------------------------------------------------------
“You can be gorgeous at thirty, charming at forty, and irresistible for the rest of your life.”
Coco Chanel
------------------------------------------------------

Margot

"Raise your head up a little." Click

"Slightly close your eyes." Click

"Yeah, I like that." Click. "Legs apart, just a little more." Click.

"Now that's one fierce pose. Damn girl, you're perfect." Click.

"Now, this is the final one. You ready for me, baby?" Mark, the photographer, who also happens to be my silly cousin asks, getting into a proposal pose.

"I'm always ready for you, Mark," I answer with a wink which gets the present crew members laughing and I laugh along with them.

"Freeze," he suddenly commands. "Yeah, like that, you look so alive laughing like that. I think I'mma need more than one more shot."

"Just remember the more shots you take, the more moolah I get." I remind him subtly.

"Yeah yeah. Now shut up and pose for me, Nutmeg."

"Did you just call me a nutmeg?" I ask with a mock frown.

He ignores my question. "You look so beautiful when angry."

"Fuck you," I say with a toothy grin.

"Oh baby, you just got beautifuler." Click

I shake my head in amusement before striking poses for my clown of a cousin.

"It's a wrap," Mark finally announces after a hundred (just kidding) shot. Immediately he says this, I hastily make my way into the dressing room to change into my own clothes. Even as I change, my eyes keep on darting towards the blue wall clock. I was supposed to pick Zara, Henry's girlfriend from the airport like ten minutes ago. Not wanting to keep her waiting any longer, I dial Metisha's number and she picks up almost immediately.

"Tisha, I need you to.."

"pick up my bro's girl from the airport? Already did."

"Wait, how did you even.."

"Dummy, you told me she was gonna come to NY today and you are the self-appointed driver. And you also happened to tell me the airport she was going to be arriving at. Plus, I saw her picture on your phone a couple of times so I know what she looks like. Does that explain everything?"

"Yes, it does. I.."

"Don't say it."

"love you."

"Dang it!"

"Hey Margie!" I hear Zara say in that always-full-of-life voice.

"Hey Zara. You've got five seconds to get out of that car."

"Why?"she asks, already sounding panicked.

"Cos that lady driving you right now is a serial killer."

"Haha." I hear Metisha comment.

"You're.. you're joking, right?" Zara asks and I have to resist the urge to laugh at her gullibility.

"Geez, you actually believe me?"

"Not everyone is an unbeliever like you," Metisha sing-songs.

"Hehe. Sorry Zara. She's a serial killer who only hunts and kills at night so I believe you're safe.. for now."

I hear both of them chuckle but something tells me Zara's forced. The girl is still scared. On a serious note, I really need to stop spending so much time with Metisha, or I will lose all ability to relate normally with people. I mean, I just almost scared my brother's girlfriend to death, didn't I?

"Hey! I have an idea. How about we have a sleepover at my place tonight to celebrate Zara's first time in New York and also get her inducted."

"Inducted?" Zara asks, sounding confused.

Intentionally, both Metisha and I refuse to explain things any further.

Let her find out what "induction" means herself.

"Will buy some balloons and other decoration stuff, then head to your apartment. That okay?"

"Sure. Let me call Jules, see if she can make it." I inform her but get no response. "You still there?"

"Yes, of course. Um.. see you later, I guess."

"Yeah, sure," I respond somewhat angrily. Honestly, I thought she and Jules had already sorted out whatever the problem was between them. But they obviously haven't.

They sure are both in for some serious 'Margot talk' at sleepover.

*****

"And the winner is.. Zara Ivashivanova. Applaudisez girls."

We all laugh as Zara jumps and claps enthusiastically.

After the Induction ceremony, which involved Zara drinking three mugs of rum, I can't help but admire her tolerance for alcohol.

"How is she still alive?" Metisha whispers, taking my half-filled glass of wine from me and replacing it with her own drained glass. I glare at her but she only shrugs in return.

"Why don't you ask her, since during your own induction, you fainted on the second mug."

"I didn't faint! I blacked out!"

"Same thing," I say, mimicking her earlier shoulder-jerking movement.

She gasps, like as if I had just said the untruest thing ever. "How on earth is it.."

"Girls, girls." Zara says into the microphone, which happens to be her fist, anyway. "Don't forget it's still my induction ceremony," she drawls, her Italian accent coming out even thicker. "And I've just been informed by that fine piece of art.." she says, pointing at Jules who's now exiting the room. "Hey, where you going, jiggling that wonderful ass?"

Jules chuckles while Metisha and I's eyes become as wide as a saucer. "Now I believe she's drunk." Metisha finally says after a moment.

"Why?"

She gives me a look that seems to say I really cant believe you're this stupid. "Jules' got no ass."

I take a deep breath like a parent would do when wanting to explain something to an extremely stupid child. "Look at Jules' ass."

"Pfft. Why would I wanna do that?"

"Ask no question, just look."

She reluctantly abides and stares keenly at Jules behind which was now luckily facing us.

"Stared good?"

"Uh-huh."

"Good. Now go look at Zara's ass."

"What?"

I give her a toothy smile. "Humour me."

"Ugh. I can't believe I'm doing this," she mutters but stands up anyway.

I watch in amusement as she stylishly pretends to fix her hair in the dressing mirror, all the while getting a good look at Zara's rump.

When she comes back, I can't help the bubble of laughter that escapes from my mouth.

She rolls her eyes before planting her butt somewhat angrily on the black sofa directly facing the queen-sized bed in my room. "There better be some sensible reason for this. Because I swear if all the ass observation I did was solely for your amusement, I'm going to cut off ropes with you."

"It's ties."

"Hmm?"

"It's not ropes, it's ties," I repeat amusedly.

"Ropes, ties, same thing." She argues, a faint gleam of challenge in her eyes.

Ugh. So typical of her.

"So, what did you learn from your ass observation?" I ask her, using air quotes for the last part of my statement.

"That while Jules ass looks, though small, round in shape, Zara's looks like.." she then gasps, finally coming to realization, "an over-flattened pancake!"

"Now what is this I hear about pancakes?" Zara innocently asks while Metisha and I only giggle like highschoolers.

Metisha then uses the edge of my nightshirt to wipe an imaginary tear from her eyes. "I'm so happy for you, Jules. For the first time ever, you can proudly say you've found someone with a flatter ass than yours."

When Jules only gives her a bemused look, she stares back confusedly. "Wait, aren't you happy with this achievement?"

"I thought we weren't on speaking terms?" Jules points out, arms akimbo.

"Oh. Then shouldn't you be glad that I'm speaking with you right now?" Metisha asks, twiddling her hair nonchalantly.

I risk a look at Jules and know at once that Metisha would soon wish she had not said that.

------------------------------------------------------
It's a double update!

Yes, it is!!!