The Last One | Project Fear

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐖𝐎

---

Unlike last time, we don't head off in different directions once the road trip comes to an end.

I hop on a flight with the guys back to New York, as Travel Channel wants us to partake in a promotional photoshoot. These photos will be used in marketing for the show such as banners, icons, and posters. It's a bit nerve-wracking, but I've done tons of amateur shoots before. Competition dance prepared me for this.

We get maybe twelve hours to rest, recharge, and be out to the headquarters in Manhattan the day after our road trip ends. Despite living in New York my whole life, I barely come to the city unless I absolutely have to, so I rely on the guys to navigate through the city streets.

Once we get there, we're ushered up to the offices where one of the conference rooms has been transformed with a backdrop, professional photographers beginning to set up their cameras. I raise my eyebrows as I'm whisked away from the guys by a hair and makeup team and some stylists.

Thankfully, they let me have some say in what I wear. I opt for a plain white t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and a pair of combat boots. To me, it doesn't feel to on the nose for what we're doing. It's also reminiscent of what I'd wear on a daily basis. My hair ends up loosely curled and my makeup is what you would call natural glam. It's a bit more than what I would normally wear, but this is a photoshoot, so I don't complain too much about it.

"Ooh!" the guys whoop and holler as I meet them back in the main room forty-five minutes later.

I strike a silly pose and twirl around, laughing at their dramatic reactions to my antics. They're styled similarly to how they would dress on a normal day, too. Tanner and Alex are both in dark shirts and jeans while Dakota wears a white t-shirt and jeans (kind of like me) with a red bomber jacket and boots.

"You know, I wasn't sure how to feel about this," I say as we wait for the photographers to guide us to where they want us on the backdrop, "but considering the last time I was in a photoshoot, I was basically wearing something that made me look naked, this is far better."

"You what?" Tanner asks as Dakota quirks an eyebrow.

"My senior solo costume was beige," I explain. "It made me look like I was wearing nothing in photos and onstage. I don't know how I wasn't disqualified."

"Yes, because I'm sure the costume was the only reason they would disqualify you," Alex teases.

I shake my head and raise my hands defensively. "Dude, you've never even seen me dance!"

"Yeah, dude, I mean . . . she's pretty good," Dakota defends and I point at him, keeping my gaze on Alex as a way to say, listen to you friend, he's right.

Our conversation is cut short by the photographers telling us that they're ready to start.

We do the group shots first. They set Dakota to the left and bring me in to stand to his right. Tanner and Alex bookend us, set a couple of steps back. I take one step back from Dakota, standing right off his shoulder. We're instructed to strike casual poses, so I slip my hands into my front pockets and thread my thumbs through my belt loops. Tanner crosses his arms while Alex also puts his hands into his pockets. Dakota has his hands down at his sides.