7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Sage

" O h my God!" I grab the door before I fall and quickly make my way to my room more carefully. I answer the call just before it ends, and Helena's pretty face pops up on my screen.

"Why are you in a robe?"

I look down at myself and rush into my closet. "Please don't tell me you're downstairs," I beg, frantically looking for the outfit I laid out last night. I'm never late when I have photo shoots, but my phone died last night, and I forgot to put it on the charger. My other alarm woke me up, but it was set for thirty minutes after I needed to be up.

"I'm not downstairs," she says matter-of-factly.

I let out a breath of relief as I slipped my pants on.

"I'm at your door." My doorbell rings.

"Ugh! Okay, one second." I only have a bra and my pants on as I rush for the door. The minute it's open, I'm already turning back around.

"Who's doing our makeup? My team said they won't be there," Helena voices as she lets herself in.

"Angie said someone from the brand deal was doing our makeup." Angelica is my agent, who I love, and she's never wrong about anything related to our work so I'm sure our makeup is taken care of.

I have two photo shoots today, which means two different makeup looks, and I usually have my team come with me to do all of this for me, but the brand we're shooting with today said they want their team to do our makeup.

"It feels so good to be back on our regular schedule." I let out a relieved breath as we walk into my room.

"Ugh, I know," Lena agrees. "The contest was consuming every second of my day the last month."

I don't voice that I know the feeling since I'm sure she knows. "It was fun, though. I'm just excited to be home and officially kick off our modeling season."

"Speaking of, we need to be there in an hour, and it's an hour's drive. What else do you need to do?" Helena glances down at my bra and jeans.

"I'm almost ready," I voice as I slip my shirt on. Since our clothes will be at the studio, I'm wearing something simple today.

"Sneakers or heels?" I hold both shoes, and she chooses the heels. I slip them on, then give myself a once over in the mirror. I adjust my jeans and turn to the side. "I know I don't need a belt, but do you think I should add one? It's behind you."

She turns to grab the belt, and I watch in the mirror as she runs her hand along the diamonds admiringly.

"Is this a Sloan Rue belt?"

I nod and turn with a smile, and Helena's eyes are on the JS logo. Josephine Sloan is the biggest model to ever walk a stage. When she made her clothing line, Sloan Rue, it, of course, blew up. After her passing, she left the company to her daughter, but Vlaire doesn't make clothes anymore, so every Sloan Rue item is a limited edition.

"How did you get this?" Helena puts the belt around her waist and looks at herself in the mirror.

"I reposted this video of some girl talking about how she'd rob whoever had this belt," I shrug and laugh at the reminder of it. "Vlaire ended up sending it to me."

Helena's jaw drops, but she quickly recovers and shakes her head in disbelief as she hands me the belt. "I still can't believe you are friends with Josephine Sloan's daughter." She shakes her head again. "Either you wear it, or I'm robbing you right now."

I take it from her with a laugh and put it on, and I'm glad for it because it completes the look. We rush out the door and to Helena's car, but I turn to her before she drives off. "Let me grab a coffee real quick."

"Sage, we–"

"We won't be late. There's no traffic, I checked. Come on, I know you want one."

She lets out a sigh at the smile I send her way. I bat my eyelashes for her, and she shakes her head disappointedly. "You're lucky I love you."

I lean over to kiss her cheek when she pulls in front of my favorite coffee shop in the entire country. I already know Helena's order since she hasn't switched her order in years.

We met at a casting when we were nineteen, and even though I ended up getting the part, we stayed in touch, and nine years later, we're best friends.

When I walk into the coffee shop, the cashier, Rob, smiles over at me. "What will it be today, Sage?"

"I'll have a Surprise Me Drink, but make it something with coffee, please." I add Helena's drink as well, and he puts in the order. As I reach into my bag to grab my wallet, Rob waves a hand dismissively.

"It's on the house."

"Again? No, you guys can't keep letting me have free drinks. I can't remember the last time I paid in here, and I'm starting to feel bad."

"Of course, we can, and don't feel bad," Cee Cee, my favorite barista in here, chimes in as she walks over to the expresso machine. "Where are you going? You look so cute."

"She always looks cute," Rob mumbles, and when I look over at him, I notice his cheeks blush. I smile at both of them before telling them I have a photo shoot.

"What brand is it for today?"

I slide over to the pickup side as someone comes to order. "This first one is just something small and later today is with Cartier."

"Cartier?!" Cee Cee glances over her shoulder at me. "Bring me back a pair of earrings."

I let out a laugh because she says this every time I tell her which brand I'm shooting with. Jewelry line, clothing line, shoes. It's always the same joke with her, but it never gets old.

She finishes my drink and has me try it right then and there to see my reaction.

"Hmm." I take another sip and look back down at my cup. "What is this?"

She tells me something that isn't even on the menu. "Should we add it?"

"Definitely!" I glance at my watch when it dings, and it's Helena. "Okay, I need to go." I quickly add a hundred-dollar bill to the tip jar. They both send me a pointed look, and I send them both a quick air kiss. "Love ya."

I don't miss the way Rob's cheeks heat as I turn, and I give him a small smile. He's so cute but also so young.

As I walk out, I notice Helena leaning against her car. My eyes catch someone behind her, and as if he can sense me watching him, he glances up, and a smile touches my lips.

I watch as Liam's eyes roam along my frame, and when his eyes meet mine, my smile widens as I wave at him. He nods my way but barely even looks at me as he turns around.

"Do you know him?" Helena takes her drink, and I keep my eyes on Liam's back. I haven't seen him since last week when we… anyway, I've never seen him around here, so I'm a bit thrown off, but it bugs me more that he just acted like that. We only texted maybe once or twice in the last few days, but a part of me is shocked he totally acted like he didn't know me just now. When he said he wanted me to help him get me out of his head, I didn't think he meant literally…

"I guess not." I debate, walking over, but Helena climbs into the car, reminding me we are in a rush, so I follow suit.

The entire ride, the car fills with our excited voices about our upcoming show with Vincent Moore. Being that it's only a week away, we're all losing our minds from the excitement but also the amount of energy it's taking. Big shows like this always take so much preparation, but considering it's Mr. Moore himself, no one has voiced a single complaint.

We made it to the studio with time to spare since, as I said, there was no traffic. As soon as we walk through the door, we are ambushed by excited staff and swept along with directions and instructions.

Since Helena and I are signed with Magic Model, most of our photo shoots are set up through them. I get other brand deals, of course, but the company sets up maybe half of them.

"Okay!" The woman who introduced herself as The Boss starts yelling out orders. "Our girls are here. We need hair and makeup for Ms. Rogers." She leads us to the back, and we take our seats in front of two vanities. It is a whirlwind as hair, makeup, and clothing designers work to get us ready for the first look.

"Oh God , did you see Mel's post?"

I turn to Helena just as she looks up from her phone. She passes it to me, and I smile at the post Mel made. She models with us and was one of Quinn's baby models in the contest. Helena doesn't like her, but I can't remember why.

"She looks so pretty! Blonde suits her so well."

Helena lets out a scoff and turns the phone back to herself.

"What?"

"She totally went blonde because I'm blonde." She rolls her eyes, and I feel my brows furrow.

"You're naturally blonde, Lena." I look at her, confused. "It's not like you just changed your hair and she–"

"Yeah, well, the other day we were at the studio, and someone complimented my hair, and she interrupted and immediatelystarted going off about how she was dying her hair blonde."

I still don't see what this has to do with her…

"Mel has been talking about going blonde since I met her." I shrug. "She just couldn't because of her previous contract."

She just got signed with Magic Model and was finally released from the horrible company she was with. That girl has horror stories for days. The CEO of that agency needs to step on a few legos for the rest of his life. The things I hear about him and how controlling he is with his girls make me forever grateful that I decided to sign with Magic instead of them.

Helena doesn't say anything else.

"Stop being mean, Lena. She's so sweet, and you barely know her," I scold her with a smile.

While I love taking in baby models, Helena hates making new friends. She doesn't reply as staff make their way over to us, and we get started. They start Helena's hair as they do my makeup. I scroll through my emails and forward potential brands I'm interested in working with to Angie.

When I put my phone down and glance at the mirror, something seems off. I only have concealer under my eyes, but it looks too light. I look over at the rest of the makeup and grab the foundation, which is also not my shade.

"Is everything okay, Ms. Loana?"

I turn to the makeup artist with a smile. "You can call me Sage."

She nods shyly.

"I think this is too light. Can we get a darker shade?"

Her entire face flushes as she searches her bag, and I try to tell her it's okay, but my reassurance doesn't help. She pulls out another shade, but they look the same, and it's three, maybe four shades lighter than me.

"This is all I have…"

I give her a tight smile. I steal a glance at the rest of the makeup and even the contour is too light. Why don't they have anything in my shade?

"You're joking."

I look over at Helena at her rough tone. "It's fine." I give her a smile and shake my head, but she doesn't take the hint.

"No, it isn't, Sage. This is so unprofessional." She turns to the makeup artist. "You guys should know her shade and have it." She waves off the stylist who's trying to do her hair. "Get your boss in here."

"Helena, it's fine. It's not her fault that–"

"Sage, stop being so damn nice. I bet you all my shoes that my shade is in that bag." I glance at the makeup bag, and Helena's lighter shade is certainly there.

I let out a sigh and rise from my seat. Everyone is apologizing to me as I wipe the bit of makeup from my face. I turn to the makeup artist I was working with, and she looks like she's about to cry.

"It's okay." I ignore the huff Helena lets out, but she's right. This is unprofessional and it also isn't the first time different teams we work with haven't had a makeup shade that matched my dark complexion.

I put on a smile and grab her hand. "It's not your fault. I actually might have my makeup in the car, let me check."

She's already nodding as I barely finish my sentence, and I drag in another breath as I grab Helena's keys from her bag. The minute I'm in the car, I'm calling Angie.

"How's my girl doing?"

I smile at the clear affection in her tone, relaxing in my seat. "Good..." I trail off hesitantly.

She lets out a sigh. "You haven't even been there for twenty minutes. Tell me what's wrong so I can fix it." How does she know something is wrong? No clue, but I love her for it.

"They don't have the right shade for my–"

"No, the hell they do not."

I let my eyes fall shut. I know this is an issue, but I feel so bad that Magic is going to blacklist this brand over something like this. The biggest problem with modeling is the lack of representation, and because of that, Magic Model is so popular considering our diversity. When they hear that the brands who collaborate with us don't have our makeup shade or stylists who don't know how to do our curly hair… it's an issue.

"Walk, Sage."

"Angie, no. I can't—"

"You can and you will. Stop being so damn nice. This is the exact reason you have your own team who does your makeup and laces your damn shoes. You're Sage Loana Hale ."

I cover my face with my hands. I don't care if I was the CEO of our company. I can't walk out on this photo shoot. That's so mean.

"The other reason you have your own team was to avoid shit like this from happening, but what did they say?" She doesn't let me reply. " They have an amazing team and would love the privilege to do your makeup. Never again!"

I don't know why I even called her. I let out a sigh and grabbed Helena's lipgloss as I put her on speaker.

"They're not only wasting your time but the fact that they don't have your shade at all?! Are they using makeup from shitty brands that don't have shades darker than Caramel and Chestnut ?"

"Yeah…" The minute I saw the makeup brand, I knew she was wasting her time checking her bag.

Angie is quiet for a while as I play with the lip gloss.

"Get the hell out of there!"

I jump at her sudden outburst, then break into a laugh at how loud she's being. "Angie, please just let me stay. I can do my own makeup and–"

"Absolutely not. You probably don't even have it with you. What? You plan on driving home to get– no, you don't do your own makeup, Sage. You're a Magic Model."

"I don't think I'm too good to do my own makeup…" I pull the mirror down as I apply some gloss.

"You are, you're just too damn humble." She lets out a sigh.

I think being humble is a great thing, but I don't respond.

"I already had someone call them. The shoot is over. Since you're too damn nice, have Helena grab whatever you left in there and come to the studio, we can move up the photo shoot with Cartier. I just texted your team; they'll be waiting for you." She ended the call by telling me not to stress over this, although her words didn't make me feel better.

I let out a sigh and text Helena, but she's already making her way out with my purse. I stifle a laugh at the clips still in her hair and the concealer under her eyes. The minute she's in the car, I turn to her.

"Please don't tell me you yelled at them."

"I didn't." She shrugs as she grabs the makeup wipes in her bag. "I yelled at their boss."

Oh, God. I cover my face with my hands.

"Don't feel bad, Sage. I don't understand why you don't see the issue with this."

"I do, but–"

"But nothing. Our team would've never been that unprepared. Don't feel bad we left, we couldn't do the pictures either way because they didn't have your makeup. That's not your problem, and it's not your job to bring your own makeup."

I only nod in response because everything she's saying is true.

"They would've had you looking like a clown in that shade." She tosses the used makeup wipe out her window as she drives off, and I shake my head at how often she litters, but I don't waste my breath.

I see her glance at me from the corner of my eye, but I keep my gaze ahead of me.

"Okay, what if it was your hair? What if you didn't have your braids in, and they needed to do your hair, and we had another DC incident."

I literally cringe at the reminder. We flew to DC last year, and once again, the brand we were filming with wanted to show off their great team , but they ruined my hair. I think I cried the entire trip.

"Okay, you proved your point," I finally relinquish, trying to squish the guilty feeling in my gut.

She thankfully changes the topic and goes on about how excited she is to work with Cartier again because the guy they usually send is hot. He is, and they're constantly flirting.

Both of our phones light up, and I know it's probably from the agency. I immediately grab it when I notice it's our updated meal plans. As models, we, of course, need to keep in shape, but as I read mine, I notice it's a lot different than my last one. I pick up Helena's phone, and she also got the same email.

"Can I see what meal plan they sent you?"

She gives me the green light, and I unlock her phone.

"Hmm." I look at her last one, and they're pretty similar.

"What?"

"They changed my meal plan, but yours is so similar to your last one."

I look over at Helena when she doesn't answer, but she keeps her eyes ahead.

"What?"

She shrugs in response before stealing a quick glance at me. "Maybe because you put on a bit of weight." Her words are soft, but they somehow still cut. "And that's fine; you're a plus-size model, Sage."

I only nod in response and put her phone back. We're quiet for a few minutes, and I feel her stealing a few glances at me, but I keep my eyes fixed on the road.

"Stop overthinking this, Sage." She places her hand on my thigh, and I turn to her with a forced smile. "You're our best model—after me, of course."

She flips her hair playfully, pulling a laugh out of me. She and I are always toe to toe for everything, so I don't think her words are true, but either way, I don't see her as competition since we're best friends.

She looks back over at me, the playfulness gone. "Your weight doesn't change that, Sage. You're beautiful."

I only nod in response with a soft smile and she lets out a sigh. "Just follow my meal plan." She shrugs.

My brows furrow as I look back down at her meal plan and study how different ours are. "Are you sure it's okay for me to do that… again?"

"You did it last summer, and you were fine." She shrugs as I sit in thought. I did lose weight when I followed her meal plan last summer, but Angie also yelled at me so badly, I freaking cried. She made it such a big deal and was talking about all of these health problems I didn't even understand or have. I was fine. I was hungry and a bit lightheaded, but I lost weight.

"Yeah, maybe I will." I nod, more to myself.

"Good."

I turn to Helena, and she has a bright smile on her face. "You look amazing now, but your summer body last year was literal goals."

I laugh softly but clear my throat when it comes out weird… maybe she's right.

We sit in a comfortable silence for the rest of the drive, but as Helena pulls into her parking spot in front of Magic Model Headquarters, a sense of serenity washes over me as my eyes land on the huge glass doors. The gold M handles catch my eyes as we head for the doors, and I let out a content sigh.

"I love it here," I say, mostly to myself, and Helena agrees as we walk in. MM Headquarters is five times bigger than the studio we were just in, and considering how much time I spend here, it feels like home.

"Good morning, ladies!" The front desk man waves cheerfully before he takes the ID from the girl in front of him.

"Good morning, Cal!" Helena and I voice in sync as we slip into the elevator. The ride up to the third floor is fast, and I feel a smile tugging at my lips when I step off the elevator and hear laughter coming from one of the common rooms.

Turning the corner, I peek into the makeup room where all of the models get ready, and a few heads turn my way. "Sage, hey!" Mel's pretty smile paints her face.

"Hello, pretty. I love your hair!" Seeing it up close, blonde really does suit her. In the corner of my eye, I can see Helena walk away, but I don't comment on it as Mel thanks me. My team quickly stands from their seats and tells me they'll meet me in my room before I tell the other girls I'll see them later.

Helena slips into her dressing room as I make it down the hall, but since we both need to get ready, I head for the end of the hall. Passing by Quinn's room, I pluck the green dry-erase marker from the velcro and write a small message on her board. Next to her door is Nin's room, and I pick out a daily affirmation from the small cup she has outside her door.

You alone, the way you are now, are enough.

I feel myself go still as my brain shuffles through my conversation with Helena in her car. Before I can decide whether or not the universe is trying to tell me something, a door opens.

"Loana!"

My eyes land on Coral, and her smile pulls one out of me. I love that she just calls me my middle name. She and a few of the other girls do that, and I smile like this every time I hear it.

"I heard about the makeup shit show, but I'm running late, so tell me later." She points at me eagerly as she walks away backward.

A laugh bubbles in my throat at how nosy she is, but I promise to give her the scoop before I walk a few steps to my dressing room. As a Core Eight girl, we all have our own rooms, and as my eyes land on my name on my door, I feel a sense of pride. While this has always been the goal since I first signed with Magic Model a few years ago, I had no clue I'd make it this far, but seeing my full name on this gold plaque reminds me that this is real.

I snap a picture of the plaque and post it to my story with the caption Back to work . Just as the door shuts, someone is knocking. I turn on my heels and let my team in.

Sitting at my vanity, my team sets up around me before we fall into our routine. I let my eyes fall shut as they start my makeup. "What do we think about my hair? Can we style it in these braids?"

"Of course, we can." Annet shows me a few different hairstyles on her phone, then gets started on my hair when I pick one.

"You have three different outfits you need to change into by the way." One of the girls who is off to the side voices.

"Three? We're modeling jewelry. Why so many outfit changes?"

She shrugs and apologizes for not knowing, and I laugh softly.

"Please don't apologize."

She apologizes for apologizing, and I steal a glance at her but don't recognize her.

"What's your name?"

She glances over at Cara before her eyes settle on me. "Lynn," she mumbles.

I smile at her, and Cara tells me she's new and is shadowing under her.

"Well, she can't learn much by shadowing, can she?" I peek over at Lynn. "Come, you can finish my makeup." The room falls quiet, and I look around at them in confusion. "She is shadowing as a makeup artist, no?"

"Yes." Cara clearly forces a smile. "But today is an important photo shoot and–"

"Every day is an important photo shoot." I laugh softly. "You'll be right here to help her if it doesn't look good, let's give her a chance." I shrug and Lynn looks at Cara for approval.

Cara only nods towards me since it is my call, and Lynn trains her hopeful eyes on me. "I'm sure," I reassure her.

A smile lights up her face as she makes her way closer and continues to blend out my makeup. My base is already done, which I personally think is the most important part, so she starts my eyes.

Cara barely gives any pointers, and before I know it, Lynn is applying the setting spray. She steps aside so I can survey myself. I glance at her in the mirror,and she fiddles with the setting spray nervously as Cara stands beside us, waiting for my reaction.

"Well, you don't need to shadow Cara anymore."

Lynn's shoulders drop, and Cara shakes her head, her glare settling on Lynn.

"Because it's amazing," I quickly clarify.

They both look over at me, and Lynn's eyes widen as her disappointment turns into disbelief. Beside her, Cara holds her head up proudly.

"Keep up the good work," I tell Lynn before turning to Cara. "You're a good teacher."

She nods gently as she thanks me before exiting the room with Lynn. My outfit crew brings in my clothes over, and I get changed before heading out to the photographer.

The photo shoot goes smoothly, as always, and ends fast, and I'm thankful for it after this morning's drama. I head back to my room to change but stop short when someone calls my name.

"Here you go." The photographer hands me a small red leather box. "Please accept this gift on behalf of the company; it's been an honor working with you."

"Awe, thank you so much. Likewise." When I open the box, a small gasp escapes me. Beautiful stud diamond earrings shine back at me. I love them, but I already have a pair of them. I don't tell him that, though, and thank him again before heading for my room. After I change back into my clothes, I grab the earrings and meet Helena in her car. On the route to my house, I debate on what to do with the earrings, but when Cee Cee texts me to tell me someone else loved her Surpise Me drink, I have her drop me off at the coffee shop.

"Back so soon? Just admit you're in love with me." Cee Cee flirts, and I smile at her as I bat my lashes.

"I confess," I play along as I make my way to the counter and pull the box from behind my back. "A token of my affection."

"You're joking." She takes the box, and when she opens it, her jaw drops. "You are joking ."

I laugh at her shock, and she only stares at me dumbfounded.

"I didn't mean it when I said to bring me a pair of earrings! No, I can't–"

"Please take them. They gave them to me, and I already have a pair of those."

She looks back at the jewelry in her hands. "I think this can cover all of my student loans."

I can't stop smiling as a warm feeling settles in my chest at how grateful she looks. "Sell them." I shrug. "I can always get you another pair as a graduation gift, but only if you apply to that grad school you were talking about."

She walks around the counter to pull me in for a hug. "Thank you so much!"

I hug her back, and she squeezes me tightly before letting go. "This guy was flirting with me today." She smiles and flips her pink hair over her shoulder, and I can't help but laugh.

"Every guy flirts with you."

She smiles and raises her brows twice, which makes me laugh harder.

"Did you entertain him?"

"Of course I did. Straight men think they're so funny." She rolls her eyes and calls him dumb while pointing at the pride flag pin on her apron.

"Are you talking about that blonde guy?" Rob asks as he walks around the counter. "Because he wasn't funny, he was actually really rude."

My brows furrow at his tone.

"No, but that one was actually hot and coming from a very gay girl that says something."

Now she has my attention. "Spill, what'd he look like?"

Cee Cee shrugs and looks back down at her new earrings. "Really tall white boy, blonde fluffy hair, tons of tattoos."

I go still, and pictures of Liam blatantly ignoring me this morning fill my mind.

"He wore all black. I don't think he's seen color a day in his life."

"Yeah," Rob laughs now. "I think he had a stroke when he walked in here."

I look around the room and can't help but smile. It looks like a unicorn was thrown up here, and I love it.

"What name did he give for his order?" I ask lightly, letting my curiosity get the better of me.

"Luke or something." Cee Cee goes back around the counter, and Rob rolls his eyes at her.

"It was Liam." I knew it. I think of shooting him a text but convince myself not to be that girl, especially not after how he acted earlier.