Starring Me

by Krista McGee

  Kara was called next. She read through the script quickly. This is definitely dramatic. Melodramatic, if you ask me. But I just have to prove I can do it.

  Kara spent the next few minutes trying to understand her character and find some qualities in her that could bring her to life on-screen.

  Her mind went blank. Normally, a million ideas were zinging through all at the same time. This time, nothing.

  Come on, Kara. Think.

  She looked at her phone; two of her ten minutes had passed and she had no plan. Her stomach began to turn, and she worried that she’d spend another two minutes losing what she had eaten for breakfast.

  Trying to ignore her churning stomach, Kara began to work on memorizing her lines. When the director called her in, Kara was only partially sure of her lines and not at all sure of her character.

  I’m going to blow it right here. I should have stayed in New York, tried out for the Broadway show. I bet they don’t make their actors perform with only ten minutes of prep.

  Paige welcomed her warmly, as did Zach.

  “All right, Kara.” The director looked at her. “You’ll be Morgan’s classmate Brittany. I’m sure you’ve guessed from the scene that you aren’t a very nice girl. You’re trying to steal Jake away from her. We want to see nasty from you, all right?”

  Oh, I think I have lots of experience watching “nasty.” Kara thought of her housemates. Now if I can just not think about throwing up for the five minutes it’ll take to play this part.

  “And . . . action.”

  Morgan’s Road Screen Test

  BRITTANY: (Walking toward Morgan) Oh, look, if it isn’t Morgan.

  MORGAN: Hi, guys! I’m all ready to get started decorating. This year’s prom is going to be great, isn’t it, Jake?

  BRITTANY: I was just telling Jake the same thing.

  JAKE: Brittany has some ideas.

  MORGAN: Do you? That’s great. I’m always up for some help.

  BRITTANY: I’m sure you are. But, actually, I need Jake to help me. There are some columns in the basement that would be perfect.

  JAKE: Sure.

  MORGAN: I was just in the basement, Brittany. There aren’t any columns there.

  BRITTANY: You must have missed them.

  MORGAN: Where did you see them?

  BRITTANY: In the back, behind some pieces of wood. You have to really look.

  JAKE: Why don’t we all go together?

  BRITTANY: No. I don’t want to keep Morgan from her work. All those balloons won’t blow themselves up. You and I can take care of the columns.

  JAKE: That makes sense. (Turns to Morgan) We’ll be right back.

  MORGAN: All right. I guess.

  (Cameras switch to the basement set. Brittany and Jake enter from the left. Brittany shuts the door.)

  JAKE: Be careful with that door. It only locks from the outside.

  BRITTANY: I know.

  JAKE: What?

  BRITTANY: (Standing close to Jake) You and I both know Morgan isn’t for you.

  JAKE: What are you talking about? Where are the columns?

  BRITTANY: Jake, you knew I wasn’t asking you down here to look for columns.

  JAKE: No, I didn’t. Brittany, I don’t know what you’re trying to do.

  BRITTANY: (Pushes Jake onto a chair) I’m trying to get you to see what a waste of time Morgan is. You don’t want to take her to prom.

  JAKE: (Standing) Yes, I do. We’ve been through so much. The tornado, her parents’ accident, the fire.

  BRITTANY: I understand your wanting to help a damsel in distress, Jake. But why don’t you let someone take care of you for a change?

  (Brittany leans forward to kiss Jake right as Morgan bursts through the door.)

  MORGAN: (Running in) Jake? How could you?

  JAKE: (Pushes Brittany away) No, Morgan, you don’t understand.

  BRITTANY: No, you don’t understand, Morgan. And that’s why Jake needs me.

  MORGAN: (Crying) Fine, then. I hope you’re happy together.

  (Morgan runs out and Jake follows. Brittany sits.)

  BRITTANY: Oh, we will be, Morgan. We will be.

  Chapter 22

  That was great, Kara,” Paige said after the director yelled “cut.”

  Along the way, Kara’s nausea had disappeared. But she knew this was far from her best performance. Paige was just very kind. “Thanks.”

  “Okay, Kara.” Ashley walked onto the set. “We have a room set up for you right through there. You get to meet some of the other Morgan’s Road stars and relax until all the girls are finished.”

  Kara replayed the scene in her head as she walked down the hallway. I looked at the monitor too much. It’s going to look like I was just reading the lines. That was such an amateur audition.

  “Excuse me,” one of the show’s other stars yelled at a caterer. “I specifically requested diet raspberry tea. Is this diet raspberry tea? I don’t think so.” She threw the bottle down on the table and walked away. The caterer was forced to rush after the rolling bottle, catching it before it fell on the floor and shattered.

  Kara turned to see Sophie poking her head through the door to the girls’ waiting room.

  “Did you see that?” Kara said as she walked through the door.

  “I sure did.” Sophie’s eyes sparkled. “I can’t wait until I have that kind of power.”

  “She’s terrible. That poor guy brings food and drinks right on the set and all she can do is yell at him because he didn’t bring the exact right drink? There were dozens of others.”

  “These people work for her,” Sophie said. “She has every right to expect them to bring her what she needs. She’s a celebrity, after all.”

  Kara looked around the room. It was a large rectangular game room, with couches, recliners, a pool table, an air hockey table, and video-game consoles throughout.

  Zoey was playing pool with one of the show’s stars. Kylie, of course, was reading a book on the craft of acting. Sophie went back to the door to spy on the “celebrities.”

  Pool looks fun. I haven’t played that in a while. That boy with Zoey looks like he’s fifteen. Oh, Chad Beacon, yet another young man you’ve ruined me for. I’m beginning to think meeting him was a curse. No boy on earth can compare to him. That blond hair. The muscles. Hazel eyes. The muscles. Tall. The muscles . . . Kara sighed.

  “Can I join you?” Kara asked Zoey.

  “Only two pool sticks.” Zoey shot Kara a mock “Oh, I’m so sorry” look and resumed her conversation.

  Kara stood at the pool table for a few minutes, hoping the actor would at least offer her a turn. But, no, he was enjoying having Zoey throw herself at him too much. Both people ignored Kara until she decided to leave and go sit by herself on another of the room’s couches. Sophie entered the room with the now-happy actress drinking her diet raspberry tea. The pair took the seats across from Kara.

  “That’s how you get things done,” the actress told Sophie. She looked at Kara. “My name’s Lacy.”

  “Kara.” Smiling at Lacy, Kara held out her hand.

  “Sorry, I don’t touch people.” Lacy held her palms up to Kara. “Germs, you know. I can’t afford to get sick. Not in this business. They could write me off if I missed a day. Nope, I stay healthy and take the spots of the people who do get sick.”

  “Wow,” Kara said.

  Lacy leaned in. “It’s just a matter of time before I get Paige Hanson’s spot. She’s constantly shaking hands and hugging people. She goes to the malls and lets everybody breathe on her and share their pens and their paper for autographs. Just wait. She’ll come down with some awful disease, and I’ll be waiting.”

  “I never thought of that before.” Sophie looked down at her hands, her eyebrows wrinkled.

  “Most people don’t.” Lacy sipped her tea. “Everybody says stars just disappear because they lose their popularity or get involved in bad stuff. I say it’s all germs. The healthy ones are the wealthy ones.”

&nb
sp; “You’ve put a lot of thought into that, haven’t you? ” Kara tried not to laugh out loud at Lacy’s insane logic.

  “Of course.” Lacy set down her drink and tightened the top. “There’s more to this business than just being a good actress. That’s what I was just telling Sarah.”

  “Sophie.”

  “Right.” Lacy tossed her short strawberry-blond hair. “Be healthy, know who you are and what you want. And don’t let anybody change you.”

  “My agent says the same thing,” Sophie said.

  “Who’s your agent?” Lacy asked.

  “The Jefferson Group out of Atlanta.”

  “Never heard of them.” Lacy picked a speck of lint off her designer jeans. “Who do they represent?”

  “They have hundreds of clients,” Sophie said. “The walls of their offices are filled with pictures.”

  “But who do they represent? Who that is famous? ”

  “I don’t know.” Sophie’s face fell.

  “Then dump them.” Lacy crossed her legs. “If you want to make it, you have to have good representation. You want to impress people. Take me, for instance. I’m represented by Jermaine Lockhart. Do you know who he is?”

  “No.” Sophie leaned in.

  “He’s the agent for Devlin Tyne and Felipe Barbot, and, of course, me.”

  “Really? We just met Devlin Tyne a few days ago. He’s wonderful.”

  Get me out of here, Kara thought, making her way back to the pool table. I cannot handle hearing one self-absorbed actor talking about another self-absorbed actor. I’d rather be ignored by Zoey and Twig Boy.

  “And I said, excuse me? I asked for a red Marsha Lane dress. You gave me a maroon Marian Long,” Zoey said.

  Twig Boy nodded his agreement as he lined up his pool cue for a shot. “It’s good that you know what you want.”

  Zoey waited until the young man looked up from the table. “Oh, I do.”

  I am going to vomit all over the pool table. Kara walked away.

  The door opened and Jillian entered. Kara walked over to greet her. “How’d it go?”

  “All right, I guess,” Jillian said. “A little more drama than I like.”

  “I know, right?” Kara laughed. “‘No, you don’t understand, Morgan. And that’s why Jake needs me.’”

  “Have you seen Flora?” Jillian asked, not even laughing at Kara’s melodramatic interpretation.

  “No, why?”

  “I just wanted to talk to her.”

  “Is everything all right?”

  “Of course,” Jillian said.

  “I think Flora is in the first green room with the other girls. We’ve got plenty of snacks here, though.”

  “I’m not hungry.” Jillian walked to a recliner and sat down.

  “Want to play a video game?”

  “No.”

  “Want to talk? Tell me your most embarrassing moment ever.” Kara sat opposite Jillian and smiled.

  “Actually, I’m tired,” Jillian said, closing her eyes. “I think I’m just going to rest for a while.”

  “Okay, sure.”

  Bored, Kara pulled out her phone. “Great, no bars. What am I going to do?” She spotted a bookcase in the corner and walked over. “All right, Flora, you’d be proud. I’m looking at books. I’m looking at books and talking to myself. But no one cares because they’re all wrapped up in their own little worlds.”

  Kara bent down and scanned the titles. Northanger Abbey caught her eye. “Flora loves Jane Austen. I guess I could try her out.”

  Lost in Regency England, Kara barely noticed as the rest of the girls came in over the course of the next hour and a half.

  “The best was saved for last,” Anna Grace announced as she walked into the game room. “Y’all can all go on home now.”

  Flora came in behind Anna Grace. “The young woman is correct. Your auditions have concluded. Our van is waiting in the parking lot. Miss Win has requested we keep our voices down as we exit so we do not disturb the performers.”

  “We won’t get to spend more time with the Morgan’s Road cast?” Sophie complained.

  “No, dear, I’m afraid not.” Flora ushered the girls outside. “They have work to do.”

  “All this for a five-minute audition?” Haley said. “I don’t think Ashley Win even knows what she’s doing. This is ridiculous. Why not just spend five intense days auditioning us? She can get the same amount of taping done, the same scenes, and then we’re done.”

  “Good point, Haley,” Zoey said, her hands on her hips. “Who wants to tell that to Ashley?”

  The girls were silent.

  “Why don’t we all call our agents and have them call her?” Gina suggested. “That way none of us gets in trouble.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Jillian said. “We’re here for a month for a reason. We should just enjoy it and be grateful. Not look for ways out.”

  Flora patted Jillian’s back. “Thank you for that word of wisdom, Miss Jillian. Excellent point.”

  The girls didn’t hear Flora. Most were digging through their purses, reaching for their phones. By the time they were in the van, most of the girls were talking at once, begging their agents to end this month-long audition. Kara rolled her eyes, wishing she had taken the book with her.

  Anything is better than listening to this.

  “Hey, Flora.” Kara leaned forward. “I started reading a Jane Austen book in there.”

  Flora turned to Kara. “Oh, that’s wonderful. Which one? ”

  “Northanger Abbey.”

  “Magnificent.” Flora clapped. “Austen makes quite a caustic commentary on those who read gothic romances in that, don’t you think?”

  “I don’t know.” She hoped that by the end of her time in Orlando, she would be able to interpret Flora-ese. “But does Catherine end up with John or Henry? That’s what I want to know.”

  “Oh, my dear.” Flora’s eyes widened. “I couldn’t rob you of the pleasure of your first read-through of an Austen novel. To not know which. How delightful. You must finish it. I’m sure I brought my copy with me. I’ll give it to you as soon as we return. John or Henry. It’s quite a dilemma for our dear Catherine, isn’t it?”

  Kara laughed. “All right, Flora. I’ll find out for myself. It better be good, though.”

  “Of course it is. It’s Jane Austen,” Flora said, her hands extended. “And how did you enjoy today?”

  “It was wonderful.” Kara beamed.

  Jillian perked up. “Oh yes. I had a great time too.”

  “Tell me about it.” Flora looked at the girls.

  Kara was surprised to hear Jillian jump in and begin talking.

  “. . . but I didn’t care for how some of the actors behaved,” Jillian said.

  “No kidding.” Kara leaned in. “I saw a girl throw a bottle of tea down on a table because it wasn’t what she wanted.”

  “Even worse.” Jillian lowered her voice. “I heard some of the girls here saying how they can’t wait to be like that.”

  Flora sighed. “Pride comes before a fall, you know. Those girls might be permitted to behave like that now. But it won’t last forever. Then they will live with deep regret.”

  “I agree,” Jillian said.

  “You girls behaved yourselves very well, though.” Flora smiled at Kara and Jillian. “I am quite proud of you both.”

  “Thank you.” Jillian beamed now. “You don’t know how glad I am to hear you say that.”

  Kara made it home in time to watch Broadway Bound, the show she gave up to be in Orlando. The girls auditioning were amazing. Kara wasn’t sure if she could have looked that graceful, dancing all over the stage while belting out a show tune. But I couldn’t be any worse at that than I was at today’s audition.

  Kara listened to the directors talk about the musical the girls were auditioning for. A modern take on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. “Did he just say two teenage leads?” Kara asked the other girls watching the sh
ow.

  “Helena and Hermia.” Zoey leaned back. “Haven’t you ever read the play?”

  Two leads? They said it was just one. That makes it the same odds as this show. But it’s a vote-in, so my chances might have been better. Kara rubbed her temples, fighting off the beginnings of an “Oh great, I just made a huge mistake” headache. I knew I should have stayed in New York. I’m such an idiot.

  Kara couldn’t stand to watch any more of the auditions, auditions she should have been on. She crawled into bed, but it was several hours before she finally drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 23

  And let’s give a big round of applause to today’s special guest judge: Mr. Chad Beacon!” Jack Patrick, host of America’s Next Star, motioned for Chad to come onto the huge stage in an arena in downtown Orlando.

  Chad had been invited to sit in on the first-round auditions. Standing next to the longtime judges, Chad waved at the crowd. Thousands of people clapped and cheered, hoping today would be the day that their lives changed, that they were discovered. Thousands of people hoping to be the next Chad Beacon.

  Little do they know that Chad Beacon doesn’t even want to be Chad Beacon.

  Looking up into the crowd, Chad recalled Jim’s words from the recording studio. What was he thinking giving this up? Would people think he was throwing away the opportunity he was given when he won America’s Next Star? Would they be angry at him?

  “All right, let’s head out,” Derek Falcon, dubbed “the angry judge,” said as he walked off the stage. Chad and fellow judge Tina Kincaid walked behind.