“Well, I’d be glad to do it if we were allowed to use each other in the show. I’m having my sister be my model. I made the most adorable outfit for her.”
“Maybe this is what’s causing me such stress. The show is in four weeks and I haven’t gotten past the sketch stage. I don’t even have the material picked out yet. God, I’m such a failure.”
“No, you just need a man. It works for me!”
Katherine started laughing with her dear friend but inside, she was a complete wreck. She had finally gotten around to calling her uncle. He wasn’t happy about where she was living and that she was alone, but she didn’t have a choice. Jacob had decided to head to Indiana, and she wanted to stay in Michigan to finish her education.
She couldn’t afford to stay on campus, and she either walked or rode her bike to school. If the weather was bad, Katherine was forced to ride the bus. She was grateful that there was a bus stop close to her, but waiting for it to arrive could make her late, not to mention freezing to death while standing outside. Being able to get financial aid was a life saver and without it she couldn’t afford to go to school, but the cost of living was eating her alive. Katherine ran karaoke at a local bar on the weekends, so that helped some. At least she had groceries, most of the time.
“Do you think I should put an ad up in the student center for a model?”
“Katherine, how much are you willing to pay them?”
“Not very much.” Katherine couldn’t afford to pay anyone.
“You can try putting up a few flyers. But don’t give out your number. Make a separate email to list as your contact. There’s a weirdo around every corner.” Marty worried about Katherine when she walked to and from school. He felt she was safe on campus, but not in the rough neighborhood she lived in.
“Okay, I’ll make the email after class and put the flyers up. Hopefully within a week I’ll have my model. I just don’t understand why I can’t pick a female. I think it’s ridiculous.”
“Those are the rules. Guys have to have females and vice versa. It’ll be more of a challenge, but I think it’ll be good experience. I’m excited about the show!”
“If I was prepared, I’d be excited also. But seriously, I think I’ll end up finishing at the last second.”
Katherine headed over to the student center and, with her aged laptop, she made a new email. The sign was simple. “Need male model for fashion design and show!” Hopefully someone would respond soon.
Her luck improved later that afternoon when she received ten responses to the flyer. But after reading them, she decided she wouldn’t pursue any of the applicants. Most of the emails were disgusting; one wanted to wear women’s clothing, a couple more wanted to know what she looked like. Maybe I wasn’t professional enough. Katherine decided that she’d place an ad in the paper, list her name, her temporary email address, and make it more professional. Her entire grade depended on this fashion show. It would just be the students in her class who participated, and it would take place on campus. These shows were always well attended and advertised. Some of the students ended up getting jobs in fashion.
I need a cute model who’ll appreciate us poor folk.
The next day, Katherine placed her ad in the local newspaper. She took great care in writing the advertisement, asked for photos of the applicants, and gave her full name and email address. If no one responded, she would either be forced to use one of the creeps who applied, or kidnap someone. She didn’t think that kidnapping would be very valuable on a resume.
That evening she received two responses. Both looked quite promising, and she decided to meet with them one at a time in a local coffee shop.
“Wait, you want me to pay you five hundred dollars for walking down a campus catwalk? Seriously, you’re talking about a minute. Five hundred dollars a minute! You’ve got to be kidding me.” Katherine got up and walked out. I even paid for that bastard’s coffee!
The second applicant, after being told that she’d be making his clothes which he’d be modeling, didn’t even bother to show up. She had no more time to schedule interviews. Her flight left in the morning for Tennessee to see her uncle for Thanksgiving. I should have just stayed in Prairie.
Marty agreed to keep an eye on her apartment for the holiday weekend. She was excited to fix a nice dinner for her uncle and spend time with him, but there were definitely some sad memories waiting for her in Tennessee.
Boarding the plane at seven on Wednesday evening, Katherine began to feel uneasy. She didn’t mind flying, but what if he was still in Prairie? What if I walk into the bar and see him practically having sex with Emily on the dance floor? What would he do if he saw me? Cuss me out? Try to get me in bed? Could I resist him if he did? I almost lost it with him being that close to me. She knew that John Williams was bad news, and she needed to stay far away from him.