Casey: We’ll celebrate next weekend when you come see me in SF.
Annie: Hehe kk… ttyl… safe flight.
Casey: Thanks.
This was perfect—more than she could have hoped for. Casey would be at the finals with her. She hadn’t thought she would have someone there to offer her moral support through what she was sure would be the toughest week of her life… if she even made it to the end of the week.
Annie then texted Alex and asked him if she could come over. He told her “of course”, and a minute later, she was at his door.
“Door’s open!” she heard him call.
Letting herself in, Annie spotted Alex in the kitchen with his elbows deep in what looked like the raw mixture for meatloaf.
“Ooh, whatcha makin’? Is it meatloaf?” she asked, perching on a barstool as she watched him.
“Close. I’m making Waikiki meatballs,” Alex said as he started rolling the first meatball.
“What’s that?”
“Meatballs in a sweet and sour sauce. It has peppers and pineapple, and you can serve it over rice.”
“Hmm, sounds interesting.”
“It’s good—you’ll see. Just give it a chance.”
“I guess that means I’m invited to stay for dinner?”
“Even though you cancelled on me first. What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were spending the weekend with Magic Mike?”
“Oh my God, I almost forgot why I came over here! You’re never going to believe who I saw today when Casey and I were having lunch at the Farmers Market by the Grove.”
“Uh oh,” Alex murmured, eyeing her curiously. “Nate?”
“Ha, no, although that would have been just as bad. It was Gabe.”
“Shut the fuck up. Did he see you? Did you talk to him? Was that skank he impregnated there with them?”
Rolling her eyes, Annie shook her head. “No, he was there having lunch with his mom. He came over to our table while Casey was using the restroom, but Casey came back before he left, so I had to introduce them to each other.”
“Oh shit! Did Casey know who he was?”
“No, and I didn’t offer the information, but I could tell he was suspicious. I was admittedly acting a little weird after Gabe left.”
“Well, honey, that’s understandable. That dude sure pulled a number on you.”
“I haven’t even told you the worst part.”
Alex’s eyebrows shot up as he watched her, waiting for her to spill the beans. “So tell me already.”
Annie sighed. “Genevieve isn’t pregnant with his baby. She lied—he’s not the father.”
“Holy fuck.”
“You can say that again.”
Pulling a skillet from one of the kitchen cabinets, Alex turned on a burner and started to brown the meatballs. “So what’s the deal? Does he want you back now?”
“Yeah,” she said and then groaned. “Alex, I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do now. Casey is amazing, but the chemistry I had with Gabe was pretty fantastic.”
“Yeah, but you haven’t even slept with Casey, yet… or have you now?” he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at her.
Laughing out loud, Annie shook her head. “Slept, yes. Sex, no.”
“Aww, well that’s no fun… but I’m glad you’re taking it slow this time.”
“Yeah, me too… except that right now, it’d be nice to be able to compare. Does that sound shallow?”
“Not really. Just realistic.” Alex had finished browning the meatballs and turned the burner off. Then he scrounged around again in his cabinets before pulling out a small crockpot.
“Anyhow, aside from my chaotic and complicated love life, I have other news. I just got a call from one of the producers for The Next American Superstar, and I made it to the finals!”
“Oh my God, Annie! That is so awesome,” Alex cheered, moving around the counter to give her a hug. “I’m so proud of you, baby girl.”
“Thanks, I’m super excited.”
“You should be. When do you leave for the next round?”
“In about a month, but they want to come out and film a reenactment of my phone call from the producer sometime this week.”
“Ooh, check you out, Miss Thing! Moving on up. Don’t forget me when you’re famous, darling.” He moved back into the kitchen and started measuring out some rice and water into the rice cooker.
Annie blushed and shook her head. “I couldn’t have done it without your moral support, that’s for sure.”
“Sure you could have, but I’ll take the credit since you’re offering,” he said with a grin as he winked at her. “Where are the finals?”
“In New York.”
“Nice! You’ve never been there before, right?”
“Nope. Never been anywhere on the east coast before.”
“Well, you’re going to need to go shopping. It’s going to be pretty cold there.”
“Oh yeah, I didn’t even think about that. Good idea. See, I knew I kept you around for a reason,” Annie teased as she smirked at him. “If I win, I’m totally hiring you as my personal assistant.”
“And I will totally take that job in a heartbeat. Well, girl, it sounds like you’ve got a lot going on for you right now. I say you should just forget about the boys for now. You need to do you and focus on winning that competition.”
“I know… you’re right. Casey made it through to the finals, too, by the way.”
“Oh really? Now won’t that be interesting. What are you going to do if his crew beats you? Are you going to let your feelings for him get in the way of you taking the crown?”
“Aw, hell no. I mean, I care about Casey, and I wish nothing but the best for him and his crew, but this is my dream career we’re talking about. I’m not going to let anything stand in my way.”
“Atta girl!”
Holding the phone away from her ear, Annie winced as her mother screeched gleefully through the receiver. Lena Chang might have been small of stature at five foot three, but her voice was loud enough for a woman much larger.
“Are you kidding me? Why didn’t you tell me you were auditioning? Oh my God, darling! I’m so proud of you!”
“Thanks, Mom, but I’m not deaf… well, now I might be. And I didn’t want to say anything until I had gotten through to the final round.”
“I’m sorry—couldn’t help myself, but yay! I can’t believe my daughter is going to be on national television with millions of people voting for her!”
“I only made it to the final round of auditions in New York. I don’t know if I’ll even make it to the live tapings when the audience gets to vote.”
“But they’ll still show the auditions, won’t they?”
Annie let out an exasperated laugh at her mother’s excitement. “Yes, they’ll show the auditions.”
“So I’ll get to see my baby on TV!”
“Yes, you’ll get to see me on TV.”
“I can’t wait to tell the family and all my friends! Everybody’s going to go nuts with the news. We should have a viewing party. We could have it here, and—”
Rolling her eyes, she interrupted her mother’s frantic planning. “Now hold on, Mom. Please don’t go telling anybody anything, yet. I don’t know what we’re allowed to say. We may not be able to tell anyone until later.”
Annie started to tell her that the producers wanted to film her parents as well, but afraid her mother might faint from the excitement, she decided to give her a few minutes to calm down and break the news to her father first. Alexander Chang was a man not easily ruffled, so she knew she could count on him to take everything in stride, despite the short notice. Hearing him talking in the background, she asked to speak to him. A moment later, her father’s familiar voice filled her ear.
“Hey kiddo, Mom just told me the good news. Congratulations!”
Annie knew she had a goofy grin on her face, but she couldn’t help it. She was still daddy’s little girl, and his app
roval meant everything to her. “Thanks, Dad. I’m still pinching myself. I can’t believe this is really happening to me.”
“Well, it couldn’t have happened to a better person, sweetheart.”
“Aww, thanks. I’m really grateful for the opportunity. I just hope I don’t get stage fright and mess up or anything. Last thing I want to do is humiliate myself on national television.” Annie shuddered at the thought.
“I’m sure you’re going to do just great. Just practice, practice, practice before the big day. You can never be too prepared.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m thinking about hiring a vocal coach to work with between now and then, but they’re so expensive.”
“Well, your birthday is coming up soon. Would you like that to be your gift from me and your mother?”
Bouncing up and down on her toes with excitement at her father’s generous offer, Annie smiled widely. “Wow, sweet! That would be awesome, Dad. Thank you, really.”
“Of course, honey. Anything for my little girl.”
“Anything?” she asked with a hopeful tone in her voice.
“Uh oh. Do you need something else?”
“Well, yeah… the producer who called me said that they want to film a segment at my parents’ house of me receiving the phone call informing me that I’ve made it to the final round of auditions.”
“Okay, that shouldn’t be a problem. We’ll just need a day’s advance notice so we can make sure the house is spic and span. When do they want to do it?”
Breathing a sigh of relief, Annie told him she still needed to get all of the details, but that it would be sometime in the next few days. She hadn’t thought her parents would have a problem with it, but it was still comforting to know that they were supporting her in this crazy venture.
“Oh, and there’s one other thing.”
Her father groaned and then chuckled. “Okay, out with it.”
Biting her lip, she hesitated before responding. This was a huge favor, and she wasn’t quite sure how he was going to react. Her father had always drilled into her and her sister’s heads that he and their mother were raising them to be responsible adults who didn’t need to depend on anyone for help. He wanted them to make their own way in the world, stand on their own two feet. More than anything, she hated to disappoint him.
“Well, if I get through to the live tapings, I’m going to have to hand in my notice at work.”
“Yeah… and?”
“And so I won’t be able to afford my apartment anymore. Would you and Mom be okay if I moved back home for a while? If I don’t win, I’ll get a job again as quickly as possible and save up to move out again. I promise I won’t stay there any longer than absolutely necessary.” There was a long pause before her father answered, which made Annie gulp nervously as she waited for him to respond.
“Sweetheart, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. Of course your mother and I stand behind you one hundred and ten percent. You can stay here as long as you need. You’ve done nothing but make me proud since the day you were born. I know that’s not going to change.”
Annie’s lip trembled as the tears welled up in her eyes. It meant more than anything that her parents believed in her and truly wanted her to follow her dreams and succeed. “Thank you, Daddy. I promise you that I am going to do everything I can to win this thing and make you and Mom really proud of me.”
“Baby, we’re proud of you no matter whether you win or come in last. You just give it the best you’ve got.”
“Oh I will. You can bet your life on it.”
“That’s my girl. Here, your mother wants to talk to you again.”
After saying good-bye, he handed the phone back to her mother so she could say good-bye as well.
Her next call was to the production coordinator. Annie told Janice that her parents had given the green light to film the segment at their home and provided their phone number so she could contact her parents directly to make all of the arrangements. Janice informed her that she and her parents would all have to sign non-disclosure agreements, which basically said that they couldn’t talk about anything regarding the segment until after the episode aired or they would be sued. Annie assured her that their lips were sealed and thanked her for everything before hanging up.
When she called her sister, Leah, she was prepared this time and already had the phone held away from her ear to avoid the high-pitched screams that came through.
“Oh my fucking God, lady! This is the single most awesome thing that’s ever happened to me!”
“Uh, I’m the one who’s auditioning,” she reminded Leah as a wry smile twisted her lips.
“I know, but it’s still the coolest thing ever to happen to me! It’s like I’m going to be famous by default!”
Annie couldn’t help smiling at her sister’s enthusiasm. It was heartwarming to know that all of her family was genuinely pleased for her to have gotten this opportunity. “Well, I’m glad you’re happy about it.”
“Why wouldn’t I be? I can’t wait to tell all my friends!”
“Well, between you and Mom, I think all of Los Angeles will know by the time you’re done. But listen—you can’t say anything, yet. I don’t know that we’re allowed to tell anyone until after the segment has been filmed. Maybe not even until it has aired. I’ll keep you posted, though.”
“Aww, man.”
“Leah, I’m serious; you can’t tell anyone. We could get sued.”
“Alright, alright. Where are they filming the final round? Hollywood?”
“No, they’re sending the finalists to New York.”
Leah squealed again. “Oh wow, the Big Apple! I’m so jelly. I’ve wanted to go back there ever since my senior year trip. You’re gonna love it, I promise. Just be careful not to spend all your money on Fifth Avenue.”
Annie snorted. “What money? I probably won’t be able to afford anything there anyway.”
“Well, once you make it big, you’ll be able to afford to shop there. Bloomingdale’s flagship store is there, and it is insane. You know they have like seven or eight floors?”
“Holy shit. That’s a lot of floors.”
“I know, right? Everything I looked at was ridiculously expensive. I saw a winter coat by some designer label I’ve never even heard of and it was like thirty-five hundred.”
“What the fuck?”
“I know. Crazy, huh?”
“Totally crazy. Who can afford to shop like that? Is everyone in New York rich or something?”
Leah laughed. “Hardly, but you know Wall Street is there, and of course there are always big baller tourists and celebrities who live or work there or come to visit. And that might be you soon, big sis! I’m so stoked for you. I know you’re going to be fantastic.”
“Ha, well I dunno about fantastic, but I’m sure going to give it my best shot. Dad said he and mom would pay for some voice lessons for my birthday, because I want to be as prepared as I possibly can be.”
“Nice! That’s right—your birthday is next month. What else do you want?”
Annie hummed and thought for a moment before answering. “Well, since I’m probably going to be on TV, any kind of cool accessories that you think would be eye-catching would be awesome.”
“Done. And whenever you want to hit up karaoke so you can practice, just let me know.”
“Thanks, sis.”
“Anytime. Make sure you tell me once you know what day the show is airing so I can set my DVR to record.”
“Yup, will do. Well, I need to make a few more phone calls, so I’ll catch you later, k?”
“Okie dokie. I love you!”
“I love you more!” Annie made a loud kissing noise through the phone.
“Muah.”
The next few days were a whirlwind of activity. Annie still had to work as usual, but also had to prepare for the upcoming film shoot at her parents’ home in Calabasas, not to mention her trip to San Francisco that weekend to see Casey. She recruited Katie and Ale
x to help her figure out wardrobe for both herself and her parents, swearing them both to secrecy before telling them about the taping, and they spent an entire evening perfecting her ensemble choices.
As she sat cross-legged on her bedroom floor with a half-empty glass of champagne in her hand, watching Alex and Katie attack her closet, Annie tried to maintain her calm. Her two besties proceeded to take out almost every single piece of clothing she owned and laid everything around the room so they could better peruse all of the options. Her neat freak tendencies were fighting against her, but she bit her cheek and smiled. She knew they meant well and were only trying to help, even though they seemed to be methodically trashing her carefully organized closet and tidy bedroom.
After muttering to each other and mulling it over for what seemed like hours to Annie, they finally came up with three outfits for her to choose from. The first was a teal sundress, the second a pair of white skinny jeans with a soft pink camisole and matching cardigan, and the third and final option was a pair of white shorts and a sunflower yellow, sleeveless top that had a softer yellow ribbon woven through the neck and bottom hem. She ended up picking the second option, but said she would keep the other two as back-ups in case the producers disagreed with her choice.
Katie gave a rundown of her latest dating escapades and quickly had them roaring with laughter at some of the craziness she’d experienced. It was hard to believe that a girl as beautiful as her had just as much trouble finding a normal, balanced, decent guy as the rest of the female population.
“Okay, so the latest one—you’re not gonna believe this shit. So I posted an ad on Craigslist,” she started to say, but Annie interrupted her with a groan and roll of her eyes.
“Craigslist again? Seriously? Haven’t you like, learned your lesson from me?”
Taking a sip of champagne, Katie shrugged. “It’s just easiest. I post an ad, and then the guys reply to me and send their pictures, and if I don’t see anything I like, I just delete them. If I don’t want to reveal who I am and what I look like, then I don’t have to. It’s perfect if you want to remain completely anonymous until you know if you’re interested.”
All the Right Things (Love in LA) Page 9