation with someone outside my family.
Finding shelter under the leaves of a weeping willow, I watched the interplay between the birds. Apart from intermittent squawking it was silent, no cars beeping, nor the bustle of people. Sitting on the ground, I closed my eyes, savoring the isolation.
“Are you okay?” Liam’s voice interrupted me.
I kept my eyes closed, unable to fight the smile spreading across my lips. “I’m listening to the silence, thinking deep philosophical thoughts about the nature of sound.”
For a long time there was no answer. I opened my eyes to see if Liam had left. Somehow he’d managed to sit beside me without interrupting the silence.
“What are you doing?” I asked, tilting my head to look at him.
“Just listening to the silence with you,” he replied, honestly. “I’d hate for anything to happen to you down here alone.”
“That’s very chivalrous,” I teased, enjoying the tone of his voice. Unlike the chiseled male bimbos I generally found myself with, Liam offered softness and honesty, which I found intriguing.
“I’m nothing if not chivalrous,” he agreed, his lips curling into a shy smile.
“I came to return your pants,” I told him, handing over the violet pants.
“There was no need,” he replied, accepting them anyway. “I guess this means you still want that date?”
“Not really,” I replied, lying. Liam may not have been conventionally attractive, but he had me interested.
A breeze blew across the water’s surface, making me shiver. I moved slightly closer to Liam, hoping for more honest conversation.
“So, now I'm deeply ensconced in the friend zone,” he replied, his brow furrowing.
“Absolutely,” I agreed. “How are you at braiding?”
“You’d be unpleasantly surprised.” He laughed, the sound echoing across the brown river.
“We can always paint each other’s toe nails,” I offered.
“That sounds swell,” he agreed, sarcastic. “You know if I return to the workers’ quarters with my pants and no date, I’m going to get sledged all summer.”
“What do you propose?” I asked, enjoying the direction of conversation.
“There’s a dance on the weekend in Green Valley. Would you like to go as friends?” he offered, meeting my eyes. His fingers toyed with a blade of yellow grass.
“Green Valley is a bit of a ways off,” I replied, unsure if my parents would agree to me attending an event so far away.
“That’s fine,” he replied, blushing.
“I’ll have to convince my parents, but BFFs have got to stick together,” I teased.
His eyes searched mine. “Why are you doing this?” he asked. “What’s your angle? Hanging out with me is not going to do any favors for your rank; I’m not exactly gold quality. Is it just summer slumming? What’s going on?”
I plucked a blade of dry grass and broke it slowly into fractions, doing the math in my head. What was it about Liam that had me so intrigued?
Since coming of Pageant age, I’d been utterly obsessed with being number one, but with each passing month it felt more and more empty. Seeing my image in the magazines had been thrilling in the beginning, but reading the objectifying comments made me feel like a possession. Being number one was supposed to set me free, but instead I felt trapped.
“Before you told me you didn’t want to have your heart broken . . .” I started.
“That was not exactly what I said,” he corrected, discarding his blade of grass for a stick to draw patterns in a dusty patch.
“Losing your heart and having it broken are synonymous,” I reasoned. "You over-shared, so it's my turn. Shhhh."
"If you propose I won't cope," he joked, his eyes filled with apprehension.
"I have a boyfriend," I said, keeping my eyes on the river. His body tensed. "He declared we're on a break over summer, so I can do whatever I want.
"Oliver and I have a number one relationship; it exists as long as I'm number one. It made so much sense when we got together, and being number one is still important. I want to be in The Pageant. I need that security of being number one for life, but sometimes I’m discontent. I wonder if there isn’t more to life than being really ridiculously good looking. It never occurred to me someone might fall in love with me. I just wanted to feel good, because being in Tealé makes me numb most of the time. Does that make sense?"
“You really are ridiculously good looking,” he agreed, laughing at my lame attempt at humor.
“It’s a blessing and a curse,” I joked, my heart fluttering in my chest.
“How do I factor into your over-share?” he asked, examining me like I was a riddle to be solved.
“The few times we’ve interacted have been fun.” I shrugged. “You’re quick-witted, and your over-share was intriguing.”
“So what do you want from me?” he asked, straight to the point.
“I don’t know,” I responded, blushing under his scrutiny.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m pretty sure you didn’t want to be interrogated.”
“It’s kind of refreshing to have someone outside my family actually want to know what’s in my head,” I answered.
“Don’t all your fans want to know?” he teased. “The number ones in Vidámpark are always giving interviews for their groupies.”
I smiled, ruefully. “They claim they want to know the truth. Interviewers’ favorite question is how do you stay so thin? They don’t want to know the truth: that I’m always on a diet, and I work out six days a week. What they want to hear is I’m just blessed with a good metabolism. Everyone wants to believe that being number one is effortless, but it’s a lot of work. Nothing good comes effortlessly.”
His hazel eyes looked into mine, making me feel awkward. “What?”
“You’re not what I expected,” he admitted. “I thought you’d be all shallow and one-dimensional, but you’re a real person.”
“That’s kind of offensive,” I pointed out, laughing. His honesty was intoxicating.
“I’m sorry,” he offered. “I guess hanging out with Jai gave me a certain view of what top-ten people are like.”
“Oh, I’m totally like that,” I clarified. “If we were in a club being watched by the media, I’d be a totally shallow bimbo, but . . .”
“But what?”
“It’s summer.” I shrugged. “Everything is different in summer.”
He nodded, but his eyes didn’t agree. “You’re a real mystery.”
“The feeling is mutual,” I replied, causing him to blush.
“Ambrose,” called Tamsin, walking toward us. Her eyes brushed over Liam, “Hi,” she greeted. “Sorry to interrupt, but Mama and Papa began to worry when you were gone so long, so I was sent out on twin retrieval.”
“This is Liam,” I introduced.
“I know,” Tamsin replied. “Uncle Tody thinks the world of you.”
“He’s a great guy,” Liam replied. “There aren’t many people who would take in an orphan these days.”
“The Pageant makes people insane,” Tamsin offered. “A community based on aesthetics and procreation will struggle to show compassion.”
“That’s an interesting observation,” Liam offered.
&nb
sp; “She’s a fountain of politically-incorrect observations,” I teased. “She’s lucky she hasn’t been arrested for insurrection.”
“Ha ha,” Tamsin replied, smirking. “We should go before the parents send out a search party.”
I rose, dusting off my dress. “See you on the weekend,” I told Liam.
Tamsin arched a brow, looking between us, but she was too diplomatic to make comment.
“I’ll pick you up at five p.m. Sunday. We can grab dinner on the road,” Liam said, rising.
I wanted to stay longer, to sit and watch the sunset and talk more, but I had commitments to remain number one. Mama and Papa were waiting to discuss public relations while we were away from Tealé.
“See you then,” I replied, looking forward to Sunday.
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