Chapter 1

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(Skylar's P.O.V)
"Sky! Breakfast! Don't be late!" My mom calls to me from downstairs. I groan and flip my covers back, getting out of bed and trudging towards the bathroom. Today was a pretty big day for me, I have a meeting at noon with my agent about a new gig, then I have to be on set for the new movie I'm an extra in! Being an extra probably doesn't seem like much, but for a shy, awkward girl like me, it's everything. The only downfall? I couldn't meet any of the main roles, I couldn't even be in the same room as them! Which I thought was stupid, but I understood, kinda. Anyway, I finish getting dressed, I do light makeup and finish off by curling my hair into loose beach waves. I grab my phone and go downstairs, into the kitchen.
"Good morning, mom." I say to her as I get the plate she put together for me.
"Good morning. Everything is in the folder on the table, look over it and make sure it's all in there." She tells me, just before taking a drink of orange juice.
"Okay. Are my new headshots in here?" I ask, carefully flipping through all the papers.
"Oh! I'll get them, they're in the office." She says standing up.
"No, I'll get them. You eat." I smile at her, standing up and walking down the hall to the office. I find my headshots in a stack next to the closed laptop I often use to find new jobs. I count out the amount my manager told me to bring, and I leave the office, shutting the door behind me. I come back into the kitchen, seeing my dad at the sink.
"Morning, dad." I say cheerfully.
"Yeah. Morning." He mumbles, sipping his coffee. I sigh and look at my mom who frowns sympathetically. I sit back at the table and pick at my food, taking small bites. I guess my dads lack of words shouldn't get to me too much, but they do. He's only ever told me he was proud once, when I landed the extra gig in that one movie. He's only supportive of my success, not the endless hours of work I put in. He always says "You can do better." Or "You should've went for the lead role." He acts like I don't even try. Although, I guess when you're a big shot lawyer, other people's feelings don't really matter.
"There's a concert next weekend in the park, do you want to go?" My mom asks me.
"Who is it?" I ask her, looking up from my plate and shaking away my thoughts.
"Umm, a few different people it looks like." She says, showing me the article on her phone.
"Sure. It could be fun. Maybe I'll actually like this concert." I tease her, making her and I laugh about our past concert experience.
"Should we do VIP?" She asks me.
"It depends. I've never heard of any of the performers so maybe I'll get lucky without a VIP ticket." I tell her, making her nod in agreement.
"This is true. At least we'd be up close." She says and I shrug.
"Umm, sure." I smile at her, going back to eating my food.
"Okay, I've got to go, big day today." My dad says, kissing my mom on the forehead. I smile softly at her, the small gesture bringing a large smile to her face. My dad slightly hugs me before grabbing his briefcase and striding quickly to the front door. I finish up my food in silence, collecting my thoughts for the meeting that's yet to come.
"Okay, is everything in the folder?" My mom asks me.
"Yep! At least after three checks, I think so." I slightly giggle, making her smile.
"I'm proud of you. You've done well in that industry. And I know it's far from being easy." She says grabbing her purse from the counter and taking her keys from one of its million pockets.
"Thanks, mom." I smile as I pick up my phone from the table and my folder, finding a near notebook and a pen, just in case. I follow my mom out into the warm, sunny California morning.
"Can we stop at Randy's on the way home?" I ask her excitedly. Randy's is the best place in Cali to get doughnuts.
"I don't see why not." She smiles at me, unlocking the door to the car. She starts it up and backs out of the driveway, heading towards downtown LA. Even though I've traveled this road 100 times, the sights never get old. Tall, beautiful palm trees nestled against the older buildings, the brilliant blue sky with barely a cloud, and the bright sun, warming all its light touches. LA is one of my favorite cities, next to my hometown of Burbank. Which is currently where my older brother is, I might have forgot to mention him earlier...oops. His name is Sebastian, he's pretty cool, I guess, nothing cool about college guys, but I'll make an exception for my brother.
"Sebastian comes back in two weeks. I think he wants to have some personal time for all of us. Make sure you clear your calendar before then." My mom breaks the silence.
"Mom, I can't just cancel everything. I have workshops and training for the next full month. Lisa won't be happy if I just cancel." I half laugh, looking over to her.
"I know, but you never get to see him, wouldn't it be nice to go to Disneyland together? The entire family?" She asks me.
"I guess. But I'm still not canceling. I'll find an open day." I say to her, making her eventually give in.
"Okay, okay. Keep your schedule the same, just no parties!" She says sternly.
"But-." I start to say, but she cuts me off with a hissing sound.
"No buts, you just went to one two days ago." She says to me.
"Mom? That was a little kids birthday party." I say to her.
"It's still a party." She says gazing over at me.
"Oh, no, a party is an iHeart Radio event that just so happens to be next Friday! And I already bought Jen and I tickets." I tell her, making her sigh. Jen is my best friend, by the way, the goofiest and somehow the most completely normal person I've met.
"And you're just now telling me?" Mom asks me.
"Don't play the guilt card. I just bought them last night." I say, pushing my sunglasses back up onto the bridge of my nose. She mocks me with her hand and I laugh, looking back out the rolled down window. We eventually get to my managers office and my mom goes into the parking garage, stopping at the main entrance. Paul opens my door and I step out, thanking him.
"Bye! Good luck! Love you!" My mom says happily.
"Love you too, thank you! Bye!" I say, waving to her as I step on to the sidewalk. Lisa opens the door for me and smiles brightly.
"Welcome, you're just in time! The casting director just got here!" She says hugging me gently.
"Perfect! I was worried I'd be late, traffic was horrible." I tell her as we walk inside the bright, well decorated office building. I follow Lisa to the elevator and she presses the button for floor 25.
"Are you prepared for this meeting?" She asks after the doors close.
"As prepared as possible." I assure her, making her nod.
"Good, these are some tough agents, trust me, they only want the best of the best. I think you can handle this." She says smiling at me.
"I sure hope so. Thanks for to boost of confidence." I laugh, walking beside her down the seemingly never ending hallway. She gets to a brown door with only a small window and a professional plaque that reads 'Casting meeting' in bold silver print. She opens the door for me and I thank her, walking into the room.
"Hi, I'm Skylar Johnson and this is my manager Lisa Grover." I smile cheerfully at the woman and man who are maybe the age of my parents. The woman wears a very professional dress and heels, while the man wears a very crisp suit and tie with freshly polished shoes.
"It's lovely to meet you. I'm Eric and this is Lana, my assistant." The man says.
"It's nice to meet you too." I smile, shaking their hands.
"So, as you can tell, this is a meeting for a huge new movie we're in charge of," Eric begins, reading over my resume and studying my headshot, as if looking for a flaw or mistake.
"Yes, sir, I'm very excited to be a part of your meeting. And I understand that this is highly important." I smile at him.
"I see here that you were the lead in the play at the theatre last summer?" Lana asks me.
"Yes, ma'am, it was amazing and it was refreshing, I got to learn new ways to channel my emotions and new ways to better myself." I smile at her.
"What my client is trying to say is, the play production opened many new doors for her and she's now better skilled in a drama type field." Lisa says to them, making them nod as they continue looking at all the paperwork in the folder.
"I'm impressed. An actress since age 4?" Eric asks me.
"Yes, sir." I nod firmly, making his eyes dart between me and the paper in his hands.
"I'm convinced, but let me ask you, say we chose you and five other females, same features as you, maybe not as excelled, how could we pick you apart from the others?" He asks, leaning up on his elbows, his hands folded to make him more intimidating.
"Well, I think my personality would set me apart from the others. I'm a very hard worker and I'd keep trying to better myself until I got the part." I smile confidently at him.
"Lana?" He asks her, she sits up and looks at me.
"Yes sir?" She asks him curiously.
"Fetch a contract. I'm convinced." He smiles at Lisa and I.
"Right away, sir." Lana says, excusing herself and exiting the room, coming back, just seconds later, a form in her hands. She lays it on the table in front of Eric, a pen already in his grasp.
"You'll need to email your measurements to the director and producer, their emails will be on the form Lana will hand you once the meeting is over. Set times are to be determined. Your script will be mailed to you, tomorrow, please read over it and make sure you learn the part before the audition. You'll read as the female lead, who is Carla. Any questions?" He asks looking up.
"When are auditions?" Lisa asks him.
"The 23rd. If we pick you, you'll get a callback the same night." Eric explains to her and she writes it down.
"Sign here, here and here." Eric says sliding the contract to Lisa and I.
"Say my client does get the role, how can we be sure she's being used to her full potential?" Lisa asks him, carefully reading the fine print at the bottom.
"This movie will test her abilities. If she's not right for the job, she'll be replaced. If she excels and shows massive achievements, she'll be called back for the sequel. As long as there's enough funds for a second." Eric explains, glancing between the two of us as Lisa signs the contract and slides it to me. I sign where she points and Eric takes it back, tearing off the back page.
"This needs to go in the folder. I'll be keeping this headshot for the future audition. I wish you good luck and I look forward to seeing the audition." He says standing up. I stand too and shake his hand with a smile.
"Thank you for your time, sir." I smile at him.
"We'll be in touch." He nods, leaving the room.
"Here's your folder, the paper Eric mentioned is in the pocket, have a nice day." Lana says to me, making me smile.
"Thank you, you too." I nod, taking it from her and gently shaking her hand as well. She exits the room in a quick fashion and I let out a sigh of relief.
"Off to set!" Lisa says happily, grabbing her bag. I nod and follow her back down the long hallway, sending a text to my mom and putting my phone away.

(A/N here's the first chapter! I'll try to update everyday for the first 10-15 chapters then maybe every other day! Hope you guys enjoy it! Don't forget to vote if you like a certain chapter!)

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