Paper Thin

• 9: Forbidden Fruit •

Melody

As I tried to focus on my homework that night, I found myself thinking about Carson a lot. I knew it probably wasn't smart to do, as I had many other things going on and having Carson as a friend would probably complicate my life much more.

However, I still couldn't help thinking about the way that we sat on the bench after he bought me a small raspberry slushy. He bought himself a vanilla-chocolate swirl ice cream that certainly looked really delicious. We were quiet for a bit before he told me how he never came to the park anymore because he no longer had a dog to walk. But it was different when I came.

And it confused me. It confused me to have this much positive attention on me for so long. I wasn't used to it at all. But it was so nice. And I wanted to keep looking into the burning caramel that was his eyes, because he was captivating and made me forget about everything else.

He made me feel like flowers were growing inside me, rather than thorny vines. I didn't want to admit it, but it was true, and it was dangerous. I couldn't have him sucked into my world, but he was forbidden fruit and I was Eve.

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked into the mirror. I was wearing a tight black checked skirt with a loose white turtleneck sweater that was cropped. My hair was slicked back into a high ponytail and I was wearing black high heels. As I finished putting on dark red lipstick I got a text message.

I'm outside, are you ready?

Gavin LeBlanc; 6:40am

Coming.

Melody Reese; 6:41am

I grabbed my purse and darted down the stairs. A pristine white Mercedes Benz was waiting on the road for me. I opened the door and slid in.

"Good morning Gavin!" I said cheerily as I sat down.

"Good morning Melody," He replied. "Your outfit is lovely, not too much but just enough. They'll love you."

I hoped they would. 'They' were clients looking for models and Gavin was my agent. So, in fact, I was not going to school today because I was hoping to get booked for this job instead.

The drive there was quiet, the low hum of the radio being the soundtrack to the ride. Gavin went over how I should act and smile quickly before he stopped the car. He walked me inside and we signed in. When I looked around, I saw the thirty other girls who probably had much higher chances of getting the job than I did.

I knew I should be used to walking into situations like these, but every time, it felt new and was a blow to my confidence. I shook it off and pasted on a smile as I was called into the room. I was asked to show my runway walk clad in different articles of their clothing. The clients watched me intently, and then it was time to leave. It was always a quick in and out, and I would find out if I had the job in a few days.

"I have a good feeling about this!" Gavin said, smiling as we got into the car.

We pulled out of the parking lot and began heading towards my neighbourhood. We weren't too far, as it was about a twenty-minute drive. However, the twenty minutes left me thinking about how school was slowly becoming an annoying place to be.

"Ugh, do I have to go back to school?" I asked Gavin, making him chuckle in response.

"I already pulled you out for a half day!" He responded. I wrinkled my nose and thought quickly.

"But, its already the weekend," I whined. He laughed and finally agreed dropping me off at my house in the end. While I wasn't necessarily one to run away, I quite liked the idea of staying home and away from the drama at school.