Chapter 35: You deserved it
The crowd held their breath as they looked up at the lady on stage with a mixture of excitement and anticipation swirling in their eyes. I could hear my own heartbeat inside my head and I bit my lower lip. It felt as though the whole world had gone silent at that moment.
"...Evelyn Lloyd!"
At first, I was surprised, shocked to hear her name. I thought I stood a chance, but I guess I thought wrong. I was defeated, to say the very least.
The light in my eyes was instantly extinguished as soon as I heard the familiar name echoed in the ballroom. I let out a breath, disappointment clearly evident on my face as I lowered my head.
"Evelyn?" I muttered under my breath. "How?"
A huge round of applause sounded in the ballroom. James and Natalie both stood up, clapping enthusiastically for their daughter with big smiles that were stretched across their faces as they watched her carefully make her way up the stage.
I looked up and found that she was already looking at me with a smug smile plastered across her face as they handed her the trophy.
Xavier interlaced his fingers with mine, giving it a slight squeeze of assurance. "It’s okay, I think you did great nonetheless," he whispered beside my ear, shooting me a comforting smile.
I leaned my head on his side, a small smile etched onto my face as I found comfort in his presence. "Thanks, Xavier."
And just like that, the competition I had been working so hard for had come to an end. We had already stepped out, away from most people when a familiar sharp voice pierced through the air and reached my ears.
"How does it feel to be a loser?" The voice taunted.