"I can't, Axl."

"Yes you can, Chas."

"I'm scared."

"Don't be scared, baby. There's nothing to be afraid of."

My knuckles are bright white, wrapped around the steering wheel of the Camaro. I can hardly see over the dash, and the hood that stretches on forever. Even in park, I can feel the engine humming steadily. How powerful this car is. A deathtrap, with me behind the wheel.

Axl sits where I normally am, in the passenger's. He doesn't wear a seatbelt.

"I can't drive to my casting. It's too far," I protest. "I don't want to. I don't wanna crash."

When Axl offered to let me drive his expensive, fast, goregous car that was made the year I was born, I wasn't going to say no. I figured it would be up the street and back. Material for him to use when making fun of me and my wide turns. Nothing else.

Not a full on driving lesson, even though my test is this week. Not him coaching me on how to not crash.

Up the street, then back.

The look on Axl's face is one of disbelief. "You think you're gonna crash my car?"

"Mhm," I nod, without a doubt. So much money. Practically every bit of his share of the Geffen contract. Gone. . .

"No, you won't," Axl replies simply.

"Yes I will, Axl-"

"You're a good driver, Chassy. You've impressed me. You can do it! And don't you have to be there by two?" Axl points to the clock on the dash. "It's one. You're gonna be late. And that guy, the one you think is 'expensive', what's his name? He's gonna be mad at you-"

"His name is Paul, and why can't you just drive? I like watching you drive. Please, Axl. Don't make me do this," I plead, desperation in my voice. My fingers feel numb as I tighten my grip with how uneasy I feel.

The freeway. Traffic. Stop signs. Parallel parking. Cops.

"You like watchin' me drive? I like watchin' you drive, honey." Axl leans over, grinning as he pushes my hair out of his way. His nose brushes against my cheek as he kisses the corner of my mouth. "You get that look on your face when you drive-the same one you get when you're thinking about sex."

"I-I do not-"

"Yeah," He breathes, air fanning out over my cheek. "You do."

Without another word, I shift the car into drive, easing down onto the gas.

"Good girl. You're gonna want to keep straight, till we hit the-"

"Freeway. I know," I side eye him, but only for a second. My tightly wound hands cramp, but I don't relax my grip. It's the only thing keeping me from becoming a quivering mess while going thirty miles an hour.

That 'good girl' echoes through my head, shooting right to my heart. And between my legs.

I try to focus on the road, I really do. Even though every revolution of the wheels means that I'm closer and closer to my first modeling gig.

"I'm scared," I repeat after I've already merged onto the freeway.

"You're doing just fine baby-"

"Not about driving anymore. I'm scared that I'm going to do horrible at this thing. I don't even know what's gonna happen." I shake my head in disbelief, eyes glued to the road. A frown makes my lips droop at the corners.

Axl doesn't offer anything up to that. He's too busy telling me to speed up and pay attention as we get further onto the highway. It's packed with cars, the way it always is.

"I am paying attention, Will! You're stressing me out."

"You're already so wound up to begin with, I doubt it's all my fault. See-Look, Chasity! You need to merge! And use your signals, how else are people supposed to know what you're doin'?"

I hold up one hand in defense, as if to block his words. I don't want to hear it. "I already tried to tell you that I don't know what I'm doing! And you still don't have a seatbelt on."

Right as I successfully get over, I hear a quiet click beside me. That makes me ease up, but only a little bit. Axl says nothing, which also helps.

It takes no effort on my part to locate the actual street and building hosting the casting. I tell Axl to grab the piece of paper with my looped handwriting from my purse, and of course, he knows where to go.

I've lived here my whole life and can't tell you how to get anywhere outside the five mile stretch from my parent's house. But Axl? He knows these streets like the back of his hand. Every single one.

When I successfully park at the address on the paper, I don't even need Axl to confirm that we're at the right place.

There's girls everywhere.

Ones getting in and out of cars, crossing the street, on the phone. It's funny, because they all kind of look the same.

We all look the same.

Long hair, tall, skinny, kind of awkward. The same pair of Jordache jeans on each of us, with a white t-shirt tucked in. The attire all our agents told us to wear. Carrying some variation of a folder, no doubt holding headshots each of us obtained from our respective agencies.

The best part is that I see my face reflected back to me, even from here, where I sit in Axl's car still. The fear. The uncertainty, painted on everyone. Even on the girls that are smiling or laughing together. I see it in their shoulders and the grip on their bags. In their fidgeting with their hair, or the stray hem on their top.

The clock on the dash reads two. I'm late. I contemplate not getting out of the car. Climbing into the back seat, begging Axl to drive me home like a little kid.

Or worse. Allowing myself to throw up right here, onto the sidewalk. Crying, the tears not even ruining anything but my day since I wasn't allowed to wear any makeup to this thing.

My hands start to shake as I let them fall into my lap, looking up at Axl for a moment. He observes me, probably waiting for me to get a move on.

I silently beg him to take care of me. To comfort me, to hold me. To realize that I'm scared, that I have no idea what I'm about to walk into. That I need him. That I love him.

I nearly do cry, but from relief as both his hands cup the sides of my face, making my eyes meet his. I let him hold my head in his hands, my cheeks so squished I can't do or say anything.

Axl smiles his softest grin at me. "You're going to be just fine, Chasity. You're gonna go in there and be perfectly okay. Amazing. And if they don't pick you? It's their loss." Axl makes a face, as if he doubts that they won't pick me. "You're beautiful. You're my beautiful girl."

He presses a gentle kiss to my pouty lips, and I feel my eyes water as they flutter shut. My hands come up to rest on top of Axl's, which are still on my face.

I love you, Axl. I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you. I love you so much-

"And I'm going to be thinking about you for hours," Axl presses his nose against mine, staring into my eyes. "Even more than I usually do. So you better call me later and tell me what happened, okay?"

"Okay," I say.

"Duff should be here on time to get you. You said four, right?"

"That's when Paul said I should be done."

"Okay. I'll remind him when I see him."

I take that as my cue to go. That I can't continue to let Axl stall for me by making me absolutely geek out over him.

My mind starts up again when I feel his hand grab my wrist, just before I gather up my pictures and purse.

I love you Axl. I love you.

"Bye, baby. I'm so proud of you."

Axl seals his words with a kiss, making them stick.

I can't help it when I beam at him. "Bye, Axl. Thank you!"

He doesn't drive off until I wave at him just steps from the revolving door, about to head inside.

The cool air actually isn't so cool as I step into the marble lobby, every square inch packed with girls.

It's easy to find Paul among them, though.

"Chasity Grace! Hi!"

His pearly white teeth and bronze skin glow under the chandeliers as he makes his way through the crowds of people. He looks just as he did the last time I saw him, his clothes simple and stylish, single earring dangling.

"There she is-late-but still looking like the next best thing out there!" Paul gives me a one-armed hug, careful of the headshots in my other hand. "I want to introduce you to Frances Hill. She's also one of mine, and this is her fourth casting so far. You two are going to be good friends."

The girl I hadn't even realized was behind Paul waves at me, and immediately, I feel as though I've seen her before. She's tall-much taller than me. Even more slim, her cheekbones high. Her hair is the opposite of mine. It's pin straight, and blonde. And long. So long, that it nearly reaches her butt. Her eyes are big, and remind me of Twiggy.

"I'm Frances, hi!" Her voice comes out delicate and in a British accent, taking me by surprise.

"I'm Chasity. Everybody calls me Chas, though."

Paul doesn't give us another second before he's ushering us both away with him.

"Frances should be called in before you, Chasity. But I want to make sure you're both there. I know the casting director and she said that if she gets a chance she can call you both early, so we're already late."

Once we're in a packed elevator, I start to really wonder where I've seen Frances before. I keep looking over Paul, who's in between us both. Once, twice, a third time. Almost compulsively, like I must figure out where I've seen her before.

"I'm sorry. . . I just, I know I've seen you somewhere-"

"At the Guns N' Roses gig a few weeks ago? I thought you looked familiar too!"

That sparks my memory immediately. "Yes! Oh my God, yes! That's where I've seen you. I thought you were so goregous coming into that bathroom!"

Other girls turn slightly in the elevator to look at us, Paul included, but I don't care. I think I really have just made a friend.

Once the elevator stops, Paul is pushing us through to the front, out to a long hallway.

"You brought heels, right?" Paul asks me.

"Yeah," I nod. They've been in my bag this whole time, weighing it down so much my shoulder hurts.

"Good."

It's like we just barely made it, because then a woman is stepping out from a huge doorway at the end of the hall, calling out Frances' name from the clipboard in her hand.

Paul gives her a small hug before taking her bag, and I tell her good luck. She smiles before walking away, pictures in hand, heels already on. Like she knows what she's doing.

I like her already, I think.

The panic of what's about to happen truly sets in now that I have nothing to distract me.

Paul makes me sit down in one of the chairs lining the barren hallway, and I immediately begin to fidget. I change my shoes, getting my foot into the five inch stilettos I practiced walking in all last night. Then, I flip through my own portfolio, the thing consisting of a couple pages. All of them pictures of me, taken at Elite headquarters the same day I signed my contract last week.

I stare blankly at the camera in the first photo, fresh faced and standing tall. My measurements are listed on the side of the picture, numbers that I heard Paul arguing with his boss about before I completed any paperwork.

"Not good enough. . . She's too. . . Too small. Everywhere, except her hair. Curves are in, not ironing boards."

"I'm telling you, you will regret this for the rest of your career if we don't sign her today. She looks like Gia. She could be bigger than Gia! Even if she is lanky. Even if she isn't five-foot ten. The girl is still growing! She's eighteen. She's going to be a National treasure in a few years, I promise you. . ."

Paul's words that day made me realize that this whole thing wasn't just some twisted mall scam. That even though we haven't known each other long, he believes in me.

The way he speaks to me makes me realize that he probably knows me better than I think. He knows I'm scared shitless.

"I've told you the procedure, Chasity Grace."

He says procedure as if this is going to be invasive.

Oh god.

"You just go in there and answer any questions they have. Hell, they might even ask you about the damn weather! But regardless, you be yourself. And you've got it. You've just got to show them it."

"I don't even know what it is!"

●●●

Author's note:

Hi! I was so hesitant to post this chapter. I know I haven't updated in a long time, but here it is!

PAUL AND FRANCES ARE BACK!!! Ugh, I missed them so much. It's like reuniting with old friends ❤

In the past, I never casted Paul (or Frances, really), but after hardly any consideration this time around (because he's perfect!), I've decided that Lenny Kravitz in his role of Cinna from the Hunger Games is SO Paul! We all know I love being able to put faces to names, and I'm so happy with Lenny!

To me, Frances is Kate Moss. It's just too perfect. In my head, she's the closest person to what I see for Fran.

Also- can you tell I missed Axl? I LOVE THAT MAN! I can't resist writing him all soft and caring about Chas (like a da**y,) it's my favorite 💧💧💧

It feels so good to be back and getting the story closer to where I want it to be!

Feel free to tell me all your thoughts, even the smallest comments are lovely ❤❤❤❤

Thank you for reading!