ANOTHER TIME: After the show, with Lacy and Raya.

It had been a long time since Lacy had stepped foot in Jack's office, and a lot had happened. She was a model now. A for-real model, not like those girls online claimed to be just for taking pictures. Maybe she wasn't Victoria Secret tier, but few girls were. She enjoyed herself when she could.

Every catwalk took it out of her. She was used to it now but it still happened. Her post-show routine was the same. Hang out backstage in as small a corner as she could find and get blazed. Tonight she had been lucky. The hall had a balcony up top, and she hung her bare legs off the side and smoked.

That didn't stop her from getting caught. "Hey," Raya said behind her.

Lacy jumped. "Holy shit, girl. You scared me." She blushed. She was still in a bralette and shorts. Not exactly looking her best. Raya wasn't dressed to the 9s either, though. Her fellow model was wearing sweats and a big t shirt. Raya was a beautiful woman, stick thin like most of the girls but with incredible dark eyes. She was Black and liked to wear her hair braided for the catwalk. It was classy. Made her look like she had put a lot of thought into her look, even though the designers picked everything.

"Can I get some of that?"

Lacy wasn't going to say no to a new friend. She had only worked with Raya a few times, but she was developing a bit of a girl crush. Raya was so cool and funny, and she made everything look like it was designed for her. She handed over the joint as Raya joined her with her legs hanging off the balcony.

"What brings you here?" one girl said to the other.