Etoile (The Mannequin Series) (24 page)

Thirty-four

“So I ask him what he want for birthday,” Tatiana explained with exaggerated hand gestures. “And he say, 'You.' So I ask him what he talk about since he already have me,” she continued as a big smile spread across her tiny face. “Then he say he want me be his girlfriend.”

Elodie gave a small nod, trying to hide how envious she felt. Tatiana had met Daniel at the same time that she had met James, but the pancake-making accountant's understanding of dating models was obviously more finely honed than that of the steak-grilling banker. As many of the Manhattan's playboys who loved to display runway-worthy arm candy could attest to, models needed to be wined and dined and snatched up quickly. The fact that James had not done the last bit yet brought doubt into her mind, causing her to think that maybe he
didn't
want to do any snatching.

“So now
I
have boyfriend,” Tatiana said with a laugh, shaking her head in disbelief. “Me! Boyfriend!”

“Congratulations,” Elodie said as she threw her arm around her friend's shoulders. “I am happy for you.”

Tatiana beamed at her as they walked along Hudson Street, past the fancy boutiques and towards the photo studio at which their casting had started two hours prior. As the client, whoever it was, had wanted "females aged 16-20 with blonde hair", they had both received passive aggressive text messages from their bookers requesting that they march their bony asses over ASAP. The two had rolled their eyes after showing each other their respective phone screens, tossed on the requisite casting outfits of black skinny jeans and booties with basic tee shirts, and headed over after taking their sweet time chain smoking cigarettes in their living room.

“And even though he not banker,” Tatiana continued with a pensive look on her face. “His dad is partner. Partner at top firm! So he will be make more than banker boys one day.” She finished her explanation off with a dreamy sigh, likely picturing their future multi-million dollar penthouse in Tribeca in her pretty little head.

“That is good. But you should just be happy that he likes you so much,” Elodie told her with a laugh. “Money is not going to buy you happiness.”

“I know, I know,” Tatiana said as she wrinkled her nose and linked arms with her French friend. “But, Lo, you need open eyes too. This no last forever, you know.”

A small sigh escaped Elodie's lips as she nodded her head in defeat. “As everyone loves to remind us,” she mumbled as she watched a prepubescent teenager with stringy blonde hair hurl herself out of a taxi a few yards away. The girl frantically glanced at the map on her phone screen and began scurrying in the direction of the building at the end of the block. One glance at the rhinestone-bedazzled back pockets of the girl's bubblegum pink denim skirt told them that she had been newly drafted into the herd.

“I just look out for you,” Tatiana told her as she quickened her pace to catch up to the leggy 16-year old. “Just want you be happy too. Like me! I am happy. So happy!”

Elodie couldn't help but smile as her friend continued to prattle on excitedly about Daniel's upcoming birthday party. Tatiana had apparently convinced Sean, her go-to party promoter who had been neglected as of late, to rope off a floor of the small Euro nightclub that they oft frequented in Chinatown in exchange for her introducing him to "fresh meat". Using her extensive list of nightlife contacts, she had also arranged for a boutique vodka brand to sponsor the event, which would be featuring one of her famous socialite-cum-fashion-muse-cum-DJ friends as the entertainment. To be honest, the carefully orchestrated event seemed a bit over the top for a quiet, redheaded accountant's 25
th
birthday party, but it was very cute how involved Tatiana was in the planning process.

“And I invite all his friends and all my friends,” Tatiana continued with big eyes as they stopped in front of their destination. “But not Tyler and boys. I did good, no?”

Elodie grabbed the metal handle of the tall glass door, putting on a sad smile as she gestured for the young girl to go ahead of them. “Yes,” she replied hesitantly, ignoring Tatiana's glare as the cherub-faced teen thanked them profusely in an Australian accent. “But I still do not know what to do about them. Seeing both yesterday just made everything more confusing. They are so different. I wish it was a simple choice.”

“When you know, you know,” Tatiana reassured her as they entered the elevator. “But like I say, this no last forever,” she added, peering down her pointy nose at the nervous young model standing next to her. Elodie slapped at the Belarusian bully's hand playfully and gave a small laugh.

“What this for, anyway?” Tatiana asked in annoyance as they stepped out of the elevator. “Adam tell you? Ana never tell me anything. Just address and time and 'hurry,'” she whined as they entered the suite in which the casting was taking place. Once inside, Tatiana let out an exasperated sigh as they surveyed the scene.

There were at least fifty other girls, all tall, thin and blonde, perched atop the sofas or slumped on the polished concrete floor. As the casting call had actually started two hours prior, these remaining girls only made up a portion of the competition. Tatiana dragged Elodie towards the intern who was in charge of signing them in, narrowing her eyes after they checked in and got their Polaroids taken. “Sixty two and sixty three,” she grumbled. “We should just leave and go coffee.”

“We might as well stay,” Elodie moaned as they sought out an open space on the ground. Tatiana rolled her eyes and nodded begrudgingly as she positioned her bony bottom on the cold floor. “You know what this for?” she demanded from the two doe-eyed girls huddled together next to them.

“It's for, like, um, a print ad, I think,” one of them guessed while happily snapping her gum. They must be new, Elodie thought to herself as she watched the other girl nod with a big smile. There was no way they could be so peppy otherwise.

“I think someone said it's for Prada?” the other quipped with a glossy look on her face. “They want, like, an army of girls.”

“Okay, we stay,” Tatiana said after she brusquely thanked them and turned back to Elodie.

And so they did, lounging around on the floor while occasionally going back downstairs to smoke cigarettes with the neighboring pair of 16-year olds from the Midwest, who talked about little other than prom dresses and their piles of neglected geometry homework.

When Elodie's number was finally called, she peeled her ass from the floor and marched over into the room where the casting director was looking at her Polaroid and comp card. “Elodie, Elodie,” he said with a quizzical look on his face. “I heard that somewhere. Where did I hear that before?” he asked his assistant, who shrugged at him with a frown on her face.

He had heard of her? How? Had people been talking about her? Not wanting to seem too excited by his comment, Elodie simply stood and stared at them for further instructions.

The assistant beckoned for Elodie to stand in front of the white screen so that she could take her pictures. “Chin down, please,” she directed in a monotonous voice. Elodie did as she was told, holding still with a blank expression on her face as the girl took a few snaps on her digital camera.

By the time that Tatiana was done as well, it was already dark outside. “Fuck, what time is?” Tatiana demanded grumpily as they stepped out onto the sidewalk. A group of girls clad in their tightest dresses and highest heels clomped past them as Tatiana sneered bitterly. “We better get option, at least. Waste whole day. I need drink, Lo.”

Elodie took her phone out of her Céline Trapeze bag to check the time, only to be greeted with a notification on her screen.

“Who is it?” Tatiana asked with a sneaky smile after observing Elodie's smitten face, illuminated by the dim glow of her phone screen, as she typed back a reply.

“Tyler. He said they are all going to Electric Room,” she told her, referring to the swanky lounge located inside of the trendy hotel around the corner. She tried to wipe any sign of giddiness from her face, not wanting to seem too enthusiastic. “Did you say you wanted a drink?” she asked casually. Please say yes, she thought inwardly, surprised by how badly she wanted to see him.

Tatiana peered at her friend with an unamused look on her doll-like face. “I do not know my boyfriend will like that,” she sniffed. “But we can if
you
want,” she continued with a knowing smile.

Elodie paused, trying her best to play it cool. Tatiana raised her eyebrows at Elodie suggestively, causing her to laugh at the ridiculous look on her friend's face. Even though she knew what her answer would be, she furrowed her brow and pretended to contemplate her decision for a few seconds before answering.

“Well, I mean, it is right here. What is the harm in just dropping by?”

Thirty-five

“Let's go back to my place,” Tyler whispered into Elodie's ear, tickling the tiny hairs and causing her to shiver. He wrapped his arm tighter around her waist as he sidled up more closely against her. “I'd rather spend the rest of the night with just you.”

“It is Theo's big day,” Elodie said with a little smirk, wriggling slightly from his grasp. “Try to be a good friend.”

A slew of genetically-gifted giants had gathered at the hip lounge to celebrate the fresh-faced Canadian teenager's newly secured Dior Homme campaign. The excuse was lame and she knew it, especially since Theo booked huge deals all of the time. Naturally, he celebrated each new job with wild nights out, as would be expected from a heavily-tattooed, potty-mouthed, drug-addled 18-year old boy, so this occasion wasn't particularly special. But that was the best reason that she could come up with to avoid leaving with Tyler, so she was sticking firmly to it.

Tyler scrunched his nose at her like a little boy on the verge of throwing a temper tantrum. “You know exactly how to drive me crazy,” he said quietly to her in a seductive voice before shooting her a cheesy grin. Elodie laughed as she pushed his face away, only to have him wrap his arm around her shoulders and muss up her hair. After she let out a little squeal and dissolved into giggles, the two turned to see Theo and Gabriella, his pretty little Brazilian conquest for the night, eyeing them suspiciously.

“Dude,” Theo said with a confused look on his face. “What's with you two?”

“Yea, what are you two?” Charlie added in an obnoxious voice. He leaned across the table from where he was sitting in between Erik, one of his roommates, and Tatiana, who was watching Elodie with a bemused look on her face. Heddi sat on the edge of the sofa's arm, attracting the attentions of Marten, who she had known from her agency in Copenhagen, and Ben, a hot new import from London. Nowhere to be seen, Jelena had disappeared with one of her teenaged minions approximately one and a half bottles ago.

“Nothing,” Elodie said defensively, just as Tyler replied, “Married.”

“Honey, don't say things like that,” Tyler said as he turned to her, pretending to be offended. “You're going to hurt my feelings.”

Theo shook his head slowly with a vacant expression on his face. “Wait, what,” he commented while staring blankly at Tyler.

“Thank you for making an honest man out of him,” Charlie joked as Elodie felt herself get hot. Tyler rubbed her knee as he clinked glasses with Charlie and laughed. Theo remained seated with a dazed look on his face as his eyes shifted back and forth from Elodie to Tyler, while Gabriella texted on her phone with a bored expression.

Elodie knew that her protests would be for naught, so she leaned forward to grab her glass of champagne instead. “Cheers with me, Lo!” Tatiana chirped as she extended her flute across the table. Elodie laughed at Tatiana's adorable drunken behavior, which she hadn't seen much of since before Daniel came along. Would everything change now that Tatiana was infatuated with an actual boyfriend instead of partying and lounging around?

Tyler's hand reached around her shoulders as she settled back into her seat, pulling her closer as he kissed the top of her head. She felt herself blushing as she turned to him with a playful scowl, noticing the drunkenly pleased look on his face. Charlie and Tatiana's resounding “Aw”s could be heard from across the table. “What,” Theo repeated as he observed the affectionate scene.

As Elodie turned back to face Tatiana, she noticed that her roommate's happy face had clouded over. When she turned in the direction of the cause, she felt her own smile dissolve instantly.

Caroline Matheson was headed over in their direction, accompanied by Amanda, one of her equally annoying friends who happened to have walked for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, and Tyler's friends, Soren and Milos. Trying not get caught staring, Elodie quickly turned around, dreading the obligatory interaction that was to come.

“Erik! Charlie!” she heard that unforgettably high-pitched voice chirp. “Oh my God! Marten! When did you get back?”

Heddi turned to look at the source of the ruckus. Her face automatically assumed an annoyed expression, her grimace deepening when Marten patted her on the shoulder to excuse himself mid-conversation. In spite of the absurdity of the situation, Elodie tried not to laugh as she saw Heddi and Tatiana exchange a look while the boys tried to contain their saliva.

“My M&Ms!” Caroline squealed out as she entered Elodie's field of vision, gleefully slapping the toned arms of Marten and Milos like a cheerleader who had forgotten to take her Ritalin. “Remember that? That night was so fun!” The two boys roared in laughter as Heddi rolled her eyes. It probably wasn't even that funny, Elodie thought as she finished off the glass in her hand.

“Congratulations Theo!” Caroline cooed across the way, flipping her hair and shooting a borderline deranged smile in the suddenly bashful teen's direction. The stunning girl next to him shifted uncomfortably in her seat, obviously unnerved by the supermodel's noisy arrival.

Elodie fought the urge to roll her eyes as Soren dragged two armchairs over for Caroline and Amada to sit down on while Erik clambered to pour them drinks. What was the big deal? She's not even
that
pretty, Elodie thought grumpily as she felt her shoulders slump.

“I told you we should've gotten out of here,” Tyler whispered to her with a peeved look on his face. “It's not too late, you know,” he added with a hopeful smile.

Before she could respond, Caroline had spotted him like a hawk. “Tyler,” she whined out, obviously having had a few drinks before arriving. Even bats would be disturbed by the high-pitched yelping, Elodie thought to herself as she winced and rubbed at her poor little ears. “You're not even going to say hi to me?”

Tyler shut his eyes and dramatically let out a trembling sigh before turning to answer her. “Hi,” he enunciated slowly before turning back to Elodie. “Let's go, yea?” he asked again without so much as glancing at Caroline.

Elodie bit her lip nervously, knowing that she would lose the tiny bit of self-control that she had left if she were to leave with him. Before making the decision to casually date both James and Tyler, she had told herself that she wouldn't do anything intimate with either until she was sure of what she wanted. And though Tyler was making it very difficult for her to stick to her guns, she knew that she still had strong feelings for James that she needed to explore too.

“We're going to go,” Heddi announced as she tapped Elodie on the shoulder. Tatiana was already waving goodbye to Charlie and hugging Theo, Chanel bag in hand.

“What?” Elodie asked hurriedly. “No! Stay!”

“Lo, we not have fun,” Tatiana stated bluntly as she stopped in front of her, swaying lightly from the many glasses that she had indulged in. “We go Daniel and friends, if you want come, but you-know-who is not there.”

Elodie shot them a wide-eyed look of desperate pleading, which both chose not to acknowledge. “Have fun!” Heddi said in a fake voice as she stuck out her tongue teasingly. Before Elodie could react, the two traitors stomped away.

“Let's get out of here,” Tyler mumbled as he nuzzled into her neck. A pained expression crossed Elodie's face as she closed her eyes and breathed in his scent. The stinging aroma of whiskey hitting her nose made her realize just how drunk she was, and just how dangerous this situation could become. When she slowly pried her lids open, she could see Caroline glowering at her out of the corner of her eye.

“No, we should just stay for a little bit,” she told him as she pulled away, trying to come up with another excuse as to why. “I have to go to the agency early tomorrow morning anyway. I cannot stay out too late,” she finally added. Good job, Marais, she drunkenly told herself, impressed at her quick thinking.

“Tyler, stop being a whiny bitch and drink,” Charlie ordered loudly as he beckoned for him to lean in across the table. Tyler shot Elodie a childish glare before accepting another glass of whisky. “I hate my life,” he moaned as they clinked glasses with Soren.

“I am going to go to the bathroom,” Elodie announced as she pried herself free from his arm. Tyler looked up at her as she stood with a sullen expression. “You better come back,” he threatened playfully with a small smile.

As Elodie washed her hands at the crowded sink, she felt someone come up beside her. When she looked up, Caroline was standing next to her with nary a hair out of place, though her eyes showed that she was obviously plastered.

“Hello,” Elodie greeted her awkwardly as she walked over to the mirror to reapply her baby pink Lip Tar. At least the threat of ruining her lipstick might keep her from giving in to Tyler's irresistible lips. “I do not think we met. My name is Elodie.”

Caroline followed her and began fixing her already perfect hair as they stood next to each other. “Why are you clinging so desperately to Tyler?” she demanded loudly with an incredulous smile. Elodie felt her shoulders tighten as the girl next to them was obviously eavesdropping on the humiliating confrontation. “You know that he's just using you, right?” she added, never once tearing her eyes away from her own reflection.

“Um,” was all that Elodie could manage to say in response. She caught her bewildered expression in the mirror and quickly shook it off of her face, not letting Caroline have the satisfaction of seeing the  insecurity in her eyes.

It was too late. “He and I are going to get back together, you know,” Caroline said as she dabbed at the perfectly smudged eyeliner under her eyes. “He's just upset with me right now. But he and I have something special. I
do
something to him."

Hearing those words caused Elodie's hand to freeze in mid-air as she tried her best not to look at the spiteful girl. Seeing the effect that her taunting had on her blonde nemesis, Caroline smirked triumphantly.

"Oh, did he use those lines on you too?”

Elodie swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, the loud music in the background fading away as Caroline's scathing words took center stage. The girl who had been watching them shot Caroline's reflection a look of disgust before scampering away. Elodie wished desperately to follow her, but found that her feet remained glued to the floor as if bricks had been tied to them.

“Aw, he did? Shame on him. But, I mean, everyone knows that Tyler's a smooth talker,” Caroline continued as she finally turned to acknowledge Elodie's presence. “Didn't you?”

When Elodie didn't respond, Caroline pouted her lips as a fake look of worry flooded her face. “Oh, you didn't? That's
really
cute,” she said in a condescending voice. “But I just want you to know that I'm looking out for you so that you don't get hurt in the crossfire. Tyler's just trying to make me jealous, and it just really sucks that he's using you as bait.”

“I do not think that is the case,” Elodie said finally, her voice trembling ever so slightly. Using all the strength that she could muster, she continued to finish applying the thick pink goo to her lips, avoiding Caroline's eyes all the while.

Caroline let out a haughty laugh, her glossy hair bouncing around with every toss of her head. “You don't get it, do you? Don't you see how hot and bothered he gets whenever I'm in the room?”

Elodie tried to steady her breath as she screwed the cap back on her tube of lipstick. Don't let her get to you, she screamed at the 14-year old girl inside of herself. She's delusional, so don't listen to her, she repeated over and over as the self-doubt swelled up inside of her. Without saying a word, she gave Caroline a tight smile and made her way out of the bathroom.