Ugh, I wanted to crawl behind the racks of clothes, curl up, and die of embarrassment.

Tenshi put the windbreaker on me and tugged at it a few times, eyeing it critically.

“This will work,” she said to my mom. “Are you okay with it?”

I held my breath as I waited for my mom’s response. She slowly nodded. “Yes, I think that is definitely more appropriate.”

“Great!” Tenshi smiled. “Just so you know, the other looks are tanks and tees.”

“Good!” My mom smiled in return, and then we went back out in the studio.

“Ooh, cute windbreaker,” Crystal said, all smiles in front of Tenshi. I guess she wasn’t going to snub me in front of the crew.

“I have one that matches your outfit too,” Tenshi said. “But would you mind doing a few shots without it?”

Crystal shrugged. “Of course. I don’t have a problem with it,” she said while shooting me a superior, smug glance. I had met Crystal’s type before on the soccer field, so it didn’t throw me. However, since I was a lot more secure on the field than in front of the camera, I had to work extra hard to make sure that she didn’t get under my skin and diminish the newly-gained confidence I had discovered during my practice session.

I was relieved that we had found a solution that made my mom happy, but it felt weird that only Crystal had to do the shoot in the bra. She didn’t seem to mind, though, and I saw a woman who looked like her mom sitting on the side with my mom. Her mom was obviously okay with it.

It was all kinds of confusing, and my mind was racing as Jeannie, the photographer, began using Malik for a few test shots.

“We’re ready to start,” she said after a few minutes. “Malik and Troy, I want to get the two of you together first.”

The boys posed together as if they were hanging out at the park after school. Then Jeannie had them do some very plain shots, with them standing with their backs straight and posing to show off the clothes.

They’re naturals, I thought to myself, in awe. Before, I would have thought it was easy to just look like yourself, but now I knew now how much work it took to smile and look natural for a camera.

Crystal was standing next to me, watching the boys, and I thought I’d try one more time to break the ice. After all, some of my biggest rivals on the soccer field, like Jamie from the Rams, ended up becoming friends.

“They are good,” I whispered to her.

“They’ve been doing this for years, like me,” Crystal told me. “In fact, Malik is also an actor. He’s been in a few commercials. Is this your first shoot?”