Stardom

Opportunities

I stared at her in shock, wondering where such anger could have come from regarding something that didn't even affect her.

"No," I said sharply, recoiling a little, feeling hurt by the sharpness of her tongue.

"Could have fooled me. Seems all you're doing nowadays is raking it in here then blowing it on new clothes."

"Is that what this cold shoulder shit is all about?" I snapped, "Jealous or something?"

"Jealous?" She laughed, "Of what exactly? That you're flushing your future down the drain in exchange for more nights here dancing for any guy chucking a few bucks your way?"

Angered by her vicious attitude, I slammed my own glass down, misjudging how rough I was being and successfully shattering it beneath my hand.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," I bit back.

"Pretty sure that I do," She snarled, "You just gave up. You took the easy way. It's all well and good showing up to these auditions and just reading your lines. But did you ever actually put in the effort? Did you ever really want it?"

"How dare you! You have no idea how hard I tried."

She rolled her shoulders, storming away from the bar and back toward her locker. Refusing to let her walk away that easily, I followed, slamming the door before she could reach it and facing off against her.

"I gave everything I had at those auditions!"

"Did you really?" She argued, "Because I think you'll find that many people give a hell of a lot more. People wanting to into showbiz will pull out all the stops, nothing is too much work to put in, they'll do anything to get their foot in the door."

My heart was aching at the way she berated me, and tears began to sting in my eyes. I wasn't going to listen to this, I wouldn't be scalded by her, not here, not now.

"You know what, Crystal, fuck you. Keep your nose out of my business from now on," I said coldly, storming for the door.

I was so angry and hurt that I walked along the hall without really seeing, walking straight into a solid form and almost stumbling over.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I was-" I stopped as the smartly dressed man steadied me and my eyes found his with a start.

I recognised him. It took me a minute to place him, but then, with a twisting sensation in my stomach, I remembered. He was one of the two handsome men who'd been dining with Dalton.

"Just who I wanted to see," He smiled, his hands falling from my shoulders, "You're even more beautiful up close."

"Thank you," I murmured, stepping back and feeling awkward as his eyes darted across my barely clothed body.

"You're welcome."

"How come you're here?" I asked sheepishly.

"I came for a dance, heard this place was the number one hotspot."

He let out a small laugh, and it soothed me to note that it was neither sleazy nor cold.

"Yeah, plenty of great girls here, just head on out and take your pick."

"Oh, I think I've already made my choice."

It was impossible not to pick up on his meaning as his eyes drifted to my cleavage before returning to settle on my face. I wasn't sure how to feel by his preference. He didn't make me feel uneasy, but the idea of dancing for a friend or acquaintance of a man such as Dalton didn't sit well with me either. Before I could think through my next move, I spotted Crystal coming out of the locker room, lingering a moment at the door, staring at me with a mixture of curiosity and contempt. Instantly I felt my anger bubble up, wanting to make it perfectly clear that her opinion didn't matter to me, and with my ego overruling my head, I nodded eagerly.