Mr. I Don't Smile

20. hope

20. hope

Ciera

When I got ready this morning I felt lighter. My room seemed brighter. And when I looked in my bathroom mirror I realized I was smiling. It was a long time since I felt this way.

"What's got you so happy?" Casey asked as he saw me in the school hallway. I didn't want to answer it was that little piece of hope that I gained during the photoshoot.

It wasn't like I was confident Theo liked me. My mind was always clouded with doubt. But hope had still somehow formed.

"What do you mean?" I dodged the question. "I'm not happy. I'm angry. I have this huge essay to write."

"For your information, you are the worst liar I have ever seen. You're smiling from ear to ear, like that creepy pig from the show, Olivia." I vaguely remembered watching that as a child.

"She was creepy," I agreed.

"Anyway, don't try to change the subject. Tell me."

Maddie appeared out of nowhere, walking on the other side of Casey. "Look. Natasha sent me these pictures from yesterday. Ciera apparently became a model." She scrolled through her phone showing Casey the photos.

"So that's why you were so happy. Are you dating now? These photos look too up close and personal for anything else." Casey smirked.

I rolled my eyes at him. "We're not dating. It was just the concept of the shoot."

"No one looks at each other like that just for photos," Maddie argued. She went back to her phone, stopping at the specific picture where we almost kissed, and shoved it in my face. "He looks like he wants to eat you."

"Shut up," I grumbled, embarrassed.

"Hey guys, chérie," Theo greeted, standing beside me. He grabbed my hand, and for a second I thought he was going to hold it until he put something in it. "These are the pictures from the shoot printed out and edited. I thought you would want them."

"Thanks." I decided to keep them in my hand for now, knowing my book bag would end up crushing it.

Theo, Casey, and Maddie turned down the hall going to their own lockers or next classes. I went to my locker and stopped a few feet away when I saw Genevieve waiting for me.

She didn't look happy.

Shit. Did I do something?

"Hi Ciera," her ice cold voice said.

"Hey. Did you need something?"

"Yes! I thought we were on good terms. How could you do this to me?"

"Uh, do what?"

"Wow," she scoffed, leaning against the wall." "You don't even realize what you did. Makes it even worse."

I was lost.

"I'd be able to follow a lot better if you told me."

"Being a model is my job. It's something I plan to do as a career out of high school. And yet, you randomly come in one day taking my spot for something I worked for when you didn't even try."