Sup? I'M SO SORRY FOR NOT POSTING THIS EARLIER, I WANTED TO TAKE A BREAK FROM LONGER STORIES FOR A BIT. BUT NOW I'M BACK. Okay, so on my other story, Boarding School Memories, I asked people to vote on my next story. This one, #4, was weirdly enough the most popular. Maybe because in the summary I put "Arrogant Dylan". Who knows?
The summary: Maximum Ride is a reporter for The Birdseye View, a local newspaper. She has to do a story on some models. She ends up getting sucked into their lives, joining the agency and meeting dark Fang, arrogant Dylan, and others. AU, R&R please!
Enjoy, good readers who actually read the author notes!
Disclaimer for entire story because I'm that lazy: I don't own MR, just the plot, blah blah blah, all that legal stuff.
Ages: (not really necessary to remember, just cuz I want to remind myself)
Main Characters:
Max: 21
Fang: 23
Iggy: 23
Nudge: 23
Dylan: 24
Gazzy: 14
Angel: 13
Somewhat important characters:
Jeb: Who knows, who cares?
Ella: 18
Kate: 19
Star: 22
Ratchet: 24
Holden: 20
Totally unimportant characters:
Tyler: 22
JJ: 20
Brigid: 49 (ha ha)
Chp 1, Max's POV
"Max, can you come to my office for a minute?" My boss, Anne Walker, called over the intercom. Maybe I should introduce myself before we delve any deeper into this story. If you birdbrains didn't realize from the summary, my name is Maximum Ride, I'm 21, working at The Birdseye View, or the View as everyone calls it. In my little town in Arizona, I live with my fashion-conscious sister Ella, who is 18 and a senior in high school.
I've worked at the View since I was 18 and out of high school. College isn't really something that's popular around here. It's not needed. Our high schools are awesome and teach us college-level stuff during our sophomore years. I'm sporty, I absolutely hate dresses and makeup, and am basically the exact opposite of my sister. Anne hired me and I quickly became her star reporter. Not that there's many to begin with. Right now, there's my best friend Tyler, Brigid, and J.J. that work around the same times as me. I think I'm going to introduce my coworkers.
Tyler Chase: My best friend, sandy blonde hair and blue eyes, babyish face, goofy smile, and like a big brother to me. We met a couple years ago, he was the new guy and Brigid started hitting on him. Tyler got nervous and I saved him by kissing him so Brigid would leave him alone. We felt awkward kissing, so we decided to be just friends. We have no feelings toward each other, calm down, folks. Oh, he's 22. Brigid thinks we're together, and we occasionally pretend to date to get creepers to leave us alone.
Brigid Dwyer: Unnatural red hair, 49 years old, no matter what she says. I stole her drivers license when she was bragging it was her "28th birthday". Seriously? The woman has gotten too many surgeries for her own good. She's so fake, yet people still find her attractive for some reason. Anyways, she's also a reporter, like me and Ty, and it took her 15 years to get that position. I'm almost certain she did "favors" for the big boss of the View for it, too. Pitiful, really. She despises me.
Jennifer Joy Peterson, or J.J., Ty's crush and my friend. 20 years old. She's so nice, not an aggressive reporter at all, I'm afraid. She has straight brown hair and kind eyes. That's all, I think.
Right. Back to the present. Anne called me into her office. Ty shot me a thumbs-up, we both know I'm first in line for a promotion. Brigid was begging for it in a not-so-subtle way, but Anne refused every time. It's hilarious to watch Brigid stomp off and flip out behind the building.
I rapped my knuckles against her glass door, which was propped open. I peeked in. Anne looked up and smiled.
"Hey, Max, come on in." I took a seat in front of her desk, making myself comfortable. Anne shuffled a few papers nervously. "Max, I know you're expecting a promotion. But my boss won't let me promote you. Believe me, if I had my way, you'd be head reporter and chief editor by now."
I froze. I wasn't getting a promotion? But my last story was awesome. It was about a local hero, starting up some company to plant more trees and save the world. They had just gotten a huge chunk of land and they're cleaning it up to make room for new trees. People loved that article.
"Max? Are you okay?" I blinked and saw Anne looked at me worriedly. "You blanked out for a second."
I shook my head, starting to get up. "No, I'm fine. Thanks for telling me, Anne." Anne gave me a thin folder that had been on her desk. My new assignment.
"Do well on this one and even my boss won't be able to stop you from getting a promotion. Good luck." I nodded and brought the manila folder to my desk before opening it.
Hawk Modeling Agency. HMA. I've heard of it. Started as a local business, got huge, now travels around to different places showing off their star models. They even have a magazine, Flighty Fashions. Showing you what's "in" this month. Ella loves to read it, so I know some things about it.
Such as: HMA's star model is Dylan, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, all-American prettyboy. He's almost always on the cover. The centerfold usually features Nicholas, a black-haired black-eyed "bad boy" who is usually shirtless and playing sports, all sweaty. He is never smiling in the pictures.
I scanned the page. Short bios about the main models. Dylan, Nicholas, James, Zephyr, and Angel. I sat back and started reading:
Dylan Gunther-Hagen: Blonde, turquoise eyes, 6'0", high school dropout. Started working for HMA at age 19. Currently 24.
Nicholas Walker: Black hair, black eyes, 6'2", studied medicine and physics after high school. Top of all his classes. Started at age 19. Currently 23.
James Griffiths: Strawberry blonde, pale blue eyes, 6'1", studied psychology after high school. Average grades. Started at age 20. Currently 23. Note: Blind.
Zephyr Griffiths: Light blonde, blue eyes, 5'6", tutored in high school material. Decent grades. Started at age 11. Currently 14. Note: Younger brother of James, freshman age.
Angel Gunther-Hagen: Blonde hair, blue eyes, 5'3", tutored in high school subjects. Top grades. Started at age 8. Currently 13. Note: Younger sister of Dylan, 8th-grade age.
Ty walked in and sat on my desk. He took my folder and his eyes flickered across the page. "First assignment as head reporter, chief?" he asked. I rolled my eyes and snatched my assignment back.
"Nope. Gotta ace this one before I can get promoted. Look at their bios! All but one is blonde." I began putting my assignment away. Brigid suddenly appeared, brandishing the latest copy of Flight Fashions that came out today. I know this because Ella was freaking out about it this morning. I'm not into that sort of stuff, as I mentioned before.
"Look! HMA just released the newest fashions! I have to go out and buy them, right now! Max, cover my shift." Brigid gave me a sickly smile. I stood up.
"Can't, I'm busy preparing for my latest assignment, on the models of HMA." I smirked at her. Brigid's face turned bright red and she stomped her foot. Wow. Mature.
"I wanted the HMA story! I asked Anne a thousand times for it! And she gave it to you? You're so out of style, it's ridiculous. You don't even have a fashion sense." I looked down at my clothing choice for today. Purple converse, ripped skinny jeans, a loose gray V-neck, and my hair was in a messy bun. My usual.
"I'm sorry I don't buy a new wardrobe every month, but at least I have enough fashion sense to know that your polka-dot shirt and striped jacket do not go together. I mean, seriously?" I pointed to her own outfit. Brigid let out a disgusted squeal. She had obviously thrown on the jacket in a hurry without actually looking at it. For once. Ty quickly snapped a picture and ran off, trying hard not to laugh.
Okay, I know we sound like complete jerks, but Brigid is worse. She insults me daily and calls me the slut! I mean, I have had 1 boyfriend before, a geeky guy named Mike. Anne's son, Sam, is 23 and occasionally asks me out. He's a really nice guy, but I'm always too busy with my work to take him up on one of his offers of dinner.
Sam is the PA of Jeb Batchelder, the manager of HMA. So he already got me a time slot in which I can interview the models and watch a little bit of their next shoot. It was tomorrow, so I took the rest of the day off, preparing my questions and all. A whole day with blonde models. Oh joy.
Well, that was the first chapter, obviously! I'll add Fang next one, I promise. It's not all going to be in Max's POV, don't worry! Thanks! BTW, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me stuff about modeling! I don't follow that kind of stuff. Leave out all the eating disorders, I don't want to add them, so don't even go there. I'm not ignorant, I just don't like to hear about it... it's kinda disturbing. ANYWAYS, review!~Hellisa