Chapter 25: Modeling Camp (Week 1)

Sunday July 13, 2014 – Freshman Year

I woke up early and ran. Today was a lovely summer day. You could smell the cut grass, which reminded me I needed to mow our lawn. I took in our neighborhood as it slowly came awake. As I began to run I knew I needed to think. I quickly fell into the zone.

Tami dating Trevor had rocked me. I'd been making decisions based on our long term relationship above and beyond just friendship. She said nothing had changed, but for me it had. My other two best friends, Alan and Jeff, were nowhere as involved in my decision making. I treated Tami like my future wife. Things needed to change, if for no other reason than I needed to learn to make my own decisions. I had to remember she was a friend, just like everyone else.

I'd been worried our being apart would change things. Her living at Wesleyan had finally done it. I still loved her ... that was not in question. I think if we had seen each other every day, many of our misunderstandings over the last few months would never have occurred.

She was right in saying she deserved to have a chance to spread her wings. Even I couldn't be that big of a hypocrite. But here's the rub. If she was just a friend, I could have handled it. If I looked at her as my future wife, and the mother of our children, there was no way. I would go insane. For both our sakes, I needed to make this transition in my head, or I was going to destroy everything. I would never be able to get over it, and she could read me too well. She would never be happy knowing I wasn't happy. I couldn't do that to her. I loved her too much. Of all the people in my life, I couldn't imagine being the reason she wasn't able to be happy. It would kill me.

I then started thinking about all of the friends who were moving on with their lives. Eve left me, at the beginning of the summer, to chase her dreams. I hadn't heard from her in over a month. Shortly I'd be losing Beth, Cindy, and Suzanne. Greg and Angie would be leaving with Kyle. They would all be leaving for college in about a month. I was feeling a little like everyone was leaving me. Again, part of me knew this was way overblown, but the emotional side of me kept screaming, 'me, me, me!'

Beth had been trying to find me replacement friends in Mona, Kim, and Kelly. Kelly wasn't really interested. Mona had indicated that she wouldn't be satisfied with just being friends. Kim and I never really clicked beyond friendship. I just didn't see it happening. The freshmen felt more like little sisters who needed protecting, rather than girlfriend material.

The only person I was semi-interested in was Peggy. To be honest, she had drifted away as a friend since the first of the year. I still had a little crush on her, but I wasn't sure we would date.

The final two who came to mind were Harper and Missy. They were Tami's friends first and foremost. This was made clear in San Francisco, when Tami told them not to sleep with me.

The only viable option I saw right now was not dating for a while. At first blush, I wanted to reject the notion out of hand. Regular sex had been something I could count on. I sometimes wondered how regular guys survived without it. The sad truth was they did. With my track record, it was probably the best option. I had football coming up, and I didn't need the distraction of trying to find a new girlfriend. I'm sure if you asked my Mom, she would say it would help me build character. Unfortunately, it looked like this was where things were headed.

I guess the good news about Tami going out with Trevor was she would have someone else to focus on. The last few times she had manipulated my life it hadn't gone so well.

The other thing I had to deal with was I was going to New York tomorrow. I was going to live in a house with five other models, and we were going through an extensive three week training program. I received a text from Kat in England that said she had been confirmed for the training. I let Adrienne know I was open to working, so she and Tyler could find me a few jobs.

I figured while I was there I might as well make some money. Speaking of which, Mr. Hill called and they were nailing down a date for the commercial where I would be a gladiator. That one sounded like fun.

I turned onto our street and saw Tami's car was at our house. At least I didn't have to worry about her being in my apartment since I changed the lock's code. I went up to my apartment and showered.

I needed to get moving to make it to church. I hustled down and found Tami talking to Mom. I ran in and opened the fridge. Mom had poached chicken breasts for me. I threw one into the microwave.

"Hey, Tami, are you going to church with us?" I asked.

"I was actually hoping to talk to you before I go back," she said.

"Sure, we should be back by about ten-thirty," I told her.

"I actually need to be on the road by then if I'm going to be in time for lunch at Wesleyan," she told me.

I suddenly lost my appetite. The hidden text was she was having lunch with Trevor; otherwise she would've said who she was joining for lunch. I pulled the chicken out of the microwave, and put it back into the refrigerator.

"Well, I guess I'll see you next time you're in town," I said and then turned to Mom. "You ready to go?"

She went to get her car keys.

"You can't skip church?" Tami asked.

"No, Mom would string me up. I've missed too many times this summer. Will I see you before school starts, or are you going straight back to Wesleyan?" I asked.

"I could come back tomorrow," she offered.

"That's great. I'm sure your mom would love for you to be home. I know she misses you. Unfortunately, I'll be gone. I'll be in New York for the next three weeks for modeling camp. They say we will be crazy busy. If you're back home before school starts, call me, and we'll get together."

Mom came back with her purse and we walked Tami out. She seemed frustrated. I was trying to be as pleasant as possible, but I wasn't up for another long conversation ... with the same ending. I wasn't going to talk her out of dating, so I wasn't going to make myself crazy with trying.

"David, I love you," she told me.

"I love you, too. Have a safe trip and tell Trevor hi for me," I said as a subtle way of saying I knew who she was having lunch with. "I'll call you when I get settled in New York. I don't know my schedule, yet, but we'll talk no later than Monday night."

I got in the car, and Mom was about to burst to find out what was going on.

"Who is Trevor?" Mom asked.

"Tami's new boyfriend."

"What? When did this happen?"

"She has been seeing him off and on. Apparently, they took things to the next level, while I was at football camp. She wanted to pick me up yesterday, so she could share with me."

"Are you mad about it?"

"No, not really. She deserves to be happy."

"But?" Mom asked knowing me to well.

"Our relationship needs to change. We have to learn to be just friends. I can't be pining over her if she is dating someone else. I can't be thinking of her as my future wife. I'm just not wired to see her with someone else if I have that kind of claim. I'm not even sure we'll ever get married."

"What are you talking about? What makes you think you won't get married?" Mom asked.

"I guess that was not a fair statement. We very well might, someday. I just need to change the way I look at her, or this will be a huge problem for me."

Mom pulled into the church parking lot, but we were not getting out of the car. We rolled down the windows, because it was warm out. I watched as I saw people in their Sunday best migrate to the entrance. It looked like we were going to talk about Tami and skip church.

"I guess I don't understand."

"Okay, what if you and Dad ever divorced? How would he react if he saw you with a new boyfriend?" I asked her.

We both knew that would never happen, but if it did ... Mom would destroy him.

"Oh, I get it. But don't you feel a little hypocritical with how you have been free to date other women, and she hasn't had the same freedoms?"

"I never said she didn't. I want her to be happy. I want her to have every opportunity that is out there. What has to change is me, and how I look at our friendship. I have always put Tami up on a pedestal. She is very special to me, but things change."

"Then what changed?"

I will give it to Mom. She was like a bulldog on a bone. She wasn't going to let go until I told her. So I did.

"In my mind, I committed to Tami to be my one and only. I do things with, and for her, I would only do if we were deeply committed to one another. A good example is how my girlfriends react to Tami. My commitment to her has been a bone of contention with them. They all know all Tami would have to do is snap her fingers, and I would be with her. No questions. All she has to do is ask.

"I figured at some hypothetical point she would date. Now that it is here ... I actually like the guy she's with. I guess I even suspected she would sleep with other guys. She told me she was taking her relationship to the next level. She is making a commitment to someone else. I have to respect that. I care too much not to. I have to set her free, so she can find happiness. I can't have her be my focus for my long term happiness. That isn't fair to her or Trevor."

"Do you still love her?"

"Of course I do. But the kind of love has to change. It needs to become the love of a friend, not the love of a life partner. I need to grow-up, and not have Tami as a crutch. I have to learn to stand on my own, and can we both remember, for just a minute, I just turned sixteen?

"I don't have all the answers. I'm sure I'll piss her off before this is over. In fact, I probably already have. I just hope our friendship survives this."

We ended up talking right through church. I was surprised when Mom called Tami. I suddenly realized Mom was one of her major sources of information. They talked like old friends. I think Mom let me in on this little secret because I had been so forthcoming. Tami said something that upset Mom.

"Let me go find out. I'll call you back," she told Tami.

"Did you give your car to Angie?" she asked.

"Yes. She needs a reliable car, and I no longer want mine. So we traded. When I get back from New York, I'll trade her car in, and get what I really want."

"A Jeep?" she asked.

"Yeah, I got the Dodge Charger because it is what Tami wanted me to get. I also liked it, but I made the decision to buy it over the Jeep because of her input. If I had been on my own, I would have bought the Jeep. I wasn't looking to spend that much money on a car. Plus, it's awful flashy. I really don't want people thinking I've changed just because I have a little money."

"Okay, I understand."

As my mother started to dial, I put my hand on her arm.

"Mom, this sharing everything about me to Tami has to stop. If I think I have to filter what I tell you, our relationship will change. Tami has someone else, now. Before, I didn't mind because she was going to be my everything. I would hope that when I do get married, you can be as free and open as you are with Angie. That is one of the things I love about our family. We can say anything and everything to each other, and know we're in a safe zone. What we say stays within the family. Tami is no longer part of the immediate family. Treat her as if she were Jim, Alan, or Jeff. She is one of my best friends, now."

Mom had a tear trickle down the side of her cheek.

"Oh, David, I'm so sorry. I know this is killing you, but you need to grow from this. We all love Tami, but you're my little boy. I think we all assumed some things, because you two were inseparable. It makes me a little sad to see you growing up. But we'll respect your wishes," Mom assured me.

"Don't be sad, Mom. Tami needed to hear what you said. You did me a favor. I don't have to face her now."

Mom called Tami back and told that the car rumor was true, but it was a family matter, now.

We got home to find Angie talking to Tami.

"Hang up, please," Mom ordered.

Mom called a family meeting while I made brunch. I was starved, so I wasn't waiting until after the meeting. Mom went into great detail about how Tami and my relationship had changed, yesterday. The bottom line was we were still best friends, but she was not family.

Mom explained we all needed to be able to have frank and open discussions within the family, and be assured it would stay within the family.

Tami was not going to be happy about this, I warned them.

Monday July 14, 2014 – Freshman Year

I was on the first flight out of Chicago into New York. It was full of business people getting an early jump, so they could make business meetings. I sat next to a group of bankers going to a fraud symposium. I wanted to blow my brains out by the time I landed. The bankers were in their own little world of numbers and processes. I would go crazy stuck in a cubical all day.

I almost sprinted off the plane to get my bags. Ford told me to bring just about everything I owned. There was a guy holding a sign with my name on it. It made me smile, because I had five bags with me, a personal record. I needed his help to get everything to the car.

As we left the airport I was reminded why I love New York. There was so much energy you just felt anything was possible. I knew I could move here and make a go of it. I loved the high-rises and the wild ride. Seeing my driver navigate effortlessly through the congestion was a rush.

The driver took me to a three story brownstone. I went up the steps with three of my bags and then ran down to get the other two. The driver had already been paid so I tipped him. I rang the bell and was surprised when the person answering the door was someone I knew. It was Tiffany Edwards, Ava's agent. I had helped Ava with her portfolio, and she ended being my date at the party where I kissed Adrienne, in Chicago.

"Good morning, Miss Edwards."

She looked shocked I remembered her.

"Hello, David, and please call me Tiffany. You have the front bedroom on the third floor. Since you're the only guy, you will have a single. When you get unpacked, come back down and we'll talk."

It took me two trips to get my bags upstairs. I was happy to see most everything was wrinkle free. I would have to figure out where an iron was. When I was done unpacking, I came down, and found Tiffany in the living room.

"I received a call from Devin Range before you arrived. He said congratulations on being ranked number one, whatever that means. He also would like you to do a store appearance. Finally, he needs you for some catalog work. So you have been in New York, for less than an hour, and you already have three jobs."

The rankings for football must have come out. I would have to check the recruiting websites when I got a chance. My phone chirped. It was a text from Tom confirming my ranking. Hell yes!

"Sorry, you only said two of them. The store and catalog work."

"Jade wants you for a shoot this afternoon."

Jade was a young men's and women's clothing line that was very much in demand right now. If it was like their other advertising, I would have my shirt off most of the time, and I would be with someone smoking hot.

"What time do we have to be there?" I asked.

"What do you mean we?"

"My contract says I must have a chaperone at every shoot. Do you need to see it?" I asked.

I went to my Dropbox account and emailed the Ford contract to her. She read the first three sentences and her head snapped up.

"You've got a five year contract?"

I just nodded. She read the rest and didn't look happy.

"I have the girls all showing up this afternoon at different times. I can't go."

"Then we need to hire someone," I told her.

"I don't have the authorization to do that," she told me.

I flipped to the perks page and it spelled out what the chaperone's duties were and what Ford would pay. She looked like she just bit into a bad lemon.

"Hang on. I might have someone who will do it," I told her.

I called Tyler, Adrienne's girlfriend and business partner.

"Hey, I'm in town and I need some help with a shoot," I told Tyler.

"What do you need, kid?"

I love how New Yorkers don't take any shit.

"I have a shoot with Jade. My contract calls for a chaperone."

"What does it pay?"

I told her. I also explained it was this afternoon, and they had to be able to sign off on photos.

"Tell you what. I have wanted an excuse to get my foot in the door at Jade, so I'll meet you there."

I hung up.

"We're all set," I told her.

"Great. Now let's go over the house rules. Respect everyone and their property. Work comes before training. No overnight guests. No drugs. No going out alone, well that one is more for the girls. Just be watchful, if you're coming home late, and be aware of your surroundings.

"We have a catered meal brought in three times a day," she told me as she handed me the menu.

I glanced at it, and knew I was on my own for food. It was mostly fruit and salads. I would just have to add to it. I made a note to talk with Kendal about my contract. This bird food wasn't cutting it.

She gave me a key and contact numbers and she was done with me. I needed to get going soon, so I ran down to the corner deli and got lunch. I tried their hot pastrami and spicy mustard. I went back to the house and grabbed a salad and some fruit. I ate in the kitchen. When I was done, I ran upstairs and showered. I found it saved time at the shoot to do this beforehand.

I came downstairs to find my car waiting on me. I was worried for a little bit, because we hit traffic, but my driver found an alternate route. I was glad I wasn't driving. These streets were narrow and these people were crazy.

I was hustled in and sent to makeup. A guy in a suit came back with a blank release form.

"We need to get you to sign this so we can get things started," he told me.

"I'm not authorized to sign anything," I answered, as Kendal had taught me.

"Look, our lawyer is here, and we have to get the paperwork done now, so he can leave. We're on a tight schedule, so please don't hold things up," he said, acting reasonably.

I had actually been warned about this ploy at my first photo shoot. They get you to sign the release, and the next thing you know; you have nude photos on the internet. I was about to tell him what I thought of things when Tyler showed up.

"Hey, Tyler, can you deal with these blank release forms? I can't sign what I can't read."

She smiled at me. Holy Cow! I had no idea Tyler was an attorney, and a scary attorney to boot. She explained to the studio rep I was a minor. She wanted to see all the film already shot. She explained if they stonewalled her, they would be out of business by the end of the day. About that time, the rep from Jade showed up.

That's when it got fun. I wish I had a bag of popcorn as I sat back and watched the fireworks. The Jade rep fired the studio on the spot. I was told to get dressed, and we were headed back to their offices. They had a small place on site where they could do the session. The studio was as scared of Tyler as I was impressed. They had video of me in the dressing room. At some point I would have been nude.

Tyler took me aside.

"Look. These guys are the scum of the industry. We can press charges, or try and get some quick cash out of them. I vote for cash," she told me.

"Cash is good. You take care of it, and I'll meet you at Jade."

I left Tyler to do her thing. The Jade rep seemed like a nice guy. We went back to the offices. It turned out to be more of a warehouse. They were designing the clothes on site, and they had a corner setup to do photo shoots.

It was pretty much what I expected. It was very Abercrombie in style. I put on everything from ripped jeans and wrinkled t-shirts, to swim suits, to sport jackets. When we were done, they had a check ready for me. I sent a text to Tyler, and she said she was thirty minutes away.

I sat down with the photographer, and he pointed out the problem shots. Things like a stupid look, or my eyes closed. I agreed they were all the ones I would ask to be deleted, but I needed Tyler to authorize it since I wasn't eighteen yet. We were just finishing up when she came in clutching a big bag. She shoved it into my hands, and then worked with the photographer.

Tyler made me more money ... again! Because I was on time at the first location, I was owed a show-up fee. When the location was changed, and I did the shoot I was owed for actually working. So they had to write me a check for the show-up fee. Of course, it was written to Ford. Tyler had the bad shots deleted, and then she signed off.

She took me back to their place. When she got into their apartment, she collapsed into a chair.

"Open the bag," she told me.

I did and about dropped it. It was full of bundles of hundred dollar bills. I got a big grin on my face and began to laugh.

"Crap, Tyler, what did you do?"

"You being a minor caused them some problems. I guess what they have been doing is lucrative, because they had much more than that on hand. That was so much fun. I haven't gotten to be a bad ass lawyer in a long time. I can't believe people fall for their shtick."

"Newbies don't know any better. They made it sound very reasonable. If I hadn't been on a few jobs, I might have fallen for it," I admitted. "How much money is there?"

She told me. I now had enough to buy the Jeep. She put the money into Adrienne's safe. She said she would take it to the bank tomorrow and wire my portion into my business account. She wrote up an invoice for her time today, and gave me the checks to give to Tiffany. I needed to get back, so we said our goodbyes. I asked her to give my regards to Adrienne.

I found Tiffany in the office downstairs.

"You must have made an impression. Jade wants you back tomorrow. They also want us to send over a few girls to work with you. I want to send the new girls with you, so they get the experience of casting call," she looked at the checks. "How come you got paid twice?"

"There was a problem at the first location. We had to move it to their offices."

"There has to be story there. Hang on and I'll get the girls down so you can meet them. They might as well learn something today, while they're at it."

While she did that, I went to the kitchen and grabbed some fruit. I needed some quick energy. I was going to have to go grocery shopping, or I was going to starve on model food. I was stuffing my face when I heard.

"There you be sexy boy."

It could only be Kat. I turned around and she was standing in the doorway, barefoot and in short shorts and a silk t-shirt with no bra. Boy did she look good!

"Kat! I'm so glad you made it. We're going to have fun for the next three weeks."

She came up, and gave me a kiss on my cheek and then took my hand.

"Everyone ready," Kat told me.

We walked in and I guess what Kat was wearing was some kind of uniform, because they all had on the same sort of thing. Mr. Happy tried to take control. He recognized a target rich environment when he saw one. Damn.

"Oh, good, David is here," Tiffany started off the meeting. "David was at Jade doing a shoot. We'll talk about it in a moment. I want to formally introduce everyone.

"Let's start with the lone male. This is David. He is under contract as the face for Range Sports. He is also currently on the air with his ad for Red. He is by far the most experienced model here, so if you have questions, please ask him.

"Katrina or 'Kat' is from our Paris office and lives in England. She has actually worked with David on a Range shoot. Next is Sasha who is also from our Paris office. She was just signed two weeks ago."

Sasha had a dark complexion, or she was deeply tanned. She was a striking brunette with deep brown eyes I could see falling into. She had an air of sophistication about her. I could see her doing very well in Europe.

"Sarah is from our Chicago office. She signed six weeks ago."

Sarah was your blond bombshell with piercing blue eyes. She also had a quick smile that made you like her.

"Olivia and Courtney are both from our New York office and I'm their agent. They were both found at our open casting, in May."

They were brunettes. Olivia looked like a Russian princess and Courtney had some Asian ancestry mixed in. All five of the girls had the looks to be models. The question would be if they could perform in front of the camera.

"David, please tell us about your day," Tiffany said.

"Tiffany told me this morning I had three jobs lined up when I got here. Range Sports wants me to do a store appearance and then some catalog work. I also had a shoot lined up for Jade this afternoon. When I first got started a photographer gave me great advice. He told me always show up on time, follow directions, and never sign the release until you see the check.

"When I got to the studio, they wanted me to sign a blank release as soon as I got there. One of my agents taught me I should tell them I'm not authorized to sign anything. I normally have someone with me who handles that. We had a little mix-up this morning, and didn't have anyone available. So we had to get a last minute replacement, and she was running late.

"These guys made it sound perfectly reasonable to get the release signed, so they could get started. If I had done that, any shots or videos taken today on their premises were theirs to use. So, if they would have had a video camera setup in my dressing room, they could plaster my images all over the net. I would also be violating some terms of my contract with Ford.

"The other thing you do before you sign a release is to review every shot. A good photographer will point out the ones you'll want them to delete. Make sure they are deleted off both the camera and the PC.

"So let's get back to today. Once my chaperone arrived she stopped them and demanded to see any images of me they had taken so far. Sure enough, they had me on video in my dressing room."

The news seemed to upset the girls.

"Before you worry, this is the first time anything like this has happened to me. So when the Jade rep showed up he pulled the plug on using their studio. We went back to their corporate offices, and did the shoot there."

"Tell them why you got paid twice," Tiffany told me.

"When you show up to a shoot, and it doesn't happen, for whatever reason, you are paid a portion of your fee just for being there. So I got paid for showing up at the studio, and then again for going to their corporate offices, and doing the shoot there."

"But isn't that just like a location change?" Olivia asked.

"It would have been, if they had not canceled the first shoot," Tiffany told her. "David must have done a good job today, because he has been called back to work again, tomorrow. They're also looking for someone to partner with him, so all of you are going to the casting call with him in the morning."

It was interesting to see the different reactions. Kat had obviously been on a casting call and took it in stride. For the other four, they were all excited. Kat and I left Tiffany to deal with that mess.

I was starved so Kat and I went to dinner. She told me Ford had hired Aubrey to help coach their models in Europe. Kat also was starting to pick up steady work. Next, I took her to the grocery store. She was fascinated with the different products we had compared to England. She had me get her some loose leaf tea and assorted marmalades. I was drinking tea now, so I thought it was a great idea. On the way back, I had the driver take us by the fitness club, so I knew where it was.

After unloading the cab and putting the food away, I went to my room.

I sent a text to Tami and we jumped onto video chat.

"Did you see? I'm rated number one in the sophomore class." I told her.

"No, I hadn't heard. That's great news. You worked hard to get there."

"You wanted to talk yesterday," I said confronting the elephant in the room. "Sorry, but I had made a promise to Mom to go to church with her."

"I know the timing wasn't great. So how are you?"

"I'm fine. I had to go to the grocery store, because they only have salads and fruit around here."

"No, I mean how are you feeling about me and Trevor?"

"If he makes you happy, I'm happy for you."

"Bullshit, David. I know you. You're not fine with this," she accused me.

She was right. I wasn't fine with it, but I was working to get there.

"You got me, but you know me. I'll work it out, so don't worry about me causing problems. The truth is I only want you to be happy. We have been friends too long for me to want anything less for you."

She could see the honesty in the statement, so she let it go, for now.