I jolted awake when the sound of my alarm echoed the empty room. I looked around to see that I lay in my bed. How did I get here? Then I remembered last night. My head started pounding and I held onto it, hoping the pain would stop. That couldn’t have happened; it was a dream. I sat up in my bed and looked over to the alarm clock that continued to blare. Once I turned it off, I noticed a note sitting beside a glass of water and Advil.
‘It wasn’t a dream, but you’re okay. You may still be in shock; take this and drink lots of water. Stay safe beautiful.’
For some reason I didn’t panic. Without giving the rest of the situation much thought, I decided to get ready and go to the gallery. The opening was today and I was still stressed over getting everything perfect to the last final detail. Shannon has done a great job with helping me, but I still found it necessary to review everything myself.
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By the time I finished running through everything at least a dozen times, I went back to my apartment and got ready. The dress code for tonight is Black and White so that I could stand out. It was Shannon’s idea and I figured I’d allow it this one time. Truth is, I hate being the center of attention. I prefer being behind the camera capturing the moments that most people don’t notice. For tonight I chose a long sleeved red dress that hugs my curves perfectly, with a long slit down the side exposing my leg up to the middle of my thigh. I chose a pair of black vampire collar pumps to pair with the dress and wore my hair up. For makeup I chose blood red lipstick and black-rimmed eye shadow.
The car pulled up at my house at 7, arriving at the gallery at 7:15 for pictures. Interviewers, cameras, and the extra crowd of people dressed up nice (hoping to get in) lined the front carpet that leads to the front entrance. After the car door was opened, I stepped out, smiling and waving to the people while walking up towards the entrance.
“Jessica!”
“Miss Dana!”
“Jessica! Over here!”
I continued to walk up until I was finally inside. I looked around myself and noticed the large sum of people mingling. Miley Cyrus. Rhianna. Beyonce. Jay-Z. Kanye West. The whole Kardashian-Jenner clan. Holy shit. There were so many celebrities here that I’ve photographed and even more important people whom I’ve never met or have met briefly. I continued to greet people and mingle with those I knew. Shannon came up to me when the show was scheduled to begin. I walked up to the front stage and stepped up to the podium.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you all for coming tonight. I hope you enjoy the pieces displayed tonight, and appreciate the London that sits on these walls. There are drinks and snacks in the front room and plenty more being made in the back, so don’t be shy. Enjoy,” I concluded. The audience before me applauded before dispersing around the room. I walked around until I accidently ran into someone.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I began but was cut off by the girl.
“No please, it’s my fault. Silly me wasn’t watching where I was going,” she smiled.
“It’s okay, I hope you’re enjoying yourself tonight,” I decided to spark up a conversation. I don’t know what it was about this girl but she seemed very kind. Her hair was colored pink, she wore a long black dress, and her makeup was done similar to mine.
“I am! This is such a wonderful gallery. Some of the best photography I’ve ever seen,” she complimented.
“Perrie,” I voice called. We both turned to see a man with pitch black hair and light brown skin walking towards us. He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek then turned his attention towards me.
