"STOOOOP!!!" The director yelled from off the scene. "What the HELL was that?!" He continued in near tantrum.
"Oh-! S-sorry, Mike!" Shade called back nervously, rushing to hold the two separated bands from the now ruined speedo with both hands. A look of both mortification and surprise on his dark grey face.
"That's Mr. Canton to you!" The haughty bull snorted back. "This is supposed to be a photo shoot, NOT a strip-club!"
Shades cheeks burned fiercely as he slowly looked around in front of him; Mr. Canton was steaming, and all the photographers were either staring or giggling quietly in a futile attempt to keep both the director and model from hearing.
"I-I-!" Shade was about to explain himself, but a stutter got in his way. He couldn't help it, he always stuttered when he was embarrassed. And this, this was downright humiliating. "I'll pay for it, sir!" Sweat was beginning to drip down the sides of his face.
"Forget it! Just get out of here! I don't have time for you, not when I can just get some other fat-ass in here who can actually do his own JOB right!" Shade nodded quickly, before rushing off set, having to run awkwardly having been hindered by the need to have both hands on his thigh. Tears were welling by the time he got out of the room. The moment he was out of sight, everyone who'd been trying not to suddenly burst out in laughter. "SHUT UP!" Mr. Canton yelled, and the room went back to it's tense quiet. "Bring in the next one."

"Ugh… I can't believe I screwed that up!" Shade said sickly to himself as he changed back into his street-clothes. "I mean-, that was my first real gig a model, and I went and burst out of the merchandise!" Shade zipped up his jeans, and shifted his gaze to the tattered speedo sitting on the changing-rooms bench. He picked up the hot-pink piece of beach-wear and stared sourly at it. Then, just let it fall to the floor and slumped down on the bench in a defeated-looking fashion and put his head in his hands.
Shade had always wanted to be a model, ever since he was a little colt. He remembered looking through clothing magazines when he was young and admiring the way that the models made the clothing look good more then the actual clothes themselves did. As if they were the ones being made famous, rather then what they were hired to advertise. He'd also heard that some models can make a lot of money, so that was reason enough to go down that path.
However; he'd also heard how competitive a business it was. That sometimes months can go by between getting any offers worth mentioning. He knew he didn't want that. And a thought crossed his mind; a type of modeling that not many people would think worth getting in to… plus-size modeling. And so, h became a gainer. It seemed logical, it would only help him land more jobs, after all…
Shade finished getting dressed, he buttoned up a relatively new men's-shirt and fastened his belt (he never needed it, he just liked the way it looked). He threw away the speedo and walked down-heartedly out of the studio.
"Aw well…" he thought to himself with a sigh as he walked down the busy sidewalk to the bus stop, "At least this'll give me more time to finish unpacking. "
Shade stepped of the bus walked into the apartment building where he had just moved into, and took an elevator to the fourth floor. He unlocked the door and stepped into his apartment, which was filled with card board boxes and out-of-place furniture. He slumped down on a couch stationed in front of a TV. He looked over to one of the large pile of unopened boxes and frowned. He didn't feel like unpacking, it was such a pain. He turned the TV on and decided to watch whatever caught his eye while channel surfing.
It'd been an hour or two, Shade was just about to fall asleep on the couch when he was alerted by the phone ringing. He heaved himself up and lumbered groggily to the counter where the phone as waiting to be answered in it's base.
"Hello?" He half-yawned as an answer to the other end.
"Oh, hello! Is this Shaun Peers?" Shade cocked an eyebrow. He vaguely recognized the feminine voice on the other end, but it was obvious that they didn't know each other since she was calling him by his real name.
"Yeah. Who's this?"
"Oh, I'm Alice, a receptionist at the modeling studio you were at earlier today."
"Um… hi." That's weird; why would they be calling him now? "Did I leave something there?"
"I'm really sorry to have to bother you right now, but this is actually more a personal phone call…" Now that was just slightly stranger.
"Oh, that's alright, I wasn't really doing anything. "
"Okay then! I saw you leave the studio in a hurry, and you looked upset. Are you okay?"
"Oh, that’s uh… a long story." It really wasn't, actually. Shade just didn't feel like explaining what happened.
"Did Canton have anything to do with it?" Who would've guessed- she's psychic.
"Yeah… he might've…"
"Ah, that makes sense. He's a real jerk."
"Yeah I could gather that much." Alice giggled.
"So I haven't really seen you around before, are you new here?"
"Um… yeah. I just moved in a few days ago."
"Where're you from?"
"Just a small town in the west."
"You came out here hoping to find a modeling career?"
"You guessed it."
"Alright… So, you finished unpacking, yet?"
"Huh?" That last question reminded Shade of the mountain of boxes he'd have to tackle tomorrow, considering it would be getting dark soon.
"I remember when I first moved here, it took me weeks to unpack by myself."
"Weeks you say…" Shade said unhappily. Great, and he didn't even have any help…
"Do you need some help?"
"Wha-?"
"Unpacking, I mean. You didn't sound to happy about the whole weeks thing."
"Oh, thanks, but I'll be fine." Shade barely finished his last sentence before his stomach let out a loud, angry sounding growl. Shade blushed with embarrassment. It was definitely more then loud enough to be heard on the other end. The whole gainer deal came with a price- as Shade's waist grew larger, his appetite grew with it. "S-sorry about that…!"
"Don't apologize," Alice said sweetly. "It's kinda cute."
Cute…? Shade thought to himself. "Well, I really should get back to unpacking…"
"Are you sure you don't need any help? I'd be more then happy to stop by and help you. Oh, but you probably want to make yourself some dinner, first. Sorry to impose…"
"Oh, no it's okay," Shade said quickly, considering that maybe it might not be a bad idea to make a friend so soon in a new place. "If you're sure you want to help, I can just make enough for two…?"
"Well, if you insist!" She said jokingly. "So where do you live?"
"Oh my address is 415 on the fourth floor of the James Mason Apartment Building."
"Wait, did you say James Mason?"
"Yeah?"
"No kidding! I live two floors above you!"
"Really?" Shade said, surprised.
"Okay then, I'll be right over, Shaun-"
"Please, call me Shade."
"Okay, I'll be right over, Shade."


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Just something I made quick since I was in the whole model mood after finishing that request^^

Then I got the idea for a short story to stick on as some writing practice.