PICTURE PERFECT // Jack Manifold X Reader

2

Unfortunately - because the universe seemed to be conspiring against you today - you did have to turn something in at the end of class. 

There was a small mercy though - the modeling classes were working with the photographers today, meaning Dawn and Ty would be in the class to help you through this shaping-up-to-be-terrible day. 

Dawn and Ty had been your best and most beautiful friends since the ripe age of five years old, when you had been the only one brave enough to approach them and ask them to play in the park. Since then, it had always been Dawn and Ty and Y/N for better or worse. You had grown up with them, and now you went to the same college, albeit for different programs. While you had gone for photography, the twins had gone for modeling - and they were good at it. Enough that they frequented photoshoots to model clothes for shopping catalogs. Still, modeling and photography overlapped enough where you got to see them quite often, like today.

"And then someone kicked it." You said, handing the ruined lens over to Dawn for her to investigate. "I don't think they really meant to, but still."

She plucked the lens from your hand, turning it over in her own where she leaned against the back of her brother's seat. "Damn." She said. "That's broken broken."

Ty leaned backwards a bit so that he could see as well. "Oh." He said, the corner of his mouth tilting up into something of a smile. His eyes flicked back over to you. "What are you going to do today then? Don't you have to turn something in?"

"I know." You said, rubbing at your temples. "I can always see if I can borrow something, or-"

"Or," Dawn chimed in, handing the broken lens back to you. "You can use one of the many photos you already have of me and Ty and just turn that in. You take so many pictures of us anyway, no ones going to notice if it wasn't taken today."

You took the broken lens back, setting it down next to your camera on the table beside you. "Dawn, you're a genius." 

She tossed one of her braids over her shoulder, her mouth curling into a cocky smile. "Yes, I know." 

You pulled your laptop down from where it had been sitting on the table and into your lap, popping it open and booting up your photo editing software. You had plenty of pictures of the twins backed up onto your hard drive already, it would just be a matter of selecting one of the raw ones and making it into something presentable to turn in. It would be so much easier to use something you already had, rather than try and borrow a lens and spend time trying to get a good shot from today. You were glad Dawn had thought of it - if she hadn't, you knew you would have been scrambling all class. 

Dawn pulled out one of the vacant chairs nearby, spinning it around so that she could straddle it, resting her arms on the back. "Which ones do you have on your laptop?"

"There's a bunch." You said, turning your laptop so Dawn and Ty could see. "You guys can pick one you like if you want - just nothing too far back. It needs to look like we took it today."

Dawn and Ty leaned forward, scrolling through the files that you had backed up on your laptop. Ty scrolled through the files while Dawn rested her head on her hands, giving her input when he would glance over at her.

"No, not that one your hair's all flat in that one... that one's alright, but there's probably something better... oh god no, look at my face in that..."

You just let them peruse, feeling significantly better about your day now. Whatever photo they chose wouldn't take that long to edit - you had your standard edits memorized by now anyway. Thank goodness you had class with them today - you would have been stressed out of your mind otherwise. Now though, you were free to stress out about the fact that you were going to have to replace that camera lens. 

"How am I going to explain that I need a new lens to my parents?" You pondered aloud, leaning back in your chair.

Ty didn't even look up from the computer when he responded. "Just get one yourself."

You glanced over at him. "Ty, I don't have any money." You said "I don't have a job."

"And therein lies the problem." Ty said, lifting a hand to gesture at you, looking to his sister with an 'I told you so' sort of look on his face. 

Dawn looked over to you, shrugging in agreement with her brother. "You could always get one. After school and all that."

"I'd really rather not work at a Tesco's during my free time." You said, your nose wrinkling slightly in distaste. Not that the appeal of being able to replace your own lens wasn't there, but if you had a choice, you would 1, want a job you actually liked and 2, preferably would still let you have some free time.

"Who said anything about Tescos?" Ty asked. 

"Yeah." Dawn chimed in. "If I were you, I would just start taking photos for people. Then you're probably only working a couple hours a week, and you can make good money." She smiled exasperatedly at you. "How did you not think of this?"

You closed your eyes - a little bit in shame, a little bit in humor - and laughed. "I'm seriously an idiot." You said. "I could have been using my camera to do photo shoots this whole time and I just didn't think of it."

"Well, one of us has to be the dumb one." Ty joked, pulling his sister's attention back to the laptop. "What about this one...?"

You paid them no mind though, the thought of a photography studio - your own photography studio - already growing in your mind.