Page 37 of Racing Hearts
My eyes drop to the dessert. “I’m sorry,” I say.
He’s quiet, and when I look at him, he appears shocked.
I nod. “I am.”
He stares before nodding slowly, and my eyes drop to the dessert again.
“I’ll take it away,” he mutters, grabbing for it, but I pick up a fork.
“I’ll eat it. It looks good.” Without caring about the giggles or looks, I devour every single overly sweet, flowery pink bite of the dessert just to see him smile.
It’s worth it.
Things might not be fixed between us, but that smile tells me we aren’t broken beyond repair.
I can live with that, even if I will never be able to look at the color pink again.
NINETEEN
Istill can’t get over Alek Anders apologizing to me.
I didn’t think he knew how to, but there he was, apologizing in a tiara. It doesn’t change everything that happened—it’s just too messy between us. I need to focus on my studies, but I’ll admit it softened me to him. I stopped purposely, not looking his way this morning, and the little grin he wore was almost one of vivacity. I tell myself it doesn’t mean anything.
All thoughts of him disappear soon, though, because today is a big day.
It’s shoot day, and I’ve been working toward this all week. All my planning, location reconnaissance, and information gathering has led to this. It’s a big part of my grade, and the professor finally signed off on my proposal at the beginning of the week. I didn’t want to waste any time on starting it.
I head to the equipment building, picking up everything I need. Luckily, Lally and Tommy are assisting me today, and they are already waiting to help me haul everything to the location I chose—the park.
It’s one of the first places I found when I explored Pine Valley, and it’s beautiful right now. The weatherman forecasted sun today, but I had my fingers crossed all week just in case. Fortunately, they were right. The sun shines brightly, warming us as we set up near the water with blossoms in the background. People mill about, looking on curiously.
Once I’m content, I step back. “Okay, my model should be here soon. Lally, you’re on makeup. I want sleek and minimal. Think Vogue. Tommy, you are helping me with lighting, right?”
“Yes, you’ve told us a million times. It’s going to be great, Evvie.” He slaps my shoulder. “Oh, hey, look, there’s your model.”
I turn to see Terrie heading my way, grinning. I wave, so happy she agreed to be part of this. I know a lot of media students wanted her. She’s beautiful, like drop-dead stunning, and so kind, and she agreed to help me if I would assist with her figure studies class. She said she liked the way my body looked, so it’s a good deal.
“Hey, Terrie.” I hug her. “Thank you. I won’t take too much time. I know you have the film later as well.”
“Never too busy for you, Evvie.” She grins. “Let’s do this.”
“Let’s.”
Despite my nerves, I give it my all.
This is what I want, this is my future, and I’m never happier than I am when taking photographs. Today is no different.
We spent two hours shooting, and Terrie hurried off after, but I think I got everything I needed. The photos are going to be amazing, I just know it. She was a natural, letting me direct her how I wanted without complaint, and the camera loved her.
After turning my equipment back in, I thank Lally and Tommy by buying them a meal before heading back to campus. Technically, I have a month to get the pictures turned in, but I’m eager to see and edit them, so I walk to the photo lab. There are a few other students using the computers in here, all with headphones on, so I pick one at the back and plug in my hard drive.
When they load, I could cry. They are so pretty and exactly how I imagined them. Sometimes, it’s hard to translate my ideas into reality, but these are exactly how I wanted them to be, and I feel so proud as I prepare them for editing. I can do this. This is what I’m here for—to become a photographer. Forget everything else.
I spend the next hour picking out photos I think are the best and ready to edit. I’m so lost in my task, I don’t even hear someone next to me until they tap on the desk, making me jump. My head snaps up.
“Evan.” The professor smiles when he sees me sitting in the photo lab, peering at the unedited pictures on the screen. “You did your shoot today. How did it go?” He sits on a rolling chair, and I lean back, my eyes aching.
“Good. They haven’t been edited yet, but I think they are what I wanted.”