We-Write #5: The Photo Shoot

Thanks again to @zeldacroft and @freewritehouse for the weekly we-write contest. If you've never tried one, you can read all about it here.

The first part of the story was provided for us:

“I said drama, darling, give me drama!” shouted the photographer. His model squinted even more and tilted her head in front of the sheer white backdrop. Alexa watched with hesitant fascination from the catering table. The model had on what looked like an explosion of peacock feathers and six inch stilettos, which made Alexa grateful for her more manageable sandals. It was quite the walk across the studio space from the dressing room, which posed a surprisingly difficult task in the long, fur dress she’d been put in.

“I’d avoid anything with sauce,” advised a model joining her at the table. Alexa had maintained a steady stream of mini-quiches to sate her nerves, and was reaching for the shrimp. “Unless you want to see the bill for that dress, that is.” The girl gestured her long nails to Alexa’s outfit before clawing a nearby strawberry.

“Oh, uh, thank you,” Alexa pulled her hand from the food. “My name’s Alexa, I’m new.”

“I can tell,” the model raised one of her chiseled eyebrows and smiled. “Genevieve. You might have seen me in last month’s Vogue? Page 22.”

“Oh, yeah,” Alexa nodded her head. She didn’t have the courage to confess to not reading it or any fashion magazine, really. She had read that this gig paid better than her usual work for commercials.

“Be the peacock! You are a beautiful bird, now fly!” The photographer was now flapping his arms between shots, his calls echoing through the studio. The avian model still looked intensely blasé in expression.

“Hey, can I ask you a question?” Alexa ventured. Genevieve flipped her hair over her shoulder and looked into Alexa’s eyes.

“Shoot.”

Here is my continuation.

Alexa pulled her trusty Army revolver out of the folds of her fur dress. "I've just been waiting for that invitation," she hissed, pointed the weapon threateningly at a startled and frightened Genevieve. Alexa's eyes took on an icy expression, and an angry scowl marred the previously-beautiful features of her cosmetically-perfected face. "Who shall I shoot first? You? The photographer? That pathetic peacock person on stilts? You know how crazy this whole set-up is, don't you? We'll all work our asses off for a day, listening to that cocky photographer bark orders, and then they'll hire some big name chick who didn't even show up to compete. And they won't even pay us for our time."

Genevieve burst into tears and began to wail loudly. "Don't shoot me! I'm just trying to make a living like you are. Vogue didn't really pay very well, and the rent is due next week. I really need this job!" Her make-up was starting to run.

Alexa sighed impatiently. "But if you're dead, you don't need to worry about the rent, do you?" Her grip on the revolver tightened as she aimed carefully at Genevieve's heart.

With a desperate shriek, Genevieve grabbed the plate of shrimp and flung it into Alexa's face. Then she ducked under the table and began to crawl as fast as she could, shoving chairs aside as she went. The other young women who sat farther down the table had not noticed the gun, but they noticed the flying plate of shrimp and the shrieks of both Genevieve and the temporarily-blinded Alexa.

"Food fight!" someone yelled, and the mini-quiches, strawberries, melon balls, and biscotti flew every which way. Forgotten were the expensive gowns, the photographer, and the modeling competition. Suddenly, everyone was ten years old again and having a food fight in the school cafeteria. Most of the ladies had surprisingly good aim, and soon everyone was dripping with mashed food bits. No one noticed when Alexa wiped her face, tucked away her revolver, and joined in the flinging of comestibles.

Only when all the food was gone from the table did the young women pause long enough to look at each other. They all began to laugh hysterically, and collapsed into the nearest chairs.

Suddenly, the photographer was standing in front of the table. "Thanks, Alexa," he said. "That was the best and most well-dressed food fight I've ever had the opportunity to photograph. Each one of you will be generously paid for the roles you just played in the scene. It was so much better this way, with none of you (except Alexa) knowing I was filming the whole thing. You've all done an excellent job!"