Episode 29

EPISODE TWENTY NINE

It’s the day of the fashion/auction show and Arden’s departure….

The show starts at 6pm and Arden leaves at 4pm, right now it’s 3 pm and I’m at Kelsey’s university, having a final rehearsal and so far, my day has been anything but happy and everybody knows why

After my walk, I sat by the stage and watch the other models do their walk

Kelsey approached me, “Hey”

“Hey” I answered the same

“Are you alright? We can try and find a replacement if you don’t want to do the show” she said with genuine concern

“Don’t, I can do the show, I’m just a bit depressed right now” I sighed “and besides a deal is a deal and I won’t break that deal” I turned to Kelsey and tried to smile “Let’s just say goodbye to her later okay?”

“Of course” Kelsey gave me a pat on the shoulder before going back to work

This has got to be the most depressing day of my life

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The hour went by fast, Kelsey told the other coordinators about Arden’s departure so they let us leave for a while to say good bye to her. Haley said that she’ll handle things here while we’re gone. Ryan and Cindy met with us at the university and the 6 of us quickly went to Arden’s place in Kevin’s car

When we got there, we saw Arden locking up the door, her bags lying on the floor. We quickly hopped out of the car. She saw us and waved before approaching us

“What are you guys doing here?” Arden asked

“We couldn’t let you leave without us saying good bye now would we?” Jamie smiled softly

“What about the preparation for the fashion show?”

“That can wait for a while” Kelsey said “now hop in, let’s get you to the airport before you miss your flight”

Arden smiled and gave Kelsey a hug, the guys then carried her bags and put them in the car trunk. We hopped back in. Arden sat next to me then she looked at me and smiled with a hint of sadness in her eyes. I smiled back and gently squeezed her

Arden was talking with the others but I chose to be silent and just enjoy her presence and the feeling of holding her hand

We reached the airport and we all went out of the car. The guys took her bags from the trunk set it down in front of her, we were about to go in with Arden but she stopped us

“I think it’s better if we just say our goodbyes here” Arden said with teary eyes “I don’t really want to cry too hard when I abroad the plane”

And Cindy and Kelsey started tearing up as well, Arden then approached Jamie, Kevin, Ryan, Cindy and Kelsey and individually gave them a tight hug and a great thanks for their friendship then told them to keep in touch with her

Arden then approached me, this time she was really crying and I started tearing up as well. She threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly and I hugged her back

“I’ll never forget you” she whispered to my ears

I closed my eyes and hugged her still, never wanting to let her go, “I love you”

“I love you too”

When we parted she kissed me on the cheek and tried to smile while wiping her tears. She then took her bag and with one final wave goodbye, she entered the airport.

I stared at her figure as she disappeared in the crowd inside the airport

Jamie placed her hand on my shoulder then she went to the car and I followed.

I was staring outside the window as we left the airport.

On the road, I looked at the sky and saw an airplane passed by. That must be her plane…

And tears started welling up in my eyes and this time, I just let them fall.

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One hour before the auction/fashion show, the masquerade party already started. The models are at the back getting ready for the show

“Wow, looks like we really wouldn’t see the faces of our dates until the date itself starts” Kevin said looking at the dance floor where all the students and few other guests are dancing

Turns out this isn’t your normal masquerade party but like a grand ball kind of party, Kelsey mentioned the theme of the party before but we didn’t thought it would be this fancy. It’s like one of those dances you see on Disney movies, where the ladies are wearing gowns and the men are wearing prince-like outfits, they just made it modern, so instead of long, flowing gowns, their outfits are fancy dresses down to their ankles but they still looked like princesses and some of their dates just wore fancy tuxedos

Kevin’s right though, it’s really hard to see to see their faces since they’re wearing masks

“Okay, you guys ready?” Kelsey said as she entered carrying our 6 costumes, we have to model two outfits per each person so the bidders can “fully decide” on who they want to have a date with

“I guess” Jamie answered and quickly took some of the costumes from Kelsey “Is these outfits ours?”

Kelsey nodded, “get dress, the show’s about to start in 30 minutes”

Kevin took his outfits and went to the other room

Jamie then gave me my outfits and we both stared at the clothing

“I can’t believe they’re making us wear this” I said a bit surprised at the design of the clothes

Jamie sighed “at least the second outfit looks...”

“Decent?”

“Normal”

I giggled a bit and took out my first outfit out of the plastic covering, it was a somewhat old fashioned fancy tuxedo, You know what the prince charming from Cinderella was wearing? It’s similar looking to my outfit, except it’s been tailored to fit a woman’s body

I removed my clothes and gently put the costume on, after a few minutes of sheer discomfort, I finally got used to the outfit

Jamie finished changing first and she was comfortably sitting in front of the dresser and was fixing her hair, we both have short hair, Jamie has shorter hair though, so she just used some hair gel.

I stood in front of the mirror and looked at myself

“You two look handsome”

I turned and saw Kelsey by the door, smirking at me

I just rolled my eyes as she laughed, Kelsey then approached and stared at me

“You’re hair doesn’t match the outfit though”

She then turned to Jamie and asked for the hairspray and hairbrush, which Jamie lazily threw at her

She expertly caught it and started spraying my hair like a crazy person

I cough and sneeze a few times before she stopped spraying and then Kelsey started brushing and styling my hair until I have the hairstyle of one of those Korean stars where it’s a bit messy at the top but kinda flow-y at the bottom but I have to admit it does look good on me and it perfectly fits the outfit

“There, you looked more handsome” Kelsey smiled and teased

“Guys! 5 minutes ‘til the show starts!” a voice from outside yelled “models go to the backstage now!”

“You guys better go now” Kelsey ushered us towards the door, I went out first but turned to see what Jamie was still doing, I saw her and Kelsey talking, I smiled slightly and went to the backstage

We were separated from the guys, of course, and looked like they made all the girls wear tuxes, good and fair, i guess. A few minutes later, we heard the emcee talking

“Okay ladies! Having a good time?!” the female voice said and the audience filled with mostly women cheered and shouted.

“Well, fun’s not over yet, I say the fun is just starting” the emcee smiled at the audience “Let’s start the fashion show!”

And the audience roared with excitement

The audience wasn’t allowed to know our names so they called us by numbers, there are 8 guys and 7 girls, they called us alternatively, guy then girl, I was number 4, Kevin was number 6 and Jamie was number 3

“Okay! Let’s welcome male model number 1” the emcee shouted “come on out!”

And so the fashion show began…