He Said I Was Unphotogenic Yet My Photos Shocked The Entire School Chapter 03

He Said I Was Unphotogenic Yet My Photos Shocked The Entire School Chapter 03

On submission day, I turned in my video. I’d watched it at least fifty times.

It opened at the library west entrance: me walking up the steps with books in my arms, glancing back at the lens. From there, it cut to the field, the science building, then the alumni wall.

The last scene was me at the main gate, saying, “May you come here and slowly find yourself.”

After I hit submit, my fingers were still trembling.

The photographer messaged: [You did great. Now you can relax and sleep.]

But I couldn’t. I’d always shrunk from anything that put me in the spotlight, yet this time, I’d placed myself right in the middle of the frame.

Three days later, the preliminary results went live. The admissions office posted the finalists.

First place: Emma Calloway. Second: Claire Hastings.

I stared at the screen for a long time. Megan screamed and hugged me. “Emma! You got first place! You actually did it!”

Before I could even process it, the photography club chat erupted.

[Emma got first?]

[Claire got second?]

[Jason’s work lost?]

Jason stayed silent. Finally, someone tagged him: [What do you think, president?]

He wrote back: [The school will probably verify the materials.]

My stomach dropped. He didn’t congratulate me. He didn’t ask how I shot it.

His first reaction, instead, was that it couldn’t be real.

Claire messaged me privately: [Emma, you’re amazing. But that photographer of yours seems really professional, doesn’t he? Twenty dollars for that quality feels off.]

Someone screenshotted her message and posted it in the group.

The chat flooded with doubts:

[That quality isn’t twenty bucks.]

[What if he’s a commercial freelancer?]

[Is it over-retouched?]

[Aren’t ambassadors supposed to be real students?]

[Could the photographer know someone in admissions?]

Soon, Campus Voice had a new thread:

[Ambassador finalist controversy: Did a certain girl hire a commercial team?]

[Twenty-dollar photographer produces promo-grade footage? Come on.]

The comments got ugly.

[She was notoriously unphotogenic before. Now she’s suddenly all over the screen? Who buys that?]

[She’ll do anything for attention.]

I stared at those words, my fingers turning cold.

Jason’s message popped up: [Who is that photographer, anyway? Did he bring a whole crew?]

[Emma, this isn’t a vanity shoot. Don’t make the school campaign about yourself.]

I stared at the screen for a long time before replying: [You think I cheated too?]

He answered fast: [You know yourself how unphotogenic you’ve always been.]

That sentence stung. Even when I looked good, he wouldn’t acknowledge it was me. He’d just decide it couldn’t possibly be real.

That afternoon, the admissions office called. “Ms. Calloway, please come to the Public Affairs Office.”

“We’ve received a formal complaint about commercial team involvement, excessive retouching, and improper resource access. We need to verify your materials.”

I stood outside my dorm, my mind completely blank.

My phone buzzed. The photographer: [Breathe first. Don’t be scared. You didn’t suddenly become pretty, you just finally got photographed the right way.]

I stared at those words, and my stiff fingers slowly loosened.

Then Jason again: [I’ll go with you. No one knows your on-camera history better than I do.]