More than Fashion

32

The interview ended and we left the room. But she stopped me outside the elevator, glancing around like she was imparting a secret. “Just so you know, the producers would love to see something happen with you and Gavin.”

“What do you mean?”

“We think it could provide some good drama, that’s all. Viewers would probably love it, too.” She giggled. “I know I definitely ship it!”

“Sorry. I don’t think it’s going to happen.”

“Bummer.” She gave me a quick hug. “Congrats again on winning! You’ll receive the bonus thousand dollar prize after the show is over, and you’re free to use the private suite in the Loft until the next challenge starts.”

I’d forgotten about the bonus prize, but I could definitely use that extra cash. My parents were paying for me to go to college, but they could only do so much. Just another reason why winning Behind The Seams would be amazing. The $200,000 cash prize would get my new career started, and for once I wouldn’t have to rely on my parents to help me.

But what was I going to do about the private suite? I wasn’t sure I could make it through the whole night in there without inviting Gavin inside. He was just too damn tempting.

Maybe there was another way.

“Can I give the suite to someone else?” I asked Kelsey.

“Sure! It’s yours to do whatever you want with. You can also invite someone to join you.” Kelsey gave me another exaggerated wink. Yeah, it was pretty clear what she wanted me to do.

In the end, I offered Molly the winner’s suite. Doing so both saved me from temptation and gave Molly a chance to recover and get over her cold. Not to mention, it let the rest of us ladies get a better night’s sleep without her snoring. She thanked me profusely, giving me a tight hug, and I knew I’d done the right thing.

Even if I was a tiny bit sad I wasn’t getting any action that night.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Now that I’d won a challenge, my confidence returned in full force. We were on our fifth challenge, almost halfway through the show, and my new plan was: Wake up. Kick ass. Repeat.

But all that went to hell when I got up the next morning with a sore throat.

Molly’s cold. Perfect. Just what I needed.

Kelsey gave me some cold medicine, but there wasn’t much she, or anyone else, could do to help me. My one consolation was that most of the other designers seemed to be hit with the same illness. Not Gavin though. He looked as perfect and handsome as always. That jerk.

We were asked to design a dress for Lola to wear to a red carpet event, which made me especially nervous because I had a feeling she hated me. No clue what that was about, but I worked my ass off on my dress or as best as I could with a waterfall of snot running out of my nose every couple minutes. I went through an entire box of tissues. It wasn’t pretty.

The second day was even worse. The design room had become a hellish place, full of coughing, sneezing, and people who stumbled around like zombies. Only Jeff and Gavin seemed to be immune to the plague sweeping through our ranks. Some of the models didn’t even show up. But by some miracle, all nine designers finished a dress and made it to the runway show.

And once again, I ended up in the bottom.

I stood before the four judges with Carla at my side. She wasn’t sick, but then, she never got sick. It was her superpower, and one I would kill for right now.

They started with Nika and Tom, ripping apart their dresses while we all sniffled and coughed on the runway. The judges seemed especially nasty tonight. Tom’s dress wasn’t even that bad, just kind of boring and simple. When they got to my dress, I could only brace myself for what was coming.

I’d made a black vintage-looking strapless gown with tiny silver stars all over it. Along the top of the bodice, I’d cut the fabric to look like crescent moons and covered them with rhinestones that trailed down and vanished into the body of the dress, giving the impression of a twinkling night sky. There were a few places where the dress was a little sloppy, due to lack of time and my cold, but I couldn’t believe I was on the bottom. Not for this dress.

Lola’s mouth twisted as she eyed Carla. “Julie, you won the Comic-Con Masquerade contest, yes? That’s how you were invited on the show?”

“Yes.” I sighed. I knew it would come out sometime. The other designers on stage all looked at me with varying levels of surprise written across their faces. Except Gavin, who stared straight ahead, his expression neutral.

“It shows,” Lola snapped. “Every challenge you make us another costume.”

I heard Nika do her mean giggle and wanted to die right there on the stage. But instead I stood up straighter. I wasn’t ashamed of how I’d gotten on the show. I hadn’t even applied—they’d asked me to be on it. And I was proud of the clothes I’d made so far. My dress was a thousand times better than Nika’s. It was obvious she would be the one going home today. Not me.

“I love this dress,” Kiara said, and Lola’s eyes rolled. “It’s feminine and magical. A little rough at the bottom with the hem, but I can see what you were going for.”

“I like it also,” Ricardo said. “It’s beautiful and unique. But I’m not sure I can picture Lola wearing it on the red carpet.”