✓ | PHOTOGRAPHER ( CALEB MCLAUGHLIN )

xxix. truth be told

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE.
[ xxix. truth be told ]
/ IRL /

PARKER TOOK A deep breath as she stared at the amount of paperwork laying on her desk. She leaned back in her office chair, overwhelmed by the amount of work she will have to endure for the next several days to catch up on paperwork. She rubbed her eyebrows, wanting to procrastinate. "I don't wanna do this," she hummed to herself.

Parker sat back up straighter, wanting to get the amount of work done and over with. Before she could even start, she was interrupted by a knocking on the shut door. She lifted her head up quickly, "come in!" She shouted in approval. The door slowly opened, revealing Annalise Greener putting her head inside the room slowly. "Mom, what do you want?"

"I just came to get some paper for my printer," the woman explained softly as she finally walked right in straight towards the machine. Parker eyed her mother and she knew it too. Annalise breathe hitched as she felt her daughter's eyes on her as she took copier paper from the printing machine. The woman stopped, trying to figure out exactly what she was gonna say.

"You know that this paperwork is gonna take me all night?" Parker asked in a whiny tone. Annalise turned around, her eyes darting straight to the pile of folders and loose papers.

"Sorry," she carelessly shrugged, "not my problem." Parker's groan filled the whole room, forcefully letting her head hit the table as she leaned it down. Annalise anxiously bit her bottom lip before saying something. "Someone very important is coming in tomorrow and you're gonna be the main photographer." Parker's head shot back up with her eyes widened.

"Really?! Who?!" She asked with excitement, a wide and excited smile forming slowly on her lips. The woman shrugged with a smirk on her face.

"It's a surprise." Parker threw her arms up in the air in desperation, falling back more into her seat.

"That's bullshit!"

"Parker!" Annalise shouted, correcting the girl.

"Just tell me!" Parker whined as she lied her head down again. Her mother sighed happily and started towards the door, catching the girl's eye. "Why won't you tell me?!"

"It's called a surprise for a reason, Park," her mother stated flatly before exiting the room. She exited the room and moved to the wall, waiting to hear a response from her daughter out of sight.

"This isn't fair!"

"Life isn't fair!" The mother yelled back with glee, loving when she got on her daughter's nerves.

Parker sighed as she angrily sat one of the many papers of paperwork right in front of her. She forcefully grabbed a pencil from her container and groaned once again, her mind elsewhere. She wanted to know why it was such a surprise and why the model was so important.

Truth be told, she didn't do any of the paperwork that day.

Caleb reached over and turned off his music he was once blasting on the highest volume setting. He lied back down on his bed, casually staring up at the ceiling as all of his cast mates were busy at an awards show while he stayed at home. As he was finally getting comfortable, he heard a knock on his door.

He sat straight up, seeing his mother, April, standing beside the door. "I'll make sure you're up, but you're gonna be doing a photoshoot tomorrow," his mother explained, making him confused.

"For what?" He asked curiously. His mother stood there, trying to improvise something to say.

"It's for a magazine promoting self-love," April stated quickly before trying to walk away, wanting to finish the conversation as quickly as possible. But, her son stopped her from leaving.

"What's it called?" She sucked in her breath and turned back around, facing the boy who did mean well.

"It's a surprise!"

"Why?" He questioned, watching his mother's smile turn to a frown. He watched as he received the 'annoyed look', the annoyed look nobody would want to receive from their mother. "Sorry-". She walked away, sighing with relief that she didn't mess up the the surprise.

Caleb sat there, completely and utterly confused. Why is this all so sudden? He thought to himself. Is this just something to get me out of the house? He rolled his eyes and fell back onto the mattress underneath him.

Truth be told, he was left confused that entire day.

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THIS IS SISTER SHORT