Published, BiFrost Literary Magazine - Grand View University

Lily bounced through the restaurant as she eyed her sister. Beaming withexcitement, she slid into the booth across from Becca shrugging out of hercoat while tossing her purse beside her. “You are going to die.”“Not too soon I hope,” Becca smiled.Ignoring the witty comeback, Lily leaned on the table. “Do you rememberthat guy we met at the bar last Saturday?”“Mr. Modeling Agent?” When Lily grinned and nodded, Becca moaned.“Lil. You didn’t actually call him did you?”“I did.”“You have got to get away from these losers.”“This one isn’t a loser. He’s actually a modeling agent.”“Right.”Lily nodded. “I met him for dinner last night.”Becca’s face fell. “What?”“He wants me, me,” she reiterated, “to take some headshots. Can youbelieve that?”“What?”Lily rolled her head back and squealed. “I’m going to be a model! He saidI have classic features and I’m going to be huge.”Becca blinked several times before smiling. “Wow.”Lily’s smile faded, “What’s wrong?”“Well, I just,” she cut herself off. “Are you sure he’s legit? I mean, thereare a lot of guys out there that will say anything—““I know. I’m not stupid.”“I didn’t say that you were. But this guy comes out of nowhere and sayshe’s going to make you famous. It doesn’t happen like that, Lil. I’ve beensending headshots around for over a year. Agents don’t just fall into your lap.”

“I looked him up before meeting him. He’s got a list of his clients on hissite, some are pretty big.”Becca nodded again. “Okay. Great. I’m glad you looked into it.”“Gosh, you think I’m just going to buy that line without checking him out?I called his office and verified his position and checked his site. He’s real.He’s an agent. He offered me a contract.”“He…a contract?”“Yeah. He’s going to represent me,” she squealed. “Isn’t that the mostamazing thing ever?”“Yeah. That’s great,” Becca said through her frozen smiled, signaling thewaiter as he walked passed. “Can I get a margarita on the rocks? No saltplease. ”“Water for me,” Lily said then scoffed when the waiter walked away.“Bec, it’s like one o’clock in the afternoon.”“Well, we’re celebrating.”“Really?”“Yeah.”“So this is good, right? Getting an agent?”“Yeah. You don’t want to be out there on your own, getting…rejected atevery turn,” she said flatly, thinking of her own career. “Without an agent, youget stuck doing fashion shows for department stores in overcrowded malls andrefilling wine glasses at tasting events.”“I don’t want to do that, not after hearing some of the stories you’ve toldme,” Lily said with wide eyes.“Exactly,” Becca breathed before sitting back to listen while Lily rambledon about Micah, the magically appearing agent, and all the promises he madeher. Taking a deep breath, she nodded politely and attempted to listen untilher drink arrived. Tossing the straw aside, she took a long drink, thenanother, before setting the glass down and looking at Lily again.

“Wow, he said that?” Becca asked in reference to her sister’s perfect jawline.“And my eyes. He said they have the perfect shape. I always thoughtthey were too big. I mean you’re the pretty one, right? And I look nothing likeyou. I mean, not that much anyway.”Becca nodded. They definitely looked different.“I just think it’s so cool that we’re both going to be models.”“Well,” Becca snorted after finishing off her drink, “I’m not the one with anagent.”“Should you be drinking that much before we even order food?” Lilyasked when Becca ordered another margarita.“Oh, you can’t eat,” Becca said dramatically.“What?”“Oh, honey, no. You have headshots in two days. You can’t eat.”“What are you talking about?”“Didn’t Michael tell you?”“Micah?”“Whatever,” Becca shrugged. “You have to lose at least four poundsbefore your shoot. You don’t want all that water weight showing.”Lily self consciously touched her face. “Water weight?”“How much salt have you had today?”“Well…I had bacon with breakfast.”Becca drew her eyes wide. “Bacon? Are you insane? You don’t want tobloat up that perfect face. That jaw line? And those eyes? Do you have anyidea how puffy they’ll get? Oh, Lillian,” she chastised, “you can’t havesodium.”

“Okay. Okay. Salt is out. That’s not so hard.” Opening her menu, shestarted to look through the selections but her sister took the menu from her.“Lettuce,” she said knowing her sister’s deep hatred for salad. “Nodressing.”“Lettuce?”“Four pounds in two days. There is only one way to do it. Nothing butlettuce.”“What about fruit? Apples? Berries.”Becca was shaking her head even as Lily spoke. “The complex sugarsbreak down and go straight to your hips. Nobody wants a model with a fatass.”Lily looked down at her waist then at her sister. “But you…”“And look at me. Sitting here with my baby sister who has an agentwithout even trying. I’m old and bloated. Listen to me, Lil. Let me guide you.”“Okay,” Lily breathed. “I’ll have lettuce,” she said unenthusiastically.Taking a breath, she nodded as she mentally prepared herself for thesacrifice. “What else?”“Do you know how models always have shiny hair?”“Yeah.”“Do you know how they get that shine? They don’t wash it,” Becca statedwhen Lily shook her head. “Really. They just don’t wash their hair. Makes itshiny and smooth.”Lily’s lips turned into an exaggerated frown. “That’s kind of gross.”“Well, being a model isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. You don’t get to eat orwash. Or—“ she cut herself of when the waiter walked up to the table. “She’sjust going to have a bowl of lettuce. No dressing. I’m going to have the baconcheeseburger, extra fries and another margarita,” she instructed taking thestraw from the glass he sat in front of her. After a large swallow, she sat theglass down. “That is really good.”“Hey,” Lily protested.

it.” Becca watched the waiter set her drink on the table. “It wouldn’t leaveroom for all these margaritas.”“We need to change our order,” Lily said to the waiter. “I’ll have thegrilled salmon with wild rice.”“Same here,” Becca said. “I hate fish,” she said when he walked away.“Me too.”“You do have a good jaw line.”“Thanks,” she smiled.“But your eyes are big.”“Hey,” Lily stated with shock.Becca grinned. “So. You’re going to be the next big thing, huh?”“Maybe. If I am, I’m taking you with me.”“Oh, yeah?”“Yeah. We’ll be rising stars side by side. You didn’t think I’d leave youhanging, did you?”“What? Wasn’t even worry about it.”“Really?”“Nope,” she said pushing her margarita aside and taking a drink of Lily’swater. “Not for a second.”