1 Introduction (1/2)
Wednesday, April 09, 2014
It is 06h30pm, locked in his room, a 15-year-old teenager cannot believe that what is happening to him today is real. Sitting on his bed, unconsciously, in order to drive away the nervousness that overwhelms him, he never stops crushing the bottle of orange juice long ago emptied that he holds in his hand. Adam Clifford, has all kinds of reasons to feel so euphoric but also anxious and nervous tonight.
He would like this not to be the case, but he is well aware of the looks he receives at the High School and that his popularity rating does not exceed the ground level. A student with very average results, Adam joined the highly criticized journalism club. Both classical and popular students say that the people in this club are morons, who after being rejected from everywhere, had no choice but to fall back on what they all call, the garbage dumps. Adam would like to be able to reject this cruel statement, but his shyness prevents him from doing so and given that these shameful allegations are unfortunately true, he simply walks the corridors of his school daily with his head down.
Secretly, he always wanted to be able to be confident, like the handsome boys for whom everything is simple and to whom everything smiles. He has dreamed of it many, many times. Almost every night when he goes to bed, Adam fantasizes about it, wondering what he would start by doing if his face could be perfec. With his head buried in his pillow, aware that this pathetic dream will never come true., Adam nevertheless takes advantage of this rare moment of comfort to fall asleep with a large smile that only appears on his face at that time of the day.
Unfortunately, every morning, when Adam goes to the bathroom to wash himself, the dream ends abruptly so that his fantasies break on their own when he sees his reflection in the mirror. He doesn't really have an unpleasant face, but he doesn't attract attention. Worse, because of his lack of charisma, which is added to a lack of self-confidence, he goes completely unnoticed in the eyes of others.
Brown, brown eyes, smaller than most boys of his age, not very smiling, puny and pale, he reflects a sickly image that does not encourage anyone to go to him. Adam has always, as far as he can remember, been an extremely introverted boy. Since his first day of school, he has always been a victim, but he never played the role of the executioner. He is one of those people who do not have an ounce of wickedness in them and do not know the meaning of the word revenge or hate. At the High School, he receives many little blows and silly nicknames that hurt him more than he lets on. Never do the guys who hit him put too much force into it, however, with each blow received, it is his already almost non-existent ego, which bleeds.
When Adam arrives home, his sad expression instantly disappears and gives birth to a very pleasant smile. Not that he's so eager to show his white teeth up. No, if he does, it is only so that his mother, who is raising him alone, does not worry and continues to imagine that his son is living the colourful and wonderful adolescence she wants for him.
Always in this altruistic perspective, on weekends as well as on many Friday nights, Adam wears more beautiful clothes than those he wears on ordinary days, then leaves home laughing. On Friday evenings and weekends, he doesn't join any parties, go to see any friends or meet any girlfriends over drinks or at the movies. During these weekend getaways, as he likes to say, he isolates himself in the solitude of a forest near his house and waits for the hours that have become days to pass. This family scam has been going on for over two years now. On weekends, lost in his thoughts, while he is depressed, Adam is sorry to be just a less than nothing who lies to his mother and to pretend to be what he will never be, a normal person with a social life.
His bottle is now in a sad state, nervously, he swallows his saliva again. It has been an hour since the phone call of the girl who makes all boys his age dream across the country, vibrated his smartphone. When he saw the unknown number on the screen, he thought it was a new joke from his schoolmates, but he replied anyway so as not to suffer their bad mood and the slaps he would get if he ignored it.
For the past hour, he, who is usually a very calm boy, has not been able to regain control of his emotions. His heart beats too fast, thinking back to the female voice that spoke a few words to him when he picked up the phone, but exceptionally he smiles tonight. These words, Adam, who is far from being a genius, cannot forget them.
”Adam Clifford, it's Jessica Benson. Listen carefully, lucky boy. From now on you're my boyfriend and I'll come by after my photo shoot so we can talk about it, so tidy up your room to welcome me properly. Bye.”
After that she hung up, leaving Adam in shock. Jessica Benson, best student when they were in Middle School, hot blonde, beautiful light blue eyes, very tall, a dream body, model and actress at 15 years old and daughter of a rich and powerful industrialist. If after such a girl's statement to a guy like him didn't ask himself questions, it certainly wouldn't be the same Adam in this body.
”Adam, a young girl is coming to visit you. I'll send her up.”
After his mother's scream, Adam's pale face turns red. He starts sweating with large drops as he hears noises of not coming from the stairs. Still sitting on his bed, tetanized, Adam sees his bedroom door open quickly, very quickly, so quickly, that it hits his bedroom wall, while a beautiful blonde girl with endless legs, partially hidden under a white miniskirt, enters and frowning.
”Is that what you call tidying up? Are you kidding me? What are you still doing on the bed looking at me like an idiot? You're waiting for me to join you, aren't you? Dream on, boy. Now, do me the pleasure of putting some order in this pigsty who is unworthy of me.”
°°°°
On the same day, 05h25pm
”Lean a little further forward, Jessica. The customer wants these items to reflect the desire in the eyes of men.”
The girl who was smiling just a moment ago is clenching her teeth. Her jaw contracts, her eyes wrinkle, then she picks up an element of the decoration. Surprising the whole team, when she straightens up, the young girl throws with rage the little green element towards the photographer who surprised by her action has no time to duck and receives it in the forehead.
”You made me open four of the buttons on that tasteless blouse and now you want me to bend over like that? I'm fifteen years old, I'll call you back and I don't accept charm pictures. If you want to play these kinds of games, you can contact my lawyers. Bye, Stephen.”
The photographer rubs his forehead painfully. At the moment, he who simply wanted to do his job properly, feels a little aggrieved. However, considering the young lady who is already heading towards the dressing room at her disposal, he has no other option than to surrender.
”Sorry Jessica, I'll quickly call the customer and see what we can do about it, but please, stay there. Okay.”
A glance that could kill is directed at the photographer. However, the latter don't lose his temper. He knows the young model very well in front of him. From experience, he knows that despite her many shortcomings, what she hates most is not finishing a job properly.