the sand.
“Samantha, hmmm, I don’t know about that outfit.” I turn to look at her and am speechless. She is wearing a gold sequin bikini; the sun is shining off of it and illuminating her skin. The girl has some dangerous curves and I don’t know how the hell I will last through this whole shoot without touching her. “What have you been eating?” She walks in a circle, inspecting every aspect of her. “You know I try to tell you how one day of cheating can hurt your body. I mean, you are lucky they had a big enough size for you.” My eyes bug out of my head at the nerve of this woman. I can’t believe Sam tolerates her.
Her mother walks away without a word and I can see the defeat in her eyes. I can’t not say anything. I walk up to her, grasping her chin in between my thumb and forefinger, lifting her head so our eyes meet. I know people might be watching but right now, I don’t care. My only concern is the beautiful girl standing in front of me, looking like she was just crushed. “Don’t listen to a fucking word she says. You look goddamn gorgeous. When you stepped out of that trailer, I stopped fucking breathing.” A tear slips down her cheek and I swipe it away. “Don’t let her get in your head. Go out there and rock that shit, cupcake.” She smiles at me and nods.
She walks off toward the water and I can’t help but stare at her ass.
I am in fucking trouble.
Chapter Five
Samantha
When my mother tore me down, I thought I might lose it. I wanted to crawl back into the trailer with my tail between my legs and put on a parka. I mean, the bathing suit was a small, I guess no one ever told her zero isn’t a size. She thinks I eat junk food when she isn’t looking, but I couldn’t if I wanted to. Every time I even look at something unhealthy I feel sick. She has engrained in me that I’m already too heavy and that junk food will make me look like a slob. No matter how hard I try with diets and exercise, I can’t make her happy. No matter how many people say how amazing I look, she is convinced that they are just being nice. This year I was ranked number five on the top one hundred sexiest celebrities; you should have heard the list of reasons she gave me for why I didn’t get number one.
When Hunter witnessed the exchange between us, I was so embarrassed. I never expected him to react or say the things that he did. Before today, I was simply attracted to him; there was a sexual connection. After today, I’m scared to admit that I might want more, which is a scary thought because I know he won’t give that to me. I feel like when he looks at me, he sees the real person. Not the celebrity. Not the girl everyone wants a piece of, but me.
Having to do a photo shoot in a barely there bikini after being told I’m a heffer, isn’t really an ideal situation but like most things in my life, I just have to grin and bear it. Sometimes I wish that I could do a cute shoot with clothes on. The photographer starts with shots of me standing in front of the ocean and walking along the beach. Next, he has me lay down in the sand. I’m rolling around, letting it fall through my fingers and for a minute, I’m actually having fun.
“Samantha!” I hear my mother call from a few feet away. “Hold your head up straight! You need to hide the double chin.” My mood plummets, and I think the photog senses it.
“Okay, next series of shots are going to be in the water. I need you to go out at about mid-thigh level. Fair warning it’s cold, but I need you to push past it. Have fun with it.”
I nod and take a deep breath. When the first wave hits me, I let out a yelp. My shoulders rise up to my ears and I suck in my stomach in a lame attempt to get away from it. It is like ice water. Well, this should be fun. I get as far as I need to and then turn toward everyone. My eyes land on my mother, modeling poses