Strut the Mall (Love at Westbrook Mall #4)

17. Profile Puzzlement

17

Profile Puzzlement

That night at home, I cuddled up with my phone. The internet offered access to millions of hot, cool people, and yet there was nothing of interest on my feed tonight, just manicures, sexy outfits, and pensive looks into the light.

I sighed and rubbed one foot against the other in the portable tub I’d set up by the couch.

It wasn’t like my social media content was wildly different from most influencers. So what about that video with Zack had captured people? Even if we never shared so much as another pic with one another, I wanted to know what this audience liked and stuff that might help an agency market me better.

I clicked on various profiles who’d liked and commented on my video. There were some cute selfies, but most of their feeds were friends, pets, and hobbies.

I flexed my toes. Hobbies. Feet pics and fashion probably didn’t count. Was I supposed to do hair and makeup tutorials? I didn’t have that much to say about filters or lighting. Most of it was self-explanatory.

Another notification popped up by the heart icon. Someone liked the video. I clicked on the user's profile and inhaled sharply in surprise.

It was Sparkles—er, Shelby, Zack’s cousin. Had I popped up in her ‘People You May Know’ feed or had he told her about the video today? What else might he have told her about me?

A flurry of other notifications came in. She liked a lot of my pics and followed me. Was that a good sign? Or was she laughing with Zack and sending this video to their whole family?

In her profile picture, she poked her flushed cheeks as if she was extending her silly grin. But the rest of her profile was private. I hit the ‘request follow’ button and braced myself.

Why didn’t she use socials to market her party princess gig? Maybe there was a separate account. Soon enough, my request was approved, and the rest of her pics populated the grid.

Well, damn. The cutesy mall elf persona wasn’t an act.

Her page was populated with mini adventures: a sleigh ride with her boyfriend, sparkly lights, stuffed animals piled up on a mall kiosk, homemade cookies, and photos in her new and old costumes. One slideshow included a bunch of cousins, some of whose faces were covered by stickers, piled on top of coats for a charity drive. I wrinkled my brow at the pics. Was the entire family this wholesome? In the background of another shot, a square-shouldered guy shoveled the driveway. That had to be Zack.

I flipped through more slides in search of his familiar face, although he generally seemed to avoid the camera outside of special occasions. Often, he wrangled the kids. But he wasn’t overly present on her grid. For someone who didn’t have social media or particularly want his photo taken, that made sense. She did have a birthday post for him. He gave the camera a deadpan kill-me-now glare as Shelby trapped his arm in a side hug. The caption read: Happy birthday to this bundle of fun. Love you, cuz. 3 :P

I chuckled and eased onto the couch. Was he always so gruff?

On the rare occasion I’d caught his attention in high school, he’d glared back. Maybe it was my staring that annoyed him. Or the content of the class. It was often crowded in the hallway, so glaring could’ve been his neutral way of ‘asserting dominance.’ A resting bitch face for a quarterback.

After all, he looked that way with the people he loved. From Shelby’s photos and his overall protectiveness when she came in for shoes, it was obvious their family was close. Therefore, he had probably told her all about my attempts to secure a fake boyfriend. Although he wasn’t very chatty. Maybe he kept the whole incident private. After all, he was big on being classy.

I rubbed my screen and inhaled deeply. Would it be weird to like his birthday pic? It wasn’t her most recent. I shouldn’t like anything. But I could like a bunch of stuff with him just so happening to be in the mix. I liked random pics on her timeline and added a comment to her princess party outfit with heart-eyes and a ‘goddess!’ for good measure.

There. I was decidedly not cyber-stalking either cousin.

Scrolling her grid only made my heart beat faster. We were getting to the high school years. Young Zack as I remembered him. Young me was not in the picture, obviously.

I had to look at something else. I swiped through a few of my friends’ updates, then paused on Theo’s. Based on his outfit, the photo had been taken earlier today. It was a low angle in his car, his leg propped up and sunglasses on. Bold white text printed across the bottom read: People forget your biggest success and focus on your tiniest mistakes.

Wow. What an inspiration. My thumb shook from pressing so hard into my screen. Soliciting other girls was not a tiny mistake. I ought to unfollow and block his ‘misunderstood’ ass, see how he liked that. But then I wouldn’t be able to see him . The fallout. The regret. The guilt, assuming he had any. We’d spent two years together. That had to hold some sentiment for him. On the other hand, if I didn’t unfollow, I’d be exposing myself to his Zeezy’s and any new people he was seeing. Not that I’d want him back. But I didn’t want him to move on too easily. What if he proved he never really cared about me? Although I guessed he already had with the Zeezy’s thing.

I closed the app and stuffed my phone in my back pocket.

This dodgeball whipping through my ribcage at the thought of my ex with someone else was probably why he had stormed into Fancee’s. To prove he mattered. That we mattered. But I mattered too.

The foot soak timer buzzed against my butt. My hips jumped off the couch. I pulled out my phone and a wrinkled receipt came with it. Zack’s number. I swallowed hard and set it aside. No boyfriend emergencies at the moment: fake or otherwise.

The water wasn’t warm anymore. Toweling off, I recorded video of my feet, then took a pic of my almost-healed pinky to post for my clients.

Me: Rough day. Anyone want to kiss it better?

The anons poured in.

Anon540: me, baby! [kissy face emoji]

Me: Thanks, bb. Anything of yours need kissing? ;)

Once I had the client base, making money like this was easy. I could ignore the ‘baby’ and pervy aspects of everything when I knew it didn’t mean anything. Maybe I should give up on modeling. And men. I could also quit my other side gig. Fancee’s discount wasn’t that amazing. Did I really need health insurance in my twenties?

My phone pinged with a message on my other socials.

Shelby: Zack got the job!!! [heart and confetti emojis]

I chuckled and gave her a thumbs up. Good for him.

Shelby: He says thank you.

I sat up straighter, accidentally knocking the tub and splashing water on the floor. Was he there beside her? Liking and looking at my pics?

I mopped up the droplets with the towel and fought the flames rising to my cheeks. Why was he making a point of thanking me again? It was so over-the-top, especially compared to the high school version of him who used to snap at people for not moving fast enough in the halls. Even me. I was not, and am not an exception for him.

Me: No problem. Happy to help.

She sent a heart emoji. Not from him, obviously.

Shelby: He’s looking forward to joining the Fancee family and seeing you soon ;)

My heart lodged in my throat. A winky face? Oh no. It definitely, one-hundred percent did not mean anything from someone bubbly like Shelby.

I tossed my phone aside and scooted under a throw blanket, determined to watch some trashy TV. No overthinking. I needed research and relaxation. Flashy outfits adorned characters–well, people who’d become personalities. They operated successful brands, even amid drama. They had glam teams, entourages, and elite charities. Some were even former models. A cast member dished on her upcoming party drama and winked at the camera in the confessional.

I glanced at my phone. Shelby used a lot of emojis. The wink was nothing. He probably didn't even want to say anything beyond a gruff 'thanks.'

Still, I dragged my phone closer and sent a text to the number written on the back of the receipt.

Me: Congrats. This is Nicole btw

Zack: cool, thanks [thumbs up emoji]

I groaned and tossed my phone again. I had to remember we weren’t really friends.