Flash!
and the fireflies flicker.
Audrey
I used to have a friend. Her name was Audrey. Her parents weren’t like mine. They said she could be anyone she wanted to be. And her answer was “I want to be a model.”
So her parents told her to shoot for the stars, which she did. The difference between Audrey and every other girl was that when she shot for the stars, she landed on the moon, bang on. I expected it, but I didn’t expect her to hit the mainstream, I mean, she was beautiful, but in her own way. A special sort of way, the sort where you wouldn’t look at her on the bus and think ‘Oh, that girl is a bitch,’ or ‘That girl is an airhead.’ No one could ever think that about old Audrey. And she had that intriguing look about her. Something… I could probably never be able to put my finger on.
Her hair was a rather shocking shade of electric blue and she was never seen without intricate eye make up. I suppose you could say she looked like one of those girls that teenagers obsess over, the ones that just show you how ugly you truly are in comparison to their smooth complexions and outrageous hair. What you’ll never be told is that basically every picture is airbrushed to make the Fashion Queens look at least 6 stone lighter and completely spotless. If you ever met them in person, you probably wouldn’t recognise them at all.
But Audrey was the perfect model. You could capture honest beauty within the first five minutes of meeting her and you’d enjoy yourself a whole lot as well. She’d regale you with tales of her nights out and – if you were lucky – she might even tell you the story behind her dolphin tattoo that was hidden slightly under her collar bone.
“It’s from the time I got drunk at Seaworld,” she had said, slightly tipsy, tugging at the collar of her short sleeved Superman shirt drunkenly.
“You got drunk at Seaworld?” I asked incredulously. I knew she liked to party but not by open spaces of water? Surely that was suicide for Audrey, who could barely walk a straight line sober.
“Of course I did! I get drunk anywhere, Frankie, you know that. But, anyway, I was really disappointed when I woke up and found the dolphin on my chest.”
“Why’s that?” I had asked, sipping from my beer those many years ago. One of the first times I ever really got to know her away from our parents. It was her 20th birthday and she took great pleasure in teasing me: a mere seventeen year old.
“Are you kidding? I asked for Shamu!” She smiled widely, chuckling hysterically as she downed her beer and called the bartender over for another.
Audrey had a winning smile you see. You could never forget a smile like Audrey’s. It would turn up slightly at the edges before breaking out into a massive grin, revealing nearly every tooth in her mouth. Her face was capable of getting both of us anywhere for free. She would never have to be like the little girls who had to stand in line for hours just to get into a crappy bar. Audrey’s better than that.
Together, we became the faces of L’amour clothing and accessories, one of the biggest new companies, under the control of young designer, Jay Vano. He could only ever work with perfection. And that’s what Audrey was. I’m not so sure about myself though…
“Ah! Audrey!” he always pronounced her name with extra emphasis on the ‘rey’. He really was quite a phlegmy guy, if truth be told, “You look enchanting!”
Audrey smiled as Jay kissed her hand, and twirled her around in his latest creation. She looked ridiculous if you asked me. Some one had had the great idea to spray her long blue locks into a massive up-do like they had in Elizabethan times. Her dress was a pale blue and sprung out at the sides in this massive tutu thing. It was, quite possibly, the stupidest thing I’d ever seen in my entire life; until I looked at my own reflection.
“Um… Jay?”
“Yes, Frankie, darling?” emphasising the ‘kie’. He likes to do that.
“Um, don’t you think this is a bit much?” I asked tentatively, staring at my reflection. Trust me to get piled with the most heinous outfit in the collection.
“I think you look perfect, doll,” whisking across the room before I replied.
I winced. ‘Doll.’ I hate you, Jay.
I mean, why? Why must I have a stupid little mole painted on my cheek? Audrey laughed at my appearance. She didn’t have to have a mole.
“Shut up!” I hissed, as she, annoyingly, resumed twirling and going “Don’t I look pretty, Frank?” and giggling like and actual Barbie.
“Define pretty,” I scoffed, sitting down in a huff, before being shooed out of my chair by Jay’s assistant.
“NO! You no sit in outfit,” she growled, “If Jay see, he kill you.”
Stupid French bitch. All I wanted was a nice sit down, maybe even a cup of Earl Grey. That would be nice wouldn’t it? But no… I have to stand up. Audrey gets to perch on that stupid little throne they got us, but I’m not even allowed on it because my outfit is ‘delicate.’
“Frankie, Audrey, we are ready for you now,” Jay smiled, throwing his arms wide and beckoning to us to follow him. We’re supposed to feel lucky in his presence. Seeing as he doesn’t usually work personally with his models. Well aren’t we blessed? I hate you, Jay Vano.
Audrey, on cue, turned into a little doll, easy to sculpt into the perfect positions. They were blasting loud music into the room, and I had to stand right by the speaker. Hello premature deafness…
Jay’s assistant was plucking at Audrey’s arms trying to position them, but she wasn’t doing a good job. The assistant was just too rough and looked at Audrey with an odd look in her eyes. I know the green-eyed monster when I see it.
“Here,” I say kindly, pulling Audrey’s hands up to where they should be, “That what you want?”
“Parfait!” Jay yelled, “Audrey, you look just parfait!”
He means ‘perfect’, not the cake. You don’t talk about cake in Jay Vano’s presence. It just isn’t ‘proper’.
“Now, Frankie, dear,” Jay gestured, his arms flailing in the process. You see, these big fashion types are always trying to attract attention to themselves even if they are ridiculously ugly, “I need you to stand by Audrey, I want you to appear to be lover’s,” the word rolled off his tongue in an odd way, and I saw Audrey go an even paler shade of white, “okay?”
I nodded and walked over to her and looked at her like I loved her. This would be so much easier with any other girl, Any other girl wouldn’t be scowling so aggressively at me. Any other girl would be hyperventilating under my gaze. Any other girl would be all too happy to pretend to be my lover, even if it was for one snap shot, one second, one moment. But, as you can tell, Audrey isn’t like other girls. She doesn’t hate me… if that’s what you’re thinking… but Audrey doesn’t like me like that.
Audrey is more likely to go off with Jay’s female assistant than me…
Comments? This chapter could have gone a lot better, in my opinion.
The ending sucked.
Read: Friday, I'm In Love
I used to have a friend. Her name was Audrey. Her parents weren’t like mine. They said she could be anyone she wanted to be. And her answer was “I want to be a model.”
So her parents told her to shoot for the stars, which she did. The difference between Audrey and every other girl was that when she shot for the stars, she landed on the moon, bang on. I expected it, but I didn’t expect her to hit the mainstream, I mean, she was beautiful, but in her own way. A special sort of way, the sort where you wouldn’t look at her on the bus and think ‘Oh, that girl is a bitch,’ or ‘That girl is an airhead.’ No one could ever think that about old Audrey. And she had that intriguing look about her. Something… I could probably never be able to put my finger on.
Her hair was a rather shocking shade of electric blue and she was never seen without intricate eye make up. I suppose you could say she looked like one of those girls that teenagers obsess over, the ones that just show you how ugly you truly are in comparison to their smooth complexions and outrageous hair. What you’ll never be told is that basically every picture is airbrushed to make the Fashion Queens look at least 6 stone lighter and completely spotless. If you ever met them in person, you probably wouldn’t recognise them at all.
But Audrey was the perfect model. You could capture honest beauty within the first five minutes of meeting her and you’d enjoy yourself a whole lot as well. She’d regale you with tales of her nights out and – if you were lucky – she might even tell you the story behind her dolphin tattoo that was hidden slightly under her collar bone.
“It’s from the time I got drunk at Seaworld,” she had said, slightly tipsy, tugging at the collar of her short sleeved Superman shirt drunkenly.
“You got drunk at Seaworld?” I asked incredulously. I knew she liked to party but not by open spaces of water? Surely that was suicide for Audrey, who could barely walk a straight line sober.
“Of course I did! I get drunk anywhere, Frankie, you know that. But, anyway, I was really disappointed when I woke up and found the dolphin on my chest.”
“Why’s that?” I had asked, sipping from my beer those many years ago. One of the first times I ever really got to know her away from our parents. It was her 20th birthday and she took great pleasure in teasing me: a mere seventeen year old.
“Are you kidding? I asked for Shamu!” She smiled widely, chuckling hysterically as she downed her beer and called the bartender over for another.
Audrey had a winning smile you see. You could never forget a smile like Audrey’s. It would turn up slightly at the edges before breaking out into a massive grin, revealing nearly every tooth in her mouth. Her face was capable of getting both of us anywhere for free. She would never have to be like the little girls who had to stand in line for hours just to get into a crappy bar. Audrey’s better than that.
Together, we became the faces of L’amour clothing and accessories, one of the biggest new companies, under the control of young designer, Jay Vano. He could only ever work with perfection. And that’s what Audrey was. I’m not so sure about myself though…
“Ah! Audrey!” he always pronounced her name with extra emphasis on the ‘rey’. He really was quite a phlegmy guy, if truth be told, “You look enchanting!”
Audrey smiled as Jay kissed her hand, and twirled her around in his latest creation. She looked ridiculous if you asked me. Some one had had the great idea to spray her long blue locks into a massive up-do like they had in Elizabethan times. Her dress was a pale blue and sprung out at the sides in this massive tutu thing. It was, quite possibly, the stupidest thing I’d ever seen in my entire life; until I looked at my own reflection.
“Um… Jay?”
“Yes, Frankie, darling?” emphasising the ‘kie’. He likes to do that.
“Um, don’t you think this is a bit much?” I asked tentatively, staring at my reflection. Trust me to get piled with the most heinous outfit in the collection.
“I think you look perfect, doll,” whisking across the room before I replied.
I winced. ‘Doll.’ I hate you, Jay.
I mean, why? Why must I have a stupid little mole painted on my cheek? Audrey laughed at my appearance. She didn’t have to have a mole.
“Shut up!” I hissed, as she, annoyingly, resumed twirling and going “Don’t I look pretty, Frank?” and giggling like and actual Barbie.
“Define pretty,” I scoffed, sitting down in a huff, before being shooed out of my chair by Jay’s assistant.
“NO! You no sit in outfit,” she growled, “If Jay see, he kill you.”
Stupid French bitch. All I wanted was a nice sit down, maybe even a cup of Earl Grey. That would be nice wouldn’t it? But no… I have to stand up. Audrey gets to perch on that stupid little throne they got us, but I’m not even allowed on it because my outfit is ‘delicate.’
“Frankie, Audrey, we are ready for you now,” Jay smiled, throwing his arms wide and beckoning to us to follow him. We’re supposed to feel lucky in his presence. Seeing as he doesn’t usually work personally with his models. Well aren’t we blessed? I hate you, Jay Vano.
Audrey, on cue, turned into a little doll, easy to sculpt into the perfect positions. They were blasting loud music into the room, and I had to stand right by the speaker. Hello premature deafness…
Jay’s assistant was plucking at Audrey’s arms trying to position them, but she wasn’t doing a good job. The assistant was just too rough and looked at Audrey with an odd look in her eyes. I know the green-eyed monster when I see it.
“Here,” I say kindly, pulling Audrey’s hands up to where they should be, “That what you want?”
“Parfait!” Jay yelled, “Audrey, you look just parfait!”
He means ‘perfect’, not the cake. You don’t talk about cake in Jay Vano’s presence. It just isn’t ‘proper’.
“Now, Frankie, dear,” Jay gestured, his arms flailing in the process. You see, these big fashion types are always trying to attract attention to themselves even if they are ridiculously ugly, “I need you to stand by Audrey, I want you to appear to be lover’s,” the word rolled off his tongue in an odd way, and I saw Audrey go an even paler shade of white, “okay?”
I nodded and walked over to her and looked at her like I loved her. This would be so much easier with any other girl, Any other girl wouldn’t be scowling so aggressively at me. Any other girl would be hyperventilating under my gaze. Any other girl would be all too happy to pretend to be my lover, even if it was for one snap shot, one second, one moment. But, as you can tell, Audrey isn’t like other girls. She doesn’t hate me… if that’s what you’re thinking… but Audrey doesn’t like me like that.
Audrey is more likely to go off with Jay’s female assistant than me…
Comments? This chapter could have gone a lot better, in my opinion.
The ending sucked.
Read: Friday, I'm In Love