The Only

Chapter 2

It takes Lisa fifteen minutes of mad sprinting to get to the faculty room. There was a minute left before the deadline.

Rosie had so helpfully picked out her most portfolio-worthy photos - choosing three black and white portraits of herself and a few scenic wide shots during the golden hour of places in the campus and the city.

"These are so nice, Lisa." Rosie whispers, eyes in happy crescents, smile small, and a slight dusting of blush covering her cheeks. She held a print of herself, laughing behind a hand.

Lisa watched her with the same happiness mirrored in her eyes.

"You capture me so well." Rosie looks up at her, holding the photo up beside her face.

Lisa laughs, then nods.

"Well, thank you."

Rosie holds the photo down and takes another look at it, running her fingertips across the glossy surface quickly before setting it down to pick up another photo of herself, this time looking directly at the camera, a fork to her lips.

"This is nice, too." The artist whispers. "But I don't think this is portfolio-worthy. We should include your landscapes instead of this one." She sets the photo aside, on the "rejected" pile.

"You look pretty there, though." Lisa quickly disagrees. Rosie just shrugs, already too busy examining the landscapes and having forgotten about the photo they talked about last. Lisa hums. "But I'll go with whatever photo set you choose, though, since I clearly can't decide for these myself."

Rosie chuckles.

"You'll fail to meet the deadline if you were the one deciding." Rosie slips the landscape she was holding into a brown envelope, picking it as portfolio-worthy. "Besides, you already have too many portraits of me. It's better to have more variety with your subjects, show your professor how versatile you are!" Rosie smiles at her.

Lisa nods, not fully accepting Rosie's logic.

"But you're my favorite subject." The photographer says it with all honesty and courage.

Rosie just smiles wider.

"No," Rosie brushes the compliment off. "I'm your only subject because we spend so much time together."

Lisa just laughs.

"No, you're really pretty that's why you're my favorite!" She holds her hands out, trying to convince her best friend.

Rosie shakes her head.

"Sure." The artist says in a sarcastic tone, still refusing to accept compliments or to believe them.

"Whatever." Lisa rolls her eyes, tired of her best friend's stubbornness and inability to take praise when it comes to her looks.

Rosie finished slipping the last photo into the brown envelope. Lisa runs to grab her favorite baggy jeans and practically jumps into them. The blond hands Lisa the portfolio just as she finishes lacing her shoes up. Lisa all but zooms past her like the Roadrunner leaving Willie Coyote in the dust.

"Good luck!" Rosie screams after her.

Lisa nearly crashed into her photography teacher as he exited the faculty room, intending to head out. But the photographer pulled the brakes on her own feet right on time and managed to keep balance despite flailing around for a while.

The professor accepted the portfolio with a raised eyebrow, and for a second Lisa felt her heart drop. She waited for a rejection but then the old man broke out into a smile as she breathed out the biggest sigh of relief. He laughed and told her, "got you worried for a second didn't I, Ms. Buzzer-beater?"