Tug of War 68.1

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 47th edition of Miss Charming Beauty!"

The audience that filled the event hall applauded enthusiastically, and the host gave them time before explaining the rules and some other details of the contest that was about to start. The place, as usual, had been decorated with exuberance – the stage shone with a multitude of lamps and spotlights, highlighting the walkway where the contestants would parade; at the back, surrounded by floral arrangements and modern pink structures, a huge led screen displayed pictures of the girls who would soon take the stage. Among them, there was a photo of a young blonde woman who smiled radiantly, showing her perfect white teeth as her big green eyes enchanted everyone.

Anyone who didn't know better would think that the girl was a professional model, and that her photo was part of some makeup or shampoo ad. It was hard to imagine someone better suited to take part in a beauty contest. However, the truth was that that girl's participation in Miss Charming Beauty had been the subject of much protest and debate during the last few weeks, as many conservative people in the town thought that it was an outrage and an affront to the beautiful story of the contest, one of the greatest prides of the region.

Their reasoning, the blonde girl couldn't take part in the contest because she hadn't been born a female. Some of them were bold enough to voice out what they really thought, and that was that the so-called girl would never be a real woman, no matter how many procedures she underwent. How could she participate in a female beauty pageant, then?

But the girl also had people on her side, especially on the internet, where her number of followers grew every day. Her fans even made an online petition to make sure she would take part in the contest, arguing that if she were prevented from participating it would be a clear case of discrimination and transphobia.

In the end, after much drama and commotion, the organizing committee decided to keep her entry, not only due to the pressure from the sponsors but also because they knew her presence was great to attract even more attention to the event.

The irony of it all was that the girl wasn't that excited about taking part in the contest. In fact, she had tried to avoid it in every possible way, but to no avail. Due to a series of unfortunate incidents that seemed to happen only to her, she was now forced to compete for the title of Miss Charming Beauty.

"Just one more minute, Tiffany, honey" said Marlene, the hairdresser, who was an old friend of the young woman. She had been responsible for Tiffany's first makeover, after all, in a time when people still referred to her as Timothy, and she still lived like an ordinary guy, who could never conceive of the idea of taking part in a beauty pageant, not even in her wildest nightmares. "I'm almost done with your hair" Marlene continued. "And Sophia is just putting the finishing touches on your makeup. Don't worry about anything, doll. You won't believe how terrific you look... Miss Charming Beauty's crown will certainly be yours!"

Tiffany just gulped and mumbled something inaudible in response. She had the feeling that if she opened her mouth now she would surely throw up. It was true that she had already faced many challenging moments since she had reluctantly started the path to womanhood. She still remembered how scary her first day at school as a girl had been... or her first date with a guy... not to mention her debut as a cheerleader.

Still, she was convinced that none of this had been as frightful as what she was about to do. It felt like a point of no return, after which he would be stuck as a woman forever. In her troubled mind, there was nothing girlier than taking part in a beauty contest, wearing flashy dresses and swimsuits. Would she ever be able to think of herself as a man again, even if she regained her manhood somehow? Or would she forever see herself as the girly blondie with a gorgeous face and a killer body who had participated in Miss Charming Beauty?

Gosh, you totally are being a drama queen again, Tiffany! She scolded herself, frustrated. Of course you will be able to, like, see yourself as a guy! No matter how I look now or what I've been doing... I mean, I totally am a guy... right? But not tonight...

She took a deep breath before continuing...

Gee, I'm so freaking nervous that I think the only way I can get on that catwalk is forgetting – or at least trying to – that I ever was a guy...

Almost losing her mind for daring to even think something like that, she tried to calm down one more time, and then told herself firmly...

That's it, Tiffany... you totally know this is what you need to do... this is, like, the only way... Timothy is gone... repeat with me... I love being a girly girl... I love it when people say I look like a Barbie doll... I love wearing pretty dresses and cute heels, and pink totally is my color... Now go out there and show everyone what a stunning girl you are, darling! You know you totally can do that!

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"...and now, it's time for our next contestant! I have to say this is one that a lot of you were certainly looking forward to seeing tonight! Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Miss Tiffany Rose Foster!"

The audience cheered even more excitedly as the young woman started parading down the catwalk with the grace and confidence of a top model. She was wearing a fancy sparkling pink gown, with deep side slits and low-cut top; the bodice was extremely tight, showing all the curves of her tempting and feminine body. To complete the outfit, she was wearing 5-inch rose gold peep toe pumps, chandelier earrings, and a silver choker necklace.

Her long and full hair, with a slightly wavy hairstyle, fluttered glamorously as she moved forward, in an almost supernatural way, as if she were a Greek goddess. Her makeup was dramatic, with smoky pink and black eyeshadow, long false eyelashes, and dark pink lips, which looked incredibly kissable with many coats of lip gloss.

The lighting emanating from the spotlights was so strong that Tiffany could barely see her surroundings. This may have made her mission a bit easier, as she was able to focus entirely on the path ahead of her.

I look totally fabulous... And I love sooo much being all dolled up! Being Tiffany is totally fab! She kept repeating in her mind, like a mantra, as she walked on her sky-high heels as effortlessly as if she were barefoot. All the training that Alyssa had imposed on her was really paying off now. Maybe it won't be that hard, after all... Like, all I have to do is to parade around and pose, right? Piece of cake! She thought, getting more and more confident...

…however, she had no idea that the night still held many surprises for her.

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Hey, guys!

Now that all the images of this chapter are finished, the next part of the text will be posted soon. I'm also finishing the first part of the next short story! :)