Strike a Pose (Blame It on Fame #1)

12. Willow

Chapter 12

Willow

A fter walking seven shows in New York (and playing a central role in each), my ‘unwind’ is the redeye flight to London. Which isn’t proving to be much of an unwind at all. Despite my past week of grueling fourteen-hour days, a full-length bed, three melatonin gummies, chamomile tea, and an eye mask, I still can’t sleep. The seven other models I’m sharing this chartered flight with are sleeping soundly. I sigh and turn on my phone, a beacon on the otherwise dark flight, and cringe, hoping it won’t disturb anyone else.

I see a message from Riley, sent an hour ago. It’s a screenshot of my own Instagram post of me on the runway in my Marc Jacobs look.

Riley: You look really cool here.

Me: thanks. i like that you sent me a screenshot of my own post, that’s funny.

Me: and thanks for the like :)

To my surprise, he replies almost immediately.

Riley: Of course. I know you needed that 4,869,012th lik e

Me: i really did, that’s the new benchmark my manager wants me to meet these days

Riley: Luckily my manager has not mentioned any social media benchmarks

Me: let me look you up

Me: 4.1 million followers!

Me: look at you!

Riley: Like 3.9 million of that is from the past six months. It’s still weird to have such an audience

Riley: Although, I guess that’s probably not much of an audience to you lol

Me: no, that’s still a very big crowd…feel perceived yet?

Riley: Very.

Riley: Want to be the 4,100,0001st person to perceive me?

Me: sorry i only follow my family and Heena… it avoids drama to only follow the same 5 people

Riley: I’m kidding, Willow, you don’t have to follow me. I only follow you for your sick outfits, anyway

Me: taking it as inspiration?

Me: speaking of which, i sent your label’s office something for you

Me: i didn’t know how to find your address on the road. i figured they could get it to you

Riley: A bedazzled cowboy hat????

Me: no?? is that what you want though, because i could make that happen

Riley: …no

Riley: So what is it

Me: you have to wait and see! but just know i’ve been using fashion week as an opportunity to make good on my side of our mini-dea l

Me: speaking of which, where is my country playlist??

Riley: Don’t laugh but I actually made you 3 different ones because I wasn’t sure which vibe you wanted

Riley: All of the songs I really like, but one playlist is more pop-y which I thought would be good to ease you into the genre. One is my current favorites in the Americana/outlaw genre which is more my style. And the last one is my all-time favorites, but I didn’t know if you’d be interested…they’re all a bit older.

Me: i’ll happily take all three, but if i have to choose one, i want your all-time favorites

Riley: Here are the links to all three :)

Me: wow and personal access to riley coleman’s secret spotify account! i am starstruck!

Riley: Stop making fun of me, a person who ACTUALLY gets starstruck by people

Riley: Including you

Me: still?

Riley: To be fair, I don’t think I’ll ever NOT be starstruck by you , Willow Jordan

Me: maybe exposure therapy will help. i’m prescribing you to keep texting me, for science… i can’t sleep

Riley: Me neither, but you don’t need me. You must have a million other people texting you

Me: not really. the only people who text me regularly are my family and Heena. again, i keep a pretty small circle

Riley: And yet you hardly know me and are begging me to text yo u

Me: okay, i never BEGGED. i’m just bored half to death and everyone else is asleep

Me: and aside from our deal which realistically necessitates some texting, you have trustworthy vibes and you’re not the worst company in the world…so far, at least

Riley: Fair enough. Well, now that I know you sent me something, I feel like only sending you a few playlists is slacking on my end of the deal. But you have my word that the next time we’re in the same city, I’m taking you to a dive bar. That’s my first order of business in making-Willow-normal...speaking of which, where are you now? I’m in Vancouver, CA.

Riley: And thank you, I’ll use that as the epithet on my gravestone “Here lies Riley Coleman: trustworthy vibes”

Me: you have to cite me as the source though

Me: it would be even funnier if you did something to betray me and then i murdered you

Me: would be ironic

Me: i’m on a flight to London.

Riley: Are you threatening me?

Riley: London sounds fun, I’ve never been

Me: london is boring and gray and the food is terrible lol. i’d rather be in canada!

Me: and i’m not threatening you…yet

Riley: See why I’m not comfortable around you yet?

Me: haha

Riley: Can I ask you something slightly more serious though, as part of your duty to help me be famous

Me: sur e

Riley: I feel like I never actually have time to talk to my fans…how do you deal with not being able to really connect with them?

Me: ah, yeah that’s hard

Me: you just come to accept it

Me: try when you can, always make an effort, but at the end of the day, you just don’t have the time to have a meaningful conversation with every fan you run into

Me: doesn’t mean you can’t try though :)

Riley: It just sucks. It’s weird to mean so much to people and not be able to give them the attention to make them mean something to you, too

Me: yeah, unfortunately in the world of fame you’re vastly outnumbered by fans

Me: just have to accept it for what it is and try to take time to talk to them when you can

Me: that part never stops bothering you

Me: all the old famous people i know still complain about that...i think it’s part of human nature to want to connect with and care for the people who care for you

Riley: You’re very wise

Me: nah, i’ve just been in the public eye a long time

Me: by the way, how old are you?

Riley: 23. Don’t worry, I’m legal babe ;)

Riley: Your online stalking of me didn’t tell you that?

Me: probably but i forgot

Me: i’m 22, you’re older

Riley: ??

Me: what’s your zodiac sign

Riley: I’m a cancer

Me: you would be. i’m a sagittarius

Riley: I don’t know what that means but I’ll ask my sister. She’s in to all that, too. I hope being a cancer is a good thing, when you say it like that…

Me: it is!

Me: you have a sister?

Riley: Yeah, she’s older, 26

Me: any other siblings?

Riley: Nope, just Olivia. And I know you have Aspen.

Me: i have another one too, Maple.

Riley: Remind me to yell at Nash for not telling me about that when he gave me the rundown on you

Me: i am slightly unsettled by the amount of knowledge this guy has on me

Riley: He claims his sister is a big fan. But don’t get creeped, the amount he knows about EVERYTHING is unsettling. He’s like Wikipedia on legs. Never talk to Nash if you want to feel smart.

Me: noted!

Riley: So what’s Maple like? Is she as close as you and Aspen?

Riley: Also I’m just making assumptions, you seemed close at the Grammys but I could be wrong

Me: no you’re right, Aspen and Heena are my best friends

Me: Maple is 16 and deep into the teenage rebellion phase

Me: but that girl is a force to be reckoned with, way more world-changing potential than Aspen or me

Riley: Hey, I think you’re both doing a good job. You’re putting yourselves out there. Just because you haven’t changed the world in a big way doesn’t mean you haven’t changed it in a million small ways through the impact you have on your fan s

Me: who’s wise now?

Riley: I wouldn’t call it wisdom, just my 2 cents

Me: what is wisdom if not people’s 2 cents?

Riley: Okay, professor

Me: haha

Me: what’s Olivia like?

Riley: She’s so much cooler than me. And smarter. And prettier lol. She’s in veterinary school, definitely the pride of our family

Riley: My dad is a mechanic and my mom was a stay-at-home mom, so neither of them got any schooling after high school. They saved all they had to send us to college. Liv actually made use of it unlike me

Me: you’re making use of it plenty. you’re very successful

Riley: Not in any way that compares to Liv…she was summa cum laude, top of her class in everything

Me: and you’re world famous super star riley coleman!

Riley: I like that you don’t capitalize my name, makes me feel super famous indeed 3

Me: Riley Coleman **

Riley: Lol

Riley: But yes, we are all very proud of Liv

Me: and i’m sure she’s very proud of you too

Me: you should invite her to a show sometime

Riley: I don’t want to distract her from school, or make her feel like she has to come. Maybe one of my ones in Florida, where she goes to school

Me: i think she’d like that, you should

Me: anyway, i should probably make another attempt at falling asleep now. first day in london starts in a few hours and i don’t want any designers yelling at me for my eyebags

Riley: Oh I didn’t realize it was such a tight turnaround. Sorry for keeping you up. Goodnight Willow!

Me: goodnight!