Chapter 6: BYE FELICIA!

"You are so infuriating!" Alex and I walk out of the house together.

"I think you mean handsome, bro," he smirks. I gag and walk faster. "Do you even know where you are going?" I have no idea where I'm going.

"Somewhere away from you, Patricia," I cross my arms and turn around. He rolls his eyes and catches up to me.

"Then why'd you stop to look at me?" he says.

"Because I wanted to give you a piece of my mind."

"Stop being so lame mate."

"Nah sugar pie," I say and he laughs. I continue walking with my arms crossed.

"You obviously aren't against the idea of modelling then?" he speaks sometime later.

"What? No! Where'd you get that idea from?" I say, my eyes narrowing.

"Well, you didn't say no at dinner..."

"Because I was in shock that you made such a jerk move, Patricia!"

"I'm surprised it shocked you, you should've seen it coming, bruh," he smirks.

"Go away," I cross my arms as we step into the pool area and sit down on the seats, blue light from the pool illuminating our faces.

"Go away? Really?" he raises his eyebrows.

"Yeah! I want you to go away!" We stand up almost as soon as we sat down.

"Fine! Just chill out Natalie, you'll get money!"

"I'll get money? That's you bribe? Wow, babe, smooth. Why don't you just go do your modeling shoot with some beach babe that puts up with your disgusting odor and-AHHHH," I scream.

I land with a splash in the water and come up spluttering and shivering.

"Chilled out yet dude?"

"Y-y-you n-n-nutcracker, h-how dare y-y-you, y-you j-j-jerk!"

He leans down and speaks. "I think that the word, 'jerk' is used on boys am I right? And obviously I'm not one, Greg, you are."

I grab his tie and put my wet high heel onto the pool wall and push off, dragging him in by his tie.

"Y-you'll p-pay for that young man!" he splashes water into my face. My mouth was open, ready to retort when the water comes straight down my throat and I start coughing. I can't breath, and Alex soon stops slashing me. I finally open my air holes again.

"YOU ARE SO EVIL!" I scream at him, looking at his smirking face. "YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!"

"Puh-lease, stop being so dramatic, mate," he scoffs.

"I hate you! Obviously all the constipated sugar-honey-iced-tea that stopped coming out of your bum is obviously coming out of your mouth right now, because it has nowhere else to go!"

"Sugar-honey-iced-tea? Why don't you just say-"

"Shut up! Get lost Alex," I storm out of the pool and grab the towel that is conveniently hanging there, leaving none for Alex. I sigh and after drying myself I look up to see Alex's stormy face coming out of the water. He shakes his hair like the dog he is and the water splashes everywhere.

"I'm leaving this for you, Ok? Because I am actually a nice person, unlike some people," I storm off inside. I find my purse and pull out my phone, dialing Mum.

"Hey Mum, I'll be waiting in the car, take as long as you want, just don't let me see his face ever again!"

"Natal-" I hang up and go around the side to the car, unlocking it with the spare keys in my purse and dialing Adele on face time.

"Hey N- WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE?" she screams.

"Oh," I look at myself in the mini screen in the corner. My lipstick is gone, same with the stuff that was powdered onto my face. My... MASCARA (that's the word) and..... EYELINER (that's the other thing) is running down my face in wet dribbles. I sigh.

"Did you use the tissues?" she asks.

"No!"

"Ok, lick them and wipe it off," she shrugs.

"What in the world? No."

"Ok, suit yourself."

"Fine," just as I'm about to lick the tissues I spy a water bottle in the side compartment. I reach over and grab it, then removing my make-up.

"Ok, now tell me what happened," my best friend says patiently.

"Well, Jerky-Mac-Jerkface over there," I tilt the phone over to the house before returning it to my face. "Decided to sign me up for a modeling contract with him and then pushed me into a freezing cold pool!"

"Wait... He asked you to model with him?"

"Yeah! And I said no but he said I would while we where eating and - just-ugh!" I tug at my wet hair.

"So, he asked you to model with him?"

"No, he asked a doggo called Fred," I roll my eyes. "So? Your point it?"

"Nat! You understand what this means, right?"

"Nope," I pop the P.

"Well, no guy asks a girl to model with him if he doesn't think she's model-worthy."

"Model-worthy?"

"Pretty, hot, stunning, beautiful, blah, blah, blah."

"He should've asked you then!"

"Oh, stop it, stop it," she waves her hand and does a fake Kris-Kardashian accent. I laugh. "But, gurl! He thinks you're model-worthy!"

"Nah, I think I was a last reserve and he didn't want to ask any other annoying barbies."

"So he doesn't think you're an annoying Barbie?"

"That's not my point. But he probably think I'm really annoying now."

"Why?"

"I pulled him into the pool with me."

"Yassss Queen!" she sings and I have to laugh. "You guys are so Cliche. I'm on ship Natalex."

"Ya mean ship Titanic."

"Sure, sure, sure."

"But honestly, do you think I can just not turn up for this modeling thing?"

"No, you mum'll probably go right?"

"Yeah, true," I sigh.

"Ok, I really want to meet this guy," she smiles and puts her head on her hand.

"Ugh, why do you look like that?"

"Because he is fiiiiine!" she sighs.

"What you haven't even seen- oh."

"Yeah! You two are perfect!"

"Sure," I say and she laughs. "I HATE HIM SO MUCH!" I turn to look around and see my parents walking down to the car with Lucas and Paul. "I gotta go they're coming, bye," I hang up and play candy crush as they approach.

"Natalie. That was very rude!" Mum tells me as soon as she gets into the car. She turns around and her face morphs into one of horror, "Oh, sweetie, what happened?"

"You don't want to know."

"I don't wanna know, know, know, know, who's taking you home, home, home, home, I'm loving you so, so, so, so, the way I used to love you OOOOOOOOOOOH!" Paul screams and Lucas and I laugh. Paul earns a stern glance from Mum and looks down smirking. I can see Dad trying hard not to turn his lips up but lets out a small chuckle. Mum and Dad start talking about the modeling and I groan and sink back down into my seat. They mention Alex somewhere along the line.

"Do NOT mention that Jerk's name to me ever again! I don't want to see his disgustingly perfect face ever again in my life!" I yell. I widen my eyes when I realize what I just said. Mum and Dad look at each other knowingly and I sink further down into my seat.

"You know what I said to Felecia when I left?" Lucas asks. "BYE FELICIA!" Paul and him giggle the rest of the trip home.

***

"Why?" I ask Mum. I tug on the belt straps on the jeans.

"Because, I think you'll actually enjoy it," Mum tells me as I pull my hair up.

"I am not going to enjoy this."

"Yes Nat, you will," she tells me sternly. "And don't ruin it for Al-"

I start gagging. "Do not say that pig's name ever again."

"See Mrs Bennett? Don't you think that they're destined?" Bubbles sings from my bed and I turn to glare at her as my mum smiles.

"Don't encourage her, Mum," I say. Mum shrugs. "Why am I wearing jeans? Don't I have to change clothes, jeans are hard to take off and put on."

"This is what Michelle told you to wear."

"You mean told you to tell me to wear."

Mum sighs. "Go take off your pajama shirt and put this on."

She hands me a long sleeve shirt. I walk off mumbling things like:

"This is a long sleeve shirt."

"This is hard to get on and off."

"Why do I have to do this?"

I change into the top and walk back, bundling up my pajamas and throwing them onto my bed where Bubbles stuffs them under my pillow.

"Come on, Nat be down in ten minutes, I've just gotta get my bag," of course it would take Mum ten minutes to get a bag ready.

"SO," Bubbles claps her hands together. "You're gonna slay, be Alex's bae-"

"Ok, ok, ok, we don't need to hear that again," I laugh. Bubbles pouts.

"Well, you're going to need to drape yourself all over him! There'll be lots of pretty girls there. Of course none as gorgeous as you but you gotta win him gurl!" she says.

"Ew. No," I say and turn around to gag. "I can't stand being around him. Let alone touching him," I shiver.

"Well, then you shouldn't have agreed to model with him."

"BUT I DIDN'T!" I yell. She giggles.

"Ok.... Well, call me when it is over!" she grabs her bag and runs out of my room. I don't miss her yell as she runs down the stairs. "Natalex! Woo!"

I roll my eyes and grab a back pack, storing my phone, earbuds, purse and keys inside. I walk down the steps.

I'm ready to put on my uncomfortable place as I walk around the corner to the kitchen. "Hey Mum? You really don't have to come."

"Oh, Natalie, I am definitely coming!"

"I'm sorry you're excited but I'll be fine on my own."

"Nope, you aren't going in your own car. I know you'll pick a different route."

"I won't! You can just drop me off."

"Oh, fine," wow, I didn't think it would be that easy. My mum throws me a knowing gaze and I fight the urge to roll my eyes. This is why I don't want Mum there. She'll give me those looks like she thinks she knows what is going on. What a Mum.

***

It turns out that I'm allowed to drive my car by myself. But I'm not allowed to go anywhere other than the modelling studio, and my mum has put a tracking app on my phone to make sure I don't go anywhere else. YIPPEE! I'm free of the mum-ster.

I drive down the highway and follow the GPS instructions until I turn off an exit and a few hundred meters before driving into a driveway with pebbles. I step into the lift and press level 9, as Mum had been told by Sarah. I walk out and to the reception desk. The lady at the table is on the phone, she waves to me and hangs up.

"Hello. Natalie Bennet?" she writes something on a piece of paper. I nod and she rolls to another desk and takes out a slip. "Just two rights, one left, show this to the manager and you're all good," she smiles and hands me the paper. "Good luck."

"Thanks," I follow her directions until I reach an open door. I step inside and a man with a bright yellow and purple suits with a top hat walks up to me. "May I see that form, young lady?" I hand it to him.

"More like young man," I turn to see Alex leaning against the wall, chewing on a toothpick and scowling.

"Hello," I say curtly.

"Denis, this is Natalie, she's the perfect guy for our shoot," he addresses the man. I roll my eyes.

"Yes, she's perfect, come along now sweetheart," he beings walking down another corridor. We walk into a room filled with cameras, in the center is a plain white box that changes color with the help of some lights. Photographers walk around the room along with many models.

"What? Why couldn't you choose from these girls?" I turn around and ask Alex, gesturing around the room.  He shrugs and walks away. I mentally groan.

"Ok Natalie! I'm Denis, this is my studio, I'm the head of the modelling for my magazine company..." he begins and I zone out until he tells me what to do. I'm asked to put on some outfits and meet them outside the change rooms.

I walk into the dressing rooms and see heaps of cubicles. The room is filled with beautiful girls and I suddenly feel self-conscious.

"Hey!" a short girl with dark hair and eyes pops up beside me. "I saw you walk in with Alex Collins. Are you doing a shoot with him?"

"Sadly yes I am," I sigh.

"Why are you sad about that?"

"Only because he is a big, dirty slug worm that slimes on everyone and annoys people for no reason at all and thinks he's handsome, when in fact he's just a boring little girly girl?"

"I heard that dude!" Alex yells from outside.

"You're disgusting babe, why're you standing outside the girl's change rooms?"

"Maybe because I'm waiting for you Greg?"

"Go away Patricia," I mumble. I walk into the change rooms and don't miss the girl's shocked faces, especially the girl that talked to me before.

I change into me white shirt and some jeans, stunned the outfit it so low-key. I walk out of the change rooms.

"This is a white shirt," I pull the shirt out. "This is a plain white shirt."

"Yeah... So?"

"I-i-it's a plain white T-shirt!" I say.

"And?"

"Isn't this supposed to be a modeling shoot? Aren't we supposed to be in clothes?" I ask.

"Don't be stupid Dude. This isn't modelling for clothes its just modeling for... modeling."

"Sure, I totally understand what that means," I cross my arms and roll my eyes.

"Come on," he pulls my arm and drags me over to the weird box thing. We're asked to stand inside by the head photographer and Denis.

"Ok, stand back to back," Denis directs us. We turn around and the lights turn on, Alex walk backwards towards me and I immediately step away from him. I WILL NOT TOUCH HIM.

He sighs quietly. "What do we do with our hands?"

"Make gun shapes and look forwards," he says. What the hell? I don't move but Alex places his hands in a gun shape and looks towards the cameras. I look at him and back to the cameras.

"Seriously?" I whisper at the douche bag.

"Just go with it!" he whisper yells, sighing, he is clearly annoyed with me. But hey, he pushed me into the pool first!

Its my turn to sigh and I copy him, my back pressing against the disgusting waste of space.

They take photo after photo, we pose differently and I have to do all sorts of these weird faces. The lights shine on us and filter the photos different colors. Alex is not happy the whole time and because of this neither am I. We definitely don't cling to each other like the photos want us to.

Denis sighs. "Alex, Nat, I don't know why you're not going full out! if you want high pay, you've got to do it to the best of your ability! You are a couple so why is your relationship so strained?"

"WHAT!" I yell.

"WHAT?" Alex yells after me.

"WE ARE NOT TOGETHER!" we shout in sync.

"Oh... Alex why'd you reject so many of the other girls then?" Denis asks, frowning.

"Well, erm- I - I didn't really want to get close to them, you know how they are, Nat was a last resort," he says and I snort/scoff. He looks at me and narrows his eyes. He totally woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

"Ok, well you two better sort out your issues. You have five minutes to eat. The caff is free at the moment, quickly!"

Alex slouches off and I follow. We open a door and walk inside. We take things out of a clear fridge and sit down on a couch. His sighs and starts eating his burger.

"Why would you get a burger when you could get a burrito?" I ask, unwrapping my spicy Mexican meal.

He shrugs. "Burgers are cheesier."

"Like you."

"I'm not cheesy!"

"Yeah, you are."

"How?"

"You're a bad boy that likes to model, plays girls, pushes people into the pool and thinks he's better than everyone else."

"That's cool not cheesy."

"Meh," I say. "SO we need to connect."

"Um, how?"

"It wasn't my idea to model! You have to tell me, I dunno? Things?"

"Just be yourself."

"Wow, totally cool and not cheesy."

"I mean, you're already really pretty there's not really anything else you can do," he takes a big bite of his burger and I stare at him. He looks up and his eyes widen then looks down and starts coughing. He has to spit the whole thing out of his mouth before chocking. When he looks up he has tears in his eyes. I laugh until my stomach hurts.

"You- almost-died!" I laugh, taking deep breaths.

"YOU ARE SO EVIL, YOU ALMOST KILLED ME," he mimics me and grins.

I roll my eyes and two minutes later I look down at my watch. "Its time to go now" we walk out and I finish my burrito. Alex licks his fingers and chucks his rubbish in the bin.

"You have something here, mate," Alex points to a spot on my shirt after he holds the door open for me. I look down at my shirt. His hand flicks up and hits me in the face.

"Ow!" I say, holding my head. He smirks. "What was that for?"

"You made me choke," he shrugs.

"What? You made yourself choke," I smirk. He looks down and his face turns read. "Aw, is cupcake blushing?" I blink my lashes and pout. He pushes me into a wall and I flick him.

"Hello!" Denis hollers. "I see you're refreshed?"

"Yeah, my burrito was nice thanks," I say and Denis raises his eyebrow.

"Ok... Well then, lets get back too it! Places everyone!"

We take our places in the box and wait for the next instruction. "Ok, so Alex, you gotta hug Natalie and laugh."

We both stare at him blankly. He sigh and claps his fingers. Alex turn to me and gulps and I faux-retch.  I huff as he walks towards me and wraps his gross hands around me. We must both have sour expressions on our faces because the photographer looks up from her camera and towards Denis, who sighs.

"At least try to look happy!" he groans.

We both put on fake smiles. This mustn't be good enough because Denis sighs again. "Come on, just think about....... Koala's with no underwear on," he says.

"Huh? Koalas don't wear underwear anyway!" I say.

"Oh, well, come on, think of something that amuses you."

He walks back over to the camera woman and waits patiently, the lady bends down ready to take the picture. Alex pulls one hand off my waist and pokes me, hard, in the stomach, it tickles. I giggle before turning to look at him. I see his grinning face and shove him.

"Patricia! Why?"

"That's why dude," he points to the camera and Denis, who is nodding with the photographer before giving us a big thumbs up.

"C'mon," I roll my eyes and we walk away. I take out my water bottle.

"Aw, all this modelling's got Greg thirsty?" he mocks me and I roll my eyes.

"No, I'm just thirsty because I haven't had a drink of water since this morning."

"Aw, that's so sad, would you like your pumpkin to come and hug you, brother?" he says in a child's voice.

"No need to act like a child Alex, you already are one," I ruffle his hair and walk back. He runs after me.

We walk into the box together, and stand there awkwardly.

"Ok, this next thing might be a little tricky for you both," Denis saunters over.

"Why?" Alex asks curiously.

"Well, we have to make the consumers convinced you're a couple," he says and we both groan.

"Why?" it is my turn to question.

"It always works," he shrugs.

"Not on little kids that look away because swapping spit is to disgusting for them," I mumble, Alex smiles at me, he's the only one that heard.

"Ok! Let's get started!" Denis walks back to the photographer. "You know what you have to do."

"Eugh," I roll my eyes and kiss Alex, he seems shocked. We probably have to stay like this so they can get a few more shots. Ew, ew, ew, is all I can think as I kiss him.

EW! EW! EW! THIS IS SO DISGUSTING! I all but mentally scream as Alex kisses me back. I pull away and wipe my mouth.

"Good, good, that was perfect!" Denis claps and I faux-retch again. I walk away and don't turn to look back at Alex. THAT WAS DISGUSTING. Ew.

***

I wait by the lift in the parking lot. Alex is taking me home and I've been waiting around fifteen minutes. I play candy crush on my phone and text Adele. I'm really not looking forward to the car trip. We finished after that disgusting photo and I haven't seen the arrogant jerk since. I got quite a lot of money, so that was pretty good.

I finally hear the lift doors open and put my phone into my bag. Ten seconds after no one has come out of the lift. I look in and gag. Ew. Its Alex and a Barbie doll. There swapping saliva and it is DIS-GUS-TANG! I wait for them to stop and the lift doors almost close. I put my foot in.

"Erm, are you done? Because if these doors close then you'll be descending into Tartarus. not that I would mind. Although you'd be like Percy and Annabeth, but still blondie, I think you'd escape hell with someone much better than him," I say smoothly. They both turn to look at me. The blondie's face is just like, what-the-flip-girl? And Alex's is one of pure annoyance.

"See you Brittany," he says, clicking a button and running a hand through his hair. He pulls my arm and leads me to a BMW. We climb in and starts the car. "Did you seriously have to do that?" he asks.

"Do what?"

"... Everything?"

"Um, sorry, I just saved you from the depths of Tartarus, you should be thanking me."

"I have no idea what the flip Tart-air-us-ses is-"

"You don't know what tartarus is? I am offended," I clutch at my heart and he sighs impatiently.

"God-"

"Amen."

"Natalie, can you just be serious for once?"

"I am actually offended!"

He huffs.

"So what did you wanna say?"

"Forget it."

"AH! That's the second time you've said that to me. You can't just begin and not finish your sentences!"

"Well, maybe if you weren't as annoying and infuriating, maybe I would've told you."

"You're such a stubborn nugget."

"Were is your house?"

"You're not gonna tell me?"

"Nope."

"Fine," I huff and slump into my leather seat.

"Fine."

*******************************************************************

Hiiii!

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BYEEEE!