Beautiful People | wlw

Seventeen: Exes and Ohs

Weighted by a sticky hangover was not the way Vera would have planned to do her first official interview, but the questions were in her email when she woke up at noon, head still thickened by the sugary shots Jay had bought sometime after midnight. The drinks had seemed like a good idea at the time. Vera wished she could go back and slap her past self for being so dumb.

The questions came with a deadline: We would like to run the article on the blog early next week. Please respond as soon as possible!

So, in an aching haze, Vera crawled from her bed like a badly-decayed zombie to make a pot of acidic hotel coffee. Then she propped her laptop on her knees and answered questions like, You came out of nowhere to create the biggest fashion moment of the decade so far -- how did your association with Carmen Juarez happen? What inspires you when you're creating a look? And, finally, Do you think you'll ever be able to create another look as memorable as what Carmen wore on the Teen Taste carpet?

Vera snagged there, pulse thudding in her skull. The question dug at her, blunt, like a sequin wedged beneath her fingernail.

It had been a good look. No, fuck modesty, it had been an amazing look. Vera was proud of what she had created. But she had to admit that her look alone probably wouldn't have gone viral.

The truth was, none of this would have happened if Carmen hadn't forgotten her cup on the bathroom counter. Without Carmen's spectacular talent to fuck up, it would have just been a really good look. It wouldn't have become infamous.

And Vera could never recreate such an accident on purpose. What if this ignorant magazine writer was right? What if the only thing she would ever be known for was Carmen's bloody crotch?

She was too hungover for soul-searching. Grimacing, Vera shoved her laptop to the side without answering. She would finish the interview later.

Jay looked fresh and cheerful when they showed up to dress Carmen that afternoon. He laughed too loudly and hugged Vera too tightly and somehow didn't even have bags under his eyes. It was obnoxious.

A late-night comedy show had called the day before to book Carmen after their scheduled guest dropped out last minute. She was steeling herself to joke about the period moment yet again in exchange for a chance to talk up her Merry Sanders project. It wasn't even difficult for Vera to convince her to wear red leather pants and a simple white top with lace at the throat. They were leaning all the way in. They had abandoned subtlety the moment Carmen had stepped out of that limo at the Teen Taste Awards. Vera was living for it.

Sharise was fretting, twisting silver beads between pearly nails. "Isn't it too early to be pushing this film so hard? We're four months out from the premier."

Cora tapped away at her phone. "It would be stupid not to take advantage of all the free press we're getting right now."

"We can't keep up the momentum. The girl will be filming her next project this summer. Out of sight on set."

"The studio marketing team agrees with me, Sharise." Cora still didn't look up from her phone. "We'll worry about sustaining the hype when we get there. Maybe we can make that quiet period work in our favour. Give people a chance to get really thirsty. Then WHAM. Carmen comes out at the premiere in another unforgettable Vera look, blows their minds, then blows them again with her acting."

Vera shoved a pin through the waist of Carmen's pants and tried to pretend that wasn't a lot of pressure to put on her.

"If you're gonna talk about me like I'm not here, then go somewhere else." Carmen waved one hand dismissively. "I'm getting beautiful."