Ridge Street Model

By Toni White

Amanda Anderson lives in the little town of Somersville, with her mom, dad, her little sister Amy, and her big brother Bobby. She is in love with Jeff Shaffer, but her mom won’t let her date.
Amanda modeled at the mall. She let the photographer (Mitch Jackson) think that she was eighteen. She signed papers releasing her photos. She thought they would end up in the trash, but much to her surprise, they ended up on the cover of Vogel magazine. Now Mitch Jackson wants her to model again and is offering her an enormous sum of money. Her mother doesn’t know. What will she tell her mother? Should she tell her mother knowing that she lied about her age? Will her mother let her date Jeff Shaffer?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jan 20, 2013
• ISBN: 9781300412793

Book preview

Ridge Street Model

Ridge Street Model

By

Toni White

Copyright © 2014, Toni White

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

This is a work of fiction.  Names and characters are a product of the author’s imagination.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my Granddaughter: 

Emma Mae

Born January 30, 2008

Toni White’s Ridge Street Series

Ridge Street Church Mouse

Ridge Street Home

Ridge Street Prom

Ridge Street Model

Ridge Street Model

Chapter 1

The phone rang out from the kitchen bouncing off the walls of the Anderson household.  Amanda raced behind her little sister Amy and then stopped. 

Amy snatched the white phone from its holder that sat on the counter and turned her back to Amanda.  Hello.  She spoke into the phone. 

Amanda crossed her arms and tapped her foot on the tile floor… waiting.  It’s probably Sarah?  Amanda told Amy anxiously stepping around her and grabbing for the phone over her shoulder. 

Yeah, she’s here.  Amy grunted into the phone, made a face, stuck her tongue out at Amanda and handed her the phone. 

You better stop sticking your tongue out.  Someday, somebody will snatch it right out of your mouth!  Amanda shot out at Amy, and then…  Sarah you’re finally home!  I have been waiting for you to call, are you going to the rock-a-thon?  Amanda expelled into the phone in one breath. 

Amanda had been waiting for her best friend Sarah’s call all afternoon.  It was Saturday and the sophomore class was holding an all-night rock-a-thon in the gym of Somersville High School.  The rock-a-thon was scheduled for six and it was already five o’clock. 

Yeah, we came home.  Mom decided against an overnight at Grandma’s house.  So anyway, my parents are going out to dinner with friends… so … yeah…  I’m going.  Sarah answered her, paused for a second and then blurted out.  Oh!  I have something to …

Well I was wondering.  Amanda butted in.  Gee!  She blew out an exaggerated breath.  I’ve been waiting all afternoon for your call.  I thought we could walk over to the school together.  I have my bag packed.  I’m taking a pillow and a blanket.  Oh… And I stuffed a bunch of munchies in my bag.  Some chips, candy bars… dark chocolate of course.  And do you have a small cooler.  I thought I’d bring some soda. 

I think the school is supplying the drinks.  Sarah informed her and then went on before Amanda butted in again.  Amanda, there’s something I have to show you.

Like what? 

Just something, Sarah came back. 

Amanda was quiet for a moment and then.  Well...  tell me what it is.  Amanda was curious.

No.  Sarah’s voice went to just above a whisper even though there was no one home to overhear her conversation.  Not over the phone.

Tell me!  Amanda’s voice grew louder.

I said, no!  Sarah bellowed into the phone and then whispered. You’ll have to see for yourself.  You’re going to be shocked.  In fact you will probably be grounded for a year if your mom finds out about this." 

Sarah!  Gee.  Thanks.  You inform me I’ve done something awful and if my parents find out I’ll probably be grounded for like the rest of my life, but you won’t tell me what it is.  Amanda blasted into the phone.  What are you talking about?  Tell me!  You can tell me! 

No!  Sarah came back.  Just get over here.  You won’t believe it.  You’re going to be blown away!  The phone went dead. 

Amanda held the phone out away from her ear and stared at it for a split second.  What in the world was Sarah talking about, Amanda wondered.  She figured it must be something serious, because she had known Sarah, all of her life, and Sarah would not tell her it was some mind-boggling thing if it wasn’t. 

What’s wrong Sarah hang up on you?  Amy yelled from the living room, where she was curled up like a soft pretzel on the sofa with one of her favorite mysteries. 

No.  Amanda yelled back thinking it was none of Amy’s business.  She was just in a hurry. 

Amy slid down on the sofa, her head disappearing behind her book.  Oh, yeah right. 

She was!  She was in a hurry!  Amanda informed Amy, when she entered the living room to retrieve her bag, wondering all the while why she was wasting her time trying to explain anything to Amy anyway.  We have to hurry.  I have to walk over to Sarah’s and then we have to walk on over to the school.  The rock-a-thon starts at six.  Gee! 

Amanda slipped on her jacket and pulled her bag up onto her shoulder.  She picked up her blanket and pillow, hugged them to her chest, and stuck her head around the kitchen door.  Bye mom.  I’m going to Sara’s house.  We’re walking over to the school together.  I’ll see you in the morning. 

Wait.  Amanda’s mom turned from the sink, wiped her hands on a dishtowel, and reached into the pocket of her tan slacks.  Here.  She crossed the kitchen and handed Amanda a few bills.  I thought I’d donate a little to your cause.  She paused.  Now why are you kids raising money? 

Oh.  Amanda had to think. 

She was so excited about the rock-a-thon; she hadn’t given it a thought about why they were having it and what they were going to do with the funds they raised. 

The only obsession entertaining her brain right now was Jeff Shaffer, dark brown hair, dark laughing eyes; he was the cutest boy at Somersville High.  The boy she was crazy about, the boy she couldn’t date because her mom said she was too young to date.  Jeff had asked her out more than once and well… she actually did sneak out to the movie with him one time… one glorious time, without her mom knowing about it, but her mom found out.  She tried to convince her mom that it wasn’t really a date, to no avail, because her mom grounded her for a week, an awful boring week. 

Amanda assumed Jeff would be at the rock-a-thon tonight.  She hoped he would be there. 

You haven’t the slightest idea of why your school is having a rock-a-thon?  Amanda’s mom stood looking at her. 

Well, of course I do!  Amanda came back to the moment, took in the bewildered expression on her mom’s face, and blinked her eyes trying to clear the image of Jeff out of her head.  We’re having the rock-a-thon to raise money for the school.  You know… money for the homecoming parade, the Christmas dance and you know stuff like that. 

Oh!  Amanda’s mom followed behind her to the door.  I told your dad to put the rocker, off the back deck, in his pick-up and take it over to the school. 

You did what!  Amanda couldn’t believe her ears.  You are having dad take that old log rocker over to the school?  Amanda placed her hand on the knob, turned, and jerked the front door open.  I have to stop him! 

He’s probably already gone.  Her mom told her. 

Oh.  No!  Amanda whined, looking out the door to the sight of no, ANDERSON CONSTRUCTION truck, parked in the driveway. 

Why Honey?  Amanda’s mom asked.   Why are you so upset? 

Why am I upset?  Amanda bobbed her head in her mom’s direction making her ponytail bounce.  Could it be that I’m upset, because my dad is taking an old ugly wooden log rocker that somebody made out of old logs that you picked up at an auction somewhere and has been sitting on the back deck for years, over to my high school rock-a-thon.  Could that be why I’m upset?

Well.  Amanda’s mom was confused.  I’m sorry.  I just thought that you kids could probably use all the rockers you could get and the old rocker is big.  It will hold two people.  And it’s very comfortable. 

We only need a few rockers mom.  We don’t need a rocker for every student.  We take turns.  Amanda slammed out the door and across the front lawn.  Oh that’s just great.  She flung over her shoulder. 

I’ll see you in the morning.  Amanda’s mom hollered out the front door. 

Amanda sprinted down the street.  If she hurried, she could go by Sarah’s house and they could get to the rock-a-thon before it started.  She knew the school would be in lockdown and she didn’t want to be locked out. 

Images of the old log rocker, sitting amongst nice oak and swivel rockers on the bright polished gym floor, swirled through Amanda’s brain all the way to Sarah’s house.  Why! Why! She wondered.  Why did her mom send that old wooden log rocker over to the school?  She was going to be so embarrassed.  Why did her mom insist on humiliating her like this?

What’s bugging you?  Sarah questioned when Amanda entered the house and plopped down in a chair at the end of the kitchen table. 

Oh...  mom, Amanda groaned.

Your mom, Sarah questioned.  What now?

She sent that old log rocker over to the school.  Amanda complained.

That log rocker that sits on your back deck?  Sarah laughed, So what?

It looks awful.  It’s the biggest, ugliest, most horrendous rocker in existence.  Amanda moaned.  How could my mom do this to me?

Sarah shrugged her shoulders and turned to pick up something from the nearby counter, speaking of awful!  She threw a magazine down on the kitchen table in front of Amanda. 

What?  Amanda pulled the magazine closer.  VOGEL in big black letters glared out at her from the front cover and a close-up, face-shot, of a model with big dark sunglasses and long blonde hair covered the entire front of the magazine. 

Amanda grabbed it up and flipped through the pages.  What!  She asked.  What?  She repeated flipping back to front and then front to back a second time, while Sarah stood with arms crossed looking at Amanda in amazement, not understanding why Amanda couldn’t see what was in plain view right in front of her big blue eyes. 

Sarah snatched the magazine from Amanda, closed it, and slapped it down in front of Amanda again.  Look!  She aspirated, jabbing her finger at the blonde model on the front. 

What do you mean?  Amanda thought Sarah was acting, to say the least, weird.  I know.  It’s Vogel magazine. 

Gee.  Remember?  Sarah stressed, Vogel magazine and the mall.  The day we went shopping and Vogel magazine was set-up at the mall looking for models.  Remember… you posed for them and the guy thought you were eighteen and you lied and signed papers releasing your pictures, when legally you can’t sign legal documents like that until you’re eighteen.  Sarah ran out of breath, sucked in, spat out.  Remember.  You didn’t have your mom’s permission and you never told her about it. 

Amanda hunched her shoulders and clasped her hands, fingers entwined, between her knees and eyed the magazine.  You think that’s me!  Amanda laughed.  That’s not me.  She picked up the magazine and eyeballed the model on the front of the magazine closer almost at the tip of her nose.  That’s not me.  It doesn’t even look like me, and look, that model has a stud in her nose.  Do I have my nose pierced?  Huh!  Amanda stuck a finger on the side of her nose and turned to Sarah.  Well do I?  You’re silly Sarah.  Amanda tossed the magazine across the kitchen table.  She didn’t even want to think about it.  "We had better hurry and get over to the school.  If we’re late, they’ll lock us out. 

Chapter 2

That is definitely your photo on the front of Vogel magazine.  Sarah argued with Amanda all the way to the school.  Yep, that is positively you.

It is not.  Amanda assured her.  As I told you, I don’t have a piercing in my nose.

It was probably computer enhanced.  Sarah speculated.  They can do anything with computers.  Look what they do with celebrity photos.  They computer enhance them and make them look skinny, take away zits, take away cellulite, even make them look like they are out with someone they have never met, Sarah double-stepped faster to keep up with Amanda.  Amanda had the longest legs that she had ever seen.  For every step Amanda took, it was as if she had to take two.  I don’t know for sure how they computer enhance things, but I do know one thing for sure, that is your picture on that cover.

It is not.  Wait!  Amanda shouted and grabbed hold of the gym door just as Miss Ditterding the young, dark haired, slender Science teacher was about to close it.  Amanda backed against the door and held it open for Sarah. 

Look!  Sarah halted halfway in the