AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You and what money?” she asks.
Her words aren’t intended to be cruel, but the question haunts me all the same. She’s a realist. My life is in constant limbo, waiting for callbacks, running from audition to audition. Me and what money, indeed. I can’t be offended. She’s right.
“I have money,” I lie, standing to join her in line at the truck. “And I’ll have more when this movie comes through.”
Chris casts me a sly, sidelong look. “Yeah?”
My eyes light up with excitement. “Yeah. It went really well. The casting director liked me, and I managed to cry on command. Usually, that’s a challenge for me, but the tears came easily this time.”
“Were you thinking about that ex of yours?” Chris teases. “The terrible fuck?”
I snort as we approach the counter, the proprietor of the truck overhearing Chris’ question.
“Oh, ladies as sexy as you shouldn’t put up with terrible fucks,” he tells us leeringly.
“Shut up, Tony,” Chris barks. “Four gyro tacos. Heavy on the tzatziki.”
Tony frowns and backs into the truck to get our order. I burst out laughing, and Chris rolls her eyes. She turns her attention back to me. “But you feel good about this?”
I bob my head again, genuinely convinced that I had at least a callback. “I think that—” My phone chimes, and I hold up my finger. “Sorry. Gimme a second.”
“It’s probably your agent,” Chris offers astutely.
I read the name on the screen, my eyebrows shooting up with amazement. “What are you? Half witch or something?”
Itismy agent texting.
Veronica:Call me. I have news about your audition with Anchor from today.
Excitement spikes through me, and I squeal aloud. “She already heard back about my audition!”
Chris raises her own dark blonde eyebrow but says nothing as I back away from the food truck, my pulse thrumming in my ears.
“Veronica Steinback,” my agent answers on the first ring.
“Hey, it’s Stella… Crestwood,” I say awkwardly, never quite sure if my agent of the past three years knows it’s me or not.
“Right, hi,” she says, sounding rushed like always. “I just got off the phone with Anchor Studios. You didn’t get the part.”
Disappointment crushes my soul as it has a million times before. I should be used to the endless rejections by now, the “you’re not right for the part,” the “you’re too short, too tall, not pretty enough, slim enough, fat enough, blonde enough…”
Why do I keep doing this to myself? I’m never going to make it. I’m just another wannabe in a city of thousands, if not millions, of hopefuls.
I need to get out of this business. I can’t afford to take care of my mom at this point. I can’t pay for rent, let alone insulin. And forget about everything else…
A shiver of apprehension rushes through me.
“Stella, are you still there?” Veronica’s voice snaps me out of my spiral of self-deprecation.
“I’m here,” I mumble miserably. “Okay. Thanks for letting me know.”
“Hang on a second,” she says before I can hang up. “That’s not all.”
Oh, great. I bet the casting director has notes on how I can improve. Just pour some salt on the old wounds now.
“Okay.” I swallow my misgivings. I will never improve if I can’t handle criticism. Veronica had taught me that alongtime ago. But I’m not sure how much more “improvement” I can make at this point.
This has to be a sign from the heavens to just throw it all in. I’ve run my course. I’m not going to make it. I’m twenty-six years old, not a spring chicken anymore. The competition is just too fierce.
