Catwalk

08. Lately our conversations end like it's the last goodbye.

I'm sweating after the exercise routine. My feet have blisters in almost every part because of the heels. There are exactly two days left for the presentation party and Isabella is practically exploting us.

I've been avoiding everyone in my family this week, until I find a more or less decent way to tell Madeleine that I can't go to her debut concert. Or maybe find a way to get out of the party as soon as possible.

We are on one of the brief breaks after Lux shouted at Isabella that she'd denounce her if she ever made her walk the runway one more time. "Where is the weirdo?" Njeri asks, she is the only one of us who is standing and without a trace of sweat on her glorious dark skin. "It's the fifth time that Lyona goes to the bathroom in less than an hour, if we started late one more time because of her I'll leave and the harmed ones will be you. I don't need more practice." Once again she's looking at us over her shoulder, and it isn't only because of the difference in height that her posture provides.

It's especially annoying the way she looks at Camille. "Can you stop eating even a second, I'm sorry for the costume staff that have to find something that fit you." Camille turns over her miserable cereal bar as if it were the weapon of a crime. Then she points to Njeri with it "Any problem in paradise? I don't see why what I do with my body should bother you." I step back a bit to join Lux. I know I'm not very brave, but I prefer not to get involved in whatever they have between Camille and Njeri.

The girl with curls writes quickly on her cell phone. I wouldn't worry because I've seen her do this many times over the past few weeks, but I've never seen that expression on her face. "All good?" I ask in a very low tone just in case it bothers her. "De puta madre. That's it, mothers, mine has gone away again, I have to resend the assignment to my sibilings' school because it seems to have vanished." I bite my cheek inside, it doesn't seem right to me that someone who has barely turned eighteen has to be dealing with these things. "If you need something I can ..." Before I even have a chance to say something, Lux silences me with her own finger on my lips. "I can, I can alone, where is Lyona?" I shrug my shoulders before telling her that the russian is in the bathroom.

I feel upset with all of them. I want to help, I want us being together trying to go further than we could do separately. But maybe I'm just focusing on what I shouldn't, how am I going to be able to be useful with the problems of others if I run away from mine? I should try to talk to Isabella first. Maybe the freaking party isn't as important as we think after all.

I walk towards Isabella who furiously reviews the contents of her iPad. As soon as I approach, she wrinkles her nose and raises an eyebrow with a gesture as if she had just smelled a garbage container. "What do you want now Bunny? We're not going to stop the damn practice, everything has to go perfectly." Great, it's going to be a super easy subject to deal with. "No ... I just ... Ehm ... how long will the presentation party last?" I try not to be too direct, we already started to know that the brunette's wick is quite easy to light. "From four to six hours, what's the damned Bunny problem? None of us here are here to waste time. Shoot." I bit my lip yo try to gain a bit of time. "I've another place to be and I was wondering ..." Isabella's face at this moment is worthy of a scary movie. "Don't even think about going on." She warns me at the time that I realize that Lyona has returned, the break is over.

Isabella dismisses me with a wave of her hand. She doesn't notice because she has her back to the girls, but Lyona looks terrible. The Russian girl is much paler than usual, her pupils are very dilated and the sweat pearls her skin. She scratches her nose and seems disoriented. I hear that Lux's asking her if she feels well. The only thing the blonde does is nod absently. She tries to take a couple of steps, but she staggers too much. Before any of us can do anything, she falls to the ground with a dull sound. She has fainted.

***

I'm really tired after everything happened. So much so that I do not even get excuses, so I can not help but end up in the kitchen having dinner with everyone, including Mads.

Fortunately, Lyona woke up a few minutes after falling to the ground. What worries me the most is that he was very insistent about not seeing any doctor. Even though Isabella had already canceled the rehearsal and was insisting in an annoying way with her stupid velvet voice.

"I'll not be able to go to the concert." I've interrupted a pleasant conversation as always. Everyone looks at me with more or less annoyance and something breaks me a little inside. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry but I've that Elliot was talking about, it's a presentation party for the agency for us so it's not something I can get away with." Cohen has risen from the table, heaved a heavy breath without bothering to hear anything else.

I'm more worried about my best friend. She's focused on her phone, I know she's doing it for a while and not telling me something really harmful. I sigh, too, it's my father who breaks the silence. "Bows, I'd not want you to take this more seriously than a hobby." He doesn't understand, he's not a hobby anymore, we probably sign the contract before that fucking party.

"Madeleine?" She shakes her head and smiles at me. When she smiles like that, I promise is the saddest thing you can see. "It doesn't matter, it's just a rich kids' party, right?" But we all know that it'll be much more. A tear rolls fast by my cheek without I can avoid it. I'm going to my room, I need to finish for today.