I had some pretty good arguments for Mom because at lunch that day, I’d started to feel nervous about the shoot and missing practice, and Frida and Jessi had convinced me to do it. But that was before I’d known that my body would have to be measured. What if they didn’t have anything that fit me?

“Well, we’ve already made a commitment,” Mom said. “So we’ll see it through. Now please just let me get your waist, and we’re done.”

As Mom wrapped the measuring tape around my middle, I had a thought.

“Nobody at the shoot is going to try to measure me, are they?” I asked, thinking it would be really uncomfortable to have a stranger doing this. “That would be weird. And what if my measurements aren’t right? Will they send me home?”

“That’s why we’re doing this now,” Mom said. “Besides, I’ll be there the whole time if anything comes up. Maisie is going to go to Mindy’s house after school. Dad will pick up takeout, and we can eat when we get home.”

“Wow, thanks,” I said.

“I’ll pick you up at school at one o’clock,” Mom said. “And please, remember to wear a bra tomorrow. You’ll need it for the shoot.”

I felt my face flush. I’d just started wearing one last summer, and I hated it. Sometimes I avoided it if I could, except I always wore a sports bra for practices and games. But I suddenly realized that wearing one to the modeling shoot was probably a good idea.

“I won’t forget,” I promised.

Between the measuring and the bra, I was more than a little nervous when we pulled up to the photography studio the next afternoon. The large, high-ceilinged room had a big green wall right in the middle, and a guy was setting up props and stuff in front of it. Another woman was adjusting one of the tall, bright lights aimed at the wall.

Ashanta walked up to me and my mom.

“Devin, Jennifer, good to see you!” she said. “Jennifer, you can hang out over there.” She pointed to some chairs facing the whole setup. “I’m going to get Devin into wardrobe and makeup.”

Mom looked at me. “Do you want me to go with you?”

I kind of did, but I didn’t want to admit it. “No, I’m okay,” I said.

Ashanta led me to a room behind the green screen. On the way, a girl about my age, a little bit taller than me, walked past, and Ashanta stopped.

“Devin, meet Sabine. You two will be working together today,” Ashanta said.