It's just after 12 o'clock when you and the others finally get down to the beach. There's a set up of deckchairs and surfboards and other props with that same orange hue as the outfits you're wearing.
Dice, the photographer does a few test shots of the ocean before turning to you all as you get into position. He seems cool from first impressions, obviously very enthusiastic about his work which is good, and he seems eager to start.
"Okay, guys, to set the scene: it's the 90s, Byron is still a secret surf spot and you guys are just frothing to get out there, okay?" He holds his camera up. "So, just show me what you got."
"Where do I look?" Poppy mutters, and Wren responds instantly, asserting herself as the knowledgeable one of the group. "Look straight at camera, shoulders back." She steps forward, taking her own advice, and Dice appears to like it.
"It's Wren, right? Okay, you're my superstar, so come forward." Dice says, beckoning her to take a few steps towards him. You try not to allow yourself to be irritated by Wren - she has done this before, so it would make sense that she knows what she's doing. It's irrational to be annoyed at her for this, but it doesn't stop your first curling at your side as she places one hand on her hip and poses naturally.
Wren and Bodhi go back to back, smiling widely as Dice continues to photograph them and you, Poppy and Summer are shoved to the side.
Summer nudges you, pointing to the rack of boards, and you follow her and grab one - they fit the vibe of the shoot, orange and reds with a stripe of white down the one you choose.
"Yes! Bring the boards in, I love it!" Dice exclaims dramatically, and you can't suppress a smile as you, Summer and Poppy all get in the picture together.
"Do you want me to get in the middle?" Wren asks, but Dice shakes his head.
"Maybe in a minute, this is perfect for now." Dice responds, and you can't push down the feeling of satisfaction that comes over you when you glimpse Wren's face.
After maybe an hour of photos, Dice puts his camera down. "Okay, I think that's a wrap. I think we got it," he nods, and you feel the others relax from their poses beside you. "What d'you think Molly?"
"Yeah, Dice I think we got it." Molly says efficiently - she's obviously on a tight schedule here, although she'd probably agree with whatever Dice says to keep him happy.
"Okay! That's it girls. That's a wrap." he says, placing his camera down gently on the table.
"Awesome, okay, Y/n, Poppy, Summer and Poppy let's get you in the water while it's still offshore." Molly says, picking up her clipboard.
Bodhi tenses beside you. "Wait, am I not surfing?"
"Uh, we might get to it later, but we just have a few more bikinis we want to get you in." Molly says, giving her a thumbs up, and you feel a pang of guilt for Bodhi, who you know wanted to have more surfing in her contract.
You and the others go to get changed into wetsuits and head into the water - it feels warmer than back home as you paddle out, and when you get out back the sun is in your eyes. The photographer is on the back of a jetski, which revs to get over a wave approaching.
Poppy catches the first one, and the jetski follows her in a little way before the wave closes out and she jumps off her board.
As the next set rolls in, you attempt to catch the third wave, which is usually a pretty good one, but Wren is making it impossible to catch a single decent wave. She keeps cutting you off, or distracting you when you're about to paddle in.
Finally, you manage to get the second wave in a pretty good set, and you're up instantly - the wave face is broad, so you manage to pull off a nice cutback. Suddenly, you notice Wren is on the wave too - she must have caught it at the same time behind you.
Even with the sound of the water in your ears you can still hear the sound of the camera clicking, and you're suddenly painfully aware of the fact that people aren't going to be looking at your surfing in these photographs, they're going to be looking at you. At what you're wearing.
The wave is about to close out, and you consider doing a pop shuvit at the end, but then you feel Wren's presence getting close behind you. Too close, and you decide to just jump straight into the remnants of the wave.
You slip, however, and feel your ankle twist as you launch yourself off the board.
"Shit." you mutter when you resurface. Your board is being tossed around in the white water, the leg rope yanking your ankle, which doesn't exactly help the throbbing pain starting to form there.
"You okay?!" you hear Summer call, and you put a thumb up, although you're struggling to tread water and keep your head above the surface.
You yank on your leg rope to lead your board towards you once the water has calmed down, and pull yourself up into a sitting position on the board.
"You sure you're okay?" Summer asks again, paddling over.
"Just twisted my ankle a little." you wince as you try to flex it in the water. A sharp pain shoots up the centre, and you let your leg go limp in the water.
"You wanna go back?" she asks, a look of sympathy crossing her face for a moment as she places her hand on your board to steady it when a wave comes.
You nod reluctantly - there's no way you can surf properly like this - maybe it'll be okay tomorrow, and you can pick up where you left off. Hopefully. Otherwise this whole trip will have been for nothing.
"You want me to come in with you?" she asks, and you shake your head, willing your burning arms to keep your body above water as you feel your grip slipping. No need for us both to miss out.
"No, I'll be fine, but thanks." you flash her a reassuring smile, and trying to not look too pathetic, you haul yourself fully onto the board and begin paddling into a wave to take you into shore.
It's when you get onto the beach that you let yourself feel a little sorry for yourself as you watch the others in the water. Your ankle is still throbbing slightly, but it's not swollen or bruised, so you imagine it'll be okay in a few days.
Bodhi is still having photos taken down by the water, although by the look on her face she's had enough already.
You take a seat on the sand, which sticks to your skin each time you move. You trace the lines of wax on your board next to you, willing the others to hurry up and finish their shoot so you can get back to the villa already.
A few metres away, you notice Dice put his camera down for a minute and Bodhi begins walking up the beach, her expression a mix of boredom and irritation.
"Hey, you okay?" you ask, stumbling in the sand as you try to catch up with her.
"I'm fine." she responds curtly, making her way to the changing rooms.
"You sure?"
"Yes," she picks up a new bikini and nearly slams the door of the changing room behind her. "What are you even doing out here?" she calls over.
"Twisted my ankle," you reply. "I think they're nearly done out there anyway."
"Great. There goes my chance of actually doing some surfing today. I've still got about six outfits they want me in," she opens the door, dressed in a new orange bikini. "Maybe they would be taking me more seriously if I'd made the State Team."
"Yeah..." you respond, not sure what to say to that exactly. "Maybe you could ask for more surf shots in your next contract?"
"Like that'll do anything. Apparently there's a reason Subtropix signed me, and it's not for my surfing." she says, barely looking at you as she paces the room, hanging her previous outfit on a hanger.
"So...why did they sign you?" you ask.
"Doesn't matter," she mutters. "Shouldn't you go find the others?" She gives you a small glare and you're slightly taken aback as you nod.
"Okay, yeah, I'll go." you reply, and head back in the direction of the sea. You hear Bodhi go back to having her photo taken with Dice, and you can't help but wonder what's got her in such a bad mood.
"Hey!" Summer runs in from the shallows. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm good. I'll probably be fine for tomorrow," you say, forcing a smile. "Can't believe I twisted my ankle today of all days."
"Maybe it's karma." Wren smiles, trying to make it sound like a lighthearted joke, but you know what she's referring to. When she pretended you pulled her into the pool at team bonding, and then pretended she hurt her ankle. You fake smile back, and she narrows her eyes.
After drying off and changing into some proper clothes, you all pile back into the car and head back to the villa, thankfully. It's when Molly leaves to report back to Subtropix that Bodhi turns to you all, her expression turning cold and serious.
"Guys, I need to talk to you."