“Devin, hold still, please!” Mom said.
We were in my bedroom, and I was squirming as she tried to take my measurements with a long measuring tape. Everything had happened so fast. I had only decided yesterday to do this, and now I was having my measurements taken for a photo shoot that was happening tomorrow!
“I can’t help it!” I said. “It tickles!”
“Well, we’ve got to get your numbers to the agency tonight so they have the right clothes for you tomorrow,” Mom said. She sat down on my bed with a sigh. “Honestly, I didn’t think this through when I said it would be okay for you to model. You’re too young to be in an industry that puts so much emphasis on size and beauty.”
“But this shoot is about sportswear, right?” I asked. “Isn’t that a positive thing? I’m helping to promote physical activity.”
“I guess,” Mom said. “But I’m also not crazy about you missing school. And practice.”
“I know,” I said. “I really don’t like missing practice. But I never do. And this is, like, a once-in-a-lifetime thing, right? I’ll try something new, I’ll make some money, and that’s it.”
I had some pretty good arguments for Mom because at lunch that day, I’d started to feel nervous about the shoot and missing practice, and Frida and Jessi had convinced me to do it. But that was before I’d known that my body would have to be measured. What if they didn’t have anything that fit me?
“Well, we’ve already made a commitment,” Mom said. “So we’ll see it through. Now please just let me get your waist, and we’re done.”
As Mom wrapped the measuring tape around my middle, I had a thought.
“Nobody at the shoot is going to try to measure me, are they?” I asked, thinking it would be really uncomfortable to have a stranger doing this. “That would be weird. And what if my measurements aren’t right? Will they send me home?”
“That’s why we’re doing this now,” Mom said. “Besides, I’ll be there the whole time if anything comes up. Maisie is going to go to Mindy’s house after school. Dad will pick up takeout, and we can eat when we get home.”
“Wow, thanks,” I said.
“I’ll pick you up at school at one o’clock,” Mom said. “And please, remember to wear a bra tomorrow. You’ll need it for the shoot.”
I felt my face flush. I’d just started wearing one last summer, and I hated it. Sometimes I avoided it if I could, except I always wore a sports bra for practices and games. But I suddenly realized that wearing one to the modeling shoot was probably a good idea.
“I won’t forget,” I promised.
Between the measuring and the bra, I was more than a little nervous when we pulled up to the photography studio the next afternoon. The large, high-ceilinged room had a big green wall right in the middle, and a guy was setting up props and stuff in front of it. Another woman was adjusting one of the tall, bright lights aimed at the wall.
Ashanta walked up to me and my mom.
“Devin, Jennifer, good to see you!” she said. “Jennifer, you can hang out over there.” She pointed to some chairs facing the whole setup. “I’m going to get Devin into wardrobe and makeup.”
Mom looked at me. “Do you want me to go with you?”
I kind of did, but I didn’t want to admit it. “No, I’m okay,” I said.
Ashanta led me to a room behind the green screen. On the way, a girl about my age, a little bit taller than me, walked past, and Ashanta stopped.
“Devin, meet Sabine. You two will be working together today,” Ashanta said.
“Hey, Devin,” Sabine said with a smile. She was dressed in a pair of pink shorts and a white tank top with a matching pink stripe across the shoulders. She wore her curly black hair pulled back from her face in a ponytail, and her face looked like she was born for modeling, with smooth brown skin without a pimple in sight and long eyelashes.
I suddenly felt self-conscious. I’d never given much thought about how I looked. I liked the way the sun streaked my brown hair with gold. But of course there were things I didn’t love. I always wore sunscreen, so my skin stayed pretty pale and never got tan, like some people’s did. And I didn’t have acne, but my cheeks sometimes got blotchy. I knew my friends wouldn’t judge me, so I never worried before, but these photos would be seen by tons of people. Now all that stuff felt like it mattered.
Why did they ask me to model? Are they crazy? I thought. Next to Sabine, I look like a modeling school dropout or something. My palms started to sweat.
“See you out there,” Sabine said, and I nodded silently and followed Ashanta, wiping my hands on my jeans.
We entered a room filled with racks of clothes and a table with a makeup mirror, a bunch of hairstyling stuff, and a makeup case that looked like the tackle box my dad uses when he goes fishing. But instead of fake worms, hooks, and lures, it was filled with makeup brushes, eyeshadow, and lipstick. A purple-haired young woman in cutoff jean shorts, vintage basketball sneakers, and a T-shirt with a rock band logo on it was looking through the clothes on the rack.
“Devin, this is Tenshi,” Ashanta said. “She’s going to get you ready for the shoot. I’m going to leave you to it.”
“Hi,” I said shyly as Ashanta hurried off.
Tenshi nodded to me. “Sabine’s in green, so I’m thinking blue for you,” she said. Then she laughed. “Hey, I rhymed!”
“Yeah, you did,” I said, but I let out a nervous breath instead of a laugh.
“I heard it’s your first shoot,” Tenshi said, and I nodded. “Don’t worry. Zane, the photographer, is really chill. And Sabine’s a pro. Just follow her lead.”
I nodded silently again. Things were starting to feel overwhelming. I thought about bolting into the parking lot—I knew that Mom would follow me—but then Tenshi pulled out shorts and a cute shirt for me that were the exact shade of Kicks blue.
Frida would say this was a sign, I thought. So I didn’t bolt. In fact, I thought of Frida and how she would act if she were here. She’d be totally confident. If Frida could channel Amazon warriors and fairy princesses on the soccer field, maybe I could channel Frida on the set today! I took a deep breath. I’d give it a try.
“Sit,” Tenshi instructed, and I sat in a chair at the makeup table, trying to tap into Frida’s self-assured energy. I had worn my lucky pink headband that I wore to all my soccer games to the shoot to give me an extra boost of security. Tenshi pulled it out before she sprayed some stuff into my hair then brushed it.
“Gotta tame those fly-aways,” Tenshi said. “You should really use conditioner.”
“I do,” I said. “I use that two-in-one stuff.”
Tenshi rolled her eyes. “That doesn’t count!”
It didn’t feel like we were off to a great start, and any trace of Frida slid right out of me, along with my lucky pink headband. Tenshi pulled my hair into a long ponytail that wasn’t much different than my usual look, just less messy, and then she put some makeup on me. It felt like she was putting on a ton of stuff, but when I looked in the mirror after, it didn’t seem like I had a bunch of makeup on at all.
“Awesome, right?” Tenshi said.
I stared at myself. I wasn’t sure what she did, exactly. But my lips looked smooth and shiny. My eyes looked brighter. And my skin looked absolutely perfect. Not blotchy at all. But I still looked like me.
“Wow,” I said.
Tenshi grinned. “You look great, Devin. Now get changed. There are some sneakers in there for you too.”
I quickly got changed behind the privacy screen. The sneakers were Nikes, white with a blue swoosh. I slipped them on and looked in the mirror. I had to admit that it was a pretty cute workout outfit, something I’d actually wear, so that made me feel even better about taking the job selling it.
When I came out from behind the screen, Tenshi took me back out to the studio area. There was a guy with wavy brown hair carrying a camera, and he smiled when he saw me.
“You must be Devin,” he said, coming over. “I’m Zane. Ashanta tells me you’re a soccer player.”
I nodded. “That’s right.”
“Great!” he said. “We’re going to try some soccer-themed active shots today. The clothing company wants to get in on World Cup fever with their campaign. So maybe you and Sabine can do some soccer moves.”
“Sure,” I said.
Sabine walked up to us, smiling. “I’ve never played soccer before, so you’ll have to show me the ropes, Devin.”
Sabine’s friendliness made me instantly more relaxed. I had remembered how mean Luna was toward Frida. I guess that, without even realizing it, I had expected Sabine to treat me the same way. What a relief that she was being nice!
I smiled back. “Okay.” I couldn’t imagine teaching Sabine anything about modeling, but soccer, I could do.
“Let’s get some solo shots first,” Zane said. “Sabine, I’ll start with you. Can you do some warm-up stretches, maybe?”
“How about a yoga stretch?” Sabine asked.
“Sounds good,” Zane replied.
Sabine got in front of the green screen and did some leg lunges with her arms straight up over her head. Zane put the camera on a tripod and began taking pictures. Then he started shouting out commands.
“Keep that neck straight!”
“Try it from the opposite side now.”
“Okay, now look at the camera while you’re doing it.”
He was very nice about it, but really fast. And Sabine responded immediately every time he asked her to do something, moving into perfect position.
“Great!” Zane said after what seemed like a hundred different poses. “All right, Devin, how about some soccer stretches?”
“Sure,” I replied, and I realized my palms were sweating again, but I didn’t want to wipe them on my fresh blue shorts. I quickly blew on them and then stepped in front of the green screen. What would Frida do? I asked myself. She’d get right into the role of a soccer player. I knew how to do that in my sleep! So I confidently got on the floor and stretched out my left leg, pulling up the toes of my left sneaker, like I would before any soccer practice.
Zane took the camera off the tripod and crouched down. “Okay, nice. Hold that,” he said. “Now try it with your right hand.”
I pulled my left leg in and started to extend my right leg.
Zane pulled the camera away from his face. “No, I mean, just use your right hand to pull back the foot on your left leg.”
“Oh!” I said. “I mean, that’s not how you do the stretch, actually,” I said, but then I stopped myself. I could feel my face getting red. This wasn’t about stretching. Was Zane going to be mad?
“Oh, sure, I get that, but let’s just see how it looks with your hand crossing your body,” Zane said.
I nodded and did the stretch the way he asked.
“Okay, now, eyes on your left foot,” he said. “And smile.”
I smiled, a full teeth-out grin.
“Try it with your mouth closed,” he said. I did, but it felt sort of weird. “Okay, good. Now, that’s more like a grimace. Just relax, Devin. Release your shoulders.”
Release my shoulders? I wasn’t sure what he meant, so I kind of just let them slump.
“Hmm,” Zane said. “Can you do a stretch standing up?”
I jumped to my feet and pulled my right calf behind me with my right foot.
“Okay, that’s interesting,” Zane said. “Just do some more stretches. Don’t worry about smiling. Pretend you’re warming up for a game.”
I tried to do that, but it wasn’t easy with five people watching me. I did some shoulder stretches and then got on one knee to do some hip flexor stretches.
“Good!” Zane said. “Keep your back nice and straight, Devin. Now tilt your right shoulder toward me so I can see the logo on your shirt. That’s it. Great!”
I glanced over at my mom, who was leaning forward in her seat and watching the whole shoot intently. She had a very serious expression on her face, and I couldn’t tell if she thought I was doing a good job or a bad job.
“Try to smile again, Devin,” Zane coached me. “Mouth closed. Great.”
He looked up from the camera. “Okay, Sabine, get in there with Devin, please. And let’s bring in the soccer ball.”
One of the assistants came up and put a soccer ball at my feet. Sabine stood next to me.
“Maybe you could pretend like you’re dribbling it, Devin,” Zane said. “And Sabine could be on the other team blocking you or something.”
“Sure,” I said, “But shouldn’t we be wearing soccer cleats?”
Zane looked over at Tenshi. “I don’t know. Should they?”
Tenshi shrugged. “I don’t know anything about soccer.”
Ashanta spoke up. “This isn’t a real game, Devin. The scene is just you and a friend kicking around a ball in a park. Does that work?”
I nodded. “Sure.”
“Um, can you show me how I should be blocking you, Devin?” Sabine asked.
I had to think for a minute. “Well, I could pretend I’m about to kick the ball, and you could come in from over there, like you’re going to intercept it,” I said, pointing to a spot a few feet away.
“I can do that,” Sabine said.
We got into position. I extended my right foot so it was almost touching the ball.
“Should I smile?” I asked.
“Let’s try one where you’re both looking determined,” Zane said. “And Sabine, why don’t you put your hands out in front of you, like you’re blocking Devin?”
Oh boy, I thought. Nobody in this room knows anything about soccer! But after bringing up the stretch, and the cleats, I wasn’t sure if I should say anything else.
I decided I had to, though. This would be a pretty silly picture if I didn’t.
“Um, Zane?” I began. “Nobody can put their hands on the ball in soccer except for the goalie.”
“Well, Sabine can be the goalie, then,” Zane said, and he was starting to sound a little bit annoyed.
I decided not to push it. Zane took some shots of Sabine blocking me with her arms, and then we did some where it looked like I was chasing her, and one where I was passing the ball to her. I really did pass it on the last one, and it rolled right past her and bounced into the wall. I almost forgot that I was at a shoot instead of on the field. That felt the best to me. It got me out of my head and stopped me from worrying if I was grimacing or whatever Zane had said I was doing. Who knew smiling could be so hard? After that, we took a short break for some water.
“You’re doing great, Devin,” Sabine told me.
“Thanks, but I’m not so sure,” I said. “You’re, like, an expert at this.”
Sabine laughed. “I’ve been doing it since I was three,” she said. “Probably as long as you’ve been playing soccer, right?”
“Right,” I said, and that got me thinking. Me jumping into modeling might be just as crazy as Sabine joining a soccer game without ever playing before. What had I been thinking?
“What do you think? Do you like it?” Sabine asked.
“It’s cool,” I said. “But I feel like I’m not doing anything the way Zane wants me to. And the whole shoot is kind of confusing. I mean, what’s the point of having a green background behind us, no matter what we’re doing?”
“That’s called a green screen,” Sabine explained. “Zane can go into the photo and digitally add any background to it, like a park or a soccer field or something like that.”
“Wow, I had no idea,” I said. “Is there a green screen at every photo shoot?”
Sabine shook her head. “No. I’ve shot in all kinds of places. In restaurants, the aquarium, the beach . . .”
I was learning so many new things. “So basically a model is kind of an actress, too,” I said to Sabine. “You have to act like you can play soccer, or are at a beach or a restaurant.”
“Yep, that sums it up!” Sabine said. “As you can tell, I don’t know the first thing about soccer. I’m glad you do. If there is someone on set who actually knows how to do whatever it is we’re pretending to do, it helps.”
“Zane didn’t seem too happy with my feedback,” I reminded Sabine.
She laughed. “It’s true, they are all about getting the best shot, which might not always align with reality. Remember, they are taking hundreds of photos. You need to relax and have fun with it. You’re bound to get some good shots in there, even if some don’t feel right.”
Then Zane called us back to continue the shoot, and we did a bunch of other more static shots. Sabine holding the soccer ball. Me sitting on a bench, lacing my shoes, while Sabine propped one foot on the edge of the bench like she was talking to me. Then we changed into leggings and tank tops and did it all again. I remembered Sabine’s advice, that they were taking a ton of shots of every pose. So I just tried to go with it and have faith that there were some great shots in the bunch.
“Okay, that’s a wrap!” Zane called out. “Thank you, girls. You did a great job.”
I changed back into my own clothes, and when I checked my cell phone, I was surprised to see it was after six o’clock.
“Wow, that went fast,” I told Mom as we left the building.
Mom yawned. “Not for me. That was a long afternoon.”
Sabine waved to us from her mom’s car. “Bye, Devin! Hope we get to work together again!”
“Bye!” I called back.
“So, what do you think, Devin?” Mom asked. “Would you want to do it again?”
I had to think about that. “I’m not sure,” I said. “It was interesting, seeing how it all worked, and it was fun getting to know Sabine. But I don’t think they’d want me to do it again. I couldn’t figure out how to smile! And I don’t think Zane liked it when I kept correcting him about the soccer stuff.”
“Devin, you have the most beautiful smile in the whole world!” Mom said.
“Of course you think that. You’re my mom,” I said. Then I gave her one of the closed-mouth smiles Zane had asked me to do. “It’s goofy, right?” I asked. “I mean, I feel goofy when I’m doing it.”
Mom laughed. “Okay, maybe that smile is a little silly,” she agreed. “But I think you did great, Devin. I really do. I saw some of your photos on the screen. They looked really great.”
“Uh-huh,” I said, and I looked at my goofy smile in the mirror. I wasn’t so sure.
It’s a good thing I don’t want to be a professional model! I thought. At least, now I can concentrate on soccer again!