Meet Me After Class

Chapter 15: The Audition

Monday.

Audition day.

My day.

The piercing sound of the alarm echoed in my room, announcing the start of the day and bringing that familiar sinking feeling back to the pit of my stomach. It seemed like it had decided to stick around a bit longer this time.

I slammed my hand down on the noisy alarm, contemplating the possibility of staying hidden under the covers forever. With a sigh, I closed my eyes for a few seconds, attempting a futile escape.

Who was I kidding? Today was the day, and all I had to do was survive without letting any negative feedback get to me.

Sitting up in bed, I let out another sigh, pressing a hand against my stomach. I shrugged off the covers, reluctantly acknowledging the reality of the day ahead.

It was the quickest breakfast I had with my family in the kitchen. It seemed like they were all in a rush to kickstart their day: Dad with his job at Cup and Saucer, Mom at the local care home, and Belle rushing off to school.

After a quick bite of Dad's grilled cheese sandwich, I slung my bag over one shoulder and bolted out of the house before Dad. Mom and Belle were already in the car when I reached the garage.

"Are you sure you don't want to ride with us, honey?" mom asked.

"Not today, mom." Frankly, I needed the extra alone time. "See you later!"

"I love you. Enjoy the audition. Don't let anyone pressure you..." she called after me as I pedaled my way to school.

Mom was right. I couldn't let this whole thing weigh me down. I should make the most of this moment. Adam, Penny, and the others auditioning today should be the nervous ones, not me.

As soon as I arrived at school, Penny was slumped against my locker, looking like she'd barely slept. "You look like hell," I remarked, spinning my locker's combination lock.

"I could say the same to you."

I gave her a once-over. Tired eyes, unruly hair, dry lips. Nope, she looked worse.

"Are you ready for the audition later?" I asked, tossing my last-period book into the locker and closing it.

Penny's brow furrowed. "I worked my butt off for eight hours straight at Inked yesterday. I couldn't find the time to read the snippet Melissa gave me last week."

She knew I wrote the script, yet she went to Melissa for a snippet? I could have given her a killer line. What is wrong with her and Adam?

"Good luck then," I forced a smile. I couldn't let Penny or Adam rattle me today. No, I had to find some joy in this process. If they hadn't prepared well, tough luck. I needed to stay fair.

I went through the motions of the day, much like any other day, except I decided to skip lunch. My excitement was bubbling, making it impossible to concentrate on food or have a decent chat with my two best friends. Sure, I wanted to be there for them, but my mind was a swarm of butterflies, and I was sweating bullets.

This was the first time I let myself be exposed like this—the first time others got a peek at my work, aside from Adam. The first time I had people's attention on something I had crafted. And I couldn't handle it. Even though the spotlight wasn't directly on me, the script felt like an extension of myself.

Heading to the auditorium after skipping lunch, I noticed three missed calls from Adam. What could he want now? Maybe he changed his mind and decided to dive into my script, needing some last-minute coaching from the mastermind? Too bad for him; he's on his own now.