Page 10 of Passenger Princess

“And as I told all of you many times since I signed on, I will continue to be myself no matter what. That means on stage, on social media, and on this tour. I’m not going to do anything to violate my contract or make the pageant look bad, but I also won’t be anything but myself, which is what everyone has come to expect from me.”

Her smile goes tight, like she’s unhappy to hear my response, but I won this pageant being myself, and I’m not changing just becausethey want to maintain some false narrative for what the “perfect Miss Americana” is.

Finally, Regina leans back and puts on the fakest of her smiles, one I haven’t seen yet.

“You know, Ava, if it’s too much for you to follow our guidelines, we can easily avoid all of these pesky headaches now. We’re happy to give your crown to Anne and let you keep the prize money.” She gives me an exaggerated sigh and smiles before reaching out to touch my hand, and I have to fight the urge to pull it away. “We understand this isn’t for everyone, the pressure, the expectations…” Her words trail off like she’s expecting me to agree, to nod and accept her offer with gratitude.

Something tells me they’ve never met a woman like me.

What a disappointment for them.

“You know, Regina, I think I’ll be okay. I’m very excited to show the world that a Miss Americana contestant doesn’t have to be picture-perfect, that they can be a normal, everyday, down-to-earth girl. I’m excited to represent a version of women not often exemplified in the Miss American pageant before.”

“How very not like other girls of you,” Anne says with venom, and I turn to her with a sugary-sweet smile.

“Funny thing is, unlike you, I’m exactly like other girls, and I’m grateful for that. I love being relatable and approachable. I like pink frilly things, bows, and makeup. I love getting my fancy coffees, reading my silly little romance books, and listening to the same music as other girls because it’s fun. The only difference between me and other girls, like, say, you, is I don’t judge people for what they do or do not like. I just let them live their best lives and cheer them on.”

Next, I turn to Regina.

“Which is what I hope to show everyone on my tour: how anyone can be a Miss Americana so long as they are themselves. I’ll make sure I’m not acting in a way that would hurt the image of the Miss American pageant, but I’m not changing who I am. I won this titlebecause of who I am, not who I pretend to be, and that won’t be changing any time soon.”

Suddenly, the kindness leaves her eyes, and she leans forward, a viper preparing to strike. For the first time, I’m seeing the real Regina—the rotten trash beneath the glittering facade she shows everyone else.

“Now listen here, you little brat. I?—”

Before she says whatever threat she’s looking to throw my way, someone knocks at the door before it cracks open.

“Regina, Five Star Security is downstairs and will be upstairs in a minute or two,” the receptionist says, poking her head into the door.

“Perfect, send them in when they get up.” She turns to me, her previous threats have melted, and neutrality is now on her face. “That’s your bodyguard for the trip.”

My head shifts a bit in confusion. “Bodyguard? Why do I need a bodyguard?”

“We wanted to make sure we had someone on staff reporting to us on how you’re doing,” she says before pausing, the unspoken threat hanging in the air before us. Someone following me around and reporting back to them on my every move, looking for some reason to say I’ve broken my contract, some reason to take my crown and give it to Anne.

And just like that, I decide I’m going to do everything in my power to toe the line but stay well within the bounds they drew for me. Iwillprove them wrong while never giving them whatever they need to get rid of me, because doing so would mean they win, and once I set my mind to something, I never lose.

Will I change myself?

Absolutely not.

But will I play the game they’ve started with perfection and look good doing it? Absolutely.

They’ve never met a woman who can play the game as well as I can, that much I can guarantee.

“And, of course,” Regina’s condescending voice continues,breaking through my thoughts with a small smile in the words. “We want to keep you safe from all those admirers you’ve acquired. Some of them seem quite…attached to you, and of course, we wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

Something about how she says it sounds like a threat rather than a reassurance.

“Who is it?” I ask, leaning back.

“A…” The lawyer taps on the screen of a tablet and then looks at me. “Jaime Wilde? He is new to working with us, but not new to the firm he works for. Impeccable recommendations.”

“Hmm,” I say, trying to place the name somewhere. It’s familiar, though I’ve met so many people in the last six months, and all names are starting to melt together.

Another knock comes before I can dig too far into my subconscious, the same pretty brunette popping her head in. “Regina, Five Star Security is here.”

“Perfect, send them in, please.”

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