by Billy Taylor
I dropped the phone and jumped into the air, screaming. I sprinted into the kitchen. “I got it, I got the part!” I yelled. My parents and Ethan’s faces looked as if they were about to burst. Suddenly I was trapped in a giant screaming group hug. “My little baby is gonna be famous!” Mum cried.
Madeline came rushing into the kitchen, and clinched my leg and started screaming along with everyone else. Within a matter of seconds she was then climbing into the freezer as she saw her opportunity to have a bowl of her beloved ice cream. “Madeline, no!” Dad barked.
We all sat at the kitchen table and took a moment to compose ourselves.
“So what happens now?” Ethan asked, sitting Madeline on his knee.
“Well, they want to pop round for tea and meet you guys!”
“Hurry and arrange it then sweetie! I want to meet him!”
Ethan, Madeline and I went for a walk while I called Ms. Andrews back.
“August!” She answered in an ecstatic fashion.
“Hello,” I replied, remaining calm. “Are you excited?” She asked. “Very!” I screamed. My calmness didn’t last long. “I can’t believe it!” I yelled. “Thank you so so so so much.”
“It was all your own work, August. You should be extremely proud of yourself! We’re running on a small time frame because we don’t have long until filming begins, Stanley has arranged this film like no other and the turn around time will be phenomenal. Every tiny detail has been arrnaged. Is tomorrow too soon for Stanley and I to come around for tea?”
I nodded and then realised words were required. “Tomorrow afternoon would be perfect!”
“Shall we say 4:30? Will everyone be home then?”
I paused and went over my parents work schedules. “Yes, that gives everyone plenty of time to be ready.” I placed my hand on my forehead, and ran my hand through my hair. This was really happening. My dream is coming true, and I’m going to be famous! “We will see you then, August.”
She hung up, leaving me staring at Ethan in bewilderment.
“Everything ok?” He asked.
“Yes, everything’s fine. It’s just been such a crazy week,” I replied.
He gave me a hug and kissed my cheek. “Ouch! Watch my ribs!”
“I’m so sorry, why am I so clumsy!”
He grinned and pointed at me, “I got you!”
I sulked at him and felt like punching him, but maybe that would actually hurt him. “I hate you,” I mouthed. He nodded sarcastically, “Of course you do.”
June 14th
“How do I look?” Mum asked, walking into the living room, wearing a rather revealing summer dress.
“Mum!” I shouted, covering Ethan’s eyes as we sat on the sofa.
“Too much?” She asked, hunching over and fiddling with her boobs.
I placed an extra hand over Ethan’s. “Go and change, please!”
“But Stanley is coming! I want him to know you have a hot Mum!”
“Why can’t I see your Mum’s cleavage?” Ethan asked.
“Be quiet you.” I whispered.
Dad appeared from the kitchen. “Victoria, it isn’t my birthday until February.” Ethan laughed. I frowned. Mum took it as a compliment.
“Is this really what we’re talking about? This is the biggest moment of my life and we’re talking about Mum’s boobs!” I protested, dropping my hands from Ethan’s eyes.
“Woah!” Ethan shouted.
I placed my hands straight back over his eyes.
“In my opinion you look very hot, Mrs. Bishop,” Ethan added.
“Thank you, Ethan, I’m keeping the dress on anyway.”
Madeline appeared from upstairs. “Do you like my dress, Madeline?”
Madeline didn’t reply. She stood with her mouth ajar. Then vanished back upstairs. Mum gave us all one quick look. “Ok, I’ll get changed.”
I waited until she had gone upstairs to give Ethan his sight back.
“Not bad.” Ethan said, producing a slight smirk.
Madeline reappeared from the staircase and spread herself across our laps as we continued to watch Patrick Miller’s show.
“I’ll go see if your Mum needs a hand with anything.” Dad said, venturing off upstairs. I placed my head in my hands and laughed. My family is so weird. When I reemerged from my hands Ethan was being a little too adventurous with his eyes at a certain department of mine that my Mum may have mentioned.
“Really?” I said with a scowl.
He raised his eyebrows and returned his sight to the television.
A knock came at the door five minutes later. I glanced around at everyone.
“Please don’t scare them away!” I instructed.
I took a deep breath before opening the door.
“There’s my superstar!” Stanley stated, and then hugged me.
“Hi,” I said, from over his shoulder. He was wearing a black bowler hat, and a long black scarf and coat. A very fashionable attire to come to my house for tea. I stood aside and allowed them to come in. Ms. Andrews and I share a smiled as she entered and made her way into the living room. Stanley and Ms. Andrews were already hugging and kissing everyone as I locked the front door.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. You have a lovely home, it’s so welcoming.”
“I was in charge of choosing the TV, everything else Victoria was in charge of.” Dad replied.
Stanley and Ms. Andrews found him amusing and laughed more than I expected. Mum, Dad, Stanley, Ms. Andrews and I sat at the kitchen table to discuss me. Ethan was keeping Madeline entertained in the living room.
As Mum poured Stanley a cup of tea he began to explain the movie.
“We’re shooting the film in Philadelphia, USA. You’re a new girl in town, you’ve come over from the UK to study at their university or college, whatever they call it. You become friends with your roommate. Who you’ll meet over there, she’s lovely, I’m sure you two will get along. So let me explain this as quick as I can. Your first night there as you’re walking home, you witness a murder, you run to the police station because it isn’t far away. The interrogation room scene we did at your audition is our next step, you’re being questioned by a police officer. Your roommate from college comes to support you. Then a load of bad guys pull up outside because a cop on the inside informs them that they’ve been caught. So all hell breaks loose, everyone is getting shot or killed. You and your friend are hiding in the room, and to escape, you can’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. You get a gun, shoot a few people, have a few fights, get thrown through some glass, but in the end, you and your friend are the last two left and walk off into the sunset.”
Stanley took a sip of his tea. “It will be a lot better than how I just explained it, trust me.” We laughed at his comment and everyone looked at me.
“Sounds great,” I said with a grin.
“Perfect,” Stanley replied.
“Normally this movie would take about a year before it is released. But, I intend to have it ready for the middle of November. The hopeful plan is to have you in Philadelphia by next weekend, spend a couple of weeks doing script reads, dress rehearsals, stunt practices, little things so we’re ready for the first day of filming. Following so far?” He asked, pausing for a moment. We all nodded, allowing him to continue.
“The movie will take around two months to film, maybe a little less. This is because most of the film is going to be shot in the same building, and we don’t have that many changes to make. I’ve also arranged to have the editors on set with me, so at the end of each day, the filming we have done that day can be given to them to be working on. If everything goes to plan the film should be ready well in advance. But like I said, we’re aiming to have the premiere for the middle of November. It’s costing us a fortune so it better.”
Madeline appeared from the living room as Stanley finished.
“Mum, can I have some ice cream?”
I smirked at her because she knew this was a situation where Mum cou
ldn’t say no. Mum scowled at her realising this.
“Of course sweetie, help yourself.”
Stanley and Ms. Andrews found her adorable. “Would you like some ice cream?” Madeline said, looking up at Stanley.
Stanley frowned. “What flavours do you have?”
“We have bubblegum or chocolate.”
Stanley frowned again. “I’ve never had bubblegum flavoured ice cream before. Have you, Jasmine?”
Ms. Andrews shook her head. “No, I don’t think I have.”
Madeline watched them unamused.
“We’ll have two bubblegum ice creams if you don’t mind little one.”
Dad stood, and grabbed her the ice cream from the freezer. As she prepared their ice cream Stanley pulled some paperwork out of his bag.
“This is your contract. We’ve made it as simple as possible to avoid complications and save time. It basically says you agree to be in the film and play this character. And you’ll be well looked after and how much you will be paid, and what is required of you and when.”
He passed it over to me. I laid it out infront of my parents, so we could read it together. Madeline placed two bowls of ice cream in front of Stanley and Jasmine and disappeared into the living room once again. They ate their ice cream as we read through the contract. The only thing that caught my eye was how much I would be paid. Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. I nearly fell off my chair. Dad’s eyes nearly popped out more than when he saw Mum in her dress.
“I’ll get a pen.” Mum said, rushing over to her bag.
“This isn’t bad you know,” Stanley said, referring to the ice cream.
“Not bad at all.”
“Are you happy with everything?” Dad asked.
I nodded. Mum passed me the pen. I glanced down at the contract for a moment before signing it and returning it to Stanley.
“You’re going to break a lot of hearts, August.” He said with a grin.
They didn’t stay much longer as they had to attend to other business.
Mum wouldn’t let go of Stanley when he gave her a hug. “Thank you so much.” She said, squeezing him.
“We’ll be in touch about flight details.” Ms. Andrews said as we waited for Mum to release her grasp.
After I closed the door I rushed over to my parents and hugged them. “Thank you.” I said. They had dedicated their lives to me for the past nineteen years and it has finally paid off.
“We’re so proud of you, August,” Mum said, bursting into tears.
“I want a new TV,” Dad said.
Mum nudged him and then went upstairs to stop her crying. Dad followed her. I slumped onto the sofa beside Ethan, resting my head on his shoulder. “Congratulations.” He said, kissing the top of my head.
“I’m going to be famous,” I laughed. “Who would have thought it?”
“I did,” Ethan answered. “I always have.”
June 20th
I’ve just arrived into my hotel suite in Philadelphia. My transport here alone made me feel like a rock star. Ms. Andrews insisted that I called her Jasmine from now on since we’ll be working together on a daily basis. Jasmine and Stanley arranged for us to travel first class from London to here. Everything was so glamorous and luxurious. My seat moved backwards and forwards and I had my own TV and my own little fridge beside me. I honestly felt like royalty, I must have taken a thousand photos throughout the flight. My favourite photo was the one the flight assistant took of Jasmine, Stanley and I, holding champagne glasses. I sent the photo to Mum once we landed so she knew we were doing well. I had to leave two days before Madeline’s eighth birthday. I hate having to miss it. I wrote her a letter during the flight since it would be eight hours before we landed. I thought she’d appreciate it more coming from the USA. Also, if I sent a text it could be deleted or forgotten within a day. Letters can be kept and reread over time, as long as they’re not burnt.
Madeline,
Happy birthday Sis. I’m so sorry I can’t be there to celebrate with you. You won’t be disappointed when you’re joining me on the red carpet and meeting all the hot male celebs! I can’t believe you’re 8 now, you’re making me feel old! I didn’t buy you a present at home because you already have everything you little spoilt thing! So I’m going to get you something over here and post it back to you soon. I know Mum and Dad can be frustrating but be patient with them, chick. It won’t be long until you’re heading out here to visit me! Once you’ve finished the next couple of weeks of school, we’ll arrange for you all to come visit. Take care Madeline, look after Ethan for me please. I know he will be missing me (even though he won’t admit it.) I’m sure he’ll visit you at some point and wish you Happy Birthday.
All my love, August.
June 21st
I haven’t been introduced to anyone yet. I was told to settle into my accommodation last night, and I would be introduced to everyone today. My hotel suite is like something you would see out of movie! I have two floors! Downstairs I have a kitchen and living room. Upstairs I have my bedroom. Everything is so beautiful and modern. There’s a window in my bedroom, but I’m too small to reach it. So I don’t have much of a view, but that doesn’t bother me. My favourite piece of furniture is the chair hanging from a wire on the ceiling. It’s almost like a floating birds nest. I have to hop into it since I’m quite small, but once you’re inside you feel like an astronaut. It’s perfect for taking naps in or watching TV. It still isn’t home, so I’ve fetched a couple of family photo frames from home and also Ethan’s clock. There isn’t a clock upstairs or beside my bed so it’s helpful that I fetched it. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are brought to my room by butlers, so I don’t have to cook! For breakfast they fetch up various cereals and fruits for me to choose from. While I’m having breakfast they leave you a little card to tick for your choice of lunch and dinner. Half of the things on the card don’t make much sense. It just needs to say pizza or spaghetti. Not leek and watercress, served with caviar and spinach. I made that up, but the menu is very similar to that. This must be costing whoever pays for all this a fortune to provide if I will be staying here for two months. I’m extremely anxious to meet everyone. I hope they like me. This won’t be fun if no one likes me or we don’t get along. I’m determined to make the right impression with everyone though.
At around 11:30am, Jasmine was at my door to escort me down to meet everyone.
“Nervous?” She asked.
“A little,” I replied, tying up my hair.
“Don’t be. They’ll love you.”
We took the stairs down so it gave me time to compose myself and prepare myself for meeting everyone. We stopped at a lounge door.
“How many people are in there?” I asked.
She winced. “Thirty maybe forty people. Today we’re introducing everyone, and talking about schedules, how we plan on making the movie. We start reading through the script tomorrow.”
I nodded. “Ok… ready when you are.”
She grinned and opened the door to the lounge. When it said lounge I was expecting a big sitting room and everyone to be stood or squeezing onto a sofa. This was like a giant ballroom with a load of desks joined together to make a giant square. Everyone was sat down, chatting. As soon as I entered silence fell over the room and all eyes turned to me. My eyes nearly popped out of my head. It was far more startling and overwhelming than I expected. And there were nearly twice the amount of people Jasmine said there was. I was guided to a chair and sat down between Stanley and a young girl.
“Hello. How are we?” Stanley asked.
“Very well thank you, yourself?” I replied.
“A little stressed but that’s very normal for a first gathering. We’re just waiting on one of the producers to join us and then we will begin.”
I nodded and allowed to him to read the paperwork in front of him.
“Hi,” the girl whispered beside me. “I’m Eleanor.”
I turned and holy moly there she was. Eleanor Walden. Th
e hottest most stunning gorgeous actress to ever grace this planet. Her eyelashes were so big and flattering. And her beautiful brown hair was tied up in a messy bun, but it still looked perfect. She wasn’t even wearing make up and she looked like a Goddess. I stared into her captivating brown eyes for a concerning amount of time before replying.
“Hi,” I replied with a grin. “August…I mean I’m August.”
She grabbed me and gave me a warm hug. “It’s nice to meet you, we’re going to be best friends you and I.”
It was so tempting to smell her hair, so tempting. But I need to act cool and normal around these people. Not like a fan. I wanted to continue our conversation, but Stanley stood up and began an announcement. He signalled with his hand for me to join him. I hopped up out of my chair and awkwardly analysed everyone. Stanley is about a foot taller than me so I must have looked really small beside him. I bet they could barely see me from behind the table.
“This is August,” he said, placing his hands on my shoulders.
“Say hello, August.” He whispered.
“Hello,” I said with a smile.
“She is my star, Ladies and Gentleman. We love her lots. You can sit back down now, August.”
I smirked and returned to my seat.
Stanley explained how everything would run. It didn’t make much sense to me, so I’m incapable of repeating whatever he explained. It was all to do with sets and takes. It was mainly a meeting for the technical people and for everyone to meet. But I can’t believe I met Eleanor Walden! I mean we’re going to be spending so much time together on and off set! And she likes me! How cool is that? It only seems like yesterday I was reading an article about her in my performing arts class at college. It’s weird how much your life can change.