Catwalk (14 page)

“How are you holding up?” Blake asks me
over the phone on Saturday afternoon. Paige and I have finally made it to the FIT museum, which has turned out to be rather interesting. We’re both particularly intrigued with the sixties and seventies section. I’m not even sure why.

“I’m doing okay now,” I tell him as I take a sip of coffee. Paige and I are taking a little break and checking our phones.

“So were the fashion shows pretty great?”

“I guess so. But you know me, a little bit of fashion goes a long way.” Then I tell him about our interview with Rhiannon.

“And she’s only twenty?”

“Yes. But she seems a lot older. I think it’s because she’s kind of been taking care of herself—she must’ve grown up fast. But she’s friends with Taylor Mitchell and she’s going to join our little slumber party tonight.”

“It’s tonight?”

“Yeah—we decided to change it so that both Rhiannon and DJ could be there. I guess it’s kind of a Carter House
reunion, except two of the girls aren’t coming. One goes to Harvard and the other one lives in California.”

“So you and Paige are their replacements?” He chuckles. “And you
will
get all this on film, right? I know I’d like to see it.”

“That’s pretty much the idea, and it should be interesting. But we told the camera guys they can only stay until midnight. And then we’ll regroup with just Taylor and Eliza on Tuesday for a slice of the model life in New York City.”

“And then back home on Wednesday?”

“That’s the plan.”

“So…you’ll be home for Valentine’s Day.”

I consider this. “Yeah, that’s about a week away, right?”

“Uh-huh.”

So now I’m wondering, what’s going on? Why did he bring this up?

“I thought maybe you’d want to do something…something with me.”

“You mean like a date?”

“I know…you don’t want to get serious.”

I don’t say anything. I’m not really sure what to say. And I’m not really sure how I feel either. The truth is I think it might be fun to go out with Blake again—on a real date. But at the same time, I’m not sure.

“Let me guess,” he says, “you’re trying to think of a way to let me down gently. Right?”

“No…not at all.”

“Really?”

“I was just thinking. That’s all.”

“Thinking?”

“I don’t know. I mean, going on a date doesn’t
have
to mean we’re serious, does it? Can’t a date just be a date?”

“Yeah, sure. Why not?”

“If we understand this up front…I don’t see why we couldn’t go out.”

“On Valentine’s Day?” He sounds skeptical.

“Well, as long as you don’t try to turn it into some big romantic thing.”

“So, what do you think? Wanna go bowling?”

I laugh. “Well, it doesn’t have to be
that
unromantic.”

“Maybe I think bowling is romantic.”

“Fine,” I say. “Let’s go bowling.”

“How about we just keep that on the options list.”

“Sounds good.”

“Well, you girls have fun at your slumber party. I wouldn’t mind being a fly on that wall—all these gorgeous girls sitting around in their pajamas talking about…hey, what
will
you talk about?”

“Since Paige will probably take charge, and since almost everyone there is into fashion big-time, I’ll let you guess.”

“Poor Erin.”

“Nah, I’ll be okay.” Then I tell him about how Taylor and DJ are Christians. “And I have a feeling Rhiannon might be too. I don’t know about Eliza though. She’s a little hard to read, but I get the impression this girl is from money. Especially since her parents are footing the bill on the apartment, which sounds pretty swanky.”

“Sounds interesting to me.”

We wind down the conversation and, after I hang up, I think maybe it does sound interesting. But by the time I drop my phone in my bag, Paige is getting worried. She insists we need to head back to the hotel and get ourselves
ready
for the big slumber party.

“It’s just a slumber party,” I say as we ride back in the town car. “What’s there to get ready for?”

Paige presses her lips together like she’s thinking. “I guess I mean mentally ready.”

“Mentally ready for a slumber party?”

“Well, you know the cameras will be running.”

“Right.”

“And I’ll be expected to keep the conversation interesting. And, well, I remember from when I was younger how it can get at a slumber party.”

“What do you mean?” I’m trying to remember, but mostly what I can recall is just a lot of talking, eating junk food, watching weird movies, laughing, and staying up too late. I don’t see the big deal.

“You know how girls can be at a slumber party.”

“You mean like in middle school?”

She shrugs, but I have a feeling there’s something she’s not telling me.

“What?” I persist. “Did something happen to you at a slumber party?”

She shrugs again.

“What happened, Paige?”

“Well, it was a long time ago.”

“Tell me.”

She frowns. “It’s not important.” But I urge her and finally she pours it out. “I’m not sure if it was premeditated or if it just happened, but it was McKenzie’s fourteenth birthday and for some reason she decided to target me. She kept kind of jabbing at me, making fun of my outfit, making fun of how I was into fashion, making fun of everything…and since it was her birthday and her party…well, the other
girls…even my best friend Kelsey joined in. I finally just left.”

“Was that the time you had Mom pick you up in the middle of the night?”

“Yeah.” She nods sadly. “I couldn’t take it. They just got meaner and meaner. It was really brutal.”

“I thought it was because you were having cramps.”

“That’s what I told Mom. No way was I going to admit to her that I’d been the girl that everyone had turned on. It was so pathetic. But I guess it still hurts.”

“I can understand.”

So, a couple hours later, when we’re going up in the elevator to Taylor and Eliza’s fifteenth-floor apartment, I try to be as upbeat and positive as I can. And I assure Paige that middle-school mean girls are a thing of the past. Of course, even as I say this, I’m recalling another mean-girl incident—and it had nothing to do with middle school, but instead the cast members of
Malibu Beach.

As expected our camera crew is already there and JJ is set up to film us as we emerge from the elevator with our overnight bags. Then we are mic’ed and Paige makes a smooth transition into what we’re doing tonight and who we expect to see.

“Just girls visiting with girls,” she says lightly. “Letting our hair down after a long eight days of Fashion Week.” Then she rings the doorbell and within seconds, Taylor warmly welcomes us into their beautiful apartment, where the rest of the crew is already set up and rolling. Taylor explains that DJ is picking up Rhiannon and that they should be here in about an hour. “And I know it sounds juvenile, but I ordered pizza. I hope that’s okay.”

“A model who eats pizza?” I ask.

Taylor laughs. “Yes. Eliza wasn’t too happy with that decision. She’s been on a pretty strict diet lately.”

“Where is Eliza?” Paige asks.

Taylor nods toward a partially closed door. “Primping, of course.”

“I am
not
primping,” Eliza calls back.

Taylor gets us sodas, and is giving us a quick tour of the plush apartment when Eliza finally makes her entrance. I have to agree with Taylor, I think she was primping. Her makeup is perfect. Her hair is perfect. Although she has on warm-ups, they too are perfect—pale blue and about the same color as her eyes. In fact, I think Paige might have the exact same ones.

“I was just getting comfortable,” Eliza says as she grabs herself a diet soda then gracefully arranges herself on the sectional—as if she’s striking a pose for a leisure wear ad. Or maybe it’s a jewelry ad, because she’s wearing diamonds. I can tell she’s aware of the cameras, and I suspect JJ and Alistair can tell too.

“This is a beautiful apartment,” Paige tells Eliza as she sits in a chair adjacent from her, crossing one long blue-jeaned leg over the other and showing off her new pair of Prada boots.

“Thank you.” Eliza makes a blasé look. “But it’s my mother’s decorator who should take the credit. Lamar is a magician when it comes to making small spaces seem larger.”

“This seems like a fairly big apartment.” Paige observes. “For Manhattan anyway. And I’m guessing most models don’t have digs quite this posh.”

“The successful ones do,” Eliza says in a slightly arrogant tone.

“So, is that how you’d describe your career?”

Eliza’s smile stiffens. “Oh, I don’t know.”

“How about you, Taylor?” Paige turns her attention to Taylor as she sits down next to her roommate. “How would you describe your career so far?”

“Interesting…challenging…fun.” Taylor picks up a copy of
Vogue
and starts to flip through it.

“What’s your favorite part about modeling?” Paige asks her.

Taylor considers this. “Maybe the go-sees.”

“Go sees?” I echo.

She nods. “That’s when your agency gives you a call, saying that someone—you know, a designer or a photographer working on a print ad—wants you to stop by so they can check you out and go over your portfolio. It’s called a
go-see.
”

“As in go see if they like you,” Eliza adds.

“And then it’s a callback if they do,” Taylor tells me.

“How about you, Eliza?” Paige asks. “Are go-sees your favorite part too?”

“No way.” Eliza shakes her head firmly.

“Why not?”

“Too stressful.”

Paige turns back to Taylor. “So why do you like go-sees?”

Taylor’s dark eyes seem to spark at this question. And I think it’s no wonder she’s such a sought-after model. “It’s like a challenge, you know? Kind of like taking a test so you can prove that you’re good at something. I think it’s fun to walk in cold and suddenly you have to win these people over. Kind of like a game. If DJ were here—she’s into sports—I think she’d get it. It’s like a contest and you want to win. Does that make sense?”

Paige nods with enthusiasm. “Absolutely. In fact, that’s exactly how I feel when I walk into an interview situation. I
have no idea how it’s going to go down, but I can’t wait to get started. It is kind of like a game too.”

“I get that,” I tell them. “It’s kind of like that for me when I’m trying to get a good shot on my camera. It’s exciting.”

“Like it stirs up your passion,” Taylor continues. “It energizes you and you want to do your best.”

“How about you, Eliza?” Paige tries again to include her. “What is it about modeling that feels like that to you?”

Eliza frowns as if she’s trying to think of something, and then she just slowly shakes her head. “I’m not really sure.”

“But you do like modeling?” Paige tries.

“I love it.”

“So what about it do you love?”

“I guess it’s the actual doing. You know, striding down the runway. Or if it’s for print, posing for the camera. I love to be the center of attention.”

Taylor laughs. “That’s the truth.”

“Well, so do you,” Eliza shoots back.

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. But it’s more than just that.”

“Which do you like better?” Paige continues. “Runway or print?”

“Both,” Taylor admits.

Eliza nods. “Yes. I like both too.”

Paige continues to quiz these two girls about the modeling life and Eliza seems to relax a little, as if she’s forgetting the camera crew is there.

And then DJ and Rhiannon arrive with the pizzas and the place gets much livelier—and crowded. Paige continues to keep the conversation fashion-oriented, and the banter and chat is animated and fun. But after an hour or so, Paige suggests that the camera crew might want to call it a night.

“We’ll see you again on Monday,” JJ tells Taylor as they’re leaving. And I can tell by the way he smiles at her that he’s looking forward to coming back.

And then it’s just the six of us and Paige sets aside her interviewer mode and just acts like one of the girls. But something weird is happening. It’s like Eliza has decided she doesn’t like Paige.

“So how did you manage to land this TV job anyway?” Eliza asks Paige. She’s been quizzing her about
On the Runway
, but in a way that sounds like a putdown. “Did you just sleep with the right guy?” She laughs like this is funny.

“Well, Helen Hudson spotted Paige when she was doing a news spot for Channel Five News,” I explain. “Helen said that Paige has what it takes to do a show like
On the Runway.
Helen called and set up the interview, and that was that.”

“So what if your show doesn’t really take off?” Eliza asks. “Do you have some kind of backup plan? Any other aspirations?”

“Nothing specifically,” Paige tells her. “But I’m hoping whatever I do will be fashion-related. And who knows…maybe one thing will lead to another.”

“Have you ever considered modeling?” Rhiannon asks Paige. “I mean, you seem like a natural.”

“Thanks.” Paige smiles at her. “But I don’t think I’d really want to model. To me it’s more fun
talking
about fashion. Besides, unless you’re a Kate Moss, Heidi Klum, or Tyra Banks, a model’s career doesn’t usually last too long.” Paige turns to Eliza. “How about you? Do you have any aspirations beyond modeling? Or a backup plan if it doesn’t work out for you?”

“Besides your family’s fortune,” DJ says teasingly.

Eliza scowls. “I promised my parents I’d go to college
after I’m done modeling. Not that I’m planning to do that anytime soon.”

“How about you?” Eliza asks Taylor.

“It might be fun to get into acting.” Taylor kicks off her shoes and tucks her legs beneath her. “Once the modeling thing dries up.”

“Not that Taylor’s modeling career will dry up any time soon,” DJ adds. “Did she tell you the good news?”

“What good news?” Paige asks with interest.

DJ nods to Taylor. “You didn’t tell them?”

Taylor just shrugs.

“Couture
has chosen Taylor to be in their next editorial fashion spread,” DJ tells everyone. “Isn’t that great?”

“Seriously?” Eliza looks shocked. “When did this happen?”