by Coco Simon
A girl with green spiky hair and a clipboard appeared. She looked at me. “Katie?”
I shook my head and pointed at Katie.
“You’re Katie?” the girl said, not even trying to hide her surprise.
Katie gulped and nodded.
“Right this way,” said Green Hair.
We entered a black-painted hallway and then walked along until we took a hard left into a huge darkened studio. The music had been turned down, and there were a number of people there, fiddling with cameras and lights, cleaning up props, rolling up huge drop cloths from the floor. A fan whirred noisily, keeping things cool, and a man up on a huge ladder cried, “Emma, darling!”
I waved. “Hey, Victor!”
He clambered down and came across the room to me, both arms outstretched. “Oh, Emma, you are lovelier than ever! Team, look at our little Emma blooming!” He kissed me on both cheeks and held me out again at arm’s length, looking admiringly at me and beaming. I had to laugh.
“You look good too, Victor!” I said. He was wiry and short, with long gray hair, and dressed from head to toe in black.
“Ha!” he cried, waving his hand. “I am an old man. A has-been. Now who have we here today?”
Katie was so nervous she couldn’t even smile. “I’m Katie Brown,” she said meekly.
I wanted to boss her and say, “Stand up straight! Be confident! Don’t worry!” But of course I couldn’t embarrass her, so I didn’t say anything.
“And we are doing what today?” Victor asked kindly.
“Um . . .” Katie looked at me.
I guessed I had to take over. “Well, Katie has booked a job and needs some test shots. She has a range of looks with her today, but she needs to keep it all wholesome, mainstream—you know. It’s her first time doing this so any great shots could go into her portfolio for future use. The agency wants copies of the best shots.”
Victor was nodding and sizing up Katie as I spoke. He gently lifted a piece of her hair and let it drop, and then he took out a light meter and held it next to her face. She winced and I giggled.
“He’s not going to hurt you. Don’t worry! He’s just checking what he’s going to need for lighting.”
Katie gulped. “Okay.”
Victor turned away from us and started calling out to his assistants to get Katie’s shoot set up. She stood there stock-still and wide-eyed, just taking it all in.
“So he’ll stand you over there, in front of that wall. The lights, and maybe the fan, will be on you. Sometimes an assistant stands close to you with one of those big round things that bounce the light around. Victor will try different cameras and flashes and filters, and sometimes he gets a little cranky when he can’t get the shot the way he wants it. Don’t take it personally. He’s really good and really nice and very professional. Just do what he says, and you’ll be fine.”
Katie nodded. “Okay,” she whispered.
After a few minutes of standing around (there was always a lot of standing around in modeling), Victor called Katie into position.
I wasn’t sure if I should stay in the room or go. Modeling can be a little embarrassing. They make you do dorky things and smile in ways you would not normally. I didn’t want to make Katie self-conscious by watching her, so when I caught her eye, I jerked my thumb toward the door and waved good-bye.
But panic showed on her face, and she shook her head emphatically, indicating that I should stay. So I shrugged and found a director’s chair that was out of everyone’s way, and I took a seat to watch.
One of the assistants asked Katie if she wanted to pick the music, and I was proud of Katie when she said yes. The only bummer was that she picked a folk music channel, and it brought the energy down a bit. When you have that many people in the room, it works better if you make it feel like a party, with great, loud music. It sounds silly, but I just know from experience how it works.
Victor started out as his usual charming self. He looked through the lens and began complimenting Katie. “Oh yes. I see why they picked you. Your skin is lovely. So fresh. Very natural. I love it!”
He started clicking, getting Katie warmed up, getting a feel for her best angles. This is usually the part when the model relaxes and begins to trust the photographer. With the best photographers, it only takes a minute or two, and Victor was one of the best.
Only it wasn’t working.
After a few minutes Victor sighed. “Okay, Miss Katie. Pretend you’re in your happiest place. Where is that?”
Katie thought for a minute. “The kitchen?” she said, and her eyes lit up.
“Yes! Good. I like this,” said Victor. He began clicking enthusiastically, but it didn’t last. He paused again and called to one of his assistants.
“Miranda, soften the hands for me. Shake out the shoulders.”
The assistant scurried into the frame and made some adjustments, then stepped away, her head tilted to the side, considering Katie. Victor looked through his camera and sighed again.
“Maybe it is the outfit. Katie, let’s start with something you feel comfortable in. Run back and change into something happy.”
I wasn’t sure if I should go with her or not, so I stayed put while Katie ran back to the changing room. She was back in a flash, in beat-up jeans and a loose, white button-down over a tank top.
Victor clapped his hands when he saw her. “Yes! Much better. This is the real Katie. Now we will get the shot.”
He tried for a little bit, but even from where I was sitting, Katie looked stiff and nervous. Victor conferred in whispers with his assistant, and Katie started to look miserable. I felt so bad for her, but I was helpless. Unless . . .
“Victor!” I hopped up and crossed the room to his side.
“Emma, darling! A true professional!”
I winced, knowing this was kind of a dig against Katie. “What if I give Katie some distraction, off-frame? Something to react to?”
Victor shrugged. “Worth a try.”
I walked over to Katie, who looked even more upset than before. She knew everyone was getting very frustrated with her and that we were all talking about her.
She clutched at my shirt. “Emma! This is so hard! I had no idea. I can’t believe you do this all the time. It’s . . . embarrassing!”
“Okay. Don’t worry. It’s like this for everyone the first few times. . . .”
“Few times?”
“Look. I’m going to talk to you from the side, and I’m going to tell you some stories to distract you. I want you to listen, but try to look at Victor as much as possible, okay?”
Katie nodded miserably.
I started with a story of some hijinks by my little brother, Jake, and Katie smiled a real smile.
Victor said, “Good, good,” quietly, so as not to get Katie off track, and I kept going.
Next I told her some funny Alexis stories from when we were in preschool, and that got a giggle.
“Yes!” said Victor. “This is working!”
I got her actually laughing with a story about our sometimes-enemy Olivia Allen, but Victor stopped me. “No laughing! Too much! Some giggles are okay, but I only want smiles, not open mouths.”
Katie seemed to remember where she was and got somber again, so I had to warm her up again.
It was tiring, but after a bit I could tell Victor had some shots he liked.
“Okay, final change!” said Victor.
Katie ran off to put on the skirt and top she’d brought, and Victor came to my side while his assistants fiddled with all the equipment.
“Emma, you saved us today!” he said. “That was not going well. Thank you so much!”
“No problem, Victor. I was the one who got her into this mess, so I felt like it was the least I could do. I don’t want to see her fail.”
And I realized it was true. As annoying as this whole thing was—with Katie getting the campaign I’d tried out for—she was still my friend, as my mom said. And jobs come and go, but great friends s
hould be forever.
Katie popped back in, and I could see she was more comfortable now. She knew Victor had had some success, and that had built up her confidence. This time I took a spot on her other side and got her smiling, talking about food and crazy recipe ideas.
After another fifteen minutes Victor came out from behind the camera.
“We’ve got it,” he announced.
Katie came out of the shooting area, and we high-fived.
“Thank you, Victor. I’m sorry I was such a newbie. I had no idea how hard this was going to be,” she said, offering her hand for him to shake.
He took her hand and clasped it warmly. “It was a pleasure, Katie. You can’t imagine how many divas I work with. I’d choose a newbie over that drama any day.”
Victor double-kissed me again. Katie and I thanked everyone and said our good-byes, then we retreated to the changing room. Inside, Katie flopped onto the canvas butterfly chair and sighed heavily.
“That is tiring work. I’d rather be on my feet in a kitchen all day than do that every day. I’m really impressed that you can make a job out of it.”
I smiled. It was kind of nice for one of my friends to have a sense of how hard I work when I model. I know I always say “It isn’t brain surgery,” but the truth is, it’s a different kind of hard. It takes nerves and stamina and energy and a certain kind of charm. And considering that it’s all about how you look, you can’t afford to be self-conscious while you’re doing it.
“Thanks,” I said. “It takes practice. You learn to just flip the on switch when you go into a shoot, and you kind of do a mind meld with the photographer. That’s why a lot of the time you see famous photographers favoring certain models. They find they work well together, and the pictures come out better than with other people.”
Katie nodded. “Well, Victor and I aren’t forming a partnership anytime soon, that’s for sure!”
“You never know. That was only your first time. And you still have to do the coat shoot for the agency.”
Katie sighed. “I just have to focus on the fact that it’s a job and it’s not about me.”
I nodded. “It’s funny, isn’t it? It’s kind of all about the model, but the model doesn’t really matter in the end. She’s just a stand-in for the viewer to imagine herself there.”
“I think I’m better off in a kitchen. We’ll see.”
“You did great for your first time. Don’t worry. The campaign will be fantastic, and people will love it!”
Little did I know how it all might soon end up backfiring one day.
CHAPTER 7
Showtime!
When I got home my mom said there was a message on the voice mail for me. It was Lindsay Miller, from the Three Sisters cupcake store!
“Hi, Emma! It’s Lindsay Miller. It was great to meet you the other day. Thanks so much for e-mailing me your number. I’m just calling to follow up on the possibility of working with you for our campaign. Could you or your guardian please give me a call at the shop when you have a minute? Thanks so much! Bye!”
I smiled. It would be fun to work with Three Sisters, and it would be cool to do a national campaign. I didn’t expect that they’d pay me much, but it would be great exposure and awesome for my portfolio. Plus, I’d get to have some more A Summer Day cupcakes and maybe even find out the secret to their amazing vanilla ice cream–tasting frosting!
My mom promised to call Lindsay the next day to let me know the plan and give her my agent’s contact information.
I texted Alexis to check in, but she was at work, so I did some summer reading and practiced my flute, which I hadn’t touched in days. The afternoon flew by, and at five o’clock Alexis called. She was off work and wanted us all to go to the movies at the mall. I was up for it, so I arranged for my dad to drop us off. My brother Sam works at the movie theater at night, so he got us discount tickets, and soon we were all nestled into a romantic comedy with huge buckets of buttery popcorn.
When we came out of the dark theater after the movie, blinking in the bright lights of the mall, Mia clasped her hands to her chest and sighed. “That movie was so good! The boy was so sweet to the girl. I want a boyfriend just like him one day.”
I rolled my eyes. Sometimes my friends were a little boy-crazy, and it bugged me.
“How about Luis?” joked Katie, glancing down at her phone.
“Oh, don’t worry. I have a lesson booked with him tomorrow!” Mia said with a big grin.
“Mia, you’re a great swimmer! What on Earth are you thinking?” Alexis said indignantly.
“There’s always room for improvement,” said Mia, pouting.
“Hey! They booked the shoot!” Katie said gleefully, looking at her e-mail.
“I thought you already had a shoot,” said Alexis.
“That was just a test. I go in on Friday to shoot the ad for the coats! Oh, thank you, Emma! Thank you so much for hooking me up and helping me out. You’re the best!” She threw her arms around me for a huge hug.
I hugged her back. “You’re welcome.”
My annoyance with her had faded since Katie didn’t seem all that interested in pursuing modeling anymore. Also, it felt good to help a friend who appreciated it. I figured I’d be okay with it as long as she didn’t start showing up at all my go-sees.
“My mom is going to come with me this time, so you’re off the hook,” said Katie.
“Okay, but just make sure she has some good jokes up her sleeve to get you to smile,” I said, wagging a finger at Katie.
As we were deciding what to do next—get a bite to eat or go home—who should walk by the movie theater but cranky Mary Jane Parks? Were we supposed to greet her? She didn’t really know us and certainly hadn’t made any effort to befriend us when we’d come to the snack bar. I looked at Alexis to follow her lead.
Alexis’s eyes narrowed. Mary Jane was walking with two adults, both of them tall and blond, who seemed to be her parents.
“Wait a minute . . . ,” said Alexis, just as Mary Jane drew near.
Mary Jane looked at Alexis and all of us, and then turned the other way and started a conversation with her parents, totally ignoring us.
“Hey!” said Alexis. “Hi, Mary Jane!” She said it in an almost angry voice, as if daring Mary Jane to ignore her.
Mary Jane turned and acted like she hadn’t already noticed us. “Oh, hey,” she said dismissively, like we were peasants and she was a queen. Her parents smiled at us, but the smiles weren’t that friendly, and they all kept walking together.
“Wow!” said Alexis.
“What?” asked Mia. “Are you actually surprised she wasn’t friendly?”
“No. That guy . . . Mary Jane’s dad. I just put it all together. I know him! He’s the director of parks and recreation for our town!”
“Cool job,” said Katie.
I shrugged. “So?”
“So? So he’s Mrs. Chilson’s boss!”
Realization dawned on us, and we turned and looked at one another in surprise.
“So Mrs. Chilson has to let Mary Jane work there, even though she’s a totally useless, crabby girl!” crowed Mia.
At that we collapsed into giggles. Alexis laughed so hard she actually got tears in her eyes.
“Whoo! I feel so much better!” she said, drying her eyes. “I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me, and why—if I liked Mrs. Chilson and respected her so much—she seemed to favor Mary Jane. Now it all makes sense!”
“I wondered why she had Mary Jane working there in the first place. She never does anything but sit there and frown!” said Katie.
“And criticize me!” added Alexis.
“I can’t believe it,” I said. “Nepotism again!”
“Yes, but unlike Luis and Mrs. Chilson, it’s bad nepotism.” Mia shook her head. “That must’ve been what he was referring to when he mentioned there being a lot of nepotism around the pool.”
“My mom always says anyone can help you get a job, but what y
ou do with it is up to you.” Alexis shook her head.
I thought of Katie in Victor’s studio today. “True,” I agreed. “Very true.”
• • •
On Friday, while Katie was off at her coat shoot and Mia was having another lesson with Luis (since her dad had some business meetings and couldn’t see her this weekend), I decided I’d head over to the pool and wait for Mia to be done so we could have lunch. We were meeting later at Katie’s to bake for Mona and for the pool anniversary celebration the next day. I was excited to have some more cotton-candy cupcakes, that was for sure.
I was earlier than usual so I lucked out and found a lounge chair immediately. I spread my towel, laid out my summer reading book, and put on some sunscreen, then I went to let Alexis know I was there in case she wanted to take her break and swim with me. I spotted Mia heading into the pool with Luis, and I allowed myself a private little chuckle. Poor Luis. He had no idea he was teaching a girl to swim who was already a champion swimmer.
At the snack bar, Mary Jane sat on her usual perch, frowning and criticizing Alexis. Alexis looked up in relief when I called out her name, and promised me she’d come meet me in ten minutes for a swim. I retreated to the pool and my book, but I couldn’t even read—I was so distracted by Mia’s act with Luis.
Luis was showing Mia how to breathe while swimming!
“I’m a little scared to put my head under,” Mia said.
“Don’t worry. I’m right here,” Luis replied, patting her on the shoulder.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. How long was Mia going to keep this up?
I watched for a few minutes more in stunned disbelief before Mia finally noticed me.
“Hi, Emma!” she shouted, and she waved from the water. “Be right there!” Then she turned and smiled at Luis. “Thanks so much, Luis,” she said.
“My pleasure, Mia,” Luis answered. “Anytime.”
Mia hopped out of the pool and walked over to my lounge chair with a big grin on her face.
“I can’t believe you did that,” I said.
“Did what?” Mia said innocently. “Get a free swimming lesson?”
“A swimming lesson you don’t need,” I said. “When are you going to tell him you swim like a pro?”