Steamy Sparks

💞TRACY💞

Life in itself can be very complicated and difficult. It's required that one works hard to be successful and since it's said there won't be any food for a lazy man. And also, from somewhere in the holy book, they said the devil finds work for the idle man..is that it? I don't really know because I suck. I'm not really a devoted Christian. I used to but I no longer believe there's someone up there who fights for us because if there's really someone, I won't get a contract and at the end of the day, get stripped off of it.

It was a fashion week, the spring collection with thousands of designers. I'm supposed to at least get one to model for right? Well, I did but at the end of the day, magic occurred and it was given to somebody else and that girl had a lot of designers to model for already whereas I had none. How can life be cruel?

I still attended anyway and it has ended and I am on my way home. Almost there even.

Getting home, I pack all the junks I had into the microwave then go to clean myself. My food is all heated by the time I finish and I sit to consume in the middle of my tiny room.

A minute into it, my phone rings. It's my manager. I wonder why she is calling me at this time. It's almost 2 am.

"Hi, is everything alright?" I ask as I chew on the meat in my mouth.

"Are you home?"

I nod before realizing that she won't see and so I hurry to chew and swallow so I can answer.

"Tracy, are you there?"

"Mmmm." I'm swallowing.

"Are you eating? At 2 am?"

"Lost contract and hungry. What must I do? I can't lose and still add ulcer to my misfortune."

"How are you gonna get a proper contract if you don't stop taking food like a mother pig? And what are you eating?"

I don't reply. She knows what I am taking but will ask anyway. I hate that she talks to me as if I am a kid and she's my mother.

"You're taking junks instead of following the diet religiously. Why are you doing this to yourself Tracy?"

Here we go again. My eyes roll straight into my head. I don't stop eating.

"We're going to the gym tomorrow and signing into a yoga class. I'm not taking no for answer."

My eyes roll yet again. Ever since I got into this modeling field, I've never gone to the gym..well only once.

"And you're going to stay on diet."

Tired of rolling my eyes, I decide to speak my mind to this manager of mine.

"Listen, Karen, everybody is different. Just because someone eats a certain way and gets a certain result does not mean that my body will react the same way. Just because all those models you see swear by extremely low carb or high protein diet, that doesn't mean my body will respond the same way. This is my stand and if you think I am not a good enough model for you to manage please you can go because I didn't even employ you in the first place. I told you from the beginning that I don't need a manager." This is Tracy-Lyn Tyler, I love to speak my mind.

"You don't have to say that Tracy. You know I only care about you and I want you to blow. I'm sorry about how things went during the fashion week. You're good, very beautiful, you just need a little shaping for you to take down the runway."

"I'm not a runway model Karen, I don't need to do so much. Please let me be now will you?"

"Yeah, sure."

"And try to understand that I don't need those things. Being a model doesn't mean you have to be skinny and eat very little. I am who I am so I am going to eat whatever that pleases me."

"Yes but no junk please."

"Yeah. This is the last. You know I am heartbroken."

"Yes, I am sorry."

"If you don't mind I am hanging up okay."

"Yes, but could you do a little squatting and making use of the treadmill before you sleep please."

"Okay, bye." I end the call.

A sudden creak by the window announces the arrival of my stupid crackhead of a friend. She has super strict parents who by their tiny brains think I prostitute so they do anything to keep my friend from me. The only way we see each other is at this time when everyone is busy in bed snoring.

"Hello hello hello!" Yeah. She's going to make noise. Someone who sneaked in and is supposed to keep it low. I can't go stealing with her. We're gonna get caught with her high pitch.

"Keep it shut Alana!"

"You're only eating as always, not meditating?"

"Happy release day." I smile at her and pat a place for her to sit beside me.

"Don't say that darling. I actually kill myself to see you. You know, my parents are crazy. I don't know why they're so narrow-minded."

"They're your parents. Do not say that." I scold her. The last thing I want to hear or see is someone disrespecting their parents whether they're good or not. Family is everything.

"Yeah yeah." Her eyes rove on the massive food in front of me. "You eat so much yet you look like Victoria's favorite secret model. How do you do it, girl?"

"I don't think if not why didn't I get a designer to model for?"

"They're blind and corrupted. Better offers are yet to come and you're going to hit do not worry."

"Hmmm." I've never had any major role to play in modeling, I get cast alright but at the end of the day, someone always replaces me and I don't get it. I don't. The only thing I do most is posing for photographers.

"You're better than all those girls and you're prettier trust me."

"Then why do they snatch my contracts?"

"That is the world we live in. It's all about getting connected and being able to willingly pay huge sums and the girls, they can't open their thighs any wider for that."

"So if I don't open my thighs and I don't have money to bribe, I won't go forward? I'm never going to succeed?"

"You don't have to be like them. Your time will come and during that time, nothing can stop your shine."

"That is enough of me. How's school? How's the family? Your cat? Your other friends and your crushes?" I'm older than Alana two years, I was a senior to her in college but we click so well.

"Since you mentioned crushes, Jake who's your all-time crush has a project underway and I heard he's going to need a modeling agency to get a model from. I pray she picks your agency and who knows, you might be the lucky one to get casted."

"You can dream!" I laugh. "I don't even get to participate in the fashion week and you think I can hit the contract of a superstar?" I pack the rest of the food. I've had enough.

"Don't be pessimistic. Everything is possible."

"Everything is not possible for Tracy." I tell her.

"It will be possible if you believe and work towards it."

"What haven't I done? Anyway, where did you hear the news?"

"You know me." She smiles.

"Yeah. A gossip." I nudge her and get up to go to the kitchen. She follows me.

"Ouch, I'm wounded. You called me a gossip? She fakes hurt.

"I did."

"On a serious note, I really hope that he chooses your agency to get models."

"That is not my business," I say but it's a lie. I will be over the moon if his manager comes to our agency and I will do anything to get casted if no one undertakes me again.

Alana left after 4 am and that gave me some time to catch some sleep. A continuous disturbance from the vibration of my phone threatens to wake me up but I refuse until I couldn't take it anymore and my eye opens begrudgingly. It's 10:30 am and on the screen is Karen. What does she want me to do for her? God, I only wanted to sleep.

"Hello?" I groan in a sleepy tone.

"Well, wake up sleepy head."

"For what Karen?" I yawn.

"There's a casting call at the agency you don't wanna miss. Get your ass up, who knows, you might get selected."

"At what time?"

"Now!"

"What?"

"Yes, it's urgent. You don't check your mail if not you'd have known the announcement was made yesterday by the agency manager."

"Oh.."

"Yes, so you know what to do. Put on something nice and your confidence must be high. I'll see you there, don't delay."

"Alright," I whisper, still on the bed and my eyes closing back.

Why should I even bother? At the end of the day, I don't get chosen. It's always the other girls.

"Tracy?!" Karen shouts into the phone and I jump up immediately to the bathroom.

What's with her?

Anyway, appreciate that she's with me when am not even making any good money though I am not aware of her intentions. I'm sure it's good.

She asked me to look good but getting out, I only drag skinny jeans out and a wrinkled shirt out.

I keep it natural and let my hair fall straight below my shoulders. I put a sneaker on and run out with my bag but I return to practice a few poses before leaving finally.

I don't have a car and the road is full of traffic jams. By the time I reach glamour model agency, my hope of getting cast just maybe vanished.

Feeling dejected, I enter begrudgingly, dragging my feet sluggishly. Not a single person did I see on the corridor so definitely, I knew where they would be. Turning to leave so I don't get to be made fun of, a lady almost rushing out brushes me aside and in the process, steps her high heels on my toes knowingly or unknowingly. I'm yet to know.

"Ouch!" I groan as I watch her walk away majestically without care with two bodied men following her.

What the heck! I run out after her and by her shoulders, I turn her to face me. Immediately, her armed men point their weapons at me.

Whoa! She seems to be rich. Raising my head to look at her, she looks familiar but I can't place where.

"Get your hands off me bitch!" She snarls in-between her teeth but barely opened her mouth as her eyes which are hidden behind dark shades scrutinizes me with a disgusting look. That infuriates me.

"No bitch, how dare you to step on me and walked away as if it doesn't matter?"

She smiles. "You should be glad I stepped on you if you know me."

"Fuck, I won't take shit from anyone whether the president or whatever shit!"

"So what you gon' do? What are you tryna do here?"

"I wanna whip your ass for your disrespect! The fact that your rich doesn't give the fucking right for you to do whatever you like and walk away peacefully."

"I bet you didn't say that."

"I did!" I step closer to her, not caring about the guns pointed to my head which by any mistake of mine will go off.

I'm not a too kind person. Anything you give me, I give right back whether good or bad so without hesitating, I stomped on her foot as hard as I can, staining it and also hurting her.

I hear a pulling of a trigger but she holds her hand up to stop them, I smirk sinisterly, licking my lips in satisfaction and mockery, I run back in feeling good as fuck!

No one messes with me and go scot-free. I'm not a dullard.

If she had humbled and apologized, I would've left without doing anything but no, she's a proud rude peacock who thinks her wealthy-looking will make me bow.

I enter back and all eyes point on me, both big and small. Then, I begin to hear murmur all around me. The main manager eyes me for what reason I don't know. Maybe because I am late.

"Tracy I wonder when you would've arrived if you walked last night or the entire week." As these words left the manager's lips, the skinny ladies roar into laughter.

"And her shirt seems to have just been dragged from a bottle." The girl who always snatch my contract from me and hate me for no reason snicker and they all laugh.

I eye her and she looks away as if she said nothing. Well, she knows me. When I first came to the agency she and her group of friends used to give me shits. They try to oppress me and I've been ignoring until one day when I confronted them. That shocked them but didn't keep them away from my trouble so when they did again, I slapped her in front of them all and dared her to slap me back if she can. She couldn't and walked away shamefully. Since then, she dared not throw shit at me nor her friends. They feared me.

There's a lot of models here I don't interact with some for known and unknown reasons. They just dislike me. Well, they should keep it that way else if they try I'mma show to them all that it's the streets I came from.

As usual, I don't mind their petty comments and I don't let them get to me either.

"Don't mind them, you're prettier than them all." Jean, one of three other models who roots for me anytime any day whispers to me and I put my thumb up for her with a smile. Jean is the only one who doesn't make fun of me or belittle me though she's very gorgeous with those big blue eyes of hers and sexy plump lips. She's really nice and I could stare at her all day if I wouldn't get tagged gay.

"Has everyone gone yet?"

"Yeah but they've not decided. I don't think they'll be able to get anyone here. They need a lady in Jake Langford's video and it has to be someone really good."

"What are the requirements?"

"Just.."

"Tracy it's your turn. I need not say it!" The manager says and I spot Karen who gives me a thumb up.

"Yes, Ma'am." I put my bag well to get up.

"All the best!" Jean whisper.

It's the same every time. Walk, give a turnaround with loads of poise, charisma, and confidence then you do the pose if possible with an attractive smile.

None of us got chosen but after a week, the news we received got everyone busy but got me relaxed. They need a perfect hourglass shape. An unnaturally thin waist, bigger bust, and round wider hips. They said the bust also has to be round slightly and the waist very pronounced. It should be round, a very curvy figure and I don't have that. Since it's my crush, I somehow wished that I took the gym and yoga seriously but nothing can be done now. I won't kill myself this last minute as people are doing. Like everyone is just desperate to get the perfect hourglass shape and others have it already. As for me, I don't give a fuck.

Another casting call is organized where everyone has to walk in underwear to showcase their shape.

This time around, I came earlier just so I could witness those whose body got a transformation this past week after being on an intense strict diet and sleeping at the gym. Also, those who tried surgeries just to look great.

Before I could step in, I see the lady I had the encounter with sitting with my manager in the audition room.

I call Jean who's already seated and she runs to me outside.

"Who's that woman?"

"I don't really know but she's mostly seen with Jake, rumors had it that they're couples but I don't know and today, she's here to represent him to choose the right model for their video."

"What?!" I step back from the door.

"What? Don't you know her? Didn't you see her the last time she came? Oh, you came late. She was here the last time."

I only nod and swallow spit for I know that I don't stand a chance anymore. Even if I had the body, this woman won't select even my shadow.