“Juniper—you know, the new girl? She’s actually really nice. Quiet, but nice.”
“And photogenic as hell. Look, you’ve already gotten a bunch of likes.”
I shrug. “I always do.”
“No, I mean…a lot.”
“Morning, folks,” says Mr. Benson, our history teacher, stepping in front of the room. I quickly put my phone away, even though I can still feel it blowing up. I try to ignore it as Mr. Benson starts introducing a new unit about the Cold War.
Fifty minutes later when the bell rings, I’m out of my seat and running into the hall.
“See you at lunch!” Kiana yells after me.
I give her a short wave of my hand in response and duck into the nearest girls’ bathroom. When I am locked in a stall, I take out my phone and open up to my post on BeautyStarz.
“Holy shit,” I whisper, “10K views already!”
I scroll and see that not only has LovelyLashes liked and reposted it, but so have some other big content creators in the beauty industry.
@Hannahglamgurl has added it to her stories, talking about how shemustget her hands on these lashes to try.
@BeautyByBetty, my favorite drag queen, has also shared it. But it’s the comments that really get me. As I scroll through, I see that most of them are about the extreme chemistry Juniper and I have—that it’s not just about the lashes, but that somehow Juniper Jones and I have the kind of social media it-couple vibe that the internet just eats up.
I get a notification from Cash App, and see that my sponsorship money from LovelyLashes has hit $1,000.We loved working with you!We’ll be in touch soon for more collabs, the note attached to the transfer says.
“Cha-ching!” I whisper, immediately beginning to calculate in my head. That’s $600 toward cosmetology school, $300 I can use to pay down some of Grammy Viv’s hip surgery debt, and $100 extra to add to Grammy’s pension payment for groceries and bills this month. Not too shabby. One of my most lucrative sponsorships yet.
I navigate back to BeautyStarz and check my DMs.
“Holy shit,” I say, a little too loudly. The first DM message is from @KayceeBeauty—the up-and-coming brand of Kaycee James, celebrity actor and pop singer. I open it so fast and skim the note:
Hey, beauty—love your latest content. Wanna collab? We’d love it if you could promote our holiday highlighter collection. We pay $1,500 per sponsored reel. Feel free to include your boo in it—you two are too cute. Major holiday romance vibes. Hit us back. Xoxo
From the bathroom stall, I hear the bell ring for next period, but I ignore it. I’m just gonna have to be late—this is too major. I reply with a quick YES, and then give them my professional email to share further details and set up a schedule. I debate whether to explain that Juniper is not at all my boo, but decide against it. I mean—she could be for all they know, right?
CHAPTER 6Juniper
SONG OF THE DAY:
“Carol of the Bells a.k.a. Opera of the Bells” by Destiny’s Child
Unpopular opinion, but I love a Monday.
Mondays mean a fresh start
another chance
to get organized, to set a new PR
or just a new goal.
In fact, I don’t even mind
that I have to be here at six a.m.
for indoor track conditioning—
I like how still and quiet the building is
