This was the 33rd Annual Junior Miss Pageant of Lincoln County, and for the contestants, it was everything.
The first cut came after the physical fitness segment—a brisk walk in matching tank tops and bike shorts. Five girls were eliminated. They cried into their mothers’ blouses. Lily stayed calm. She had the posture of a soldier.
“You look like you’re going to a funeral,” Chloe said, catching Lily’s eye in the mirror.
“Okay,” Lily said.
The evening gown competition was a parade of tiny satin and tulle. Lily walked with her eyes forward, chin high, the way her grandmother taught her. Chloe walked barefoot—she’d forgotten her heels at the motel—and still, somehow, she glided like she was walking through water.
Lily stood in the line of runners-up, clapping. She meant it.
Lily forced a smile. “It’s called focus.”