The Fundamentals of the Wealthy

Surprise Me

“Sounds like a crush to me,” Ryan deduced easily, the next day. We were heading through the lobby of the modeling convention building, towards the models’ dressing rooms.

“But what if it’s not? There’s no way I could like someone I’m afraid of.” I rubbed my clammy palms against the thighs of my jeans, still shaken from the earlier encounter with Mr. Raleigh.

“Conclusion: you aren’t scared of him. You’re scared of being fired, so you won’t be able to work for him anymore.”

That was partially true - only for the wrong reason. I went to Mr. Raleigh to apply for his job application, thinking it was an opening for a writer. Turns out, when he had put ‘writer’ in the job description, he meant a person who could write out notes and schedules for him.

I got the job anyway, and decided to mostly due to the pay, and somewhat due to a hope that I would be promoted to publicity writer once he saw my writings.

“Sure. You could say that,” I sighed hugely.

“No, no, no!”

A shattering crash resonated through the quiet hallway, originating from the dressing room at the end of the hall. Ryan and I exchanged tentative glances. Victoria was hardly ever in a good mood, from what I could tell in the last few hours of working with her.

She could only be distracted and pleased for ten minute intervals, before it was back to holding unsightly high standards, and being annoyed at everything.

“I wanted pearls, you idiot! How am I going to fit the theme if I don’t have pearls?!” She screeched at a cowering assistant; the same assistant who had made the watermelon-strawberries mistake the day before. Ryan and I hid behind the door frame, hoping to stay out of sight for the time being.

“Get out!”

The poor woman gratefully fled, whirling past Ryan and I, sobbing into her hands.

I stood agape, unsure of what to say. Ryan had his eyebrows raised into his hairline, his brown eyes concerned. Concerned, I assumed, for himself. Frankly, I was too.

Victoria stooped over her vanity angrily, seething at the open jewelry box in her hands before flinging it into the mirror. Beads and strings of diamonds scattered in every direction, yet miraculously, the glass remained intact.

I heard a rumor somewhere that her mother had specially installed shatter-resistant mirrors in Victoria’s dressing rooms. For obvious reasons.

Her slitted, freezing blue eyes caught us in the mirror when she looked up, and I reflexively flinched.

“Ryan! Piper! Thank the heavens!” The model twisted around, “Someone I can communicate with!”

Ryan audibly gulped before a nervous beam spread across his face, “Tori! Darling, have you decided what you want today?”

“I want to be the shining star of the theme today. Make me beautiful,” Victoria responded in a whisper.

The room was lit a pale blue and white today, jellyfish-like streamers hung spiraling from the ceiling. I guessed Victoria was really into home decor.

We joined her at the vanity, cautiously taking seats besides her.

“Piper, tell me honestly. What did this Mr. Raleigh man say about the date?”

I blinked. I hadn’t come up with an excuse yet.

“He said...he doesn’t want to.”

Across Victoria, Ryan shot me a bewildered look. I shook my head, mouthing, ‘I’ll explain later’.