Chapter Text
Talia's POV
The sun woke me up before my brain did.
Golden light streamed straight into my eyes, slicing through my dreams like a thousand fireflies with megaphones, and I groaned, squinting and flopping my arm over my face. The air was chilly in that morning farm kind of way-crisp and fresh and totally disrespectful to my need for sleep. I was curled up in one of the scratchy blankets from the barn, tangled up with someone’s discarded hoodie and what might have been a half eaten marshmallow stuck to the corner of my jacket (gross).
Around me, the others were all in varying states of chaos.
Flora let out a tiny whimper as she blinked blearily at the sky. Penny rolled over and smacked herself in the face with a pillow. Jackie groaned something that sounded like “never again,” and Reyna snorted herself awake, muttering “whipped cream vengeance” before flopping dramatically onto the grass.
Raya, however, was already up.
She was pacing in tight circles around the dying fire pit, her arms crossed, her teeth gnawing her bottom lip like it owed her money. “It’s today,” she kept muttering. “It’s today. We’re not ready. I should’ve triple stitched Flora’s hem. What if the seams blow out? What if Summer brought lasers? What if-”
“Raya,” I croaked, sitting up and rubbing my eyes. “No one brings lasers to a high school fashion show.”
“She might,” Raya whispered. “She would.”
“Good morning to you, too,” Jackie mumbled, sitting up next to me, hair sticking up like she got into a fight with the wind and lost.
“We are ready,” I said firmly, reaching out to squeeze Raya’s arm. “You are incredible. Your designs are incredible. You’re basically a genius wrapped in fabric, okay?”
Flora, still curled like a shy little cinnamon roll in her blanket cocoon, nodded sleepily. “She’s right. Your designs made me feel like I’m in a fairy tale.”
“And I have excellent taste,” Penny yawned from somewhere behind a mountain of blankets, “so if I love them, the judges definitely will.”
Reyna sat up dramatically and threw her hands to the sky. “WE SHALL SLAY THE FASHION DRAGONS!”
“...What?” Jackie blinked at her.
“I’m too tired to explain,” Reyna waved a hand. “But Raya. You got this.”
Raya finally, finally, gave a tiny, hopeful smile.
“Okay,” she breathed. “Okay. I just… I want today to be perfect.”
“It will be,” we all said at once, a perfect chorus of sleepy chaos.
Eventually, we all peeled ourselves off the grass and started the slow shuffle toward getting ready. I wandered into the barn to look for my boots, only to find whipped cream on the doorknob. Again. I spotted more on the side of a hay bale. And one suspicious puff inside someone’s hoodie sleeve.
“REYNA,” I shouted.
“What?” she called sweetly from outside. “I’m innocent!”
“You are the opposite of innocent!”
Eventually, we got dressed (some of us still in pajamas under jackets), and scavenged for breakfast. Jackie offered us some leftover granola and milk from the house. Penny tried to make gourmet toast over the fire. It did not go well.
And then came the best part of the morning.
“Hey,” Jackie called, pulling her hair into a braid, “Mac’s about to take the tractor into town. He’ll pass by the school. If we hop on the back now, we can ride with him.”
“TRACTOR RIDE!” Penny cheered, instantly awake.
“I want the top!” Reyna announced before anyone could stop her, already scrambling up the side.
“The top is NOT for humans!” Jackie groaned, running after her. “That’s where the sacks of chicken feed go!”
“That’s basically what I am,” Reyna replied, perched like a victorious raccoon, wind in her hair. “Chaotic chicken feed!”
The rest of us piled onto the back-one big cozy mess of legs, elbows, and tangled scarves as we sat side by side on the wooden slats of the trailer. Flora sat between me and Raya, still wrapped in a blanket, while Penny hummed something that sounded vaguely like the Mission: Impossible theme.
Jackie finally clambered up behind Reyna and sat with one foot braced and one hand on Reyna’s shoulder, clearly ready to yank her back down if she so much as wobbled. “If you fall, I’m not sewing your limbs back on.”
“I’d haunt you for eternity,” Reyna grinned, turning to face the wind, not at all intimidated.
And then… we were off.
The cool wind whipped around us as the tractor chugged down the dirt road. The barn disappeared behind us, the golden morning sun flaring in our eyes as we rolled toward school.
The second we rolled up to school-tractor dust in our hair and marshmallow breath still lingering-we made a beeline for the boot of the tractor, where the holy grail of the day lived: the giant garment bag. Correction: bags. Plural. Stuffed to the brim with blood, sweat, tears, fabric, sequins, and a whole lot of questionable snack stains.
“Okay, troops,” Jackie grunted, swinging one over her shoulder. “Let’s get these dresses inside before they wrinkle and I have a meltdown.”
“You? You have a meltdown?” Reyna said, flinging another bag over her head and nearly toppling backward. “I thought you were immune.”
“I’m not immune to crushed satin.”
Inside, the school was practically unrecognizable.
The gym-normally a place of echoing sneakers and suspicious floor stains-had been transformed into a full blown fashion fever dream. The usual squeaky basketball floors were covered in sleek black flooring that gleamed under the lights. A runway-yes, like a real, raised, actually steady runway-stretched through the center of the room, lit on either side by warm spotlights that glimmered just enough to make everything look expensive. Someone had even added curtains to the bleachers, making the whole place look like a New York Fashion Week pop up shop.
Above the runway hung a literal disco ball, sparkling like it had something to prove, throwing tiny rainbows across the walls. A soft thrum of music pulsed through the hall-enough to make you feel like you were about to do something important, but not so loud that it drowned out the squeals of students arriving and models adjusting their hair clips.
“Okay, wait,” Flora breathed as we walked in, eyes wide. “Who… who did this?”
Everyone turned to look at Penny, who was grinning like a kid with a secret candy stash.
“Penny,” I said, jaw on the floor, “what the hell. You outdid yourself.”
“I don’t say this lightly,” Jackie said solemnly, “but this might be better than my cousin's wedding.”
“Who even are you?” Raya whispered, half laughing, half in awe.
“I have talents,” Penny said smugly, adjusting her bright pink glasses. “And a lot of free periods.”
She led us through the crowd of gawking students and confused teachers to the “backstage” area-which turned out to be a few spare classrooms turned into impromptu dressing rooms. Clothes racks lined the walls. Mirrors were set up on every desk. There were extension cords everywhere, hair tools plugged in and already steaming. It was chaos. Beautiful, glorious chaos.
Unfortunately, the beauty didn’t last.
Because that’s when we saw her.
Summer. Surrounded by her four perfectly posed models, all sipping cucumber water and pretending not to notice us. She turned as we walked in, flipping her golden hair over one shoulder like she’d trained for it.
“Well, well, well,” she said, drawing out each syllable like we were in a villain’s lair. “If it isn’t the charity case crew. Didn’t expect to see you here, Raya. What-decide to compete with napkin sketches?”
Raya, to her credit, kept her face mostly neutral. Mostly.
“Funny,” she said coolly. “I seem to remember you stealing and ripping up my napkin sketches. But whatever helps you sleep at night.”
“Oh, honey,” Summer smiled, sickly sweet. “I don’t need to sleep when I win.”
But then… she looked down.
Her eyes landed on the bag. The bags. The dresses. Jackie had opened one, revealing the shimmering green overlay of Flora’s gown, and Summer’s smile faltered just slightly.
“Oh…” she muttered. “You actually finished them?”
Penny nodded, popping a marshmallow in her mouth with casual menace. “Five of them. For five models.”
“Six,” I added. “If you count the designer walking out to take a bow after she mops the floor with your glittery... mermaid nightmares.”
Summer’s eye twitched. “Well,” she said, brushing nonexistent lint from her sleeve, “I guess I’ll just have to win the old fashioned way. With style.”
She swished away dramatically. One of her models stepped on her skirt.
I turned to Raya, who let out the breath she’d clearly been holding. “You okay?”
“I will be,” she said, a spark lighting in her eyes as she watched Summer disappear. “Let’s go show them what real style looks like.”
We didn’t get time to sit. Or breathe. Or really do anything except run around in a hurricane of fabric, safety pins, curling irons, and Reyna yelling, “WHERE IS MY EYELINER-I NEED TO LOOK DANGEROUS.” (Spoiler: she found it. She did, in fact, look dangerous.)
Raya was calm. Scary calm. That terrifying hyper focus kind of calm, where she barely blinked and moved like some kind of magical fashion gremlin possessed by a sewing spirit. Honestly? Iconic.
Then suddenly-
The lights dimmed.
The music changed from “hyped backstage panic playlist” to low, glittering bass that made your chest thrum like something big was about to happen.
Penny popped her head into the dressing room with a walkie talkie (where she got that, I still don’t know), her eyes wide. “They just started seating. We’re on second.”
Raya nodded, laser eyed. “You all ready?”
Flora, in a flowing sage green gown with embroidered vines wrapping around her arms, twirled nervously. “As I’ll ever be…”
“Let’s wreck her,” Jackie grinned, adjusting her red suit jacket with floral cuffs-equal parts farm and fierce.
Reyna dramatically flipped her long coat behind her, the layered sheer fabric sparkling like stars under the lights. “I was born ready, darling.”
I looked down at my own outfit-sleek midnight blue with a high slit, covered in tiny hand stitched constellations (courtesy of Raya’s meltdown insomnia fueled stitching frenzy). I’d never felt so confident in my life. “Let’s go.”
Summer’s group went first.
And, annoyingly, I had to admit-they were good. Each outfit was clearly professionally made. Flowing gowns, dramatic skirts, one girl had a train so long it took her five minutes just to walk to the end of the runway. The crowd clapped. Teachers nodded. A few phones were held high.
Raya didn’t flinch. Her fingers tightened slightly on the clipboard she was holding, but her chin stayed high.
“Okay,” Penny whispered, voice crackling through the walkie like some overly peppy general. “You’re up.”
I went first.
The lights hit me like a wave. Warm. Blinding. Perfect. The runway was slick under my shoes but I walked like I’d done it a thousand times. The crowd was a blur of colors and movement. The disco ball spun lazily overhead.
Behind me, I could hear the others getting ready, but all I could focus on was not falling over in front of the entire school.
And then I reached the end of the runway, turned, and-
Boom. Spotlight shift. Cue music change. Jackie entered next.
She owned the floor. Red, sharp, commanding. She winked at the crowd. I swear someone swooned in the second row. Her strut? Legendary.
Then came Reyna.
Tall black boots, sheer midnight coat that billowed like smoke, silver details catching the lights. She looked like a villain and a queen and probably someone who’d steal your heart and your wallet and you’d thank her. She threw a grin at the crowd and someone actually screamed. Like, full “AAAAGH” scream.
Penny came next, skipping-skipping-down the runway in a soft pastel yellow two piece, bubbly sleeves and a tulle skirt that bounced with every step. She did a spin at the end, posed like Sailor Moon, and got a standing ovation from the juniors.
Finally-
Flora. In sage and silver. Soft, delicate, full fairytale vibes. And as she walked, tiny embroidered petals fluttered from a hidden pocket in her skirt, drifting behind her like magic. The crowd gasped.
And then-right at the end-Raya stepped out.
Fire.
Her gown was a masterpiece: black base, overlaid with ombre tulle that started as deep crimson and melted into gold. Her sleeves fanned out like wings. Her makeup was sharp. Her hair was braided with gold thread. The moment she stepped on the runway, the crowd shut up.
You could feel it. That hush. That awe.
She walked like she’d been born on a runway.
When we all joined her at the end for the final bow, she didn’t even smile until the crowd broke into a thunderstorm of applause. Teachers clapped. Students hollered. Even Principal Marks stood up and gave a polite golf clap.
Summer?
She was sitting in the front row. Still. Smiling, yes-but with that tight smile people wear when they realize the storm’s already hit them and it’s far too late to run.
We’d done it.
And as the lights dimmed again, and the announcer came on to thank everyone for “this glorious showcase of student creativity,” I leaned into Raya and whispered:
“Hey, just so you know? You absolutely crushed her.”
Raya didn’t look at me. She just exhaled softly.
“I know.”
We were huddled so tightly I could barely breathe, arms tangled around shoulders, fingers gripping sleeves and jacket hems like life rafts. Six girls, one nervous knot of limbs and heartbeat, standing just off stage with the warm buzz of the audience seeping through the floorboards.
Raya stood in the center of us, shoulders held back, chin high-but I could see the tremble in her hands, the way she gripped Flora’s arm on one side and Penny’s hand on the other like her balance depended on it. Her knuckles were white.
Penny was bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet, though she was trying very hard not to squeal. Jackie had one arm slung casually around my back, the other bracing against Reyna’s shoulder as if to keep her from vibrating out of orbit. Reyna, to no one’s surprise, was already rehearsing victory poses under her breath.
Flora pressed gently against Raya’s other side, her delicate fingers wrapped around the edge of Raya’s sleeve, whispering soft encouragement that only someone standing as close as I was, could hear. And me? I was trying not to cry, not because I expected disappointment, but because I wanted this for Raya so badly. For all of us.
The emcee’s heels clicked as she walked across the stage, golden envelope in hand. The crowd quieted. The lights seemed to burn brighter.
She smiled. “And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for-the results of tonight’s Everridge Showdown!”
Penny made a tiny noise that sounded like a balloon deflating. I squeezed her hand tighter.
“In fourth place…” the emcee said, unfolding the card with the kind of drama you could only learn from years of small town theater, “Calla Rivers!”
A wave of polite applause rolled through the crowd. We watched Calla step forward with grace, smiling and bowing slightly. I admired that about her-how she carried herself, even in a moment of defeat.
“In third place…” the emcee continued, her voice steady, “Star Matthews!”
Gasps and surprised claps. Star gave an exaggerated bow and blew kisses to the crowd, sparkling from head to toe. I saw Raya’s jaw tighten just a little. She wasn’t smiling yet. None of us were.
The tension in our circle coiled tighter.
“Second place… Summer Leigh!”
Another round of applause. Summer looked stunned, blinking as her name was called. Her jaw dropped open, and her friends screamed for her from the front row.
Which meant-
“-And in first place, the winner of this year’s Everridge Showdown is…”
The world slowed.
Please, I thought. Please, please, let it be her.
“…Raya Kensington!”
The auditorium erupted.
My breath caught, a rush of joy exploding in my chest like fireworks.
We screamed-all of us. Penny shrieked so loudly I was sure she’d pop a vocal cord. Reyna jumped so hard she nearly knocked over Jackie, who had to brace both of them. Flora clapped her hands to her mouth, her eyes wide and shimmering with happy tears. I laughed, half hysterical, overwhelmed by the emotion radiating from everyone around me.
And Raya-
Raya stood frozen for half a second, blinking in disbelief, before she let out this disbelieving, half hysterical laugh and crumpled into our arms.
We wrapped around her like vines, all shouting at once. Penny practically tackled her, arms flung tight around her shoulders. Jackie ruffled her hair affectionately, murmuring “Knew you had it in you, superstar.” Flora looked like she was trying not to sob as she whispered, “You did it, Raya. You really did it.”
And Reyna? Reyna clutched both of Raya’s hands and shouted, “YEAH YOU DID! I TOLD YOU. I TOLD YOU. YOU’RE A LEGEND.”
I just held onto the back of Raya’s jacket, overwhelmed and breathless. I’d never seen her look like this-open, stunned, vulnerable in the most beautiful way.
Someone called her name again-the judges beckoning her toward the mic at center stage.
She pulled away from us, reluctantly, and walked forward like she was floating.
The trophy-ridiculous and golden and glittering-was placed in her hands, and I swear she looked like she might burst into tears right there under the lights.
She stepped up to the mic.
Cleared her throat.
“I… okay. So I wasn’t going to give a speech,” she said, her voice cracking slightly, then smoothing out. “Because I’m not exactly a ‘speech’ kind of person. I’m more of a… fashion forward chaos tornado with a five step plan and backup accessories.”
Laughter. She smiled-a real smile this time. Soft. Earnest.
“But… winning this? Standing here?” She swallowed. “It’s not just about me. It’s about all of us. This group. My friends. My family, really.”
I felt something pinch in my chest.
“There were a couple nights I wanted to quit,” she said. “I told myself I wasn’t good enough. That I was just pretending. But these people-” she turned, pointing straight at us- “they didn’t let me fall apart. They showed up. Again and again. They reminded me who I am.”
A pause.
“And maybe I’m still figuring that out. But if I am, I’m doing it with them. With the people who make me louder and brighter and braver. So… this trophy? It’s not mine. It’s ours. Thank you for making me believe I could do this.”
The crowd cheered.
And we-we rushed the stage.
I don’t even remember how we got there. One second we were crying in the wings, and the next we were circling her again, laughing and jumping and shouting over each other.
Jackie lifted the trophy high like it was a championship belt. Penny twirled in dizzying circles around us, nearly taking Flora down with her. Reyna tried to piggyback onto Jackie and immediately got dropped on her butt, howling with laughter. Flora just stood at Raya’s side, holding her hand tightly and smiling through quiet, happy tears.
And me?
I wrapped my arms around Raya squeezing her tight.
“You earned this,” I whispered to her.
She sniffed. “Yeah,” she whispered back. “But I wouldn’t have, without you lot.”