I hadn't talked to Karly in about half a year. We used to be super close, but that's what happens when a girl lands in a relationship with one of the most handsome and mysterious seniors in the school; she drifts away from her loser-y friends. Before Travis got a hold on her, Karly was a normal girl, if a bit quiet. Frankly, it was crazy it took her that long to get a steady boyfriend. She wasn't exactly in the popular circles, but Karly was unquestionably one of the hottest blondes in the school. A lot of boys had a crush on her, even myself.
I wanted to ask out Karly, but I never had the guts. Every time I thought about it, I'd just get tongue-tied the next time we hung out. Karly, none the wiser, would just smile and ask me if I had a rough day or something. That was probably better for our friendship, even though I would definitely spend more than a few nights shamefully thinking about her and scrolling through her latest vacation pics or something.
Around the time Karly first got into her relationship, I got into our school's AV club. They liked to call themselves the 'Media Gang' but it felt too cringy to even say out loud. All people had to know was, if they needed a camera, I was their guy. Sometimes that could land me a sweet gig. A few of the music nerds around school wanted to start rock bands out of their garage, so they'd ask me to come with my camera and record for music video B-roll or for their Instagram or something. Eventually, this turned into any band getting a gig at a local bar or eatery asking me to come along and bring my camera, for a couple of bucks and a free meal or something. And hey, it was a free concert too.
Travis himself was the lead singer of one of these bands, and admittedly, he seemed to actually support the music scene, seeing as he was always at these bars and eateries no matter who was playing. He wasn't faking it either - you could tell he got really into the music. I wanted to believe he was an asshole or something so I could justify my fantasies about Karly leaving him and us reconnecting again or something, but nope. Two things were abundantly clear from seeing Travis at those events - one, he seemed to be a fine if energized guy, and two, Karly was absolutely smitten with him. I never saw anyone look at their partner like Karly looked at her boyfriend. It was like everything he did was absolutely perfect for her. It was almost a bit obscene, and it frankly made me feel dumb for ever thinking that she'd leave him. If anyone was going to break it off, he was clearly going to be the one to do it, not her.
Still, getting to see Karly was getting to see Karly. I was happy to have her back in my life as a friend, and although it didn't happen often, whenever Travis needed to go to the bathroom or just was off on his own, I'd summon up the courage to talk to Karly and catch up. She definitely was different - a lot calmer, speaking in shorter simpler sentences - but she was also happier. Plus, she was still Karly. You don't stop being friends with someone because of a few changes. It was cool getting to talk to her again, even if I had to abandon the small sliver of hope that she and I would be anything more than just friends.
Karly would take any and all opportunity to gush about Travis too. Apparently his band was really good (although she was head over heels for him, so maybe they actually sucked), and Travis put in a lot of effort to make the band work, which was why he was so supportive of the music scene. Even though I got used to seeing them at concerts, it was only at the third or fourth concert that Travis himself met me.
As soon as his eyes landed on me, his smile - already present on his face - grew and his face lit up. He exclaimed, "It's him! The man with the camera!" and did some kind of fist bump hand gesture I misinterpreted as a handshake. He laughed it off and got to talking to me about his band, about school, and about what an amazing supportive girlfriend Karly was. The entire time, Karly hung on every word he said.
A few gigs later, Travis approached me. It was at some trendy yet old bar in the next town over - sketchy enough that one or two older men would ask me "Are you packin'?" which my friends would later inform me was their way of selling weed discreetly. I was just hanging around the bar area as the band was packing up, when Travis sleekly moved his way to the bar stool next to me. Karly was, as always, by his side, and he had one arm around Karly's waist.
"Yo," he announced. "You ever let anyone borrow that?"
He was pointing at my camera. I shook my head. "Nah, it's kind of delicate. The camera and me are kind of a package deal. It can come to your gigs, but I gotta come with it."
"I see, I see," he replied, nodding sagely, then smiled at me. "Well, tell ya what: I'm kind of in the need for a high-end camera like that, and I know my way around a camera. I'll make it worth your while, I promise."
I paused, then held out my camera. "You know your way around a camera?"
"Mhm!"
"Where's the white balance button?" I quizzed him.
He answered flawlessly, then answered the next few questions well. I wasn't expecting this, but he actually knew his way around a camera. It definitely seemed like he'd be the type to treat it well.
I mulled it over. "So how much are we talking to borrow it?" I asked gingerly.
He playfully grimaced. "Yeah, about that. I don't have a lot of money right now, per se, but I'll make you a hell of an offer."
Bartering? "I'm listening."
"Bet," he replied, grinning. "So, you let me borrow that camera for the weekend, and number one, I'll let you keep a copy of everything we record."
Huh? Why would that benefit me?
"Number two," he continued, "I'll let you have Karly for a day."
I couldn't have heard that right. My eyes immediately darted to Karly, who was still smiling, looking at Travis like nothing was wrong. I didn't know why I only noticed then, but she was wearing a collar. Karly never wore a collar when we were friends. "...What does that mean?" I finally managed to ask.
