I looked up, expecting to see a hundred faces staring and shaking their heads like the clowns from the creepy carnival rides, but instead, it was all smiling faces.
They were smiling?
Okay, was this some fashion jargon for "You're so creepily dead?"
"And… cut!" Director Lee yelled, startling me. The crew erupted, clapping and going ballistic.
And I had one question.
Why?
"Amazing, Daisy. And good job, Justin. Perfect," Director Lee said, a wide, proud grin lighting up his face. "You're a natural, Daisy."
"A what?" I asked as a prop crew member helped me up.
"A natural, darling," Harry said, prancing up to me in his signature stilettos—those infamous shoes that left me questioning so much.
LIKE WHY HE SHOULD BE WEARING THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE!
Everyone was smiling, beaming at me with this weirdly patronizing vibe. I couldn't shake the feeling that they were about to kick me off the set—in the nicest way possible, of course.
Probably for trying to choke their favorite model with croissants.
I just got here, and I'm already fired?
What a relief!
"That'll be all for today, Daisy. We've got the perfect cover, sweetheart. Wonderful job."
Oh, crud.
Why couldn't I suddenly do anything wrong?
I smiled faintly, walking off on my own and leaning against the banister by the wall, trying to feel depressed. It just wasn't coming. At least, not yet.
I let out a deep sigh. God, I was exhausted.
"Are you okay?" Justin's voice jolted me. I forced my eyes open, straightened up, and pasted on a smile.
"Yeah, sure. Just a little tired. From hearing Harry call me wrong food combination names."
He laughed. "Yeah, he does that a lot."
"Hey, Justin?" I leaned closer. "Do you know what Harry sees in me? Why he wants me to be a model, exactly? Because I'm no fashion material."
"Yeah, you're not."
Okay. That sounded fine in my head, but from him?
Come on, dude, couldn't you at least act nice? Say something cheesy like, 'Don't worry, Daisy. I believe in you. You were born for this!'
"You're different," he said. "Harry knows that, and that's why he picked you. He's really good at this, you know."
"So… you think I should accept his offer?"
"Of course, you should. Every other girl would eat her heart out for this opportunity. You should hold on to it, Daisy."
"But I'm not…" I lowered my voice, staring at my shoes. "I'm not any other girl. I'm Daisy Thompson—boring, with two left feet and the WORST eye for fashion. I'm the type you'd find on a disaster crew list, not on the cover of a fashion magazine."
"Okay, as absurd as that is, you're not on any disaster crew list, alright? You're overthinking this. Just give it a few days. Sleep on it. This could be what you need to, you know, explore. Cross boundaries. Do that cheesy 'discover yourself' thing everyone talks about."
I laughed, leaning back. "Sure," I said.
His eyes sparkled.
"Sure."
Should I tell him? That the real reason I can't do this is because saying yes to this would mean saying no to Tori's dream? Could I do that to my best friend?
Justin stared at me, and I stared at him. We looked away. Then back at each other. Then away again. It went on and on until I couldn't take it anymore.
I coughed and blurted, "I have to g… go."
He nodded. "Yeah. Sure you… do."
"Yeah. Thanks for today. At least I didn't freak out during all the shoots."
He laughed, rocking back on his heels. "Happy to help, Dais. Always."
Dais?
Weird. He already had a nickname for me? What did that mean? Did he… did he actually…
Oh God, no! That couldn't happen. It wasn't possible.
"It was just an ad, you know. Not the end of the world," he added.
I scoffed softly. "Yeah. One that the entire American population might see and…"
Oh my God.
OH MY GOD.
Why didn't I think of this before? The whole population of America includes Tori, right?
Of course, it includes Tori. And once she sees it, she'll know what a lying, backstabbing, evil witch I've been!
What am I even doing here? This can't be happening. No, no, no!
"Daisy? Daisy, are you…"
"I really have to go," I interrupted, backing away. He stared, confused. "I… I really have to go…"
Oh, crud!
I bumped into a potted plant. Then the banister. Then the rope barrier separating crew members from onlookers.
I was in full self-destruct mode. Too bad they didn't have a bag of grenades lying around. Nothing would've pleased me more than to 'accidentally' run into one and get blown out of existence.
I pushed the revolving glass doors open, and the cold air hit me smack in the face.
I'm SUCH a bad friend.
Here's a little chapter sneak peek! Enjoy!!
AN UNEXPECTED MEETING
"So, what do you plan on doing all summer? Scrubbing at the Camerons' all day?" Tori asked, wrinkling her nose. "We should be doing something fun, you boring little girl!"
I looked up from my trig textbook—yeah, a trig textbook. In the middle of summer break. Could I get any less cool?
If that's even a word.
What's the day gonna be about? Think long and hard