Chapter 10 Cecily
Cecily
The moment I get home, I have to shake off the judgments of Dylan’s friends because I have to hop in the shower and meet with my photographer at a creek in thirty minutes. I couldn’t cut the gym time short with Dylan, so luckily, Crystal was able to reschedule an hour later.
At the parking lot, Crystal is reading the map at the start of the trail. She looks over her shoulder and smiles as I park right next to her car.
“Hey,” I say, stepping out.
She greets me with a hug. “It’s been a few weeks!”
“Yeah, it feels like forever. I’ve been so busy with college and work. This is going to be a fun campaign.”
I open the backseat door and grab the box of products I need photographed.
She closes the door after me, and I run through all the ideas I have in my head. I know she’ll be able to execute it all.
Crystal is in her mid-twenties. She’s married with two young children. She’s an amazing creative and a killer photographer. Sometimes I hire her to do graphic design. She’s a fantastic person overall, and I love working with her.
She repeats after me, “Five different shots of the serum. Trees, rocks, a creek, and you posing with it. And the active wear?”
“Yeah,” I nod. “We’ll shoot those first. Just on the bridge and under the trees.” I show my shoes. “And you’ll have to get a few of these because I want to work with them.”
“Oh, those are cute.”
I nod. “Yeah, if they take the bait, I’ll get us a discount code.”
She shimmies her shoulders. “Okay, let’s not walk that much further. Let’s get these shots under the trees.”
I take her creative direction while adding in my own flair here and there. When we work together, it’s always snip, snap, and done. She works fast, wastes no time, and does a hell of a job.
Once the activewear shoot is done, my phone’s buzzing in my pocket.
“One sec,” I tell her once I’m on the bridge.
Dylan: Guys wanna know if you can bring your friends. What should I say?
I smile, typing back.
Cecily: You are helpless
I hand Crystal my phone, and she takes a few pictures with it, then with her camera.
Crystal’s eyes look at the top of the screen. She says, “Dylan says they’re feral and won’t back off.”
I chuckle. “I’ll reply to him when we’re done.”
“Who’s Dylan?” she asks in between clicks.
I shake my head. “Just a friend.”
She smiles at that, teasing. “What kind of friend?”
“A really good friend. A best friend.”
She lowers her camera with a big smile. “Wait, you tagged him the other day, right?”
I nod. “Yeah, that’s him.”
Her eyes widen. “I’m such a stalker. Of course, I clicked on his profile. He’s your best friend? A hockey player?”
I nod, gripping the bridge’s railing.
“He’s cute.”
I shrug. “We’re just friends.”
She says nothing more about him as we continue our campaign shoot. She takes a few videos for me to make a reel. We take the product photos, then we part ways in the parking lot.
“I’ll get them back to you soon.”
I nod, kissing her on the cheek. “So nice working with you.”
She kisses my cheek and says, “Let me know if you need me.”
“Thank you.”
When she gets in her car, she wastes no time reversing and leaving. I step into the driver’s seat of my car, start the engine, lock the doors, and open up Dylan’s text messages.
Dylan: They’re feral and won’t back off
Cecily: Maybe you should invite Marina
I leave the parking lot after posting a few Stories of Crystal at work, tagging her.
When I get home, I heat my dinner in the microwave and dive straight into homework. I have a report due tonight that I’ve been procrastinating on.
The next few days keep me busy. I have classes, assignments due, and looming deadlines. Some I need to post and tag, some I need to invoice, and some I need to sign contracts for. I have a brand interested in me managing their social media.
By Friday, I am tempted to look at the hockey game I know Dylan’s currently playing, but do I really want to go down that route?
Friendship without glorifying each other has been good so far.
I don’t want to get it in my head that he’s a hot jock.
Right now, he’s just Dylan Etta to me, and I like it.
On Saturday, I’m on the treadmill when I see Marina walk into the gym.
“Hey,” she says.
“Marina,” I smile.
“Did you watch the game last night?” she asks, lighting up.
I shake my head. “No, but you did?”
She nods, but I put my hand up. “Don’t tell me if they won or lost. I have a bet going, and I need to be surprised when I hear that they lost.”
She nods with a smile. “How is he?” she asks.
I smile. “What do you mean?”
Two girls walk into the gym as she asks, “Is he everything like the rumors say?”
The two girls spot Marina and walk over, but before they can hear us, I mutter, “I’m not hooking up with him.”“What?” Marina laughs. “You expect me to believe that?”
“Hey, Marina,” one of the girls says. The other one is staring at me.
“This is Cecily. And this is Rose and Madeline.”
“Hi, girls,” I smile.
Rose says, “This is her?”
Marina nudges her with her elbow and says, “Sorry, I told them you are a personal trainer, and we thought maybe you could train us. All of us.”
Shit. I watch as Madeline blushes. I turn off the treadmill and say, “I’m so sorry, Marina. I’m not taking clients.”
She shrugs. “We can schedule things around to join in on the days you train Dylan.”
Rose nods. “Yeah, I could do that.”
Madeline adds, “Me too.”
“Oh,” I say. “Sorry, I can’t do that.”“Why not?” Marina asks, deflating.
“Because he’s my client, and I can’t just do that. I can’t simply say yes without talking to him.”
“So, talk to him. I don’t think he would mind.”
I offer a polite smile and clasp my hands. “I am staying firm on no. He’s an athlete, so his time is precious. Adding in another person, let alone three, isn’t what he and I agreed on. I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
“Not even outside of… Dylan?”
I shake my head. “Sorry, I have a lot of work, but I know someone with a great program that I can refer to you.”
They shake their heads, and Marina says, “I don’t want to buy an influencer’s PDF.”I say, “I can get it to all three of you for free, and it’s my secret to glutes.”
“Glutes?” Madeline murmurs.
I nod. “It’s how I grew my glutes in six weeks.”
Madeline nods. “I’ll take it.”
Rose says, “Me too.”“Marina?” I ask.
She’s glaring at me when she shrugs. “Sure.”
I nod. “Okay, I’ll send it over.” I open up my Notes app, make a note to send them the PDF, and I hand my phone over to them and say, “Give me your best email. I’ll send it over tonight.”
Marina grabs my phone and mutters, “You’re not going to the frat party tonight?”
“I’m going to a party, but I don’t think it’s a frat party. Are you girls going?”
Marina passes the phone to Madeline and says, “Yeah. We are.”
I smile, looking at Rose as she hands me back my phone. “Cool. It’ll take me a second to send it over. I need to find it first. I would love to see you girls in the gym.”
Madeline says, “I really wish you could train us, but I totally understand. If you change your mind, you have our emails.”
“Yes, of course. Thank you, girls.”
“See you tonight, maybe?” Marina says.
I nod. “Yeah, maybe.”
On my way home, Alix calls.
“Hey, Alix. I miss you,” I answer.
She sighs. “I miss you too. When are you going to come over? We could go skinny dipping in my pool.”
I laugh, remembering we did that over the summer.
“I’m pretty swamped with work and school right now. When midterms happen, forget about it. But guess what?”
“Oh!” she shouts. “That guy you tagged on your Stories. Who is he?”
“His name is Dylan. We’re just friends, but he invited me to a party tonight.”
She scoffs. “A college party? I’m so fucking jealous right now.”
“I promise you’re invited to the next one. Apparently, they have these parties every weekend.”
“You better invite me, bitch,” she laughs. “I hope you have all the fun in the world, but not too much fun. Did I tell you that Dane has been home a lot more lately?”
That makes me sit taller. “Why?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you could come cheer him up.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “As much as I would like to,” I joke, trailing off, but I’m not actually kidding. “Does he ever ask about me?”
It’s such a pathetic question because why would my best friend’s brother randomly ask about me?
“No,” she says. “But why would he when you’re accessible daily on Instagram?”
I roll my eyes. She has a point.
“Do you still have a crush on him?” she asks.
“Of course I do,” I say too quickly. “I mean, I know you’re his sister, and you think that’s disgusting––”
“No,” she says. “It doesn’t annoy me anymore. In high school, yes, obviously. But not anymore. It would be nice if you two dated. I’d see you more often.”
I laugh, feeling myself blush. “Are you serious? Are you giving me the green light? After all these years.”
“Yes!” she says. “He’s been off lately, and I don’t know what it is. He won’t talk to me. Maybe you could cheer him up. Let’s plan something soon?”I nod. “Yeah. Well, actually, I don’t know. I can’t make any promises. I have classes, work, and other obligations. Let me look at my schedule.”
She laughs. “Okay. You have to look at your schedule?”
She has no idea what it’s like for a person like me.
She would never understand, not with her daddy’s money and lavish lifestyle.
Sometimes I think she’s only friends with me because of the way I look and my social media status, but she halts my thoughts as she continues.
“If you find you have time in your busy schedule, give me a call. I miss you coming over every day.”
“I know,” I admit. “Me too.”
“Call me later to tell me about the party. I want to know every detail.”
“I will!” I screech excitedly. “Love you, love you, bye!”
“Love you, love you, bye!”