This Isn't It (A Michael Jackson Story)

Chapter 8 - Hotel Breakfast

My eyes slowly flutter open, allowing them to scan the unfamiliar ceiling. I remember that I'm in a hotel room, and then I'm able to process that I can hear the faint sound of Michael's voice, which makes me instantly smile.

"Two lovers in a scene, and she says 'do you love me'? And he says so honestly...'I love you, Liberian Girl'..."

I anticipate the percussion cues that follow the verse. This has to be one of my favourite songs off the 'Bad' album. I flip myself over and stretch out my fingers in an attempt to reach my phone on the bedside table. Realizing I can't quite reach it, I groan at the fact that I need to actually put effort into moving myself. Huffing in a quick breath, I throw the comfy hotel bed sheets off of me and slowly slide out of the bed and onto the floor. Clumsily slamming my hand on top of the bedside table, I grab my phone and shut off the alarm, cutting off Michael's singing. I'm exhausted from yesterday, yet I still feel anxious about today. Once I muster the effort to stand up, I robotically get myself ready for the day. My mind is focused on one thing only: today's auditions. By the time I stumble out of the bathroom with a minimal amount of makeup on my face and my hair tied back, I begin to feel a lot more lively than I did when I got out of bed this morning; the adrenaline is probably starting to kick in.

I drop to my knees and open my suitcase, digging around for some half-decent clothes to wear today. Once I've found a pair of black athletic shorts and a hot pink sports bra, I quickly change, not caring about being the least bit tidy. As bad as it sounds, less is more when it comes to clothing for dancers, so I'm sticking with the nice looking sports bra as my top for today. Before I can even finish pulling up my shorts, a soft knocking comes from the door. I struggle to pull the shorts over my hips as I hobble over to the door on the other end of the room. I look through the peephole to see Daniel standing there, looking much more ready for the day than I am.

"Hey!" I exclaim as I open the door.

"Hi!" Daniel says with a smile.

He looks at me, taking in my frazzled appearance.

"Am...am I bothering you?" He asks.

"No, no, not at all." I say awkwardly. "I just finished getting ready."

He looks relieved.

"Well...I just came to invite you for breakfast. There's a breakfast buffet across the hall. You know, if you'd like to come."

I smile.

"Of course I would! Can I come back and get my stuff afterwards?"

"Yeah, for sure. I'm doing the same. We don't have to leave for a good half an hour, so we'll have plenty of time." He smiles.

Daniel holds open the door for me as I step out and into the hallway. I immediately smell bacon. I walk towards the source of the scent while Daniel laughs at me, but my strange method eventually leads me to the door of the breakfast room. We walk in and are greeted by the sight of a massive buffet that makes me hungrier than ever. The room is huge, with massive chandeliers and towering windows that provide an amazing view of this small portion of California. People are standing around everywhere, chatting and eating. I quickly grab a tray and some plates as I greedily look at all the different food choices. I settle on bacon with pancakes and way too much maple syrup. What a great breakfast for a dancer.

I look behind me to see that Daniel got the same foods as me, but with a lot of fruit on the side. Looking down at my plate, I feel guilty for not being healthy at all, so I throw some orange slices from the buffet line on top of my pancakes. I can immediately hear Daniel laughing behind me and I turn around.

"One breakfast isn't gonna hurt you Dani!" He says through his laughter.

"Well at least let me pretend that I'm being healthy!" I laugh.