Life Begins at Midnight

Opportunity

There was a new notice on the board. All the girls were talking about it. The guys were listening in, just staring at the gorgeous crowd the notice drew.

"Get an opportunity at modelling for a photoshoot with some of the best brands in town" it read, listing seven names that held power to move the world of those gaping at the notice. The seventh one was the name of a man, and it was a brand in itself. "Richard West" were those two words that had the girls swooning. Only one lucky girl stood a chance of getting that photoshoot.

Anna saw the crowd of the 'popular clique' mooning at the board. She caught one of the nameless beauties raving on about "If it isn't me who gets the Ricky West gig, I hope nobody else from Polson does!" and immediately one of the sidekicks had to say "If you don't get it, nobody else stands a chance!" Anna allowed herself a brief smile at the shallow workings of their minds. But she was getting late for class, so she didn't spare the notice a glance.

She wasn't late after all. She spotted Marie, her close friend and waved. Marie beckoned her to join her at the desk. Anna went over and sat beside Marie, making sure she sat on the left side of the bench, because Anna was left-handed. She didn't want to keep elbowing Marie unintentionally throughout the class.

"So. Seen the notice-board lately?" Marie asked her, guessing that Anna hadn't.

"Not really, I thought I was getting late for the class, so I guess I'll see it later, when the place is less crowded, somehow." Anna shrugged, knowing that she was going to get to hear the notice anyway.

"There's a model-hunt! They want fresh faces for photoshoots at..." and Marie rattled off the list.

"Are you going to apply for it?" Anna asked her, surprised that Marie had given her quite a long list of brands.

Marie blushed. "I don't think I'll ever get picked in those seven." She said, looking down at her hands.

"Of course you will, if you give it a try. Obviously this thing means something to you, doesn't it? Then go for it. You've got much more character and poise than the people down there by the notice-board. Who knows, you might even land the Ricky West gig!" Anna repeated the one she remembered the girls talking about.

Anna was surprised at her own outburst. But it was true none the less. And she could see that a modelling photoshoot meant a big deal to her friend.

"You think so?" Marie raised her eyes by a fraction, looking at Anna through her lashes.

"Of course I do. I don't like to lie. If I thought you looked like a ferret with a monkey's face, I'd have told you that too..." and the two burst out laughing. It was some sort of a private joke between the two. The previous year, Marie had just entered the Polson Academy. And she had ended up in a game of truth or dare. Anna had not even been in her class. They dared Marie to call out a really rude or cheeky comment to the first person that she came across. At that time, Anna happened to pass by her. So off the top of her head, Marie had called out that she looked like a ferret with a monkey's face. Anna had paused, blushing. Marie wanted to say sorry, but before she could manage it, Anna had given a befitting reply "I also happen to have a mirror with me somewhere." And she had laughed at it. The insult was nothing more than a joke to her, and she was a good-natured girl. It was difficult to get on her wrong side, because she seemed to have none. After that it had been Marie's turn to blush and say sorry. She had immediately struck up a friendship with the girl who could laugh at herself so easily.

"You should remind me of that more often" Marie pouted.

"So are you applying for the photoshoot or what?" Anna asked, presently.

"Only if you apply for it too." Marie replied. Anna had not seen that coming.

"If I apply? But I am not even a model! I like to be behind the camera, not in front of it." Anna mused.

"Okay, Anna. Here's the deal. If I land a gig, like you say I will, then I'll let you accompany me so that you can see the photoshoot and muck around with the photographer, talking about exposure and saturation and what-not. In return, you should accompany me in applying for the photoshoot." Marie reasoned with her, knowing that it was a fair deal, too good for Anna to pass up.

"Now that you put it that way..." Anna mused, and made up her mind. "It's a deal." She nodded.

They couldn't talk anymore because the teacher had arrived and the class was about to start.