Collectively Unconsciously Composed

I’m not sure if I heard knocking on my door, or if it was just the pounding in my head from the previous night. I groaned and pulled the covers up further over my head as my friend Kat continued to pound on my door.

“Scout! You’re going to be late to work again if you don’t get your ass up!” Kat called through the door as I groaned. “I will break down this door if you don’t get up in the next five seconds!” I slowly threw my legs over my bed and slunk to my bathroom to go shower and get ready for work.

“That’s more like it!” Kat yelled as I rolled my eyes and stepped under the burning water. I turned the radio in the shower up, hoping the loud music would somehow cure my hangover.

I showered quickly and threw on my usual attire for work: jeans, a baggy jumper, and my favorite beanie. I quickly tried to straighten my blond mess of hair but gave up and decided to let it air dry instead. I grabbed my camera bag off my shelf and ran out the door into the foyer.

“Don’t forget your shoes!” Kat called, holding up my favorite pair of white converse.

“Thanks,” I mumbled, slipping them on and running out the door.

I exited my building to be greeted by a gust of cold air. I shivered, wishing I had grabbed my coat before leaving the apartment. Well, that’s what you get for living in Chicago. I pulled my iPod out of my camera bag and put my headphones in, the sound of The Killers filling my ears. I walked quickly to my building and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw I still had five minutes to spare. I quickly hopped on the lift, only to be delayed as five boys entered the lift as well.

“Going up?” one with black hair asked as I nodded.

“17th floor,” I mumbled as one of the guys gave me an amused look.

“Looks like we’re going to the same floor, love.”

I hid behind my hair as I waited the agonizing thirty seconds to the 17th floor. I always had a problem with meeting new people, especially five gorgeous guys. I silently prayed that none of the others would talk to me as I awkwardly got off the lift and followed the guys to my studio.

“Welcome, welcome!” My boss Shannon called to the guys who piled through the door. “Oh Scout, you’re late,” Shannon said, narrowing her eyes at me as I blushed and moved to go set my stuff down at my desk.

Shannon ushered the boys into her office as I sighed and pulled a folder from the drawer of my desk. I began to absentmindedly look through the pictures, straining to hear the ongoing conversation between the five guys and my boss. I quickly looked away as I made eye contact with a guy with brown curly hair. He gave me a small smile but I hid behind my hair. I was beginning to sort through photos from my last shoot as I heard the door open and a series of footsteps follow.

“I can assure you that Scout is our best photographer here. She will do a test shoot and you can decide if you want her or someone else,” Shannon said as the boys responded with “yeah” and “okay”. “Scout? Meet me in Studio 4,” Shannon said curtly as I nodded, ignoring the curious gazes of the five guys.

I grabbed my camera and tripod and made my way to Studio 4. I cursed as I dropped my tripod to the floor, the five guys turning to look at the sudden noise. I blushed and picked the tripod up. I continued to set everything up for the quick photo shoot, all while ignoring the guys. Sometimes my intense shyness came off as being rude or ignorant, but it somehow never prevented me from taking great pictures.

“I need you guys to come to the middle, like this. Okay now you,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “Come a little more to the front. Okay perfect,” I said, moving on to the next boy.

I rearranged them so they were all standing, but the two taller ones were in the back and the three shorter were in front. I walked over to my camera and looked through the viewfinder to focus on the boys. I snapped the first picture and looked to make sure it looked alright. I nodded at the product and continued to snap away, telling the boys to move every which way.

About 100 pictures later, a man in black appeared and said the boys needed to go. Shannon thanked them as they collected their phones and whatnot. They thanked me as they walked out the door. I responded by giving them a small wave, blushing as each one walked by. Once they were gone, I went to go collect my camera and clean things up.

“Scout, print those pictures out now. Their manager needs those pictures by tomorrow,” Shannon said as I nodded and went back to cleaning up.I made my way back over to my desk and sat down with a sigh. I took my memory card out of my camera and transferred the pictures to my Mac.

“Hmm hello gorgeous,” Callie said, walking up to my screen and staring at the pictures from the shoot. Callie was the makeup artist at the studio, but today was a slow day so she wasn’t needed right now. “No one told me One Direction was here today,” she said as I looked at her.

“What is a One Direction?” I asked as she gave me an incredulous look.

“They are only the most gorgeous boy band ever from England! You should know them, living in London and all,” she said, poking my side as I squirmed and looked at the picture on the screen.

“Never heard of them,” I said, scrolling through the pictures. I stopped at one where the boys were all laughing at something.

“That one is my favorite, now print them,” Shannon said curtly as I jumped at her presence behind me. “Give them to me when you’re done,” she said before walking to her office.

“God I hate that woman,” Callie groaned as I nodded my head in approval. “Well I guess I’ll leave you to it then,” she said as I smiled.

I chose my favorite 50 pictures and printed those. I tucked the pictures in an envelope before walking to Shannon’s office. I placed them on her desk and quickly turned to go when I slammed into a body. I was sent tumbling to the floor as a curly hair male looked down at me.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” he mumbled, grabbing my hands to help me up. I snatched my hands away from him as he raised an eyebrow. “I left my phone in the studio,” he drawled as I nodded.

“I’ll get it,” I said quietly, motioning for him to wait in the office. I briskly walked to the
studio to see an iPhone in the corner. I scooped it up and went to go back to the office to once again be knocked to the ground by the curly haired guy.

“I am really sorry,” he said as I dusted off my jeans. I handed him his phone and strode past him to my desk. “Thank you!” he called, but I didn’t look back.