Elvira Green
After the school bell rang at Midtown Tech High School, students who had already packed up their things slipped out before the teacher could officially end the class, leaving the teacher’s reprimands behind. Among those slipping out was Peter Parker, who nimbly navigated through the crowd like a fish swimming against the current and quickly arrived at the eleventh-grade classroom door. He cautiously peered inside. In the last seat by the window, a slender girl with black hair was bending over to gather her things. As she looked down, a few strands of hair playfully fell across her face. She reached up to push the stray hairs away to avoid obstructing her view. She was quite tall, towering over most girls her age—probably why the teacher had assigned her the last seat.
“You here to find Green again, Parker?” The sudden voice startled Peter, who turned around to see Fleischer, a classmate with a smirk on his face, standing behind him. Though Fleischer was a fellow student, Peter had never quite gotten along with him. The wealthy Fleischer seemed to have a particular disdain for Peter, and the two often clashed. The brown-haired teenager frowned in annoyance. “What’s it to you?”
Fleischer sneered, “I’m just saying, you must be gay or something if you keep coming around that tomboy.”
Peter was immediately infuriated and took a few steps forward, ready to argue with Fleischer, but a female voice from behind stopped him. “Peter?”
The boy turned around, his clear, innocent brown eyes looking at the girl. He spoke with a hint of grievance, “Vera.” His slightly curly hair seemed to droop with dejection.
The girl, named Ava, stood by the door with her backpack, her height making her look like a little giant compared to Peter and Fleischer. She didn’t have the typical American look that American boys fancied—no blonde hair, blue eyes, or a curvaceous figure. Standing nearly 5’10”, her androgynous style earned her the nickname “tomboy,” which had somehow spread throughout Midtown High School.
“Let’s go,” Ava said淡ly, not even glancing at Fleischer as she stepped away. Peter quickly followed. Fleischer, feeling ignored, shouted after them, “Tomboy and bookworm off to their date!” Surrounding students burst into malicious laughter. Peter was fuming; while he didn’t mind people talking about him, he couldn’t tolerate them talking about Ava. However, Ava’s expression remained indifferent, and Peter knew she didn’t like causing trouble. He swallowed his anger and said nothing in retaliation.
Their friendship began this semester. Although Peter was a ninth-grader and Ava was an eleventh-grader, they found themselves becoming friends. Their first meeting was quite unusual—during detention. Ava, who was known for being a well-behaved student, was not the one who was punished. It was Peter, and because the teacher was busy, Ava was asked to supervise the detention, which just so happened to include only Peter that day. Thus, they naturally started talking.
Despite having a few friends like Ned, a warm-hearted chubby boy, Peter didn’t have many acquaintances. Ava, on the other hand, had no close friends at all. She wasn’t averse to making friends—what teenager likes being ostracized? But the fact was, she wasn’t popular at school. Peter’s association with her exposed him to gossip, but he didn’t care much—he was never the most sociable person.
“They’re really awful,” Peter muttered as they walked out of school.
“Just ignore them,” Ava shrugged, unfazed, as if she wasn’t the target of the remarks. The sunlight softened her features, and her gray-blue eyes, though slightly squinted, sparkled with a bright, clear light like a tranquil lake. Many Europeans have black hair, but hers was a deep, glossy black that shone like black pearls in the sun. Peter couldn’t understand why everyone rejected her; she was undeniably attractive.
“By the way, May asked me to invite you for dinner at my place tonight. Ned’s coming too,” Peter said, shifting the topic wisely. His smile was as bright as the sun, making him look vibrant and youthful. Ava smiled and quickly replied, “Sure, but I need to let my family know first.”
Ava had visited Peter’s house before. After sending a text to her mother and receiving her approval, she met up with Ned. Peter’s aunt, May Parker, was an incredibly beautiful woman, so youthful that she hardly looked old enough to have a nephew like Peter. She warmly greeted Ava and Ned, clearly showing how much she liked them. During dinner, someone turned on the TV, and an advertisement happened to be playing.
“America’s Next Top Model is now in its sixteenth season, and the recruitment is officially underway! If you’re sixteen or older, you’re eligible to apply. The winner will receive a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl, sign with IMG Models, and get a chance to appear on the cover of Italian Vogue!” A glamorous Black woman on the TV screen smoothly delivered the advertisement, catching Ava’s attention.
“Every girl has a chance to become a supermodel! Your opportunity is here!”
“Oh!” May was the first to react. She put down her fork and eagerly said, “I’ve been following ANTM for many seasons. Ava, do you watch it?”
Ava shook her head. She didn’t watch TV often, but she had heard of the show and knew it was quite popular.
As a straight guy, Ned didn’t quite understand the appeal of reality TV. He had seen the show on TV before, and he thought of America’s Next Top Model as basically a drama-filled competition. Thirteen girls living in the same house... just the thought of it was frightening.
“Do you guys know about Allie Apperson?” Ned suddenly brought up some gossip. “She’s the senior class beauty queen. I heard she tried out last year…”
By the time dinner ended, it was already 8:30 p.m. Ava and Ned couldn’t stay out too late, but since they both lived in the same neighborhood, Peter always insisted on walking Ava home.
“Why don’t you two head out first?” At the door, May raised an eyebrow at Peter and Ned. They exchanged looks and, understanding the hint, left the house. With only the two of them left inside, Ava sensed that May wanted to talk to her. Before she could even ask, May gently hugged her. Ava’s eyes widened in surprise and confusion. After a few seconds, May released her, looked up into her eyes, and said in a soft tone, “If you’re having any trouble at school, you can talk to me.”
Ava was taken aback. She hadn’t expected May to address this. She had never told anyone, including her parents, about the rejection she faced at school. They had enough worries of their own. Ava knew she wasn’t as strong as she appeared on the surface. While she acted indifferent in front of Peter, she had been harboring feelings of resentment. Since Peter and Ned were both boys, she didn’t want to burden them with her complaints, which made her feel like a girl who only complained when hurt. Even though May was also a woman, Ava was still reluctant to show weakness or cause trouble for others.
“I’m fine, really.” Ava gave a reassuring smile. Whether to complain or not, she was indeed touched by May’s concern. May made a “I knew it” expression and didn’t press further. Instead, she sighed and said, “You need to rely on the people around you, okay?”
Back at home, Ava’s mother, Jodie Green, and her father, Laurie Green, had just finished dinner. Jodie was washing dishes in the kitchen, while Laurie, a man with a few gray streaks at his temples, sat on the sofa with a contemplative look, not even noticing Ava’s return. Seeing the tense atmosphere, Ava quietly slipped into the kitchen to help.
The black-haired woman who resembled Ava stepped up with a smile when she saw her: “How’s school been?”
Ava picked up a clean cloth and started drying the dishes, changing the subject: “It’s been alright. By the way, what’s up with Dad?”
Jodie glanced at Laurie outside and complained, “How would I know? He’s had a sour face throughout dinner. Maybe work isn’t going well.”
Their family wasn’t wealthy. Laurie was a clerk at a company, and because they didn’t own a house, they lived in a small rented apartment. That’s why so many people had opposed Jodie marrying an American so many years ago. Eighteen years ago, she was young and beautiful, a renowned Sicilian beauty, with many wealthy suitors, but she chose to marry a poor American. Later, the whole family immigrated to the U.S. After Ava was born, their financial situation became strained, and Laurie had to work hard to ease his wife’s burden, causing him to age significantly over the past decade, even though he was only forty-five.
When Jodie came out with a plate of cut fruit, Laurie finally looked up and spoke heavily: “I have something to tell you.”
Ava and Jodie exchanged worried glances. It wasn’t likely to be good news.
“The company is downsizing. I’ve been laid off.”
Ava was stunned, and Jodie couldn’t help but exclaim in disbelief, “What?!”
She immediately asked, “Did they offer severance pay?”
Given their already tight budget, this news was disastrous.
“There is some severance pay, but we’ll have to cut back on expenses,” Laurie said with a sigh of guilt, as if trying to exhale all his worries. He couldn’t even bring himself to look at Ava, fearing she might think of him as a failure as a father.
After receiving the layoff notice, Laurie had been in a daze, not even remembering how he got home. But as the head of the family, he couldn’t show weakness in front of his wife and daughter. He forced a comforting but weak smile at Jodie’s worried eyes. “Don’t worry. I’ll find another job soon.”
Jodie stepped forward and hugged him, soothingly saying, “It’ll be alright. You’ve got me.” Although Jodie said this, even Ava, who had not yet entered the workforce, knew how difficult it would be to find another job of the same caliber. The unemployment rate in the U.S. was a pressing issue for the government. Jodie currently worked part-time at a restaurant, earning even less than Laurie. Although Queens’ cost of living was lower than Manhattan’s, it was still high, and there were also the monthly rent expenses...
Ava didn’t say anything. She knew she couldn’t help much at the moment. Silently, she went back to her room and leaned against the wall, lost in thought. Ava felt a bit down, suddenly feeling like a burden—just consuming family resources without being able to alleviate their stress. —No, maybe she could. Ava suddenly remembered the recruitment advertisement she had seen recently for America’s Next Top Model.
