Forever Glamorous

Chapter 2

AURA MINDLESSLY SCROLLED THROUGH her social media as she waited in line at TSA with her parents. They tried to steer clear of her path of wrath, but she found every chance she got to remind them of what they did to her.

"Austin, can you carry this for me for a second? I need to find my passport." Her mother passed her carry-on bag to her father, who wasted no time in helping her out. Aura rolled her eyes and continued paying attention to her social media page, engrossed in the empty content of her favorite influencers.

"Darling, were you able to call your client?" Her mother spoke. Aura raised a brow and shook her head. "You do know you have to cancel, Aura. We're already at the airport."

"I'm gonna do it after TSA. Jesus." She turned away from her mother, trying to distract herself once again with her social media feed.

Photos upon photos of women flaunting what they owned or their skills. She adored it. She loved the work these women put to take quality photos of their life, even if it was manufactured. The talent it took to put together a photoshoot of the ordinary was greatly appreciated in Aura's eyes.

She thought of having to do different shoots in her childhood neighborhood, Cornelius, to keep her sanity.

They made it to the front of the line, where a TSA worker took hold of her passport and verified it in the system. The TSA worker gave the passport back and nodded at her to keep moving. Aura rolled her eyes and got back in line for the metal detectors.

"Your grandma is gonna be so happy to see you," her father told her. Aura nodded and got ready to take off her shoes, mentally preparing herself for the inevitable call to Lacey Redd's management, letting them know she wouldn't be able to do her makeup.

She almost cried again for the missed opportunity.

Her parents let her be until they were at the other side of the airport. She tied her shoelaces back as she spied on her phone. A sense of dread enveloped her body as she realized what would happen in the next couple of minutes.

"Aura, we're going to get some lunch. Do you want anything?" Her father asked.

"I'll get something later. I'm gonna finally put a stop to my future." She gave him a half-hearted smile and left before he could retort.

Her fingers shook as she looked for Lacey Redd's assistant's number. It was saved in her phone after she had hired her. She remembered the day she got the message on her socials. She almost fainted. Apparently Lacey Redd went through her social media page and adored her artistry and wanted to work with her.

It was the best day for her.

To celebrate, she invited all of her friends to Red's Diner. She was so obnoxious about it, even saying how it was meant to be since her favorite food spot was Red's Diner. Anything that contained the word "red" was immediately flooded with meaning to her, and she would not shut up about it. She wished she could have held on to that excitement a little longer.

She pushed the call button and pressed the phone to her ear. It rang as she gnawed on her acrylic nails. She could feel her heart wanting to jump out of her chest as she tapped her foot in anticipation for the worst.

"Daisy Pickett speaking."

Aura's heart almost plummeted at Lacey Redd's assistant's voice. She regained her composure not knowing the best way to tell her the bad news.

"Hi, this is Aura Chandler, freelance makeup artist."

"Yes, Miss Chandler, the shoot is next week." Daisy's tone was grave, as if she did not want to be speaking with her at all. Aura bit down on her lip.

"I know. I'm calling to let you know that something came up in my family, some unforeseen circumstances that need me to be in New Jersey at the time of the shoot. I apologize for throwing this on you. Trust me, I did not want to do this, but my family was insistent in me leaving California."

"Are you canceling your gig with us?" Daisy asked incredulously.

"Again, I did not want to do this. I'm sorry for throwing this on you. I wish there was a way for me to still do Lacey Redd's makeup."

Daisy scoffed through the phone. A flight announcement filled the space around her, and she winced knowing Daisy probably heard it.

"No, I'm sorry for your unprofessionalism. Calling me while you're at the airport to cancel your job."

Aura grew agitated. "Miss Pickett, I cannot control the situation my family put me in. Surely you can understand that."

People walked by her, some bumping into her in their rush. She grunted as she tried to find a corner where she wasn't bothered.

"I understand that you'll never have a career after this," Daisy remarked. "Piece of advice: always be responsible. Never contact us again."

Aura was about to say something, but Daisy hung up the call. She locked her phone in a haste, tears welling up in her eyes. She made sure her backpack was tight on her back and wheeled her carry-on suitcase to the nearest bathroom, where she raced into a stall and tried to swallow down her sobs.

She focused on the sounds of toilets flushing and couldn't help but think of how her future was gone down like everyone's shit. When her body was no longer shaking, she bent down and took a bit of toilet paper and pressed the tip to the corners of her eyes, drying her tears. The last thing she needed was a mess of mascara under her eyes as she traveled for over six hours by plane.

After gathering her wits, she pushed open the bathroom stall and stood in front of the sinks, staring herself down in the mirror. She frowned at her reflection before washing her hands.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she took it out to see a message notification.

Mom: Where are you? We're eating lunch by the terminal.

Aura rolled her eyes and punched in her reply, not caring about being slightly disrespectful. She organized herself and walked out of the bathroom, feeling like her life was crumbling all around her. She wondered what she could do with her life after the summer. If the information came out that she was irresponsible and canceled on Lacey Redd last minute, she would never be able to get clients again.

The thought mortified her.

And all because of a stupid family summer vacation.

She was done for. Her goals and aspirations ceased to exist the moment she stepped foot into that airport where the inevitability of her trip to New Jersey struck her in the face.