Raw Deal (Beauty for Ashes: Book One)

by Dayo Benson

  “You can dye my hair,” I offered. I knew my agency didn’t want to market me as anything other than a sultry brunette, but who cared? I could always get it dyed back. If Poko Pano thought it would take a blond to advertise their bikinis, then I would be that blond.

  Mr. Drama Queen eyed me critically for a moment. “That might just work,” he said slowly. He led me over to the hair stylist. “Dye her hair blond.” He pointed at the makeup artist, “You! Work with her complexion.”

  I understood what he was saying. My skin was too dark. If I were the offense-taking type, I could have been offended, but the truth was that I’d had millions of much worse and very derogatory comments passed about me in my years as a model. You either cried over each comment, or you developed thick skin. I chose the latter.

  There were two other models, both dark-haired. They were already chatting to each other, and I didn’t bother trying to join in. I needed my space today.

  When the stylists were done, I looked in the mirror. My scalp was on fire, but I liked it.

  I sat on my own at the back of the bus as we were driven to the beach. When we arrived, I followed the other two models out to the set.

  As the day wore on, it became increasingly difficult to stay amiable. First of all, we had to wait around a bit because the wardrobe people were late. Then, the photographer didn’t like the lighting and made us wait an additional twenty minutes, as if once it struck two p.m. the sun would suddenly give him the kind of light he wanted. By the time we started getting photographed, I was ready to walk out and go home. Of course, I couldn’t let that show.

  The photoshoot was one of the hardest I’d ever done. It was quite cold, and we were wearing skimpy swimsuits and bikinis. Naturally, we were shivering, not to mention that we were by the sea. To cap off my misery, we had to act like it was summer vacation, and we were having a great time on the beach. Then, the photographer wanted individual shots. Additionally, he wanted strange poses, and he was also extremely rude with the way he told us what to do. I switched into professional mode, which meant I shut off and just did it. My mind was empty of Jace, empty of questions about religion and God, and almost empty of even my dad. I was glad when it was over.

  Monica was in my bedroom when I got home, watching my TV, and sprawled out on my bed like it was hers. She was eating my marshmallows—which, I might add, I hid at the bottom of my third closet, so how did she even find them?

  “Girrrlfriend!” she exclaimed when she saw me.

  I struck a pose.

  “There’s nothing like a makeover to make a girl feel better after a break up!” She pulled me over to the mirror and held a handful of my hair against her face to see what she would look like blond.

  “They were expecting a blond at the shoot, so I let them dye it.” I parted a section of my hair to see if my scalp was red. “It was agony. I felt like my head was on fire.”

  “Well, you look great, and I’m so jealous.”

  I twirled around my room, letting my hair float around me. I realized that this new hair color would need a lot of maintenance. I couldn’t just rock up to school each morning like I usually did. When your hair was dark, it didn’t matter if it was curly, straight, or a ‘fro straight out of the seventies. But blond hair had to be either straight or curly. I had seen blond ‘fros, and they were a paradox.

  “It was a swimsuit shoot,” I told Monica. “I wore a couple bikinis, too. I hope my mom doesn’t find out.”

  Monica tutted. “You’re such a rebel.”

  “But I’ve done swimsuits on the runway before, and she’s cool with that. I don’t see what the big deal is about doing them in a photoshoot.” I took a handful of marshmallows and stuffed them into my mouth. I realized I hadn’t eaten all day.

  “Right, Lexi,” Monica said, rubbing her hands together gleefully. The action reminded me of an evil enemy in a kids’ cartoon that wanted to take over the world. “I have a plan for how you’re going to get Jace back.”

  “I’ve let it go, Monica.”

  “I thought you were crazy about Jace.”

  “The key word being ‘were’.”

  “Oh. Well, never mind then.” Monica returned to her sprawled position on my bed and started on my marshmallows again.

  “What was the plan though? You can still share it with me.” I plopped down beside her on the bed. “Are you thinking I should do a Michelle and pretend to get saved?”

  “That was Plan B.”

  “What’s Plan A?”

  Monica smiled mischievously. “What is the one thing that no guy can resist?”

  “Dunno.”

  “Come on, think.”

  “Cars?” Wrong answer, Monica was shaking her head. “Video games?” Still the wrong answer. “I know, food?” Monica’s head was still shaking. “But they say you get to their heart through their belly.”

  “It’s sex, you moron.”

  I laughed. “Oh, yeah! So what were you thinking?”

  “I was thinking that you can make Jace an offer he can’t resist, and he’s all yours again. Tomorrow, after the basketball game tell him when and where to meet you. He will be there.”

  I collapsed with laughter, trying to imagine myself sashaying over to Jace and luring him to a bedroom. The visual image in my mind’s eye didn’t even seem right. This was not some bad romantic movie. This was real life, and my heart was at stake here. “Monica, I’m not Carlene, okay? I’m not going to do that. And Jace is a Christian now, remember?”

  “Jace is a red blooded male, as you can testify having spent a night of sin with him already.”

  I reddened.

  “He’s eighteen, and his hormones are raging, Lexi, whether he’s saved or not. He will so give in.”

  I considered the plan. Would I stoop that low to win Jace back? Who was I kidding? Of course, I would. Even if it was just so that I could do the dumping this time.

  I gave myself a mental shake. What was happening to me? I was becoming a predator, driven by lust and revenge.

  “So, are you game?” Monica asked.

  “You know I’m game, but only so that I can dump him afterwards.”

  “Yeah, whatever.” Monica took a piece of paper out of the pocket of her snugly fitting jeans. “I’ve booked a room at the Hilton. This is the booking confirmation. Just hand it to him, wait till he gets it, and then tell him what time to meet you in the lobby.”

  We both looked at each other for a moment. Then we burst into laughter. This was hilarious. I took the confirmation from Monica. “How much did it cost?”

  “Well, it’s booked for tonight, tomorrow, and Thursday morning, so you can imagine how much it must have cost.” She fanned herself with her hand. “I’m a good friend. I know.”

  “What if I’d said no?”

  “I knew you’d say yes. You’d do anything to get Jace back, you poor thing.”

  “No, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t kill or anything.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Of course, I’m not crazy.”

  “Good.” Monica pulled a small white box out of her purse. “I brought you a little something in case you get depressed.”

  “I don’t need your medication, Monica. By the way, are you sure Jace will be at the game?”

  “Of course, he’s playing.”

  “What if he’s quit basketball.”

  “No, Christians play hoops. I’ve heard some NBA players talk about Jesus and stuff.” Monica jumped up. “Let’s rehearse. Show me how you’re going to play Jace tomorrow.” I wondered where the girl got her energy from sometimes. She was a delightful jumping, squealing, shopping concoction.

  We giggled as Monica pretended to be Jace, and I stepped to her all seductive and pouting. She had Jace’s walk spot on.

  Monica thought she was helping me get Jace back, but I was seeing it more as a way to get my own back. I was going to capture Jace, and when it was over, I would tell him it was over. This time, I would do the dumping. And he would do th
e ‘suck it up, don’t fall apart, just cope’ routine. Who knew how many girls had gone through that because of him? This revenge was for every single one of them, too. And it would be sweet.

  ***

  I lingered at my locker for longer than necessary, looking out for Jace. The bell had rung precisely two minutes ago, and the corridor was emptying. Where was he?

  Eventually, he came around the corner; alone, too. The gods were definitely on my side today. He almost stopped dead when he saw me. I smiled inwardly when he came over. I was rummaging around in my locker, just so I looked like I was doing something other than just waiting for him to show.

  “Wow, Lexi!”

  I looked up at him. “Hey, Jace.” I gave him a deliberately shy smile and shook my hair back.

  “You look gorgeous,” he breathed, then he looked at my locker uncomfortably. “I don’t think I saw you at all yesterday. Were you in school?”

  “Only in the morning. I had a photoshoot.”

  “Oh, yeah? That’s good. I thought you might be upset or something.” Jace’s eyes were still on my locker.

  “Upset about what?” I looked at my locker, too. There was nothing that fascinating about it.

  “I’m avoiding eye contact,” Jace said. He grinned.

  “Why are you avoiding eye contact?”

  Jace gave me a quick look. “I’m sure I have somewhere to be right now.” He turned on his heel. “Gotta go. See you around,” he tossed over his shoulder.

  I saw him again at lunchtime. He was getting something out of Tanya’s locker. It looked like a Bible. I almost groaned at the sight of it. He glanced at me briefly. “Are you coming to the game tonight?”

  “Yeah. I want to see if everything I hear about your skills are true.”

  Jace gave me a cocky smile. “You won’t be disappointed. See you later.”

  I joined the girls in the cafeteria. Sandy scooted over so that I could sit down.

  “I like your hair,” Michelle commented after looking me over. “You were a knockout before; now, you’re simply out of this world.”

  “Why thank you, Michelle. Religion has made you a very sweet person.” We still didn’t know whether Michelle was for real or not, but I knew that the old Michelle would probably have snuck up on me with a razor and shaved my head so that I couldn’t look as good as her.

  “I heard you and Jace had your talk?” Michelle asked.

  “Yeah, he came to my house on Monday.”

  “I was right about Andrea and Jace,” Monica told me. “Michelle just told us that they went to Chicco’s with her and Matt on New Year’s Eve.”

  I wished Monica hadn’t told me that. I was getting over Jace, but hearing things like that still hurt.

  Michelle glared at Monica. “It was nothing, and you know it. The four of us just wanted to hang out. He still likes Lexi.”

  Jace had just told me he had plans for New Year’s Eve. I couldn’t believe that he and Andrea had been double dating with Matt and Michelle. I rolled my eyes like I wasn’t bothered. “No, he doesn’t. It’s over.”

  “He does. He told me and Tanya yesterday. Tanya told him to keep praying.”

  Monica winked at me, and I hid a smile. What would we do without Michelle’s big mouth?

  Chapter 24

  Jace made shooting three pointers look so easy, and he looked so incredibly gorgeous while he did it. I sat a few rows from the front so that I didn’t miss any of the action. Kingston High won, and I stood up with everyone else to cheer. Jace looked over at me as he walked off the court. I stuck my tongue out at him, and he grinned.

  The cheerleaders, led by Michelle, did a vigorous and very acrobatic cheer. I cheered when Monica did five successive back flips. I went to meet her in the locker room after.

  “You were good out there,” I told her.

  “I know. What’s up? Have you talked to Jace yet?”

  “No, I’m kind of having second thoughts about it.” I ran a hand through my blond tresses in frustration. Why was I doing this? No girl should have to go this far, whether she was trying to get a guy’s attention or get revenge. Whatever my ultimate goal, it was pretty desperate. My father was probably turning in his grave.

  “Whatever you decide to do, don’t forget to call me to fill me in.”

  “Sure thing.” I hugged Monica then walked out.

  I wondered where Jace would be. I took out my cell phone and called him. I really couldn’t believe I was doing this!

  “Lexi, what’s up, darlin’?” he answered.

  “Just the sky, as usual.”

  “What a lame joke.”

  “I know.”

  “So how did I do?”

  “I’ve seen better,” I teased.

  Jace chuckled, and it was a nice sound. “You would say that. But I saw how you couldn’t take your eyes off me.”

  “Okay, I admit it; you were pretty amazing. Where are you anyway?”

  “Not far behind you.”

  I spun around and saw Jace at the other end of the corridor with some of the other guys from the team. If I’d had second thoughts before, seeing him gave me third and fourth thoughts. He waved, so I walked over.

  Now what was it that Michelle had said over lunch? He still liked me? That gave me a little confidence, although I was shaking like a leaf within. I took Monica’s Hilton hotel booking confirmation out of my pocket and handed it to him.

  Jace smiled, taking it from me. His dark eyes darted over the printed words. “What’s this?”

  I looked at my watch. It was getting on seven o’ clock. How about I give him time to go freshen up? “How’s eight o’ clock?” I asked him.

  I could tell Jace didn’t get it. “Eight o’ clock?” He looked at the confirmation slip again. Then his eyes cleared, and he frowned. He gave me a look of pure disbelief. “You’re crazy.”

  I shrugged. “I know.”

  He was staring at me. I wanted to hold his gaze, but I couldn’t. I looked away.

  “Are you serious?”

  I nodded, and he swallowed.

  “See you later?”

  Jace nodded dumbly. As I looked up into his dark eyes, I realized that I didn’t want revenge. I didn’t want to play sexual predator and win him back either. Truth be told, I’d like to just hang out and talk to him. Let him tell me why his wealth made him so uncomfortable. Let him explain to me about his complicated family.

  I didn’t want to hurt Jace. I really liked him. And from all indications, he hadn’t wanted to hurt me, and he still wanted to be friends. Nevertheless, I walked away feeling triumphant.

  Chapter 25

  I didn’t want to hurt Jace? To assume that I could hurt Jace in the first place was wishful thinking. What on earth had made me think that I had any power to hurt him? He was the dangerous lion in that black, white, and metallic red den of his. He was used to the role of predator. I had been his prey—the defenseless wildebeest. The wildebeest never ever turned around and overcame the big bad lion, did they? Well, maybe apart from that stampede in The Lion King, I guessed.

  I was fed up of all the guys that were staring at me, of all the guys I’d had to tell to get away from me, and of all the guys who’d thought I was looking for ‘business’. Where was Jace? I felt like stamping my feet in frustration. Instead, I called Monica.

  “Okay, it’s four minutes to nine,” I said, trying not to drop the pizza box that I was holding with my free hand. “He’s definitely not coming, so can I go home now?”

  “Just wait another fifteen minutes.”

  “No, Monica, I’ve had enough. I’ve waited almost an hour already.” I started toward the exit. “I’m going to murder you when I see you tomorrow.”

  I had been stood up in the elegant lobby of the Hilton hotel. My humiliation had been public!

  As I drove home, I realized that I didn’t actually feel humiliated, or angry, or ticked off, or anything like that. I just felt empty. After I’d made my intentions clear to Jace, I had gott
en a bad case of cold feet. I’d decided that I wasn’t going to go through with it when he showed up at the hotel. I was going to tell him it had all been a mistake. Heck, I’d even bought him a pizza on my way to the hotel! If he came expecting a night of sin and he wasn’t getting it, at least a pizza should make up for it in some measure.

  But then, Jace was a church boy now. He didn’t do nights of sin anymore. Duh! If nothing, this night had proved to me that Jace was serious about this Christianity thing, and he wasn’t getting swayed.

  When I got home, I didn’t allow myself to think about it. My mom told me Jace had come round about an hour ago. I tried to look neutral. “Did he?”

  She stared at my hair. I knew she didn’t like it. “Yes. He said he was just checking to see if you were home or not. And yes, I gave him dirty looks and made him squirm.” My mom smiled. “He gave me this to give you.” She handed me a small, black book. It was a Bible. I took it from her and went to my room, trying to swallow the painful lump that had developed in my throat.

  I flung myself onto my bed as the tears that I didn’t know I had been holding back started to fall. I threw the Bible against the wall and a piece of paper fell out of it. I went to see what it was. I unfolded it and read: Hey Lexi, I just want you to read some Bible verses. Please, please read them. John 3:16; Romans 10:13; Revelation 20:15. Read with an open mind. Love, Jace.

  I decided to read the verses. I found that Jace had highlighted them in bright blue for me. The Revelation one was quite scary. I placed the Bible on my table as my phone rang.

  “Hey, Mon,” I said miserably.

  “All that money wasted on the room? Darn that Jace!” she said. “We should have just stayed there ourselves.”

  “I didn’t think of that.” I read Jace’s note again. I noticed that he’d spelled it ‘love’ not ‘luv.’

  “Maybe we should implement Plan B: Pretend to be a Christian.”

  “No way.” I’d had enough. I was letting it go. There were only a couple months left of high school. I’d start college in the fall and forget about Jace. “Can we please never talk about Jace again?”