Halfway Perfect by Julie Cross Page B

ready for today’s shoot.
    â€œAren’t you working right now?” I ask Eve.
    â€œA paying job,” she says. “My phone bill is due, and I don’t want to have to cancel my data plan. I’m way too dependent on it.”
    One of the interns is sitting on Eve’s other side, and Finley is beside the intern. She’s probably talking to them and not Hugo and me. I’ve got to learn to butt out and not act like I’m always listening to everything Eve Nowakowski has to say. Even if I am.
    â€œI hear Sears is casting for their spring catalog right now,” Hugo says.
    Eve looks at him like he’s gone completely mad. I can’t tell if he’s being sarcastic or not. But at least I’m not the only one eavesdropping.
    â€œDon’t knock Sears,” Finley says, flipping through a magazine. “I’ve booked a ton of jobs with them, and the money does add up.”
    â€œNot a modeling job,” Eve says to Hugo. “A normal college student job.”
    â€œI’ve been babysitting my professor’s kids,” the intern girl says to Eve. “It works out well, because I don’t have to commit to a schedule. It’s whenever they need me, and the kids basically never come out of their rooms. I get all my studying done. It’s about as cushy as it gets.”
    â€œClearly these kids are much older than my five-year-old brothers,” Finley says. “Or they’re on heavy sedatives. I can hardly read a recipe when I’m watching them, let alone get any amount of studying done.”
    Eve straightens up and pulls the camera from her eye. “I can babysit. Do you know any other professors seeking child care?”
    The girl shakes her head and stands up. “I’ll keep an eye open though.”
    Eve looks disappointed. “Thanks.”
    The camera is against her eye again. My gaze travels across the room to see what her current subject might be. Or in this case, who .
    Elana is lying on her stomach on the floor, books open in front of her. She must be doing schoolwork. Guess no one is concerned about her academic level tipping people off that she’s not eighteen?
    Hugo has just finished with me, so I walk quietly behind Eve, squatting down to see her pictures. She takes a whole bunch of shots of Elana’s hand—the one holding the pencil—and then several more of her profile. With her hair falling forward, you’d never know it was Elana in those pictures.
    â€œYou’re gonna get in trouble again,” I whisper and Eve jumps.
    She glances over her shoulder at me and sighs with relief. “No, I won’t. I’m supposed to be taking pictures.”
    â€œYeah,” I say. “For Calvin Klein.”
    Eve flashes me a huge fake grin. “Fine, I’ll stop. I know you have to look out for your girlfriend. So nice of you.”
    She walks away from me, camera around her neck, and goes right over to Elana, sitting down beside her. Elana springs up, shutting her book, obviously excited to have Eve chatting with her. I had planned to grab a book from my bag and sit near them, pretending not to listen, but before I can do that, Eve points to Elana’s schoolwork and starts speaking to her in French. Like really fast French. Accent and all. I can pick up a few words of French, but this conversation is totally lost on me.
    I stare at them, my mouth half-open, watching and hearing their words bounce back and forth. Elana looks very comfortable talking to Eve.
    â€œAre you eavesdropping or does it all sound like gibberish to you too?”
    Finley is standing beside me now, watching the same two girls that I’m watching. “Complete gibberish. They’re probably going to talk about us in French all week.”
    Finley laughs. “They might talk about you , but I’m usually out of the gossip circle. In fact, I like to remove any trace of rumors and personal information about anyone