Starlet

22. Understudy

I go home and sit on the porch. I stare into nothingness. 8pm seems centuries away. It's only like 2 hours though. It takes forever. I can't eat. I can't drink. I'm nervous as hell. I don't know why, it's not like I'll get a real part. I already know that. I hope I get something.

Mason walks by about 7:15. "Papers are posted. You can go see now."

I jump straight up and run. I find my name in half a second. I'm understudy for Nicole. I jump up and down so many times.

Marcus walks over.

"I got a part."

"You got a big part. You'll have to take that seriously."

"I will. I promise." I turn and read the paper. "Andy, Ben, Leo, and Frank got the boy parts. Leo got Zeke. I'm not surprised. Amy, Lisa, Sami, and Lynn got the girl parts. I'll be Lynn's understudy this time."

"Aren't you 2 friends?"

"No. I thought we were, but after her first audition, I told her she did good. She rolled her eyes and walked away. Other than that, she ignores me now."

"I'm sorry. She must be jealous or something."

I shrug my shoulders and Bayden comes out.

I smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. You are very talented. You need a little more experience before I put you in a main roll. If you take this seriously, I think you'll be ready."

"I will, I promise. I can finally eat and I am starving. See you later."

I walk home finally relaxed and calm. I see Leo and Lynn on my way to the house. He's got his arm around her. I had no idea they were dating. Why the hell wasn't he sitting with her the whole week? He lets her go and drops his arm. She smirks at me. I feel like I'm missing something here. I scratch my head and keep going. I get some food from the restaurant and sit on the porch.

Tye, Dipak, and Marcus join me.

Dipak smiles. "Did you know Lynn and Leo are together?"

I shake my head and shove a bite in my mouth.

Marcus nods. "But you're ok with that, right?"

"Yea, it's kind of confusing though. Why would he sit with me all week and ignore her? I would be mad. No wonder why she hates me now."

"She hates you?"

I look at Tye. "Yea, after she rehearsed I told her she did good. She rolled her eyes and walked away. It must have looked like I was trying to steal her boyfriend. But I really didn't know. I just think he's friendly. I don't want him like that."

"He's probably going to ignore you now."

"They always do. People sit with me in audition week. Then, after they get their parts, they sit with the other actors. I like sitting alone though. I can pay more attention. When people are around me, I like to talk."

Dipak smiles. "Then it's a good thing he'll ignore you. Because you're really going to have to focus for this part. You have to pay attention and do your best."

I nod fast. "He told me I might get a main roll next time. He wants to see how I do with this first. Ask Marcus, he said it in front of him." Marcus nods.

"You better be ready to step in at any practice in case she misses 1."

"I'll keep up."

Marcus nods. "Alright, let us know if you start to struggle. We'll help you. Do not get stressed or upset about it. That makes it worse. Let us know if you start to feel those things."

"Ok. I promise."

Tye smiles. "I don't think she hates you because of Leo. I think she's jealous of you. You are a hell of a better actress. The only reason she got the roll is because you're young. She might try to keep being mean to you. She's not going to want you as a threat in the future. You're going to be taking all the parts she wants because she's not as good. You have to ignore anything she does and focus on your part. What she does, doesn't matter."

Dipak nods. "We'll watch over practices sometimes to make sure she's not going to try anything. But as long as you focus on your job, you'll be fine."

"I will."

"Who all is going to the show meeting tomorrow?"

Tye smirks. "Me. It's the 1 and only practice I have to go to. I could probably skip it, not like Bayden would tell me off or anything."

"Just go. Take Johen and sit by her. I want to see what Lynn does about that. She is acting in extremes."

Marcus looks at Dipak. "Why do you think that?"

"For her to take a man like that."

"That is true. Yea, it'll help show that Whisp is protected by the castle."

"But Thora said Tye shouldn't be around me, it causes rumors."

"He can't be alone with you. As long as multiple people are there, it looks like castle business. There's nothing wrong with castle business."

Tye smiles. "It would have looked bad if I showed up on the stage alone yelling about you wearing that. But Dipak was there too. He was talking to Bayden about it. So it didn't look bad at all for me."

"I didn't even know you were there."

Dipak shakes his head. "Yea, we wanted to see how it was going. Then I saw a half naked teenager walk onto a stage. I lost my mind a little bit."

Tye nods. "It wasn't even half naked. It was 90% naked."

"You told me to think about the outfit. The brain showed it to me after she asked what was on the island. I said coconuts, grass, seashells, and probably some palm trees. I didn't know what else."

Dipak smiles. "It was actually creative. You see how much Bayden liked it. He moved it right to the costumes, it just needed some extra layers."

I smile. "I did good."

"Yes you did. You've done good all week."

The next day, I go to the theater meeting. I'm a bit early but it's ok. I sit in my spot. Everyone else comes in slowly and sits in their spots. Leo and Lynn come in together, he's got his arm around her now. They go up and sit in the front. He didn't even look at me. It's ok. A bunch of other people come in. A lot I recognize from the last play. Props, stage builders, ushers, seems we got a lot of people back.

I hear people laughing, and I look up to the front. Lynn and a bunch of her friends are staring at me laughing. Not sure what's funny. Andy tells them to shut the f**k up. Then they all look towards the entrance of the theater. Tye and Johen are coming in with Bayden.

"Sorry everyone. Give me a minute. I had to handle something at the castle." Bayden walks up to the front.

Tye and Johen sit beside me. I wiggle around and smile.

"Try not to look too happy."

"I'm sorry. I don't get people to sit by."

"Remember we're here on official castle business."

"What was Bayden doing at the castle?"

"Dipak still can't fill out paperwork right."

I crack up laughing. Everyone looks at me, who wasn't already staring. I get some really jealous looks now.

Tye and Johen start laughing.

Andy sits on the other side of Tye. They talk about something.

Then Thora runs in. "NOBODY TOLD ME."

Bayden gives her a weird look as she runs all the way over to us.

"You're Thora."

"SHIT."

The 4 of us are about to die laughing as she runs back out.

Johen looks at Andy. "Don't worry. We'll get our s**t straight at some point."

Andy nods. "Obviously not today."

Tye shakes his head. "Definitely not today."

Johen stretches and looks at Tye. "So what do you want to do tonight?"

"Let's go to my island. Eat island food and swim a bit."

"We can do that." Then he looks at Andy. "You want to join us?"

"No. I have got a date tonight."

I smile at him. "Who with?"

He seems a little scared. "Ben."

Tye nods. "You can bring him."

Johen smirks. "Not sure how you'd make the 2nd date better though."

Tye busts out laughing. "Save the island for when you piss him off really badly the first time."

I wish they would invite me to go. I would love to see anything.

Lindsay sits in front of me. "You didn't even tell me."

"I didn't know you were doing it again."

"Nah. I like doing hair, and it's easy money."

I nod as Bayden clears his throat. "Hi everyone. Welcome to the new people. Welcome back to the last cast..." He goes on an hour-long speech. Everyone's departments get introduced again. Then the script books get passed out. Johen and Thora take 1 even though they are not supposed to. They came to us last though. It's not like anyone else needed them.

"If she loses the first book."

Thora nods and holds hers up. "Or the second."

All of us laugh again.

Another hour of Bayden explaining his vision of the set and how everything will come together later. We finally get out of there.