Disclaimer: I do not own Dog With a Blog.

Note: I do not promise a long story, or long chapters, but I do promise that this story will be completed. Eventually.

Casual

Chapter 1

Dear Miss Avery Jennings,

We are pleased to inform you that your preliminary designs were accepted into the Arianna's Institute of Design's annual Fashion Show. This is an incredible honor. As you are aware, the winner of the show will be granted the opportunity to attend our summer session this July. Included are the rules for your final submission. Please send a copy of the paper designs in by June 1st, 2015 and have your outfits (one male, one female) prepared to walk down the runway on June 20th, 2015. We look forward to watching your friends model your designs this summer.

Have a splendid day.

Marcia Grace

Headmistress of the Arianna Institute of Design

Avery screamed. A high octave, ear-splitting shriek that shook the foundations of her two story home.

Thumps pounded down the steps and Avery's parents burst through the kitchen doors as Avery began to jump up and down, the piece of paper clutched in her hands. Her parents froze and watched her as they attempted to cover their ears with their hands, a poor attempt at blocking her high-pitched tones.

"Avery! What is it?" her mother said, loud enough to be heard, but not quite a yell.

In response, Avery - who had stopped screaming, but was still jumping uncontrollably - handed her the paper and started waving her hands as she bounced. Mom's eyes sped across the words, Dad hovering over her shoulder. As they finished, they joined Avery in her excited jumping.

They had just calmed down when Chloe tromped in from outside where she had been playing "Vikings and Pirates" with Stan. Avery spit out her good news before Chloe could even say hi, and then they were all springing again. Stan, who had followed Chloe in, chased his tail and howled and jumped up on Avery when she stopped to catch her breath.

Eventually, everyone was calm enough to look at the second page, the one rules for the fashion show. Avery read them out loud.

"Congratulations on being chosen for the 25th annual Fashion Show for the Arianna Institute of Design. Please follow the rules; any deviation will result in disqualification. Good luck.

"One, please choose your models from among your friends. All body types accepted. Try to make sure your design flatters your friend's figures. You will be awarded points on succeeding."

"Two, all private areas of your models must be covered. Anything remotely risque will be disqualified immediately."

"Three, send copies of your final sketches to… by the appointed date. Tardiness is grounds for disqualification."

"Four, your outfits must be complete. Prototypes are not acceptable."

"Five, you and your models must be at the Arianna Institute Hotel and Conference Center in New York City. We look forward to seeing you there"

"Six, don't forget to have fun. Let your flair flow and your imagination shine."

"Is that all?" Mom asked when Avery finished.

She nodded. Her throat was starting to hurt from all the screaming and reading. She read both pieces of paper over one more time, trying to process the overload of information. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her family watched her as she grabbed a glass, filled it with cold water from the sink, and took a deep swig.

"So?" Chloe asked, climbing up on the stool and pulling her wild red hair up in a ponytail. (She'd taken a liken to them recently, and Avery thought she looked adorable with her hair pulled back.)

"So?" Avery repeated, throat feeling much soothed.

"Who are you going to ask to be your models?" Chloe asked.

Avery cocked her head. "Of all things, that's what you're most curious about?"

Chloe shrugged. "Why not? You can't really design your outfits till you have models to put on them, right? Isn't that part of the assignment."

Avery paused for a moment, considering this. Her little sister had a point. If she chose Max over Lindsay, for instance, she'd have to go with a completely different theme, and she'd already decided that the outfits would complement each other. She'd also have to chose models that complemented each other for that to work. "I'm going to call Lindsay and ask her."

"What about the boy?"

What about the boy indeed? Avery didn't have very many male friends. Actually, she didn't have any male friends, just males that she could almost tolerate, like Karl. She shuddered, she really didn't want to use Karl.

"Maybe Tyler could do it?" she suggested.

"Maybe Tyler could do what?" Tyler asked, walking in the kitchen, covered head to toe in mud.

Avery showed him her letter and waited for him to slowly, excruciatingly slowly, read through it. While he worked at it, he grabbed an apple from the basket on the counter and chomped on it, the sound reverberating in the silent room.

"So, you want me to be your male model?" he asked smugly. "Well, I do have the good looks to be a model, and the charisma, and the height." His smirk grew bigger as he listed each narcissistic quality. Then his smile fell and he appeared to be trying to remember something. Tyler pulled out his phone and tapped a few buttons. "Buuuuuut, I have a BMX rally that weekend, so I can't do it."

"Dang," Avery said, resisting the urge to snap her fingers. Her mind flew through the rest of the boys she knew, checking them off one by one as she rejected them. "I'm going to call Lindsay and see what she says."

Mom and Dad nodded and pulled out their phones as she left the room.

"What are you doing?" Chloe asked, highly confused.

Mom shushed her and waved her hand down. "Quiet. We don't want Avery to know."

"Know what?" Tyler asked, chugging a glass of good ol' H2O.

"That we are going to find Avery the perfect male model, but first we have to convince him to do it."

"Who?" Chloe asked when they didn't explain further.

Mom smiled devilishly. "Now why would we tell you that?" She turned and grabbed her husband's arm, pulling them through the empty living room and into his office.

"Who do you think it is?" Chloe asked, turning to face Tyler and Stan.

"No idea, but I hope it's Karl," Stan said, scratching himself behind his bent ear. "That would be fun, don't you think?"

"Fun for us, maybe," Chloe answered, chuckling at the imagined arguments playing out in her head. "But they can't stand each other. What makes you think they could work together on this?"

"Because I don't think Avery will have another choice."

End of Chapter 1.

Beta: TiredOfBeingNice

Adios!

- Yumi