JULIETTE, EIGHT YEARS LATER
“Can you believe how many hot guys are here?” Briar, a fellow DayGlow model, yelled from across the booth. The sports bar in the Bellagio was entirely too loud.
Stuck next to Briar, Riley jammed a finger in her ear like she’d just suffered hearing damage. “Yes, we can believe it. We’re at a mod-e-ling con-ven-tion. These men are mod-els.” Riley often broke words into syllables, as if she were explaining basic concepts to a toddler.
“I’m just saying.” Briar bounced in her seat, way too energetic for someone who’d been running around in stilettos for the last twelve hours. “It’s wall-to-wall thirst traps.”
I glanced at my best friend Fallon sitting next to me. She carried a heaviness that was unlike her. “Are you okay?” I shouted over the noise.
She smiled, but it looked forced. “Yeah. Fine. Just tired.”
“Amen to that.” I kicked off my heels and rubbed my temples, trying to head off the stress headache forming behind my eyes. “Why’d I let you all talk me into coming to a sports bar? It’s so loud.”
As if to prove my point, a group of men at the bar erupted in cheers. And clinked their beer glasses together. Ugh.
“You’re an extrovert,” Fallon said with a tinge of frustration. “You love being around people.”
“Correction.” I closed my eyes. “I’m an introverted extrovert.”
“Whatever. Same thing.”
It wasn’t. At all.
“You’re with your favorite people at The Standard,” she said. “You’ve been looking forward to this all year.”
“No. You’ve been looking forward to it all year. Not once have you heard me say that.”
Like every year, I’d been cornered by prospective models who either lobbed backhanded compliments at me or asked invasive, inappropriate questions. “So are you naturally pretty, or did they, like, train you?” “How much of you is real?” “What happens when you age out? Will they just toss you aside?” “Do you ever get bored just being beautiful?”
Fallon grunted, like she thought I was being ungrateful. “Why?”
Obviously, she wasn’t going to let this go.
I cracked one eye open. “Fal, there are currently at least three paparazzi watching our every move?—”
“Yourevery move,” she interrupted. “No one gives a crap about my moves. And there are no pap here,” she said like I was stupid.
I stared at her, my mouth parting slightly. What was up with her?
“The pap aren’t allowed in here tonight,” Briar said, as if rules mattered to those lens-leeches.
“Whether they’re allowed or not, they’re here, Bri,” I said dryly.
She gave me a look of disbelief.
“Seriously, Julesy.” Riley’s head periscoped as she twisted to see for herself. “I think Fallon’s right.”
I sighed, sat up, and looked directly to my right. Then I gave a finger wave to a balding man with a terrible comb-over, wearing an outdated University of Knoxville jersey that was two sizes too small. He’d probably snagged it at a thrift store on the way here. Nice try, pal. The Mountaineers weren’t playing today. As a matter of fact, it was their bye week. I’d heard a couple of guys complaining as we came in.
Unable to hide his chagrin, he tossed some money on the table and scurried out.
“How’d you know he was pap?” Briar asked in wide-eyed wonder.
“Lots and lots of practice,” I said dryly.
“This, right here—” Riley pointed at me, “—is why she’s the Sunburst and we’re not.”Sunburst was what DayGlow called the face of the brand.
Fallon huffed. “She’s the Sunburst becauseof her face. Where are the others?” She growled, kicking into protective mode. There was my Fal.
