Mission Pretty Possible Chapter 15.5 (Patreon)

I lost. I actually lost.And it hurt more than he thought it would.

The second he stepped backstage, the air felt colder. Or maybe it was him. Maybe something in him had just dropped.

His gown felt heavier now. Like it was accusing him.

His heels clicked loudly. Like even his steps were mocking him.Runner-up.The words bounced around his head like a loose screw.

He stopped by a costume rack and caught his reflection in the metal cabinet.

He swallowed hard. The lashes blurred for a second and he blinked quickly, almost angrily. No crying. Not here.

A small laugh escaped anyway—thin, tired. “Runner-up,” he whispered. Hearing it out loud made it feel even emptier.

His mind drifted back to Maximillian Graye. That tiny moment their eyes met earlier. He had let that stupid spark carry him. Make him think he was… remarkable. That he mattered. What a joke.

His dad’s voice floated into his mind: You’re not made for things like this.And for the first time tonight, he didn’t argue with it.

He knew Claire would come find him soon. She always did. She’d say all the right things. He didn’t want them. Not yet.

He just walked deeper backstage, letting the gown drag behind him.Feeling like he was dragging whatever was left of himself with it.