Page 57 of Pretend To Be Mine

Model after model came out, each one more stunning than the last. The dresses moved beautifully, catching the light exactly as they should. The timing was perfect. The music swelled and faded at all the right moments.

Then, just as everything seemed to be going smoothly, I heard raised voices from the lineup.

Two models near the middle of the pack were arguing, their voices getting louder.

“I’m going first!”

“No, you always go first. It’s my turn!”

I glanced around, but the stage manager was dealing with a lighting issue, Annika was backstage, and Adrian was at the tech booth going over something with the video team. No one else seemed to have noticed yet.

Without thinking, I moved toward the arguing models.

“Hey,” I said, keeping my voice friendly. “What’s going on?”

Up close, I realized they looked almost identical. Sisters, obviously. Maybe even twins.

“She thinks she should go out before me,” one of them said, crossing her arms. “But I’m the better walker.”

“That’s not fair! You went first at the last show we did together.”

“Because I’m older!”

“By two minutes!”

Ah. Twin sisters. Of course.

“Okay, wait,” I said, holding up my hands. “You’re twins?”

“Obviously,” they said in unison, then glared at each other.

“And you’re arguing about who should go first?” I looked between them. “Who’s older? Like, actually born first?”

The one on the left raised her hand slightly. “Me. But just barely.”

“Right. So you came out first already. At birth.” I gestured to her sister. “Which means now it’s her turn to go first. Fair’s fair.”

Both of them stopped, considering this logic. Then the older one’s expression softened.

“I guess that makes sense,” she said grudgingly.

“Fine,” her sister agreed. “But next show, I go first.”

“Deal.”

Crisis averted, they took their positions in the corrected order. I backed away before anyone could ask me what authority I had to be making those calls.

The run-through continued smoothly after that, and soon models were streaming backstage for the quick-change test. That went well. It was hectic but that was just how it went. Everyone knew their roles which helped.

But the moment the run-through finished, everything devolved. Suddenly Adrian was surrounded by people, all talking at once, all demanding his immediate attention.

“The screen resolution on the left side is slightly off.”

“We need approval on the final seating chart.”

“The flowers won’t arrive until noon tomorrow, is that going to be a problem?”

“Should we have backup dresses in case of emergencies?”