Scarred Hearts

14 | The end of the road

The night had fallen when Valeria stepped out onto the bustling facade of the casting building drunk on a cocktail of anxiety and self-doubt. The casting had unfolded reasonably well, but was reasonably well good enough? Not according to Valeria.

Her pulse raced as she entered the casting room, anxious that she was going to be the only Latina girl there, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Seeing other Latina and diverse girls in the casting room eased her initial fear of being the only one. However, her relief was short-lived.

As more girls filtered in and out, she found herself consistently grouped among the diverse models.  Of course, comparison was to be expected from any casting, and Valeria was as ready for that as she'd always been, but this was different. It was as though an unspoken rule dictated that only one of the diverse models could be chosen. Their shared talent and suitability fell second to the unspoken decree. It didn't matter that the casting directors needed multiple girls for the magazine.

The unspoken truth loomed large, suffocating the room with the stifling pressure of competition. Each smile exchanged among them felt forced, each glance a silent attempt at gauging where they stood in the invisible hierarchy of choices.

There was nothing she could do now except wait.

Valeria's steps quickened as she made her way into the parking lot, her eyes scanning the rows of cars for any sign of Nicholas or his car. Her heart thudded in her chest, a rising sense of unease gripping her with every passing moment of his absence. She checked her phone, half-expecting a message or a call from him, but the screen was devoid of any notifications.

Questions raced through her mind with a mix of frustration and a growing sense of betrayal.

Had Nicholas intentionally left her alone? Was this some sort of joke? A prank? Part of whatever game he was playing? The thought sent a surge of anger coursing through her veins.

Whatever. She could manage the trip back home now that the casting was over. The only problem was that her mom would be furious that she walked around alone, especially at night, and would worry about her arriving home late.

When she found that pendejo she was gonna tell him. Oh, he would forget his fucking name once she was done with him. How dare he leave her alone? He was supposed to wait, he said he would be right there in the parking lot waiting for her. That lying piece of-

Valeria spotted Nicholas on the other side of the road beside his car, engaged in a conversation with a girl. She was basically throwing herself at him with her smile and fluttering lashes and blond hair and skinniness.

"Hey," Valeria called out, her voice a blend of relief and exasperation. As she reached them, she couldn't hide the hint of annoyance in her tone. "Why are you parked here? I thought you said you'd be waiting in the parking lot."

Nicholas glanced at Valeria, a hint of nonchalance in his expression. "Had business to handle."

"Business?" Valeria's eyebrows furrowed, her annoyance creeping into her words.

Nicholas shrugged, his tone casual. "Yeah, nothing for you to worry about."

Valeria sighed, her attention briefly shifting to the girl beside Nicholas. "Are you ready to leave or what?" she asked Nicholas, her voice carrying a note of impatience.

"Sure. Sarah and I were just done here. She came to the casting too."

Sarah's makeup was a riot of colors. Her blue eyeshadow was loud and her pink lipstick even louder. Her face was a different color than her neck. Valeria couldn't help but question if such heavy makeup would survive the scrutinizing eyes of the casting directors; typically, they disapproved of exaggerated makeup choices.