Hi, everyone. Here is the next chapter for you.

Disclaimer: I do not own South Park.

Kyle, the Pageant King

Chapter 3

A few weeks later, Sheila and Kyle were on their way to compete in the Little Miss Colorado State Pageant 2018. His sashes, plaques and trophies were carefully displayed on and around the mantel, along with framed official photographs of Kyle winning his Photogenic and Talent awards. Like the two previous competitions they had entered, this pageant was held in a hotel ballroom in Denver.

Ever since they arrived home from the preliminary pageant, Sheila had put Kyle through his paces once more, constantly scrutinizing him. Every day after school and on the weekends, he was forced to practise, his mother working him constantly.

Kyle hadn't mentioned a word of this to Stan, instead telling his best friend that he had been sick, or that he and Ike had had to accompany their parents somewhere, and fortunately, Stan believed him. Kyle truly believed that he would be competing in pageants for only a little while longer, so why bother telling his super best friend how he was made to prance around on stage, earning points for the way he looked? When the pageant scene was over and done with, Kyle might let Stan know what he had been up to, but as he found the entire process humiliating, he decided that it was easier to keep quiet.

His only problem were that his awards were proudly and prominently displayed in the living-room; as soon as one entered the room, they were incredibly hard to miss. Stan would know what he had been doing. The boy supposed it wouldn't matter that much; he and Stan were super best friends; they were supposed to tell each other everything, and as he would no longer be competing after this pageant, Kyle thought there could be no harm in telling Stan, and Stan could be trusted to keep the secret.

One worry erased from his mind, all Kyle had to do now was get through the weekend. Once that was over and done with, he just had to try and convince his mother to put all the trophies in her room, or somewhere else his friends wouldn't see them. He dreaded what Cartman would say if he found out what Kyle had been doing.

After registration, Sheila again, chatted with the other parents. Kyle supposed she didn't want to appear standoffish and wanted to promote good sportsmanship and he followed her lead. There were a lot more boys competing in this pageant, he noticed; most of them seemed to be around his age and younger. There was a air of excitement among the competitors; a bigger pageant meant more prizes to be won.

Before they went to bed that night, Sheila had Kyle run through all of his routines in the ballroom, which was brimming with people, all of them eager to practise.

"The stage is bigger, so you need to get in some practise on it before tomorrow," she'd told him.

The next morning was the start of the competition. For the State competition, along with Formal Wear, Interview, Talent and Photogenic, Kyle was also competing in the "Anything Goes" category, which was themed or costume wear. Kyle was going to dress as the classic Lon Chaney character the Phantom of the Opera; Sheila had chosen this particular costume because Lon Chaney was born in Colorado and she wanted Kyle's costume to represent that. She was sure the judges would appreciate the thought and effort she had put into it.

Kyle's Phantom costume consisted of a white shirt, a red waistcoat with gold buttons, a black jacket, with matching trousers and shoes, and a long black cape with silver lining. He also had the iconic white half-mask, attached to a stick, rather like a masquerade mask, to make it more obvious who he was meant to be.

Sheila had made a medley of music from the stage musical and had choreographed Kyle's routine.

Kyle's first category was the Formal Wear competition, and he was already in his suit and his hair was in its usual coif. He was the fifth boy in his group line up and once again, was the only redhead. There were six other boys in his age group.

Kyle still didn't shine on the catwalk when it was his turn to do his beauty routine, mainly because he didn't want to be there. Sheila was standing off to the side, frowning slightly; Kyle wasn't showing his personality or smiling enough, but he was looking at the judges more this time.

"Remember, Kyle," she told him when he stepped off stage, "show your personality; look like you're actually having fun up there."

Kyle only nodded, knowing that if he told her he wasn't having fun, she wouldn't listen to him.

The next category was the on-stage interview and Kyle remained in his suit as he and Sheila sat in the ballroom, watching the rest of the competition. Well, Sheila was; Kyle had brought his phone to keep him occupied again.

Seemingly, many hours later, Kyle found himself being led backstage again by his mother.

"Remember what I told you," she knelt down so they were at eye level. "Speak clearly, be confident and smile. And no 'yes-or-no' answers, okay?"

Kyle merely nodded and Sheila made her way back into the audience and Kyle was called on stage not long after.

The interview round consisted of Kyle sitting in a chair while the emcee sat next to him and asked him questions.

"Hello, there" the emcee had greeted when Kyle had sat down.

"Hello, Mr. Smith," Kyle had replied politely, smiling obediently, noting that it was the same man from the last pageant .

"Can you please tell the audience your name and how old you are?" Smith held the microphone to Kyle's face. There were a small pile of cue cards in his lap.

"My name is Kyle Broflovski and I'm eight years old." He would have felt more comfortable holding the microphone himself, but there was only one and the emcee used it more than Kyle did. This was better than modelling on the stage, Kyle thought; he could focus on the emcee and concentrate on the answers he had been coached to give.

"And, where do you live, Kyle?"

"I live in South Park, Colorado."

"And what would you say is the best thing about living in South Park?" the emcee asked, reading off of a cue card.

"It's very peaceful and quiet. Everybody knows each other and I think that's really nice."

"That's nice. What is your favourite subject at school?"

"English, because I like to tell stories."

Sheila had coached Kyle on what answers to give.

"Do you think education is important, Kyle?"

"Yes, because without an education, you won't achieve much, if anything, in life." Kyle honestly felt that way, and he prided himself on his good grades.

"Okay. Do you like playing games?"

"Yes, I do. I like to play all sorts," Kyle barely remembered to follow up his initial answer.

"Do you prefer playing outside or inside?"

"I like both because they both have their advantages; playing indoors is good when it gets cold," Kyle giggled, just as instructed.

"Okay, and for our last question, what makes you happy and why?"

"What makes me happy is making other people happy because it's not easy to make people happy and when I do, I'm quite proud because I like knowing that I made their day a little brighter," Kyle recited from memory, hearing a few "aah's" from the audience.

"That's nice," repeated Mr. Smith. "Okay, thank you, Kyle."

Kyle hopped down from his chair as the audience applauded. Sheila was waiting for him off stage.

"That was good," she praised, walking towards the back of the ballroom with Kyle following. "But you could have made your answers a bit more in-depth."

"I just said what you told me to," Kyle said, as they took their seats.

"Yes, I know; you still could improvised a little bit, though."

Again, Kyle said nothing, and continued playing one of his phone games. His age group had finished for the day, and would compete in the Anything Goes and talent portions of the competition the following day.

When the pageant had finished several hours later, Sheila and Kyle remained in the ballroom. Sheila was again talking with the other parents, while Kyle busied himself with his game, trying to forget where he was.

The next morning, Sheila and Kyle were preparing for the second and last day of the pageant, and Kyle was getting into his Phantom of the Opera costume for the "Anything Goes" category, the first category of the day, followed by the talent portion.

They arrived at the ballroom in time to the the three-to-four year old girls competition under way. There were several Shirley Temples, a few Disney Princesses and at least one Marilyn Monroe. Kyle, again, was playing on his phone, not wanting any part of it.

However, it was soon his turn to line up on stage with the rest of his age group, and then waited backstage for his turn. The other boys in his group were dressed as Elvis, Rocky, Superman, a pirate, a 1920's mobster, complete with Tommy gun and cigar, and a sailor.

Kyle felt somewhat out of place with his long cape and mask, but before he knew it, he was being called onto the stage.

"Our next contestant in your seven-to-nine year old boys is... Kyle Broflovski!" announced Mr. Smith as Kyle walked over to his first X as his backing music began; one note being pressed repeatedly on a piano. Kyle held his mask up to his face while he held onto his cape, then placed his left arm over his face, so he was almost completely hidden.

When the song's infamous introduction blared out, Kyle threw his left arm out, making his cape fly behind him, and walked over to the second X. Sheila had tried intensely to get Kyle to walk to the beat of the song, but her son's lack of rhythm made it a problem and she eventually gave up.

Turning to face the audience, Kyle lowered the mask, revealing the right side of his face and grinning. Grabbing his cape again, he turned on the spot, causing it to billow out, bringing the mask up to his face again, and began to walk down the runway.

Gesturing to the judges at crucial parts of the song – especially the female ones – Kyle used his mask to play hide-and-seek. Sheila had told him to pretend that one of the judges was Christine, but Kyle had no idea who Christine was. She had tried to show him the film, but Kyle, not a fan of musicals, quickly lost interest.

Walking back up the catwalk, Kyle paused on his second X and turned around to face the audience; he smiled and reached his left hand out in a gesture of longing. Drawing it back in, Kyle placed his mask back over his face and made his way over to his fourth X. He turned again, making his cape swish, and folded his arms, resting his hands on his shoulders like the classic silent movie character.

Then, just before the song was about to end, Kyle grabbed his cape and threw his arms up in the air, slightly out of synch with the final note of the song, and then pointed his mask towards the ceiling, as if he were going to bring down the chandelier.

"And that was Kyle Broflovski! Thank you, Kyle!" said Mr. Smith as Kyle walked off stage to the sound of applause.

"That was all right," said Sheila as Kyle walked over to her. He waited for the inevitable 'but.' "But you needed to show some more personality and get into the character; the Phantom is a tortured soul."

Kyle remained silent, frowning, as they made their way back to their seats.

A few hours later, Kyle was back on stage, competing in the talent portion of the pageant. This was the only segment which he actually put effort into, for he enjoyed basketball and was always up for playing the sport. He finished his routine, sweating and panting slightly, and walked off stage. "You did good," said Sheila, smiling at him. "How come you do really good here, but you don't in the other categories?"

"I like basketball better," Kyle was careful to add the 'better' on the end of his sentence.

The crowning ceremony took place later that evening; all the contestants were in their best clothes and were waiting anxiously for the emcee to start.

Being a State pageant, there were more prizes to award, even for the boys and Kyle sighed quietly, knowing that the process would take even longer than usual, but, soon enough, Kyle found himself back on stage lining up with the rest of his age group.

The Optional Titles were announced: James won the Personality title, Robert won Model, Simon won Most Handsome, Steven won Photogenic, to Sheila's dismay; she was sure that her son would win that title. Kyle won Talent and was presented with a trophy.

"We will now announce our Prince for the seven-to-nine year old boys. Your 2018 Prince is.. Kyle Broflovski!"

Slightly shocked, Kyle stepped forward and a sash was placed over his shoulder and a golden crown with decorated with red, sparkling jewels was placed on his head. Barely remembering to smile for the cameras, Kyle stepped back into line. "Your Division King is.. James Reed!"

James, a tall blonde with brown eyes, stepped forward and was awarded a sash and a bigger crown.

Cameron won the Mini Grand Mister title; judging by the size of the crown, the prizes were being awarded from from lowest to highest, Kyle realised.

Joseph won the Grand Mister title, and received a large, fancy silver crown, sash and trophy.

"Your Grand Mister for your 0 – 6 boys is Joseph Grant! Great job, Joseph! Give it up for your seven-to-nine boys, ladies and gentlemen!" encouraged Mr. Smith as Kyle and the rest of the boys left the stage.

Kyle walked over to his mother, removing his sash and crown.

They stayed to watch the rest of the crowning ceremony and Sheila's eyes lit up when the emcee announced the highest title in the entire pageant – The Ultimate Grand Supreme. Winning that meant that you were the best of the best, and a teenage girl won the enormous, glittering crown, along with a customised sash and trophy.

"Did you see the size of that Ultimate Grand Supreme crown?" she gushed in the car as she and Kyle drove home. "Amazing, just amazing. Her parents must be so proud."

It suddenly clicked for Kyle; that was the prize she wanted him to win. The whole reason she began entering him in pageants was to prove that he was good-looking, and Kyle knew, that in her mind, that if he won the Ultimate Grand Supreme, then she would be proven right.

Truthfully, Kyle didn't believe he would ever win that; he would have to be a pageant veteran with years of experience, and that was never going to happen.

Much to Kyle's dismay, he was soon entered in another pageant, and was once again too busy practising to spend time with his friends, despite his protests.

Sheila had been so pleased with Kyle's prizes that she wanted him to win more. She was hooked; she loved the fact that her son was considered good-looking by complete strangers and Kyle's plaques and trophies were confirmation of what she knew to be true.

Certainly, the judges seemed to agree; Kyle's Photogenic awards were proof of that. She was still amazed that they had only used ordinary photographs, they hadn't any professional material, and Kyle had still won, beating out others with years of experience. It only confirmed what Sheila knew to be true; that her son was indeed very good looking.

Sometimes, Sheila caught herself gazing at the photos of Kyle that she had submitted for the competition, something she had never done before, but looking at them, she could clearly see why Kyle had won; his large eyes were a striking shade of green, almost cat-like in their colour, framed with dark eyelashes, which contrasted wonderfully with his soft, red curls; his porcelain skin was smooth and pale, with not a blemish or imperfection in sight. Sheila felt blessed to have such a perfect son.

Sheila continued to enter her son in local Colorado pageants whenever one came up, which was usually every other weekend. Kyle had won another "Prince" title at a little pageant held in a shopping centre in Colorado Springs, along with "Most Photogenic;" he had also won "Most Handsome" in his division in another local pageant in Boulder, as well as another Photogenic title.

He had won so many prizes that Gerald had had to put up another shelf in the living-room. He still wasn't happy about his wife's new hobby and he actively refused to watch Kyle compete; he thought it was wrong to dress up children and parade them around on stage to be judged on their looks, but no matter how many times he said this to Sheila, she didn't listen to him, believing the pageants to be beneficial to Kyle.

"They're giving him confidence," she argued. "They help raise self-esteem!"

Now that Kyle had been doing quite well in small pageants, Sheila had decided that it was time for them to try their luck in the big leagues and began to research National pageants. She became his coach, and choreographed all of his routines.

Kyle was going to be competing in the Colorado Grand Royalty Pageant the following month. Sheila hoped that this would be his last local one, because she wanted to get Kyle started in the National pageant circuit.

A few weeks later, Sheila and Kyle were on their way to Pueblo, to compete in the Colorado Grand Royalty Pageant.

Kyle was going to be competing in the formal wear, casual wear, talent, interview, photogenic and outfit of choice categories; Sheila had entered him in every single category; the more categories a contestant entered, the higher the scores, and therefore, a higher chance of winning a top prize.

Kyle had a new costume for the fairy tale themed Outfit of Choice category; a Peter Pan one which consisted of a green tunic, trousers in a darker shade of green, brown boots, and the green hat with the red feather.

It was a Friday morning, and Sheila had kept Kyle off school so that they could travel down to Pueblo; ordinarily, she wouldn't do this; she had always instilled the value of education in her son, but they needed to be there a day early because a pageant preparation class was included in the entry fee, which she was not about to pass up.

They arrived at the remote hotel in Florence at 10:00am. Getting out of the car, Kyle could see a lot of motor homes in the car park with fir trees in the background. The hotel itself was a rather modern building in contrast to its rural surroundings; there were large, floor-to-ceiling windows lining one wall of the hotel, with track lighting under the awning above the revolving doors.

Entering, Kyle looked around while Sheila registered him. They were in a bare, oversized foyer, with tiled flooring, a few chairs gathered around round tables that were decorated with magazines, a few potted plants here and there, and the reception desk took up most of the back wall. A carpeted staircase was pressed against one wall, with a lift next to it, and a few doorways led off to different parts of the hotel.

Their hotel room wasn't much different than their previous ones, but the masses of pine trees made for a very nice backdrop.

"Well, come on, bubbe; let's get going," said Sheila after she had hung up Kyle's pageant clothes.

"Where? I thought the pageant wasn't until tomorrow."

"It is; there's a preparation class we get to attend, and one-on-one consultation!"

"No, thanks." Kyle turned back to the window.

"What?"

"I don't really want to."

"Kyle, this class can help you; don't you want to be better at this? Look at all the prizes you've won; think how many more you could win!"

"But I don't want to win any more."

"Kyle, I do so much for you, and yet you can't be bothered to do this one little thing for me!"

Kyle hung his head; he hated it when she said things like that. "Let's go," she repeated, walking toward the door.

"Okay," he said quietly.

Sheila and Kyle waited for their turn to go into the meeting room that had been hired for the training; the consultants were teaching them in groups of ten, and Kyle was in the next group.

His job was rather simple; all he had to do was line up with the rest of the group against the back wall, and then each child had to model on the imaginary catwalk one-by-one.

The consultant, a slim, young-looking man in his early thirties' by name of Jimmy Booth then spoke to each child and parent individually, taking them into the adjoined room.

"Hello, Kyle," he smiled as Kyle and Sheila stepped into the room for their consultation. "And Mrs. Broflovski, such a pleasure, please take a seat."

"Thank you, Mr. Booth."

"Please, call me Jimmy. Now, if I can, I'd just like to start by asking you a few questions."

"Sure."

"Great. How old are you, Kyle?" he directed this question at the boy himself.

"I'm eight, nearly nine."

"And how long have you been competing in pageants?"

"Uh... two months?" Kyle had lost count.

"How many have you competed in?"

"Only six; one was a State pageant. This will be our seventh," Sheila cut in.

"I see. So you're still a newcomer?" he confirmed and Kyle nodded. "Okay, Kyle, I'd just like to have a little chat with your mother, if you wouldn't mind waiting outside?"

"Okay." Kyle hopped down from the chair and left the room.

"So, what do you think?" Sheila leaned forward eagerly.

"He's definitely got potential," he said and Sheila grinned widely. "With some hard work, he could be quite successful."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Sheila beamed. "I really want to get him started in the National circuit. What do we need to do?"

"I would hire a photographer and get some head shots done. If you want Kyle to get started on the National pageant scene, he's going to need a portfolio." He handed her a business card, "here's the information of a local photographer; great with kids. Don't put all your hopes on winning big first time, though; you need to really invest and put lots of effort in. Also, you need to get started right away."

"Why?"

"Because a lot of pageants only go up to age twelve for boys."

"You mean I've only got four years?" Sheila looked slightly crestfallen.

"After that, the only other male pageants are 'Mr. World,' 'Mr. International,' things like that. Mrs. Broflovski, what do you and Kyle hope to get from pageants? I mean, what is your ultimate goal?"

"I want him to win the Ultimate Grand Supreme." Sheila's eyes glassed over and she pictured the glittering crown in her mind.

"Ambitious," Jimmy nodded appreciatively. "No boy has ever won that title. You think Kyle can?"

"Definitely," Sheila nodded. "I'll be hiring the photographer later. What else do we need to do?"

"Well, for starters, do you have any photos of him competing?" he asked and Sheila handed him her phone. "Yes," he muttered as he swiped through the pictures. "His wardrobe will need to be updated. I wouldn't put too much green on him; it will draw attention away from his eyes. Just little bits of green here and there to bring out his eyes, little dashes. No red clothing; his hair is red, we don't need much more. Just little splashes, like with the green; it can't overpower his hair or his eyes. Your best bet would be to hire a coach."

"A coach?"

"Yes; they will teach him how to walk, pose, smile, how to make eye contact with the judges, teach him routines, and they'll help with wardrobe, too."

"Right."

"Like I said, he's got potential; he could have a great career ahead of him. He's already got the looks -" Sheila beamed once again, "- and all he needs is a little confidence, stage presence and the right clothes."

Sheila thanked him and left the room.

During the course of the weekend, Kyle competed in the Colorado Grand Royalty Pageant and ended up being crowned Prince of his division. He was presented with a silver crown with sapphire jewels, a black and silver sash, and a small silver trophy with stars fashioned on the top. He also won Photogenic and was presented with another sash and trophy.

In the car on the way home, Sheila told Kyle of the plan to make him a pageant star.

"We're going to hire a modelling coach for you, get you some new outfits and some head shots taken," she gushed while Kyle remained silent in the back seat.

When they arrived home, Sheila relayed her ideas to Gerald and Kyle sat at the top of the stairs, listening to them argue.

"No, Sheila! I don't want you putting Kyle in any more pageants!" the lawyer snapped.

"He's not just your son!" Sheila bit back, "he's mine as well! It's not just your decision."

"Sheila, these types of contests are terrible! Judging children on how they look; how can you be a part of that?!"

"These contests are giving Kyle confidence and self-esteem!" the mother shot back. Gerald couldn't deny that his eldest son had little-to-no self esteem, but from what he could tell, none of these contests that Kyle had entered had done anything to improve his confidence.

"Look, why don't we just ask Kyle what he wants?" he suggested evenly, and to his surprise, Sheila agreed.

"All right. Kyle! Bubbe, come down here!" she called and Kyle slowly made his way into the living room. "Your father thinks that these competitions aren't good for you," she began. "So, we decided to ask you..."

"If you wanna continue doing pageants," said Gerald. "It's completely up to you; if you don't want to do them any more, then you can stop, no questions asked."

Kyle stared up at his parents and thought. If he had been asked this question a couple of weeks ago, he would have asked to stop on the spot. Now it was different. He still didn't enjoy pageants, he still hated every aspect of them, in fact, but if he stopped competing, then that meant that his mother would stop spending time with him. She hardly ever spent time with him; usually most of his hobbies that he tried to get her interested in were 'dangerous' and 'immature toilet humour,' which of course lead to her frequent protests. She was so busy trying to make the world a better place for him that she didn't realise that her son might want to be kissed goodnight when she dragged herself home after spending the entire day rallying. It didn't occur to Sheila that what Kyle really needed was a mother who was there for him; she protested so frequently that he hardly saw her.

She had calmed down after the war and had began to staying home more, to Kyle's delight. But she gradually began slipping back into her old ways and soon the picket signs were back out once again.

"Kyle?" his mother's voice jerked him out of his thoughts. "Have you made up your mind?"

"I – I think I wanna continue competing, Ma," he said quietly. "Just for a little while," he added as an afterthought. He'd decided that being with his mother was worth competing in beauty pageants. The positives outweighed the negatives in his mind.

Gerald looked shocked while Sheila hugged Kyle tightly, and he grinned and hugged her back

~ X ~

And chapter 3 is done. What did you think?