Junior Year Box Set

The trick was the lighting. Outdoor shots were inherently tricky because of shadows. The photographer had his work cut out for him if he hoped to recreate the originals. He spent more time with the lighting grips than anything else. We sometimes took twenty shots before everything looked right. As soon as we were done, Mr. Hill’s team would put in an initial background to see how it looked. Some of the shots were going to be fantastic when Mr. Hill was done with them if what his quick mock-ups showed was any indication.

The suits would then be brought in, and they would have the original and new shot in split-screen. These guys knew what they were doing, and they would have long discussions with Mr. Hill and the photographer. If Mr. Hill could fix it, we were done and on to the next shot on the storyboard. If not, we were back at it until they were satisfied.

I was disappointed when I saw the model who would do the fishnet picture with me. While she was gorgeous, she didn’t compare to the original. Very few women who haven’t been enhanced have breasts like Kara and Adrienne. This girl had obviously had implants.

The day flew by, and it was almost 3:00 before I knew it. Mr. Hill sat down with my mom and me.

“Thanks for the save today. If they hadn’t liked you, we might have been out a lot of money,” he confessed.

“What happened?” I asked.

“The model that we planned to do the shoot with was invited to dinner last night to get to know everyone at FMan. I wasn’t there, but from what I heard, he was caught in a compromising position with one of their employees. They called me late last night and insisted that I find someone else. I called around, and no one was available. Then my wife told me to call you. As soon as she said it, I knew you were perfect.”

“Well, I’m glad I could help out. I’m just nervous what my new manager is going to charge me,” I said.

Mom looked at the check.

“I’ve been wanting to get a new car,” she teased.

“How much did I get paid?” I asked.

She showed me the check. I smirked when I thought she might have to settle for a used car, but it was still a nice payday.

“How do you want your pictures? Do you want them in just blue screen, or do you want me to put in backgrounds?” Mr. Hill asked.

Yet another thing that Kendal handled. I wasn’t even sure that I knew how she negotiated with the photo reseller websites. I started to wonder if letting her and Tom go was a mistake. Either that or I needed to hire someone to take care of that for me. It was becoming clear that a personal assistant wasn’t what I required; instead, I needed more of a manager-type person, someone to do more than keep me organized. I wondered if the ten percent I’d paid Tom and Kendal was cheap. I needed to consider who I might hire to do what all would be involved for them to do. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and hire Kendal again. Before I did that, I should talk to my parents.

“Can I get back to you on that?” I asked.

“Would it be okay if I played with them some? We’ve just bought this new software, and I could use something to practice on. My wife can help with some ideas. She might even want a few to sell,” he suggested.

“What would this cost?” Mom asked.

“For David, nothing. He just saved me a lot of money today if I haven’t mentioned that before.”

“Yeah. Go ahead and see what you can create. If we start to sell them, I can either give your wife a discount, or we can share in the profits,” I said.

“And that, young man, is why you’re a success in this business,” Mr. Hill said. “I’ll be in touch with your manager.”

I could see right now that I would end up paying Mom somehow. It might be like with Wolf and my dad. I would rather pay Wolf to do work around the house than be my dad’s slave labor. It would probably be easier just to write Mom a check.

I grinned when I thought about the trouble I was in with her for doing the skydiving and other playdates with Brook. Plus, when the guys came home with the clap. Maybe I would just give my mom money to get out of it. She still held the ‘sword of justice’ over my neck, and it had yet to fall. The threat to go on all my recruiting trips moving forward was only the first of many repercussions I might see happening in the future. A new car might not be a bad idea. Then again, that wouldn’t give my mom the kind of satisfaction she’d get in doing the punishment herself. Maybe I would spring for good leather seats.

◊◊◊

By the time I’d arrived at the football field, I already knew who we’d play next. Central had defeated McNamara 21–17. All that stood between us and going to the State Finals were Beverly and Central. I thought both teams were very beatable. Then I mentally slapped myself as I remembered our last game. I needed to focus on Beverly.