Chapter One
Sage
“Ifeel like you guysare just using me.” I look around the room. “Am I being used right now?” I cross my arms playfully, and the girls let out a soft laugh.
“Please do mine,” Royal starts, and I try not to laugh at how desperate she sounds about having me in her photo shoot.
Our annual contest officially started a few days ago when we all decided on our location and themes, but Vincent freakingMooreposted that he was excited to see what we came up with, and now the stakes have been raised. This just went from a friendly competition to a fight for our lives. That’s not an exaggeration.
Vincent is the best designer and owns the biggest modeling agency in the world. He’s located in Italy—hot accent, by the way—but he's having a show in LA for his new designs and has asked to haveeveryMagic Model. A few of us passed out when we got the news, but he's also having a show in New York in a few months, and we all want in on it. Everything leading up to it is simply to impress him.
All of us work with Magic Model, and we’re The Core Eight— we’re who you think of when you think of Magic Model—and every year, we compete in this friendly photo shoot contest.
It started off when we had ahorriblephoto shoot, and after complaining to Florence, the CEO and founder of Magic, she told us not to be brats. One of us mentioned how we could’ve done better than the mess she had us in, and to be very fair, that was rude to say because Florence has never made us look bad. She just got scammed and booked with a bad photographeronce. She was too prideful to admit it and told us wecouldn’tdo better, so the competition started, and it’s been how we start off the new year ever since.
We’re not allowed to use anyone with a professional background in photography. All of our models have to either be baby models who are new to modeling or not models at all.Butwe get cool equipment to make up for it. Everything else has to be on us.
“You won last year. You don’t need her!” Quinn brushes Royal off before handing me a chocolate cupcake. “Be inmyphoto shoot.”
I tilt my head back with a laugh, and she nudges the sweet bribe closer to me. We’re allowed to be in each other's photo shoots, and ever since Vincent made his post, they’ve beenharassingme.
“I don’t think either of you need me. You all are great–”
“Oh, shut up, Sage!” Coral throws herself onto the couch, lying lazily over Stel and Macey. “You can post a picture of your pinky and get a billion likes. You know the entire damn world loves you.”
Royal agrees before snatchingmycupcake away from Quinn. “Stop making us kiss your ass and just show your pretty face in our projects so we can get the views.” She clearly is losing her patience, and I bite back a laugh.
I turn to the couch where my best friend sits on her phone.
“What do you think?” I ask Helena, and as if she can feel my eyes on her, she looks up at me.
“I think you’re going to be inmyphoto shoot, of course, since you’re my best friend.”
They all start yelling about how that’s not fair, and I can’t stop laughing.
Nin quietly walks over to me, and I smile at how cute she is. “Can I talk to you?”
I fully turn to her, and she crouches down next to my seat to show me her phone. She shows me a few of her ideas for her photo shoot, and I love that she cares about my opinion. Every year, she consults me in great detail about what she should do, and it makes me feel like she’s my little sister for some reason.
“I think the lake setting is better since there won’t be as many waves as the beach, and you can get this vibe.” I swipe through her reference pictures. “You can also make waves if you want this other vibe and control how they look.”
She nods to herself before opening her notes app and writing something.
“Hey!”
I glance over at Stel, and she sits up in her seat.
“Are youhelpingher?” Stel quickly stands, and I bite my cheek before putting my hands up in mock surrender.
“Fucking traitor.” Macey shakes her head at me, and I can’t hold back my laugh anymore.
“We’re allowed to help each other!”
They go on about how I always help Nin specifically, and when I turn to her, her cheeks are slightly flushed. I silently nod for her to not worry about it and she sits next to me quietly.
“Okay,” I turn back to the girls, and it’s clear I have their undivided attention. “I’ll work with whoever is most convenient.I love you all, and you know I’ll bend backward for you, but I need to give my photo shoot most of my attention.”
I agree to help Helena since her’s is in our hometown in LA. Royal voices how her’s is in Chicago, and since it’s technically close to New York, where my photo shoot is, I agree.
