The Sea Taketh (Alex Singer) (14 page)

              “Dan, how are you feeling?” I ask, happy to see him up and about. I try to ignore the stares while I take a seat.

             
“My head’s a little sore, but I’m feeling much better. Thanks for the cookies and card you brought by,” he says.

             
“You’re welcome.  I’m happy that you’re feeling better,” I say, opening my book. “Did you two get all your homework done?”

             
They nod silently.

             
“I had a little trouble on number seventeen. What did you guys get?”

             
“I got 37y,” Kyle finally finds his tongue. He clears his throat. “Alex, can I have your autograph?” he asks. He pulls a magazine out of his backpack and hands it to me.

             
It is the latest issue of
Vogue
. I nearly scream when I see myself on the cover. I am lying in the sand in my dark green bikini.

“Where did you get this?” I barely whisper.

              “I saw it at the gas station. At first I didn’t think it was you, but there’s like twenty pictures of you inside. Everyone’s trying to get one. They’re selling out all over the village.”

             
My hands tremble as I put the magazine on my desk.

“There’s got to be some kind of mistake.” Gramps face flashes in my mind. “I’ve got to go,” I mumble as I get up.

              “Miss Singer, class is ready to begin,” Mrs. Smith says as I nearly run in her. I wordlessly leave the room.

             
The village is a blur as I run home as fast as I can. I never guessed that Colin would actually use the photos of an awkward seventeen-year-old. I thought I had ruined the shoot, but I
was
the shoot.              He wasn’t disappointed with me. He was disappointed with everyone else.  I reprimand myself for being so stupid!

             
I am panting heavily when I reach my house. Opening the door, I hope I can be the one to break the news to Gramps.

             
“Oh, Alex!” Peggy exclaims from the living room. She throws her arms around me. “Congratulations! I’ve said for a long time that there isn’t anyone as beautiful as our Alex Singer! Now everyone knows it!”

             
“Thank you for the magazine, Peggy,” Gramps says from his seat. His lips are down turned.

             
“I bought ten of them!” She giggles. “I better go open the shop! I’m going to be calling my friends all day!”

             
She shuts the door behind her.

             
“Alexandra, what were you thinking?” Gramps asks quietly. “I trusted you when you told me you had gotten the money from a tourist, and then I find you’re on the cover of
Vogue
?”

             
“I just wanted to help,” I say. “You can’t work without your truck and it was just a few photos. I thought that maybe they were for the
JC Penny Catalog
, not
Vogue
.”

             
“You’re under eighteen. How can they use them?” His voice remains hushed.

             
“I forged your signature.” I put my head down.

             
“Go to your room while I sort this out and decide your punishment.”

             
I spend the next couple hours watching the ocean from my window. I know that I’m in serious trouble. I lied and forged Gramps’ signature. While I’m waiting, I decide that whatever punishment he gives me will be worth keeping the truck and having the strong, double-pane windows. I will take my punishment, without complaint, because I deserve it, and because I’m grateful I was able to help him in a small way.

             
“Alexandra, please come to the kitchen,” Gramps calls.

             
The walk feels especially long considering I’ve never lied to Gramps before.

             
“Someone has been very naughty,” Colin says in a bright pink leisure suit from the kitchen table. He isn’t alone.

             
“Alex, you could have gotten us all in a lot of trouble,” Becky says in a dress suit next to him. The two look completely out of place in our kitchen.

             
“I’m really sorry,” I say as I sit down. “I kind of thought it was a joke that someone would want to photograph me, but we needed the money, so I did it. I didn’t understand.”

             
“We’re partially to blame,” Becky pats my hand across the table. “We’re used to dealing with adults with pushy agents, not teenagers.  We should have personally talked with your grandfather.”

             
“We’re all a little to blame,” Gramps adds. “Now the question is; where do we go from here? I have looked at the photos and found them tasteful. I am grateful that Alex worked with reputable professionals, but I don’t know what this means.” He holds up the
Vogue
issue.

             
“That’s a hard question to answer,” Becky says. “The cover means different things to different people, but to Alex it means that everyone will recognize her wherever she goes.”

             
“Yes, we’ve been receiving calls from all over the world wanting to work with our darling, Alex. “ Colin smiles at me. “You’ve been named one of the most beautiful people in the world.”

             
“Do all photo shoots pay two thousand dollars?” I ask.

             
“Alex, I paid you two thousand just to show up. Your fee was higher than that. It was placed in your bank account this morning.”

             
“Not thinking about the money, is modeling something you would want to do again?” Becky asks.

             
“I do think about the money,” I say.

             
“Did you like the modeling aspect?” Becky presses for an answer.

             
I think for a moment. “I didn’t like the other models, but I liked working with Colin. He didn’t make it feel like work. It felt like I was getting paid a lot of money to hang out at the beach.”

             
Becky smiles at me. “As you’re only seventeen, I have a suggestion.”

*     *     *

After lunch, Gramps drives me back to school.  I dash to English because I’m about ten minutes late. I cringe as I open the door. The class goes silent.

             
“Ah, Miss Singer,” Mr. White says. “Please take your seat. We were just discussing
A Tale of Two Cities
.”

             
I hand him my excuse note from the office, and sit in my normal seat between Kyle and Dan. I peek at Christian as Mr. White talks about the reading assignment. As usual, he is staring at me. When we make eye contact, he holds it until I turn away.

             
Jen catches up with me between classes as I finish signing Kyle’s magazine. “I knew it!” she says. “It’s all everyone’s talking about!”

             
“I wish they’d quit talking about it. It’s not that big of deal.”

             
“Alex, you’re on the cover of
Vogue
! It’s a huge deal!” She suddenly thinks of something. “How did Gramps take it?”

             
“I’m grounded for a month, without TV or phone privileges.”

             
“Brutal,” Jen shakes her head.

             
“Yeah, and you’re in trouble for helping with the cover up. Your mom isn’t going to be happy to see you after school.”

             
“Thanks for the heads up.” She runs her fingers through her short hair. “I’ve got to get to class. I figure I better toe the line.”

             
As I walk to Chemistry, I try to ignore all the points and whispers directed at me.

“You think you’re really special, don’t you?” Vanessa says to me from her locker. “You’re still just white trash with a pretty face!”

“I don’t see anyone knocking down your door,” Jackson joins us. “Even after all those modeling classes Mom and Dad paid for.”

“Brother, you have terrible tastes in girls,” she glares at me before stomping away.

“Alex…wow!” he says to me. “Everyone knew you were pretty, but you’ve left me speechless.”

“Thanks, but I can’t be late for class,” I duck into the Chemistry Lab.

There is an assignment on the board. The class has already begun pulling out their equipment. Kyle and Dan are working together and Christian is waiting for me at the table next to Henrik and Sven. He already has our equipment and chemicals arranged. There is a beaker boiling on the Bunsen burner.

“You’re late,” he says to me.

“What are you, the tardiness police? I got caught by Jackson,” I put down my book and put on my safety glasses.

“I assume he wanted to congratulate you?” His voice is unusually icy.

“Yes,” I reply just as frosty.

“Is that what you want from me?” he asks.

I’m not sure what I want him to say. I’m still confused to whether I should feel embarrassed or flattered to be a cover girl. 

“I feel badly about not telling you. I’m sorry,” I say truthfully. I do feel badly about not telling him sooner since he was the one to pick me up in Portland.

“So am I,” he says. “I wish you would have told me about the windows earlier, and I could have given you the money to replace them.”

“I don’t want your money,” I say, insulted. “I’m not an object to be bought!”

“I wasn’t implying…”

“Boys are all the same! They think they can solve all your problems, and when they do, they think they own you! I had a problem, and I solved it the only way I knew how!”

“Alexandra, I wasn’t criticizing you,” he says calmly. “I simply worry about Jackson’s reaction.  He will undoubtedly increase his attentions on you, and I worry about what this will mean for your future”

“Christian, you hardly know me. You shouldn’t be worrying about my future.”

“What are you talking about?” He smiles. “We’ve been on four dates.”

“You can’t possibly count them as dates. We were just hanging out.”

“Then go on an official date with me.” He adds more chemicals to our beaker.

“Sorry,
even
if
I wanted to, I’m not going anywhere for a month. Gramps grounded me for the photo shoot.”

“And well he should! Traveling to Portland to have an unknown photographer take pi
ctures of you was extremely dangerous. I shudder to think of you there by yourself.”

“Yeah, it wasn’t one of my brighter moments,” I agree. “I deserve to be grounded.”

*     *     *

That day I have to escape out a side door with the help of Jen and the Pedersens to avoid the mass of journalists waiting at the front doors. We ride with the top up to avoid any attention in the village.

“This is crazy,” Jen says when she sees the journalists in front of my house. “Why don’t you come to my house?”

“I’m grounded,” I open the door. Christian hands me a pair of sunglasses, and I start for the house.

“Alex!” the reporters call. Flashes frenzy. Countless microphones are thrust in my face as I’m bombarded with questions. I ignore them all.

“Get off my property before I charge you all with trespassing!” Gramps yells from the doorway.

“What is Alex’s next project?” someone asks.

“Alex will only work with Colin Wright!  Go ask him!” Gramps shields me from the ca
meras as he closes and locks the door behind us.

*     *     *

With the announcement that I would only work with Colin, the media shift their interest to him. This was the plan all along. Unfortunately, I start getting plenty of attention from other places. It seems all the boys in the school have asked me to the homecoming dance. I am grateful that I’m grounded and can’t attend.

“Are you ready for the meet?” Jen asks me while we eat breakfast at a restaurant Friday morning. This is the big meet in Portland which the college scouts will be attending. It’s the meet I’ve waited three years to prepare Jen to compete in.

“Yeah, what time’s the bus leaving?” I ask.

“You’re not riding on the bus,” says Christian as he picks at a shrimp omelet. “Thomas asked us to drive you and Jen to Portland.  He’s going fishing and doesn’t want you riding the bus.”

“But I’m grounded?”

“Are you complaining that you get to spend the day with your friends?” Jen teases.

I shake my head, but find it strange that Gramps would release my grounding. He’s usually very strict about these kinds of things.

“So what time are we leaving?” I ask.

“Right after breakfast,” Sven answers, stuffing his face. “If we hurry, we can stop along the way for dessert.”