Broken Inside

6 - The Audition

Ethan walked into the diner and looked around. He found Alex sitting by herself in a booth at the back. He went to her table and said, "Hi!" Then he slid into the free booth.

"What can I get you, honey?" the elderly waitress asked.

"Coffee, please."

"Would you like to try our apple pie?"

"No, just the coffee."

"Alright, suit yourself."

Ethan watched the waitress walk away. Then he turned to Alex. She was staring into her coffee mug. "I'm so glad you called me," Ethan said excitedly, trying to break the ice.

Alex finally looked up at him and the smile on his face disappeared. Her eyes and nose were red and swollen. She must have been crying for hours. He noticed she had her large backpack on the booth beside her. He knew something bad must have happened to her.

Thirty minutes later, he unlocked the door to his apartment and invited Alex inside. "Honey, I'm home."

"I'm in the kitchen!" a male voice replied.

A small red-furred Corgi came running to the front door towards Ethan with its tongue out. He barked at Alex. Ethan knelt down and rubbed the dog behind its ears. "This is Bella. Don't worry, she's very friendly."

Alex reached out her hand for Bella to sniff. Then she rubbed behind her ear and Bella was immediately won over. She rolled on her back and asked for a belly rub. Alex gave her one and she panted with joy. Alex smiled a little.

Bella got back on her feet and ran into the kitchen.

"She's wonderful," Alex told Ethan.

"Yeah, we love her," Ethan said proudly. He led Alex further into the apartment and into the kitchen. A bald, skinny man was at the stove, stirring sauce in a pot. Bella was at his feet. Ethan went to him and kissed his cheek. "Ian, honey, we have a guest."

Ian turned around and looked at Alex. She smiled at him. He sighed and looked at Ethan. "You brought home another one?"

Ethan chuckled nervously. "This is Alex. I'm taking her to an audition tomorrow."

"That's what you said last time! The girl ended up staying here for two weeks!" Ian said, a bit louder.

"I won't," Alex interrupted and both men looked at her. "I just need a place to stay for tonight. I can't go home."

"Why not?" Ian asked pointedly.

"My landlady had a heart attack and she died in my arms earlier today."

An awkward moment passed between the three of them. Then Ian cleared his throat. "I'm sorry," he said, his tone sincere. "Dinner is almost ready. Why don't you go wash up? The bathroom is the first door down the hall."

They managed to go through a pleasant dinner, with light chit chats. After dinner, Ian and Ethan opened up the sofa-bed for Alex and made up the bed. They said goodnight and went into their bedroom.

The next morning, Alex and Ethan left after breakfast. Ian made pancakes and bacons. Alex hugged him and thanked him for his hospitality. He wished Alex good luck.

They took a cab downtown to the audition venue. Ethan gave Alex plenty of tips on the ride over. 

There were a lot of people who turned up for the audition, most of them women. Ethan helped Alex to register, then he wished her good luck and went to work. Alex was on her own now.

She looked around the waiting room. There were so many beautiful faces around her. It was intimidating. Some of the girls had flocked together and started practicing their runway walks, some were practicing facial expressions and others were practicing poses. She watched them, hoping to learn from them. 

One by one, their names were called. It started with an interview. Alex managed to answer those easily, thanks to Ethan. Whatever they ask, your answer is yes. Next, she went to have her photo taken. First without makeup, then with makeup. Then they tried on a few fashion pieces and more photos were taken. Lastly, they were asked to do the runway walk.

Alex did not do well on the runway walk. She had never tried walking a runway and she was not used to walking in high heels. She stumbled a few times and her walk was just awkward and slow. But she kept her chin high and finished the walk.

After she was done, she was ushered into another waiting room. She saw a table laden with snacks and she immediately headed there. She grabbed a plate and topped it with a tuna sandwich and a sugar donut. She found a seat and sat down. She grabbed the sandwich and took a big bite. It was delicious. She took another big bite.

"It's good, isn't it?" a girl spoke. Alex looked up. A pretty brunette, in shorts and black t-shirt, was smiling at her. She was sitting by the wall, holding her phone that was plugged to the charger on the wall. 

Alex nodded. "I'm so hungry. I didn't know this audition takes all day."

The girl grinned. "This is your first one?"

Alex nodded and took another bite.

The girl sighed and looked around the room. "This is my fifth. I guess having good looks are not enough."

Alex picked up the donut and took a large bite.

"How's the donut?"

Alex moaned. "So good..."

The girl leaped off her chair, leaving her phone there and grabbed a donut for herself. She bit into it and moaned. She pointed at the room in general. "I think we're the only ones eating."

"Are we not supposed to?" Alex asked.

The girl shrugged and bit into her donut again. "Oh, man, this is so good! I'm Sam, by the way."

"Alex."

"Nice to meet you," Sam said as she returned to her seat. "So how did you end up here?"

Alex chuckled and looked at her. "I was discovered on the job. I'm a barista at one of the coffee carts in Central Park."

"Wow, that must be nice," she said. "I travelled from Minnesota for this audition."

"That's far."

"Yeah, I'm an idiot," Sam said, chuckling. "But I'm an idiot whose ass won't quit."

Alex grinned. "Good for you."

A tall black guy suddenly came into the room. He was holding a clipboard and a hailer. He held up the hailer to his mouth and cleared his throat to get the room's attention. Everyone quieted down immediately.

The guy started reading names out loud. Then finally, the last on his list, "Alexandra Smith." He looked around the room and said, "Those whose names I did not call out, thank you for coming. Hope to see you again next time."

I made it. Alex couldn't believe it. She's one of the chosen ones.

Sam gathered her stuff and looked at Alex. "Oh, they called your name? Lucky." She swung her bag on her shoulder and smiled at Alex. "Congrats. Maybe I'll see you again someday." Alex smiled at her as she left.

Alex couldn't help thinking how this may change her life from now on. Exactly what I needed.