Page 35 of Plus Size Player

“Can I get in on this hug?” Gabriella Pace shouted, her heels clicking loudly as she approached.

“Gabby!” I shouted to the plus size model with the huge Afro.

She was one of my favorite content creators, and she was one of the sweetest people I’d ever met. She was from the Los Angeles area, and she started growing her platform around the same time as I did.

“Hey, beautiful!” She gave me an extra squeeze before she took a step back. “It’s so good to see you again!”

“You, too!” I exclaimed. “And this!”—I gestured to the silky peach dress she had on—“I have this same dress in a different color. It looks fantastic on you!”

“Thank you!” She looked between me and Sherita. “You both look so good!”

“We all do,” Sherita confirmed.

“Where’s Toni?” I wondered, looking around.

“She missed her flight,” Sherita informed us. “She’ll be here tomorrow morning though.”

“Well, then, let’s get to the bus so we don’t missourride,” Gabby said, linking her arms with ours.

The three of us had the best night. We laughed, joked, and took pictures all throughout dinner. And then when we got to the after-party, we really let loose.

“I’m going to the bar to get a drink and do some recon,” I announced.

“I’ll get our spots in the section and check out the talent in the other sections,” Sherita replied.

“I have to go to the bathroom, and then I’ll walk through the dance floor and see what’s what,” Gabby said, wiggling her fingers. “See you guys in ten minutes!”

We each went our separate ways. I noticed a few other influencers and content creators at the bar. I didn’t know them well, but I was familiar with their content on social media. They weren’t anywhere near me on the bus or at dinner, but since the point of the night was to network, I marched over to them and said hello.

“Hi,” the tall, slim, fair-skinned woman greeted me. “You’re Nina, right?”

“I am.”

“I’m Skylar.” She stuck out her hand. “But you can just call me Sky. This is Daisy and Jess.”

I said hi to the other two women.

“Nina is a plus model,” Sky explained to the other thin women.

“Oh, wow, good for you!” Daisy cheered.

“Aww, I love that,” Jess cooed.

Their tone didn’t hit my ears right, but I didn’t want to jump to conclusions. It was loud in the venue, and I wanted to believe they weren’t coming at me sideways.

“And you are all fashion content creators, too?” I wondered, tilting my head.

“Yes,” they said in unison.

“Good for you,” I replied with a wide smile. I shifted my eyes to each of them. “I love it.”

“Pretty drinks for pretty ladies,” the bartender said loudly, handing the three of them martinis.

They giggled flirtatiously. “Thank you,” Sky replied, leaning over the bar to give him a better view of her low-cut dress. “So, sooooo much.”

He ran his hand through his stringy brown hair. “Of course.” He winked. “It’s on the house.”

They turned their back to him.

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