Maya Angelou. She’s a writer, dancer, artist, actress, and all-around creative soul. There is nothing creative that this woman can’t do. She’s even won a few Grammys! That’s your kind of role model.
5. You and your parents are strolling along the boardwalk on the beach when you see a palm-reading table. Do you stop to get your palm read?
What for? Everybody knows there’s no scientific proof to show that any of that stuff is real. You haven’t seen any hard evidence that anything a palm-reader says is true, so you wouldn’t waste your time—or your parents’ money—on that.
You probably won’t have your palm read. You don’t buy into any of that, really. But you’ll stop to watch someone else have theirs read, just for fun.
Why not? You aren’t sure you believe that the palm-reader can see your future, but hey, you never know. If you’re about to run into that adorable guy from your math class, you wouldn’t mind a heads-up!
Of course! You’re open to all the mysteries of the universe. And the palm-reader’s shimmering silk scarves and amber rings speak to your creative side. Before she even asks if you want a reading, you’re sitting in the chair across from her with your palm in her face.
Give yourself 1 point for every time you answered A, 2 points for every B, 3 points for every C, and 4 points for every D.
—If you scored between 5 and 12, go to chapter 15
—If you scored between 13 and 20, go to chapter 14
Finally, a girl who really believes in herself! You aren’t afraid to put yourself out there, because you have faith in your abilities and know what you have to offer. Your confidence makes you a born leader. Just be sure you’re realistic about your limits. Even Oprah has her off days.
After you sit on the bench awhile longer, licking your wounds, you decide that Elliott has a point. You can’t mope on the bench all day. And the truth is you know you could do a great job if Janice would just give you a chance. Besides, you also know that Elliott is eagerly waiting to see what you’ll do, and no way do you want to take the wimpy road in front of him.
“All right,” you say to yourself. “I’m going back in.” You stand up and catch your gross reflection again. “But not like this!” You head straight for the bathroom to clean yourself up a little. You pull your hair back with a headband you find at the bottom of your bag, splash some water on your face, and dab on a little lip gloss. That’s better! Checking yourself out in the mirror, you think, Not bad. But you’re still a little ashamed that you let Janice drive you away like that. Who is she to tell you that you aren’t good enough? She clearly had no idea that she was in the presence of the world’s best babysitter, the girls’ soccer team MVP, and the undefeated Cranium champ. (Jessie and Lena can vouch for that last one.) Bottom line, you can do anything you set your mind to—and now it’s time to prove it.
Before you have a chance to chicken out, you march straight back to the Photo Hut. Models are still milling around everywhere. Steve is huddled in a corner, nervously chewing on the end of a pen and making phone call after phone call, while Janice is pacing back and forth like a hungry lion. And wait a minute … is that Mona—the most obnoxious girl in school—getting her hair teased in the back? Ugh. Guess your eyes weren’t playing tricks on you earlier after all. What is she doing here? You’ve heard from Amy that Mona has done some modeling. You just never believed her. But there Mona is in full spoiled-brat mode. She loves nothing better than to watch other people fail, so it would really suck to get rejected (again) in front of her, especially now that you know she snagged a date with Jimmy, a fact you still can’t quite believe. Um, are you sure about this? It’s not too late to turn back, you know. Jessie and Lena would understand if you just walked away right now and drowned your sorrows with a vanilla milk shake.
No way, you tell the voice in your head. You deserve this. You’d be good at this. Sure, you’re shaking like a leaf inside, but why let that—and a few silly pimples—stop you? Just then you spot Elliott, who is smiling a big excited grin and giving you two thumbs up.
How sweet is he? You find yourself wondering how old he is. He doesn’t look older than fourteen. Jessie would totally approve of him for you—if only as another possible crush.
“Here goes nothing,” you tell yourself.
You square your shoulders, walk right up behind Janice, and tap her on the shoulder. She whirls around, takes one look at you, and says, “You again? Didn’t I dismiss you already?”
“Yes,” you answer quickly. “But you were wrong.”
Over Janice’s shoulder you see Steve gasp and cover his mouth with one hand. Even his mini Mohawk is quivering.
“Excuse me?” Janice says in an ice-cold voice, narrowing her eyes at you.
“You were wrong,” you repeat without hesitating. “I’d be awesome in this photo shoot. Top Model happens to be my favorite show and I know all the tricks. I even know how to smile with my eyes… .” You demonstrate one of Tyra’s patented moves, looking off to the side and squinting your eyes just a little. “You’d be crazy not to hire me.”
Janice leans back and puts her fists on her hips. Well, at least she hasn’t bitten your head off yet. That would really put a crimp in your day.
“You know what?” she begins, and you’re fairly sure you’re about to be told off in stunning fashion. “I like your spunk.”
What’s that? Did she just say she likes you?
“It took a lot of guts to come back here.” Janice steps toward you, taking your chin in her hand. And just when you think she’s going to be affectionate and sweet …
She roughly turns your head from side to side. “But look at all this acne! I’m sorry, but what am I supposed to do with this? Sheila! Get over here,” she barks.
A plump older woman comes toddling out from the back, carrying what looks like a tackle box. “You rang?”
“Look at this one,” Janice orders. “Is there something you can do to cover up her skin in the next, say, ten minutes?”
Sheila studies your face, which Janice is still turning from side to side so hard you’re sure you’ll get whiplash. “I’m good, but I’m no miracle worker,” Sheila admits. “There just isn’t enough time to fix this for today’s shoot.”
Janice looks back at you and shrugs. “Sorry, kid. Better luck next time.” She starts to walk away without even looking back at you. Steve winces at you and mouths, Sorry.
Ouch. You’re zero for two. You’re proud of yourself for giving it another shot, but how are you going to face your friends? They were more excited about your modeling than you were. How are you going to break it to them that not only did you not score any free clothes, but you didn’t even step foot on the set? And you don’t even want to think about Elliott, who is probably watching the humiliation unfold as you speak. What would he do in this situation?
You are tempted to mope your way down the hall again when suddenly you hear Steve’s phone ring with a Rihanna song. He snaps it up quickly and you hear him say, “Oh God. Please tell me you’re kidding. Janice is not going to like this.”
Janice, only a few paces away, demands to know what’s going on now. Steve tells the person on the phone to hold on, then seems to brace himself to deliver the bad news. “Natasha, the model I called you about earlier who fell off her stilettos? Well, they’re releasing her from the hospital.”
“So? What’s the problem?”
“She’s in a full leg cast. She definitely won’t be able to be in the commercial today.” Steve takes one step back, in case Janice is about to start breathing fire.
“Great!” Janice yells. “First Alexa, now Natasha? I suppose I can have Mona wear all the necessary outfits for this photo shoot. But who am I supposed to get to replace Natasha in the commercial! The SmoothSkin reps are going to be here this afternoon. Thanks to the deal Bebe worked out with them, they definitely want the commercial shot in this godforsaken mall using a model I selected. I really don’t have time to hold auditions, and I need somebody wit
h a fresh face now!”
Bingo! That’s your cue!
You step right into Janice’s line of vision and say, “Ahem!” as loudly as you possibly can. When she looks your way, you smile your biggest, cheesiest smile. “One fresh face, at your service.”
Before Janice can even think about dismissing you again, Steve says into her ear—just loud enough for you to hear him—that you would be the perfect girl to illustrate both the “before” and “after” parts of the face-wash commercial. “I mean, who better to show how well the product works than a girl who really needs it?”
“And how are we supposed to film the ‘after’ segment, genius?” Janice snaps. “Photoshopping isn’t in the budget.”
Steve strokes his Mohawk thoughtfully as he studies your face. “Well … we could always tape the last part of the commercial next week, after she’s had a chance to actually use the product. By then the acne should be all cleared up.”
Janice can’t argue with that logic. She takes a deep breath and says, “All right. You’re in. But don’t screw it up! And by next week, I don’t want to see a single zit on that face, understood?”
You nod quickly, afraid to say any more.
“Good. Steve, you fill her in on what she has to do and inform her mother about the change in plans. I’ve got to go set up this shot with one less girl.” She stalks away, barking orders as she goes.
Yes! This worked out even better than you hoped! Not that you want to be known as that girl with the bad skin, but still … a commercial! Wow! Jessie and Lena are never gonna believe this. You just hope you can pull it off.
You’re just about to send them a text message update when someone pats your back gently.
“Congratulations!” Elliott says happily as you spin around to face him. “That was awesome! You’re going to do great.”
Once you get over your unexpected joy at having this gorgeous guy showing you any sign of affection, you’re nervous all over again. You’ve never done any professional acting before. Can you really pull off a commercial? Guess you’re about to find out.
Good for you! You showed the world—and more important, yourself—that you have a lot of confidence, which people like Janice respect. You didn’t let her give you “no” for an answer and ended up scoring a part in a commercial! You also managed to befriend a totally hot male model, who has definitely taken your mind off Jimmy for the time being. Not bad for a day’s work! With the roll you’re on, you wouldn’t be surprised if Shawna showed up at the commercial set. Still, you’ve talked a good game, but can you really deliver? Or will the pressure be too much? Take the quiz and find out if your nerves will get the best of you.
QUIZ TIME!
Circle your answers and tally up the points at the end.
1. You’re in the middle of an oral report that you had to memorize for Spanish class and you forget the second half of your speech. What do you do?
Come to a complete halt and run out of the classroom. You can barely remember how to speak English right now, let alone Spanish. True, running out mid-examen won’t earn you any grade points with the teacher (or cool points with your friends), but it beats dealing with this pressure!
Struggle through it, blurting out whatever random lines of the speech you can remember. Unfortunately, you’re remembering them all out of order and no one knows what you’re saying. Finally you give up and beg the teacher to let you try again tomorrow.
Wing it. You start making things up right on the spot. You’re making absolutely no sense and you’re pretty sure you just said something like “Cats eat green eggs at midnight,” but at least you’re still talking. And maybe your teacher will be so distracted by how well you roll your r’s that she won’t notice that your speech just went from Spanish to gibberish.
Stop, take a deep breath, and get your bearings. You know you can nail this speech if you just stay calm. Once you get past the nerves, the rest of the words will come flooding back to you. And if not, you’ll just talk about the topic in your own words. It might not be as good as the speech, but the point is to show how well you can speak Spanish.
2. If you could be on any game show, it would be:
Deal or No Deal. You have plenty of time to think and ask your family and friends for help—and talk smack to the banker. And all you have to do is pick numbers, so even if you were nervous, it would still be easy to choose a case.
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? The questions on this show are usually pretty easy. Plus, they give you three safety nets and you can drop out whenever you want (not that you would).
Family Feud. Coming up with answers on the spot would be a piece of cake for you. And you just know you’d rock the speed round at the end.
Million Dollar Password. The whole game is a race against time. You have to give great clues or guess your partner’s—all while listening to the clock tick away. Only people who are able to keep their cool do well on that show, and let’s just say you’d leave with the grand prize.
3. If you had to choose, you’d be:
a yoga instructor. Half your job is teaching people how to reeelaaax. And the clothes are pretty comfy too. You don’t even have to wear shoes! Talk about stress free …
a midwife. True, there is a bit of tension involved (you are helping to bring a new baby into the world, after all!) but your focus on meditation and creating a soothing atmosphere for the mom-to-be makes this a fairly mellow job.
a fashion-magazine editor’s assistant, like Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada. Some girls might shy away from a job that has you running around in heels all day and night, doing a million things at once, but it looks exciting to you! Besides, when you get to enjoy some downtime, you’ll be doing it in Gucci and Jimmy Choos. Totally worth the stress!
an ER doctor. You don’t get much more high-pressure than this job. You’d get no sleep, you’d be on call twenty-four seven, and you’d have only split seconds to make life-saving decisions. The upside? You’d save a lot of people.
4. You have a big science project due at the end of the year. You:
start months and months in advance. That way you can do a little bit every day and not get overwhelmed. Why procrastinate when you could be done by Thanksgiving and not have to worry about it after that?
get started at least a month or so before it’s due. As long as you set up a careful schedule for yourself and stick to it, you should be done just in time without breaking a sweat.
procrastinate until a week before it’s due. You work best under pressure—or so you tell yourself. By now most of the good ideas are taken and your parents have to help you scramble for supplies, but that’s all part of the fun … not.
start working on it the day it’s due and end up having to beg your teacher for more time. You’ll lose a letter grade and will have to sweat bullets to get it in before you fail altogether, but that date just snuck up on you!
5. You run into your crush unexpectedly at the mall, and he says hi. You:
say something that sounds like “Uh … um … h-hi… urgh …” Unfortunately, your tongue always seems to tie itself into knots whenever you’re around someone you like. Better just wave at him from far away next time.
say, “Hey,” nervously, then run away like your sneakers are on fire. You’re lucky you got out one word. Stay any longer and you risk serious humiliation.
say hi and ask him about the homework assignment from class. Maybe it’s not the most stimulating conversation, but you’re pretty comfortable talking about school, so it’s a good way to stay calm in the face of unbelievable cuteness.
tell him a great joke you just heard and flirt away. Even though you weren’t expecting to see him today, you immediately snap into your most practiced notice-me moves.
Give yourself 1 point for every time you answered A, 2 points for every B, 3 points for every C, and 4 points for every D.
—If you scored between 5 and 12, go to chapter 17
—If you scored between 13 and 20
, go to chapter 16
Wow, Blair Waldorf has nothing on you! When it comes to getting what you want, you don’t mind being downright ruthless. Or is that just what you think you have to do to win? Although you do tend to get your way in the short term, eventually your hard-core methods will backfire. Remember, what goes around comes around.
Before you can face going out on the set and dealing with Mona, you need to call your friends and see what’s happening in the real world. You flip open your phone and hit the speed-dial key for Jessie. It barely rings once before she answers.
“Hey, supermodel! How’s it going in the glamorous world of high fashion? Has Access Hollywood shown up to document your rise to stardom? Have they whisked you off to Paris yet?”
“No such luck,” you say, glancing around the dim back room of the Photo Hut. “But wait till you see the gear they have me wearing. It’s unreal.”
“Oh, you’re so lucky!” Jessie exclaims. “Bebe LaRue’s clothes are fabtastic. I’m so jealous.”
“Me too!” you hear Lena call just above the tinny sound of Elvis singing “All Shook Up” in the background.
“Hey, are you guys at Johnny Rockets?” It’s the only place you know of in the mall that has those table jukeboxes filled entirely with songs from the fifties and sixties. “Now I’m jealous.”
“Well, get used to it, Tyra. If you want to be a big-time model, that means no more greasy hamburgers and high-fat milk shakes. From now on, it’s all about fruit, vegetables, whole grains, tofu—”
Your Life, but Better Page 10