AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I don’t want to be on TV, Layana. That’syourdream. Can you imagine me in some kind of competition, a popularity contest filled with alliances and betrayals? Where people pretend to be someone they’re not to trick me into trusting them, then bam, I’m humiliated for the world to see?”
“Yes. I absolutely can. I can picture the two of us doing it together. It’ll be magical, you’ll see. Only we won’t be humiliated. We’ll just have to trick them first.”
Layana’s enthusiastic grin would have won me over had my insides not been a mess of knots. The heat wasn’t helping, either.
I held a hand over my stomach. “I think I might throw up.”
We moved up a bit in line, right up to the door. We’d be the next ones to enter the building. Fortunately, I could really feel the air conditioning from here.
I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the frosty goodness.
You’re a resilient boss, I told myself. Everything will work out, if only by means of pure willpower.
“If you really don’t want to audition, I get it, but I mean, what can it hurt to try?” she asked. “It can’t be worse than the pervs and scammers you have to deal with through Delymo. And at least with this, you’ll have me.”
Maybe she was right. Getting almost arrested wasn’t even close to the worst thing that had happened to me working the app gigs.
The Resplendent Theatre would call any minute now, and then we could laugh about how I almost actually auditioned for reality TV.
“I’m not committing,” I said, though I could hear the waver of conviction in my voice.
A spark of a grin took over Layana’s face. We both knew she had me.
“Even if I try out, and for some crazy reason we get cast onto whatever show this is, I’m not saying I’ll actually go on the show. I have to know what I’m signing up for first. Or I could get that call from Resplendent.”
“Sure, yes, I get it.” She nodded emphatically and leaned her head on my shoulder. “This is going to be sooo freaking great.”
I gave her the side eye.
She smiled wider against my shoulder. “It could be the answer to our money problems. We get fat paid from the show, plus we get lodging included. We can sublet our bunks to some less fortunate women who just moved to the city.”
Sublet our sublet pieces of a shared apartment.
“What about Miso?” I asked.
“Wait.” Layana popped up. “You didn’t take the weasel to the humane society yet?”
“I took her to the vet.”Which I had to charge because I could definitely not afford it.“She is healthy, and semi-legal as a pet, and also she has zero rabies.”
“I don’t like that word—semi-legal.”
“She’s not go-to-prison illegal,” I said.
“That’s something, I guess.” Layana wrinkled her nose. “Also, zero rabies? How many rabies did you expect her to have?”
I shrugged. “Seven?”
“Ugh. And you put her under my bed?” She shook her head and gave me a faux-disapproving glare.
“Sorry.” I flashed her a grin in return. “I was desperate.”
“You’re something. That’s for sure.”
The door in front of us opened, and a small man in a headset met us with a bright smile. “Layana Hartley?”
“Eeee, that’s me.” Layana wiggled her fingers and bounced on her toes. She turned to me. “Wish me luck!”
“Best of luck, even though you don’t need it. You have tiger goddess energy. You’ve got this!”
