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“So basically, our thoughts on the Perfect Skin Pro?” Elora started, holding the small magenta container up to her face and smiling teasingly into the camera. “Ab-so-lute perfection.” She lowered the container enough to turn her right cheek toward the camera. Her viewers would never be the wiser that she’d done it up off camera with her actual favorite pressed powder and not the awful-smelling so-called “Perfect Skin Pro” that had definitely been produced through child labor in a sweatshop and was priced up 700%. Gesturing with a pristinely manicured hand to her cheek, she made an exaggerated o with her mouth. “Literally, like, look at that!” She turned her other cheek to compare it to her right one, then turned back to her right, and then faced the camera head-on. “Fifteen out of ten, would definitely recommend.”
Lorie sat the product down on the table in front of herself and the woman beside her, whom she had hardly even given a chance to talk. “This product is available at perfectskinpro-dot-com—that’s perfectskinpro-dot-com, no spaces or anything. Use code LCJZ at checkout for 10% off and a free bear-shaped beauty blender at purchase.” She picked up a magenta-colored foam bear from beneath the camera and made another exaggerated o. “So cute!” she said, and then she glanced over at Jackie.
Answering for herself and expecting Jackie to follow along, Lorie began their usual outro: “That’s it for now. We’ll miss you guys! Until next time, this is Lorie Cardenas and Jackie Zhang—bye-bye.” Lorie gave her signature wink, and then she reached up to turn off the camera—but she waited for Jackie to do the actual turning off, since her nails were too long to find the button.
“My God,” Lorie said with a small laugh as she fell back in her chair. “Saying that? With a straight face? Literally the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life, Jackie.”
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A picture-perfect smile. That's all that was needed standing next to Elora, leaving little to no dialogue for Jacqueline.
This partnership had gone on for years—even before Lorie or Jackie had even stepped into the spotlight. They met freshman year of college, their goals aligning perfectly with each other—it was only common sense that they’d work together.
They made a good team.
That much was obvious as they stood here, recording a sponsored video based on a press powder that was likely full of chemicals that’d wind up getting the company shut down if the true ingredients were ever leaked. Obviously, she’s being dramatic; at the very least, it’d be trending on TikTok for a week—which products to not use.
It probably would’ve been a better video than the one they’re making right now. Elora had been the mastermind of most of their content—despite any ideas Jackie may have had, Elora always had a better one.
They’ve butted heads on more than one occasion, and it always resulted in Elora winning. But did it matter? They both came out on top.
Well, sometimes.
“This product is available at perfectskinpro.com—that’s perfectskinpro.com, no spaces or anything. Use code LCJZ at checkout for 10% off and a free bear-shaped beauty blender at purchase.”
Jackie side-glanced over at her as she spoke.
Elora was perfect. She didn’t mean her beauty necessarily, but it was the way that she carried herself, her personality, the way an entire room would change based on her own emotions.
Their eyes met, and Jackie’s lingered for a moment before tearing her gaze away and towards the camera. “I have a confession to make…”
“I haven’t used any beauty blender except this one for weeks,” Jackie laughed, “Even if you don’t end up liking the product—which would be criminal,” she glanced at Lorie for dramatic effect.
“This beauty bear is worth it—“ She hadn’t even gotten a chance to finish her sentence before Lorie had already begun their outro.
Practiced a million times before, Jacqueline wiggled four fingers for a goodbye and blew a kiss to the lens.
Jackie fumbled with the camera. “I swear, it’s like this button always gets stuck, this thing could record for hours and I’d never know.”
Elora flopped onto the couch, unbeknownst that Jacqueline was even speaking.
“Probably because you were lying?” Jacqueline shrugged, a thin smile playing on her lips that faded the longer she struggled with the camera’s tripod. Once it finally gave, Jackie placed the camera onto the coffee table as she began to take down their setup. “I don’t know why we keep taking these deals, if they’re not something we’d actually promote… why do it?”
“If people found out you were switching out brands? You’d be canceled so fast.”
She cleared her throat. “We, I mean, we’d be canceled.” A partnership was a partnership. And before today, Jacqueline would’ve gone as far as to call Lorie her best friend.
“I think this should be our last one. Next time, we get a sponsor that we actually like? No more of the superficial companies that seem to be so obsessed with us.”
With you, she thought but spoke against it.
“Which is another reason I’m glad you said no to Allure.”
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“‘Lying’? No, that’s embellishing, and it’s the standard, Jack,” Elora said, sitting up straighter and propping her chin up on her hand. She sighed and picked up the camera once Jackie placed it down. She fiddled with the strap on the side. “We take the deals because we want the money, honey.” Elora smiled at her business partner. “Simple as that. Everyone expects a little bit of embellishment, anyway. It’s called entertainment. Honesty is a straight up snooze fest.”
“If people found out you were switching out brands? You’d be canceled so fast,” Jackie said, and then cleared her throat and corrected, “We, I mean, we’d be canceled.”
Lorie chuckled. “Maybe. But no one will know. Plus we take down the videos once our contract is up, so no harm no foul.” By the time people even got their products, their account was usually wiped of that brand’s dealings.
When Lorie studied Jackie’s face, she got the impression that her friend was reluctant to agree. “Jacqueline,” Lorie began, the corners of her mouth tucked down.
“I think this should be our last one,” Jackie said. “Next time, we get a sponsor that we actually like? No more of the superficial companies that seem to be so obsessed with us. Which is another reason why I’m glad you said no to Allure.”
At the name Allure, Lorie’s eyebrow flicked upwards, and a small smile played at her lips. She chuckled softly. “No, we said no to Allure, Jackie. Not me personally,” she corrected.
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And before today, Jacqueline would’ve gone as far as to call Lorie her best friend.
This was the conversation that started it all. Jacqueline often thought about what would've happened if Lorie hadn't taken the deal—or hadn't even told her that day. The news would've come out on her feed, and that's how she would've found out. Maybe she would've been in a better mood; maybe it could've prevented everything from happening.
But then again...
If there's one thing Jackie learned from all of this, it's that you can't change the past.
“No, we said no to Allure, Jackie. Not me personally,”
The ring light shut off with a touch of a button, the room suddenly much darker despite the natural light protruding from the windows. A crease in her eyebrows was visible from the furrow of her brows. "What?" A chuckle of disbelief escaped her, and she searched Elora's features for any indication that she might've been joking.
But nothing but a hint of a smug grin told her otherwise. The same woman who watched over her shoulder as she edited their videos, perused the products they'd test, told her what to say to people they'd potentially collab with... she... wouldn't.
Her instincts said one thing while her rationale said another.
She stood up straighter, crossing her arms. "I-... I thought they only wanted us as a pair? That was specifically their condition!" Deep down, she knew the truth. Jacqueline knew that they wanted them as a pair—just for Lorie.
Everyone always liked her more, anyway.
The brand deal itself would've gotten them so much traction—so many more deals. If Jackie had taken it, it was likely her career would skyrocket. Except their conditions felt wrong. Morals were good and all until temptation was in the way.
Lying embellishing was one thing, but accepting the contract knowing that Jacqueline was just a packaged deal... she felt devalued, like the company had seen her as some background character in Lorie's life.
"Yeah, Lorie, we said no."
"But I didn't think that meant you'd take the deal behind my back? Without me?"
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Lorie kept her posture and tone casual, though Jackie was rigid, arms crossed. “It’s not really behind your back, though, is it?” Lorie said, not denying her coworker’s accusation. She sighed softly through her nose, playing with the strap of the camera and smiling softly at Jackie, trying her best to convey a little bit of “apology” with knitted eyebrows (though not too knitted—she didn’t want to make wrinkles).
“Jacquelineee,” Elora said, dragging out the last syllable a little bit and then giving a chuckle, reaching out for her friend’s arm, “when you and I talked it over, I said the deal was bull and we wouldn’t be taking it.” She brushed her arm with her nails, pouting slightly and nodding subtly. “You were right when you said that they were only taking you along because they felt like they had to and that it devalued you—absolutely.” She smiled reassuringly. “Something like that? So wrong on many levels. Like, bad for the brand, bad for morals, and straight up just bad for you.”
I’m your friend, Elora tried to signal with wide, sparkling brown eyes, your best friend. You can trust what I’m saying.
Lorie sat back, repositioned her legs into a crossed position, setting the camera back down on the table. “So…I talked to them, told them that I wouldn’t take that for my best friend, and…well, we talked, and they suggested a deal that only involved me—one that I couldn’t pass up.” She reached for her friend again, her eyes bright, her smile excited. “And Jackie! This is the deal of a lifetime. We—“ She gestured with one finger between herself and her business partner (making it clear it was still them against the world). “—may know that Allure is shady as hell as people who work behind the scenes, but every person who has made it in our world has dealt with them in the past—and Allure absolutely launches them.” She let out a chuckle. “I mean, think about it! My own beauty products on the shelf…branded with my brand x Allure.”
Picturing it now practically made her drool. God, wasn’t this just the best?
She sighed softly, brushing her friend’s arm reassuringly. “When we had talked about it, the both of us, it pushed you out of the picture, anyway, and we both realized that…so I think it’d be selfish to try and have gone through with that deal, you know.” She sighed again. “But one on one?” She shook her head. “That’s different. I have four million followers now, our joint account has three million, and you’re…growing. If I take this, who knows what my—our—numbers will be, Jackie.” She smiled a small smile. “This is my dream—always has been. You know that. I couldn’t just pass something like that up. That’d be, like…” She let out a soft laugh. “Bad karma.”
