Ch. 20

The night of the Strawberry Queen Pageant found Ruby a nervous wreck. I tried to soothe her frayed nerves, but she was impossible to deal with. 

"I can't do it!" she stubbornly insisted. The pout that played on her full lips would have made even the most spoiled princess look like an amateur.

"Yes you can, Ruby. You're the most confident girl I know," I answered, patiently.

"Oh, you have to say that! It's in our best friend contract."

I rolled my eyes at her dramatic outburst. She may not be coordinated enough to sing or dance, but she would certainly win an Academy Award if given the chance.

"You're going to be amazing, Ruby," Mrs. Sinclair offered, giving her daughter a reassuring hug. The two had spent a lot of time together rehearsing over the past week, and the bonding had done them both a world of good. They absolutely beamed--that is, when Ruby wasn't throwing a fit.

"I don't know, Momma... I've never been so nervous before!"

I looked around the dressing room at the other contestants. Every single participant looked absolutely beautiful, but none compared to Ruby. It amazed me she wasn't able to see that.

"Look at how you won over the judges with your talent act," Mrs. Sinclair reminded her.

Ruby had owned the stage during the talent portion of the contest held earlier that day. She'd borrowed her mother's ventriloquist act Mrs. Sinclair had used when she competed for the title of queen several years back, and had stolen the show. She even won a standing ovation at the end of her performance.

"I did do that, didn't I?" Ruby's eyes shined bright with enthusiasm. She would never admit it, but she adored the spotlight.

"Yes you did," her mom answered with a comforting rub on her shoulder. "And you can do this, too."

Ruby drew in a shaky breath and nodded her head, her blonde hair piled high in an elegant up-do. She looked down at the long emerald green dress clinging to her slender frame and gave it a twirl. Finally, she touched her painted nails to the delicate diamonds hanging from her ears and smiled. "Okay, I I'm ready," Ruby announced, nervously.

"Girls!" A plump lady called out, clapping her hands together briskly. "Get in your places. It's almost time to go on stage."

Ruby turned toward her mom, a frantic look decorating her beautifully made-up face.

Mrs. Sinclair gave her another hug, then held her face between her hands. "You are smart and beautiful, Ruby. You can do this. No matter what happens out there, you'll always be a winner to me."

Ruby took one last deep breath and grinned; a look of serenity finally taking over. Maybe that was all she ever needed to hear? She turned on the heal of her stiletto and found her place among the long line of pageant entrants. She gave me a quick wave before I returned to my seat in the audience.

"How is she?" Jake leaned over and asked after I found my chair next to his.

I let out an agitated sigh. "A nervous wreck."

An amused look covered his face. "You're nervous too, aren't you?"

"Of course I am! Ruby's my very best friend. Her emotions have a way of rubbing off on me."

"I think that's cute," he said, his smile growing wider.

I couldn't help but giggle. "Have I told you how happy I am that you didn't make me come to this thing by myself?"

Jake grasped my hand in his and flashed a mischievous grin. "Don't worry. You can make it up to me later."

I elbowed him in the side just as the auditorium lights dimmed, indicating the intermission was coming to an end. Lights flooded the stage as the contestants took their places in front of the large audience.

"Ruby really does stand out," Jake whispered as the girls stood before us. I gave him an appreciative smile. He didn't have to come with me to watch a bunch of high school girls compete for some silly title, but he did. And he hadn't complained once.

"Ladies and Gentleman," the plump lady announced grandly from center stage. "I would like to introduce you to this year's Strawberry Queen."

A little girl in a fancy white dress approached the emcee with a small card in her chubby, little hand. The lady took the envelope and gave the child a nod. "A round of applause for my young granddaughter, please." The crowd erupted in praise, making the small girl blush. She scurried off the stage as quickly as she'd come on.

"Now, for the moment we've all been waiting for," the woman declared, dramatically. "These exquisite ladies you see standing behind you are all fine examples of young women today. Each one has shown an amazing amount of maturity and showmanship. But as you know, only one will win this year's title of Strawberry Queen." She took her hand and gave an exaggerated gesture toward the nervous teenagers waiting patiently in the background.

Ruby's nervous brown eyes found mine and I gave her a wink. Pride swelled inside of me as I watched my very best friend stand before the daunting audience, looking as radiant as the queen I knew she was.

"And the winner of the 58th annual Lakeside Strawberry Festival is..."

A hush fell over the crowd and I glanced over at Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair, sitting a row ahead of us in the auditorium. I wasn't sure who was more excited--Ruby, or her parents.

"Miss Ruby Sinclair!" the emcee released.

A standing ovation commanded the room as applause thundered around me. I watched intently as last year's queen placed a bouquet of flowers in Ruby's waiting arms, and a small, crystal encrusted crown on top her head.

This was Ruby's moment and she was eating it up. She radiated on the stage as she waved to the crowd that stood clapping before her. She found her parents sitting in their chairs, tears shining in their eyes, and she blew them a kiss.

I couldn't help but laugh at the scene unfolding around me. You would have thought Ruby was being crowned Miss Universe! I wiped away happy tears of my own, and looked over at Jake. He was watching me with a diverted smile. Without warning, he leaned over and planted a soft kiss on my lips, causing me to stare back at him in awe. All of these beautiful girls surrounding us and Jake only had eyes for me.

I couldn't have been more thrilled.

Wanna know a secret? In the soon-to-be published version I've added a scene that takes place after the pageant that doesn't appear here, in the Wattpad version. A new revelation about Addy, as well as a very sentimental scene between her and Jake. Oh, and then maybe a super sexy scene, too! LOL! I can't wait for you to read it! Make sure to look it up on Amazon or Barnes & Noble under Darly Jamison! ;)

Thank you for reading Strawberry Wine! If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a vote/comment. And don't forget to sign up for my email subscription for your chance to win a FREE signed copy! :)