Gavin wakes up & Xtina is gone....at first he thinks she might be in the house somewhere, maybe one of the bathrooms. He gets up to go look for her, only to confirm she's taken off on him. Gavin was ready to forgive the slap, if it meant they could be together again. But all it has gotten him is a new round of this game she's playing, and though Gavin truly believes he loves her, he cannot take it anymore & decides that he's just not going to call Xtina.

Gavin's got to pay rent as well as tuition, so he shoots headshots & the like in his room for extra money. Today he has a client named Shay. She's got a great look, but she won't look at the camera & she's a horrible model. He can't believe she's seeking an acting or modeling career, since she's so uncomfortable in front of the camera. "How long have you been modeling?" he asks her. "I don't want to be a model," she sighs, holding her head in her hands & not even pretending to pose. The natural way she expresses her frustration captures Gavin's eye and he takes a few pictures of her as she continues, "I'm a fashion designer, not a model. But there's this modeling contest, & the winner gets to meet the editor of WhooNoo magazine...I thought...well, nevermind what I thought," she finishes & get up to leave.

Gavin stops her & gives her a few pointers on modeling. "You look awesome, you just need to radiate yourself for the camera, don't be afraid of it."

Gavin shows her what he means.

Shay tries again, but it's a wasted effort: she doesn't want to be doing this & it shows. Gavin isn't very used to working with reluctant models: usually his biggest challenge is to get them to stop posing once he's finished shooting the number of rolls they're paying for. He hasn't developed a repertoire of complimentary prattle a portrait studio photographer uses to coax a smile from a nervous sitter. But he has his natural charm & his sensitivity. She said she design clothes, so he asks about her top, it's very interesting, did she make it herself? Beautiful, she lights up & tells him it is her design. Gavin takes pictures, and gets her to tell him more about her work, until he finishes the roll she asked for.

Gavin's an artist, not a professional headshot photographer, the money is important, but it isn't everything. "I'm going to be straight with you," he tells her, "Most of that roll is unusable, I couldn't get a clear shot of your face for the first half of it. I'll give you what did come out once it's processed, but I can't charge you for it." "I can't let you do that," Shay says, "If half of it's good, I should at least pay for half."

Gavin pauses a moment, and then comes up with the right words, "Shay, you have eveything it takes to be a model, except the desire. The only time you were happy or relaxed at all was when you were talking about your designs...I know this isn't really my place to say, but I think you are wasting your time with this modeling contest, and I don't want you to waste a lot of money, too." He let's that sink in, but cuts her off as she tries to speak "Listen, I took a few shots of you I'd like to use in my own work, if I can get you to sign a release form, we can call it even..." "You want to use pictures of me?" she asks, incredulous. "Shay, you're gorgeous & when you aren't posing, you light your own set. I got some great shots of you, but none are what you need." Shay looks at him very sceptically now, "Is this some kind of creepy photographer crap that's supposed to get me in bed?" she asks. Gavin laughs, "God, no," and realizes by her eyes that that came out kind of insulting, "I mean..," he continues, "Look, my girlfriend broke up with me last night or last month, I'm not sure,...anyway, I'm toxic right now, I'm not trying to get anyone into bed." Shay decides she wants to see the pictures before she signs any release, so he promises to call in a few days when the film is processed.