The Sea Taketh (Alex Singer) (8 page)

             
“Do you have a problem?” I glare at him. His blue eyes are breathtaking, but he’s so annoyingly overconfident. 

             
He smiles but doesn’t answer.

             
I frown at him before saying, “Make yourself useful. You can take some fruit to your cousins, so I can go home and get back to my homework.”

             
“No,” he jumps up on the counter and laughs. “I like occupying your time.”

             
“You should go introduce yourself to Jackson,” I snap. “You have a lot in common.”

             
“No, you said he was an arrogant, self-centered jerk when you talked about him. You didn’t have any complaints about me.” He smiles again.

             
“I was trying to be polite! Is everyone in Denmark this annoying?”

I angrily pick up two plates of fruit and go into the dining room. I put them in front of Gramps and Marjory and return to the kitchen. Christian is picking the raspberries out of the bowl.

“I do like the flavor of raspberries,” he muses as he stains his white gloves.

“So does everyone else.  Don’t be greedy!” I take the bowl away from him and hand him his plate. He chuckles with delight.

“I think it would be a good idea for you to carpool with us to school,” he says like it’s a law or something. “Jenifer drives out of her way each day to pick you up, and we live just across the street.”

“I’m not riding to school with you.” I pick up two more plates of berries and take them into the dining room to Sven and Henrik. They both scowl at me with their arms crossed. I i
gnore them as I go back into the kitchen.

“And why won’t you ride to school with me?” Christian asks with amusement.

“Because I don’t want to lead you on, and your cousins would rather hit me with the car than let me ride in it.” I pick up my berries.

“It doesn’t matter what they think, it’s my car.” He jumps off the counter and towers above me. He is undeniably a beautiful physical specimen, but his arrogance is insufferable. 

“That’s nice. It’s not going to happen.” I go into the parlor with my dessert.

“Thomas, I just thought of a wonderful idea,” Christian says as he follows me. “Instead of making Jenifer drive across town, Alexandra could carpool with us.”

              “We think it is a wonderful idea.” Marjory claps her hands.

             
“I have swim practice in the mornings,” I quickly say. “I have to be there an hour early.”

             
“Sven, Henrik, wasn’t I just saying this morning that we need to spend more time in the library?” Christian quickly says as he raises his eyebrows to his cousins.

             
They frown but nod.

             
“Then it’s settled.” Christian retakes his seat next to me.

             
“But I like riding with Jen,” I try to argue, sliding my chair away from him.

             
“It would save the Marshes a lot of money on gasoline,” Gramps says.

             
“If money is an issue, I’ll just walk to school,” I say. I don’t want Christian to feel any ownership of me.

             
“No, you won’t. You will ride with the Pedersens, and that’s the end of it,” Gramps puts his foot down.

             
Christian smiles victoriously.

I know I’ve lost the argument. I fill my mouth with berries, chomping away. I can’t wait for the evening to end.

              When the torture is finally over, I stomp my feet all the way home.

             
“I know you’re not happy,” Gramps says. “But maybe Jackson will leave you alone if you spend time with the Pedersens.”

             
“I don’t want Christian to get the wrong idea,” I reply.

             
“I would rather he get the wrong idea than Jackson. Christian and his cousins seem like nice guys, and Marjory thinks the world of them. We both know that she doesn’t give her good opinion lightly.”

             
“I don’t like it!”

             
“And I do. I’ll call Maggie and let her know that Jen doesn’t need to pick you up anymore.”

             
Gramps is true to his word. Next morning, I find him gone, having left me a note to remind me that the Pedersens are picking me up. I grab my backpack and head into the morning.

             
“There you are,” Christian meets me outside the door. Although the sun isn’t up, he’s wearing sunglasses. Even so, he looks like some kind of Norse god with his blond hair and thick shoulders.

             
“Let’s get this over with,” I answer, averting my eyes.

             
He just laughs with amusement as he opens the back door of the convertible. I get in and put on my seatbelt.  Sven and Henrik nod grimly behind more sunglasses. As soon as Christian gets in, Sven guns it.

             
“Is Jackson a good swimmer?” Christian asks as we ride.

             
“He might be if his head wasn’t so big,” I answer.

             
All three surprise me with a laugh.

             
“And do you like swimmers?” he questions.

             
“I told you that I don’t like anyone.” I cross my arms.

             
He changes the subject, “Have you always liked water?”

             
I turn and glower at him. “What is this, twenty-questions? We both know that the only reason I’m in this car is because Gramps insists that I ride with you. You have a whole school of girls who kiss the ground you walk on. Go find a group of them to date and leave me alone!”

             
I turn my head forward to keep from looking at him. Henrik and Sven brows are furrowed behind their sunglasses. It’s apparent that I’m on the Pedersens’ hit list.

             
I watch the village as we drive. More than one villager takes a double take to see me with the Pedersens. Just being in the car gives them plenty to gossip about. I sigh and wish for invisibility. It really is the best superpower.

             
Only a few cars are in the parking lot when we arrive at the school. Sven parks close to the main door. I grab my swim bag and head for the school. Christian catches pace with me.

             
“I don’t need an escort,” I tell him.

             
“I know, I just enjoy your unpleasant company,” he says with a smile as he opens the door for me.

             
Jackson is waiting for me outside the girls’ locker room. He scowls when he sees Christian with me. “If you need a ride, I will pick you up,” he says to me.

             
“The Pedersens live across the street. It just makes sense to ride with them,” I echo the argument Christian gave Gramps.

             
“You’re enjoying this too much!” he growls at the smiling Christian.             

“Just doing my part to save the earth.” Christian shrugs serenely.

Jackson stands on his tippy-toes and gets in his face. “If you so much as look at her the wrong way, I’ll make you sorry!”

“Knock it off!” I glare at them both. “I don’t belong to either one of you!  Unlike other girls, I do NOT need a boyfriend!” I disappear into the locker room.

              “Girl!” Jen is waiting at our lockers. “I’d be so mad at you for ditching me if you weren’t riding with the hot, Danish trio!”

             
“I’d rather ride with you. Gramps organized the carpool.” I pull off my sweats.

             
“Why do you have all the luck?” she teases.

             
“I was just thinking the same thing about you.”

*     *     *

The rest of the week is the same; I ride to and from school with the Pedersens, swim, and study. Fortunately, the school makes room for the Pedersens in art class, and I no longer have to deal with Christian in gym class. Unfortunately the Pedersens are still in all my afternoon classes. I’m so busy trying to avoid Jackson and Christian that I almost forget about the photo shoot on Saturday until Jen passes me a bus ticket to Portland on Friday afternoon. I am grateful to have such a great friend, but the whole thing scares the snot out of me. I’m up most of the night worrying about my decision, but in the end there really isn’t one. Gramps needs his truck.

At dawn, I shower and stare at myself in the mirror. I don’t see what everyone else does. I can’t begin to understand why someone would pay two thousand dollars to take pi
ctures of me. Yeah, maybe my face is pretty, but I’ve always considered myself too gangly with my long arms and legs. Now with two enormous breasts, I’m gangly and top-heavy. I sigh and put on my lacy bra from Peggy.
Think beautiful thoughts
, I tell myself as I forge Gramps’ signature on the permission form.

The bus ride is long, but I have plenty of reading to do. I hide underneath my hoodie and glasses, keeping to myself. I have to change buses a couple times but eventually find the right beach. I am directed to a large, white tent.

“Colin, why do you have to be so difficult to work with?” a woman’s voice says. “This shoot was supposed to happen three weeks ago!”

“I needed the perfect beach and face. The shoot couldn’t happen until I found them both.” I recognize Colin’s voice.

“You have the most beautiful women in the world at your disposal, and you bring in a seventeen-year-old nobody?” She laughs condescendingly. “I’m not surprised. This is just the latest of a long list of nobodies you’ve involved. You know they always get cut from the final product.”

“This one’s special,” Colin says.

“You always say that.”

             
“No, I always say that they’re different. This one’s special. Trust me. I always make you look good.”

             
“If you were anyone else, I’d say you were crazy.” She sighs.

Hypothesis #7 has been upgraded to Theory #4 – Modeling is mortifying.

Observations – I’m unwanted at the shoot, except by Colin, and he’s arguably chemically unbalanced.

             
“Can I help you?” a man in a blinding yellow shirt asks me.

             
“I’m Alex Singer. I’m here to see Colin Wright,” I mumble.

             
“Alex!” The tent flaps open and Colin puts an arm around my shoulders. He’s wearing a crazy orange shirt and plaid pants. “I’m so glad you could make it! This is Becky Joyce,” he introduces me to a woman in expensive clothing. “She will take care of you.”

             
Colin leaves to find his camera equipment, and Becky shows me into the tent. She frowns as she looks at my frumpy layers of clothes. “I don’t think we have anything in your size, but don’t worry, Colin can hide imperfections with a well placed beach ball,” she says, handing me a bright yellow swim suit. “You can dress behind the screen in the corner, and then we’ll see what hair and makeup can do with you.”

             
I walk through the tent of breathtaking women. Makeup artists are working furiously on their faces while stylists comb, tease, and spray their hair.

             
“Look what the cat drug in!” one of the models mocks as I walk by. “Colin’s brought us another one!” The tent fills with laughter.

Invisibility is becoming a reoccurring wish.  If I didn’t need the money so badly, I would run for the hills. Hiding underneath my hoodie, I quickly go behind the screen to change. The swimsuit fits, but I don’t like it. The sides are cut with large metal rings holding it together. I probably got the leftovers that nobody else wanted. In the end, I decide it doesn’t matter. I can wear an ugly swimsuit for a few hours if it means saving Gramps’ truck.

              “Come on, we don’t have all day.  Everyone else has already gone to the beach.” Becky taps her foot impatiently.

             
“Where can I put my things?” I ask as I walk from behind the screen, taking off my glasses.

             
Becky looks at me and her eyes narrow. It is obvious that she doesn’t see in me what Colin does.

             
“I’ll take care of them.” She takes my backpack and glasses. “Steve, do her hair. Connie, go lightly on the makeup.”

             
Very little energy goes into my hair and makeup. I’m such a lost cause that they don’t want to waste their time. After my hair is combed and sprayed with hairspray and a little mascara and lip-gloss put on are put on my face, Becky shows me to the beach.

             
“Alex, dearest!” exclaims Colin when he sees me. “I have the perfect place for you!” He puts me in the middle of the models and his camera starts clicking. “Girls, remember this is our farewell to summer!” he says. “Alex, look at me!”