821. Chapter 821

After Pretty Dead

Episode 3.23

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: I own zero Castle. Rating: K Time: See above.

"Katie, puh-lease!" She whined. "Just this once, I promise."

Kate Beckett counted to ten before she answered her roommate. Kate had no use for beauty pageants and hated for anyone but her parents to call her Katie. She felt it made her sound like a child. "Debbie, can't you find someone else to drive you to San Francisco and do….Whatever it is you need for the pageant?"

Debbie shook her head fiercely. "Who would I ask? My asshole so-called boyfriend was fooling around with Monica Brennan, Joyce is headed for Tahoe with her boyfriend, Marti is such a grind, I'd never be able to drag her out of the library to go. And the only one I know who's going there is Sandy O'Dwyer and she's my main competition at Stanford for Miss Pac 10. She'd probably throw me off the Golden Gate Bridge just for spite. Katie, please! You spend all of your time studying and all you ever do when you're not studying is watch Nebula 9. You need to get out."

Kate had to admit that her social life had been anemic since she'd gotten to Stanford. While Stuyvesant High School had been a top notch school, Stanford was in a different league entirely. Everyone at Stanford had been at the top of their class in high school and Kate had to work very hard to keep up. But, she had nothing going on for the weekend, so…."Okay, Debbie, I'll do it. I'll drive you, but I don't know anything about beauty pageants so you'll have to help me. Help me a lot."

Debbie threw her arms around Kate and hugged her. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! Oh, Katie, this is going to be so much fun."

Kate was beginning to find out how much "fun" this was going to be when she loaded all of Debbie's things into Debbie's bright red Volkswagen Beetle. The trunk was packed so full that she had to sit on the trunk lid and bounce up and down to get it closed. She couldn't see out the back window for all the stuff piled in the back and Debbie was now wedged in the front seat by several make up cases.

"Katie, are you sure you can't put these on your side. Suppose I get a bruise on my legs? Or a cut?"

"Suppose we both get killed because I can't drive because I'm buried in stuff?"

That caused Debbie to apologize and thank Kate another dozen times. Kate ignored her as she drove down University Avenue and headed for Highway 101 headed north. Luckily, the contestants had an assigned parking place at the hotel, sparing Kate the task of getting a parking space in San Francisco.

One inside the hotel they were directed to the ballroom where the pageant was to be held. The room was filled with young women from all over the West Coast, all of whom seemed to be wearing something identifying which college they represented. Now Kate understood why Debbie had decided to wear a skin tight Sanford tee shirt that showed off part of her tanned and toned midriff.

"Look at her." Debbie hissed, pointing to a young blonde.

"Who is she?"

"Who is it? Are you kidding me? That's Noreen Johnson, from USC, the University of Spoiled Children." Debbie added snidely. "Most girls have a friend or two here, maybe their mom, but Noreen has a makeup artist, a seamstress, her vocal coach and a professional pageant coordinator. Most girls think she's a lock to win this." Debbie glared at the woman. "Most girls do, but I don't."

However, the glare had attracted Noreen's attention. She walked over to Debbie with a fake smile on her face. "Debbie. How good to see you again. Why, we haven't seen each other since Miss Teenage Santa Monica Pier. How are you?"

Debbie gritted her teeth. "I'm fine. I'm one of the ladies from Stanford."

Noreen gave Kate the once over, making her feel like a large juicy fish being inspected by a hungry shark. "And is this another girl from Stanford?" She asked dismissively.

"This is Katie Beckett, my roommate and assistant. She's not in the pageant."

"Not with that hairdo." Noreen said cuttingly. "Well, I must be off. There is so much work to be done." And she turned on her heel and left.

"There's nothing wrong with my hair." Kate said under her breath. "What a bitch."

"She's worse than that." Debbie said. "She threw her win at Santa Monica in my face. We were the top two contenders in that pageant. She went on first and sang and I came on determined to blow her right off the stage with my song. With a small pageant like that, they don't have live music. Everyone brings a music tape to sing to. When my music came on, somehow, the music playing was some awful gangsta rap music. The pageant organizers gave me some time to find my music, but it was not use. I got nothing for the talent part of the competition and Noreen won. I just know that the bitch stole my music and put that dreadful CD in its place. But, of course, I could never prove anything. But they have a live band for this one and there's no way that surgically enhanced cow can beat me this time."

"Debbie, let's get our stuff into our room and then go out for dinner. There are a lot of great restaurants in San Francisco and I want to try one. Any ideas?"

Debbie suggested a little Italian restaurant in North Beach which Kate had to admit was as good as any she'd been to in New York. After dinner they headed back to the hotel so Debbie could get a good night's sleep before the pageant.

Kate was woken up by a scream. She looked around, saw Debbie's bed was empty, then decided that the screams were from Debbie and came from the bathroom. She pushed he door open a crack. "Debbie, what is it?"

"Don't come in." Debbie sobbed. "It's awful."

"Debbie, you can't stay in the bathroom forever. And I have to use it."

"Okay, but promise you won't laugh."

"I won't." Kate said as she pushed the door open. What she saw was no laughing matter. "Your hair is green."

"No kidding!" Debbie screamed and then started crying again.

"Okay, let's not panic. I'm going downstairs to buy some more shampoo and…anything I can find that might help." Kate bought every type of shampoo she could find and even went to the hotel beauty shop. They told her that they might be able to help, depending on what kind of dye had been used, but they were all booked up due to the beauty contest. They couldn't see Debbie until after the pageant was over.

Kate went back to the room and washed Debbie's hair repeatedly, with no luck. "Sorry, Debbie."

"It's that bitch Noreen." Debbie said coldly. "I'm going to go downstairs and tear her blonde hair out by its dark roots. Then I'll…."

"You'll do nothing." Kate said determinedly.

"What? Look at what she did to me?" Debbie held out her green hair.

"We have no proof it was her. And I won't let you stoop to her level. You're a lady and ladies do not beat up…whatever Noreen is."

Debbie began to cry again. "Kate, will you go downstairs and withdraw me from the pageant. I'll wrap something around my head and then we'll go back to Stanford, okay?"

"I'll be right back. Don't do anything, okay?"

Kate came back a few minutes later to find Debbie all packed and ready to leave. "Kate, I wish we could have proved Noreen did this to me."

Kate nodded. "I really wish I could investigate her, like a cop or something."

Debbie giggled. "You? A cop?"

Kate nodded. "Yeah. That is pretty silly, isn't it?"