Switching Goals

by Alex Morgan

  I decided to be honest, even with my mom listening.

  “When you mentioned Franklin, I just got all homesick,” I told Kara. “I’m so lucky that I’ve made so many great friends in California, but I miss you and our old house so much sometimes. I wish I could come back for Charlotte’s birthday party to visit.”

  “Yeah, what’s the status on that? Any chance you can come?”

  With that, my mom jumped into the conversation.

  “We are considering it, Kara.” My mom raised her voice a bit so Kara would be able to hear her. “It’s a little tricky because it will involve time off from school for Devin, the plane trip is expensive, and on top of that, Devin would be flying alone. It’s a long flight.”

  “I did it, Mrs. Burke.” Kara had come to California for a surprise visit last fall. “It wasn’t so bad. I had a direct flight, so it wasn’t like I had to change planes or do anything scary. Plus, the flight attendants knew I was traveling alone and were super nice, and someone from the airline escorted me from the plane to the gate where you and Mr. Burke picked me up.”

  My mom nodded slowly. “You know something, Kara? I had forgotten all about that. With the airline’s help, it could be a possibility if we can work the rest out.”

  I opened my eyes and mouth wide as I gave Kara an excited smile over the video chat. I couldn’t believe it! She gave me a thumbs-up and used the chat to type “One reason down, two to go!”

  With that, my mom pulled into the parking lot of the photography studio, and I signed off with Kara. I didn’t think it would be hard at all for me to smile now.

  Mom had explained to me that even though Ashanta had gotten me the job, this one was for a different client, so it would be at a different place with different people. This photography studio was in a similar building, but instead of a green screen, there was a big white background for the photos, and instead of Zane, the photographer was a woman with a sleek ponytail. And while I had hoped that Sabine would also be doing the shoot, I didn’t see her. Instead, there was a girl with curly hair who reminded me of Sabine with her flawless skin. I just hoped she was as nice as Sabine! When I walked in, she was laughing and talking to two boys about my age whom I guessed were also models.

  The one familiar face was Ashanta, who greeted us when we came in. “Great, you’re here! Let’s get started. Jennifer, you can take a seat, and I’ll get Devin into wardrobe and makeup.”

  “Okay, we know the drill now,” my mom joked as she sat in one of the chairs at the far end of the room. She pulled a book out of her purse.

  Clearly, my mom was a lot let less anxious this time around, and I found, to my surprise, that I was too. I knew what to expect now, I’d practiced, and even if I didn’t do things perfectly, I’d give it my best. The game against the Buccaneers proved to me that mistakes happen. You just have to dust yourself off and move on. Plus, this time I wasn’t missing school or practice.

  Still, I was relieved to see Tenshi in the makeup room. She gave me a big smile when I walked in. Today, her purple hair was styled into a fauxhawk, and she had on big, black military boots that laced up to her knees. As intimidating as she looked, I was glad she was there.

  “Devin, awesome!” she said. “It’s always nice to see the same faces again.”

  I sat in the tall chair in front of me so she could work her magic.

  “Ashanta probably already told you, but this is an activewear shoot for the Athlead website and catalog,” she said. “I’ve got a couple of great looks for you. You are, like, a total natural in the fitness wear stuff.”

  “I should be,” I told Tenshi as she tickled my eyelids with a makeup brush. “I spend most of my time in my soccer uniform or my workout clothes. And for school, I usually just wear shorts, a T-shirt, and flip-flops.”

  I guess I never really thought about it, but if I was being paid to wear fitness clothes for a modeling shoot, my soccer uniform—and even my shorts and T-shirts—would be considered fashion too!

  As Tenshi finished my makeup and started working on my hair, I told her all about Zoe. “She’s totally into all different kinds of clothes,” I said. “She’s always wearing the latest styles and mixing and matching patterns and colors. If I tried to do that, I’d look like a clown. But Zoe always looks like she stepped out of a magazine.”

  “Next time, you should bring her along with you,” Tenshi said. “She’d probably love seeing behind the scenes, and it sounds like she has the makings of a great stylist.”

  “That would be fun!” I said as Tenshi pulled my hair into a long ponytail. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of that before. Tenshi and Zoe would get along great!

  “I’d love to try some other looks with your hair. It’s so pretty,” Tenshi said wistfully. “But for activewear, ponytails are the go-to hairstyles.”

  I couldn’t help but look at myself in the mirror after Tenshi had finished. I really liked the way she made me look. Tenshi made it seem so easy, but I wouldn’t have known where to start. It would be nice if she lived in our house; I could look like this every day for school, I mused. I needed to pay more attention to how Tenshi did my makeup, although it was kind of hard because my eyes were closed most of the time. I wouldn’t mind learning a few tricks. I don’t know if it’s something I’d want to do every day, but if the mood struck me, I wanted to be prepared.

  I went behind the privacy screen to change into the workout outfit: long leggings in a tropical floral-print pattern with a matching sports bra. The sneakers were pink and gray, and not really a shoe I’d ever use to work out. They were more about fashion than function, and pretty flimsy, with not much arch support. But I reminded myself that this wasn’t an athletic match, and I was selling the outfit, not the shoes.

  When I walked back into the studio area, the girl who looked like Sabine nodded to me.

  “Hey,” she said. “I’m Crystal.”

  “Devin,” I said.

  She turned her back to me and starting talking again to the two boys I had seen earlier. I stood there, not sure what to do, and feeling kind of dismissed. Was Crystal going to be more like Frida’s frenemy, Luna? I had hoped she’d be cool like Sabine.

  Luckily, the boy who had long, curly blond hair pulled back into a messy bun, and reminded me of Arlo and the other eighth-grade skateboarders, introduced himself to me.

  “I’m Troy, and this is Malik,” he said.

  Malik and I exchanged grins, while Crystal looked bored, staring at her fingernails.

  “Did Tenshi give you that haircut?” I asked. “It’s really cool. I like it.”

  Malik’s dark hair was parted on the top and had lots of volume, but it was cropped close around the ears, so it had a fauxhawk look going on, like Tenshi’s.

  Malik laughed. “Nope. In fact, she saw my hairstyle, and that’s when she started rocking her own fauxhawk.”

  Crystal pretended not to hear and instead started whispering to Troy. I ignored her, and Malik and I continued chatting until I felt someone grabbing my arm.

  “Devin,” my mom said urgently. “We have to talk. I don’t want you photographed wearing only a bra.”

  I felt my cheeks turn red as my mom dragged me back to Tenshi’s room. I avoided making eye contact with Crystal, Troy, and Malik, although out of the corner of my eye, I saw Crystal smiling at my discomfort. Why do moms have to be so embarrassing? I thought. Couldn’t she have said something to me when we were in private?

  “Mom,” I whispered, “this is what I wear when I go for a run in our neighborhood. And Crystal is dressed in the same thing.” Crystal was wearing ombré leggings in sky blue with a matching sports bra.

  “Crystal is not my daughter,” my mom said. “And this is going to be online and printed in catalogs. It’s not the same as going for a run in our neighborhood.”

  I wanted to point out that anyone could snap a picture of me anytime during my run and I wouldn’t even notice. But I decided to keep my mouth shut, because than I might be forced to
wear a tracksuit for my runs, the velvet kind, like my grandma wears.

  “What’s up?” Tenshi said as we came barreling in.

  “I’m not comfortable with Devin being photographed in only a sports bra.” My mom sounded tense, like she was expecting an argument.

  Tenshi frowned. “I know the client needs shots of the sports bra for the catalog,” she said. “Let me think. . . . I’ve got the matching windbreaker for that outfit. It’s really cute. Would it be okay if Devin wore the windbreaker open on top?”

  “Can I see it?” my mom asked.

  Ugh, I wanted to crawl behind the racks of clothes, curl up, and die of embarrassment.

  Tenshi put the windbreaker on me and tugged at it a few times, eyeing it critically.

  “This will work,” she said to my mom. “Are you okay with it?”

  I held my breath as I waited for my mom’s response. She slowly nodded. “Yes, I think that is definitely more appropriate.”

  “Great!” Tenshi smiled. “Just so you know, the other looks are tanks and tees.”

  “Good!” My mom smiled in return, and then we went back out in the studio.

  “Ooh, cute windbreaker,” Crystal said, all smiles in front of Tenshi. I guess she wasn’t going to snub me in front of the crew.

  “I have one that matches your outfit too,” Tenshi said. “But would you mind doing a few shots without it?”

  Crystal shrugged. “Of course. I don’t have a problem with it,” she said while shooting me a superior, smug glance. I had met Crystal’s type before on the soccer field, so it didn’t throw me. However, since I was a lot more secure on the field than in front of the camera, I had to work extra hard to make sure that she didn’t get under my skin and diminish the newly-gained confidence I had discovered during my practice session.

  I was relieved that we had found a solution that made my mom happy, but it felt weird that only Crystal had to do the shoot in the bra. She didn’t seem to mind, though, and I saw a woman who looked like her mom sitting on the side with my mom. Her mom was obviously okay with it.

  It was all kinds of confusing, and my mind was racing as Jeannie, the photographer, began using Malik for a few test shots.

  “We’re ready to start,” she said after a few minutes. “Malik and Troy, I want to get the two of you together first.”

  The boys posed together as if they were hanging out at the park after school. Then Jeannie had them do some very plain shots, with them standing with their backs straight and posing to show off the clothes.

  They’re naturals, I thought to myself, in awe. Before, I would have thought it was easy to just look like yourself, but now I knew now how much work it took to smile and look natural for a camera.

  Crystal was standing next to me, watching the boys, and I thought I’d try one more time to break the ice. After all, some of my biggest rivals on the soccer field, like Jamie from the Rams, ended up becoming friends.

  “They are good,” I whispered to her.

  “They’ve been doing this for years, like me,” Crystal told me. “In fact, Malik is also an actor. He’s been in a few commercials. Is this your first shoot?”

  “It’s my second,” I said, but then it was our turn to be photographed.

  First, the shots were straight posing, hands on hips, not doing any action. This was a little trickier for me because I was more comfortable moving. But my practice session in front of the mirror the night before had given me confidence and I was feeling at ease when the photographer asked me to smile and change positions.

  The afternoon went fast because we had to keep changing clothes and posing. At the end, we all did a shot together, the four of us, and got to play around however we wanted, and that was when I felt in my element—in motion. Malik and Troy started tossing a football to each other, and I jumped up and intercepted it. Then I tossed it to Crystal, and she ran across the studio.

  “Touchdown!” she yelled, and we all laughed. The actions shots were definitely my favorites.

  “Settle down, everyone, please,” Jeannie said. “I just need one more shot.”

  “What if we get in a huddle? We do it before every soccer game to get us all charged up.”

  Jeannie shrugged. “Let’s give it a try. It can’t be a real huddle—you’ll have to all face the camera.”

  We got into a semicircle and placed our hands on top of one another’s. The photographer liked it so much, she even had us turn our backs to the camera, with our arms around one another. Then she asked us to drop our arms and turn our faces to look at the camera over our shoulders.

  We all started spontaneously high-fiving, and the photographer snapped photos like crazy. Then she had the idea for us to do a real close circle huddle, and she slid on her back along the floor and took photos of us while we looked down at the camera.

  “Great idea, Devin! I love this. I’m getting great stuff!” Jeannie said.

  I felt my confidence soar from her praise, and I started to truly have fun, posing for the camera and feeling more like I belonged.

  Flash! Flash! Flash!

  “That’s a wrap!” Jeannie said. “Thanks, everybody.”

  I relaxed and headed into the makeup room to get changed. On my way out, Ashanta approached me.

  “Nice job today, Devin,” Ashanta said. “You’ve really loosened up in front of the camera. I’ll definitely be getting more work for you.”

  I beamed. The whole session had been a lot more fun, even with my mom totally embarrassing me!

  On the way home from the shoot, my mom pulled into a spot in our bank’s parking lot.

  “Can’t you just go through the drive-through?” I complained. I was still a little upset with her.

  “Oh, no, Devin,” Mom said. “You are coming in with me to open a savings account. This is your first job, and I want you to learn how to save money for your future. You know your dad and I started a college savings account for you when you were born. It’s up to you if you want to contribute to that from your earnings, but I wanted you to have control over this account and decide how to use it.”

  I thought about it for a second. “How about I put half of the money I earn into my college account, and the rest into the new one? That way I’ll have some options.”

  My mom leaned over the seat and gave me a hug. “Have I told you lately what a smart young woman you are? That’s a great idea. I’m very proud of you for saving for your future.”

  I hugged my mom back, forgetting all about the total humiliation at the photo shoot. I was lucky to have a mom who looked out for me in every way possible. As for the future, I could try for a soccer scholarship, but if I changed my mind, I’d have some savings, too. It felt good not to have to make any big decisions right now AND to have some money in the bank. And I didn’t need the Flash Fortune app to let me know that whatever the future held for me, I’d be ready!

  Chapter Ten

  “Heads up, Grace!” Emma called out during a scrimmage in soccer practice the next day.

  Whomp! The next thing I knew, a soccer ball was bouncing off my head.

  “Emma, what was that?” I asked as Jessi intercepted the ball and took it down the field.

  “Sorry!” Emma called back. “I thought you were Grace!”

  Weird, I thought, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it. I shook it off and charged down the field, hoping to get the ball back. In the end, Jessi’s team won the scrimmage.

  When we finished, Coach Flores called us together for a talk.

  “I see some of you running around out there at superspeed, like the Buccaneers,” Coach said. “Don’t be the Buccaneers. Be the Kicks. Speed is good, but it can lead to mistakes. The Buccaneers went out-of-bounds so many times during the game that I lost count.”

  We all nodded.

  “Saturday we’re playing the Flying Bees from Harrison,” she went on.

  “Bees? Ouch!” Emma blurted out.

  “It’s another team we haven’t faced before,” Coach said. “
Don’t let that worry you. Just get out there and play your best on Saturday. Focus on what you can do, not on what they can do. Because what you can do is pretty great!”

  “Go, Kicks!” Grace yelled, and we all started to cheer.

  • • •

  Jessi’s mom gave me a ride home from practice, and when I walked into the kitchen, Dad was chopping up vegetables and Mom was slicing grilled chicken.

  “Dinner salad?” I asked.

  Mom nodded. “With lots of avocado, promise! Now why don’t you go shower before dinner?”

  “Sure,” I said, and I took three steps toward the stairs and then stopped.

  Maisie was standing in the kitchen doorway. She had her hair pulled into a messy bun, and she had makeup on her face. A lot of makeup. Dark streaks on her cheeks and down the bridge of her nose. Thick black eyeliner and purple eye shadow. She’d done something to her eyebrows, so they were dark brown, darker than her hair.

  I was stunned. “Maisie—what?”

  “I’m going to go with you on your next modeling shoot,” she said. “I’m going to be discovered, just like you.”

  Mom looked up from the cutting board. “Oh my goodness, Maisie. What have you done?”

  “I found a makeup tutorial online,” she answered. “Everybody is doing this look.”

  “Not everybody who is eight years old,” Mom scolded. “Did you use my makeup for that?”

  “Whose else would I use? Devin doesn’t have any. And she’s supposed to be a model.” She shook her head, like I was the one who was acting ridiculous.

  Dad was trying not to crack up. Mom just kept shaking her head.

  I couldn’t help myself. “Maisie, what kind of makeup look is that supposed to be? It’s a little bit . . . extra.”

  “It’s from Bethany Pierre, and she has two million followers,” Maisie replied. She pointed to the dark lines on her cheeks. “This is called contouring.” Then she pointed to her eyes. “Bethany says that purple is on trend right now. Only she calls it orchid.”