Met Her By The Stage Door (sequel to Meet Me By The Stage Door)

Cam's Audition

I pace my room panicking.

"Why did I sign up for this? I haven't acted in years. But this is the perfect role for me. And Jordy will be there. Why am I panicking? I shouldn't be panicking! Jordy will be the one--- "

Jordy cuts off my sentence, by knocking on my door frame. I jump a little.

"Hey, was I interrupting anything?"

"Nope, just me having a panic attack. Hey, do you have your dance bag?" I ask as inconspicuously as I possibly can.

"Yeah, though that's a strange thing I would need for moral support."

"CAM! JORDY! IT'S TIME TO GO!" My mom shouts up the stairs. We run down the stairs and into her car. We listen to Hamilton on the way there, jamming out to Guns and Ships. Once we get there Mom drops us off, I sign us in and then I turn to talk to Jordy.

"Jordy, don't be mad but you aren't here for moral support."

"What do you mean?"

"I signed you up for an audition, that's why I had you bring your dance bag."

"But how did you get my resume and stuff? Does my mom know?"

"I told your mom, she is cool with it, I got your dance resume from your website. I didn't tell you so you wouldn't stress out. You are ready."

"Okay, I'm still pissed, and now after this, we are going to the studio. You, Cameron (insert middle name) Colley are a jerk."

A short lady comes out of a door and says, "Auditioning for the role of Ana Martino we have Jordan White. You're up, break a leg."

She gets up and walks into the room. 10 minutes later I am called in. I walk into the room and awkwardly greet the people behind the table.

"Hi, I'm Cameron Colley, I'm 15, and I am auditioning preferably for the role of Ben."

"Hi Cameron, I'm Mr Spence, and this is Mrs Vog. Whenever you are ready please read your monologue."

I take a deep breath and start reciting my go-to monologue.

"I don't know if I will have the time to write any more letters because I might be too busy trying to participate. So, if this does end up being the last letter, I just want you to know that I was in a bad place before I started high school. And you helped me. Even if you didn't know what I was talking about. Or know someone who's gone through it. It made me not feel alone. Because I know there are people who say all of these things don't happen. And there are people who forget what it's like to be 16 when they turn 17. I know these will all be stories someday. And our pictures will become old photographs. And we'll all become somebody's mom or dad. But right now, these moments are not stories. This is happening. I am here. And I am looking at her. And she is so beautiful. I can see it. This one moment when you know you're not a sad story. You are alive. And as you stand up and see the lights on buildings and everything that makes you wonder. And you are listening to that song on that drive with the people you love most in this world. And in this moment, I swear... we are infinite."

"Wow, thank you. Now if you could perform two dance routines in different styles."

"So I'm not a dancer, but I was working with a coach for about two months to prepare for this. "

I grab my phone and plug it into the speaker. I hear the guitar of Step One and start the dance I created years before and only refined this year.

(this is cam's first dance. use your imagination)

Once I finish dancing, I bow and then I change the song, and get into position for the next dance.

(Again imagine)

I finish my second dance I thank the two casting directors and then leave the room.

Jordan runs up to me the minute I leave the audition room. She drags me out the door and I squeeze out the words "Thank you!" to the lady behind the desk.

"Where are you dragging me?" I ask slightly confused.

"We are going to Mrs. Atanabi's."

"Why?"

"You just dragged me to an audition, I'm relieving stress the only way I know how. Dance." She snaps back sharply.

We walk the three blocks, to the studio in silence, neither one of us talks. We step down the stairs and into the bright building. Natalie, Mrs. Atanabi's granddaughter, greets us.

"Hey Jordan! You haven't come in here in like 2 weeks! Who's this?"

"This is Cameron Colley, and I've come in for lessons, while you were at school! I'm glad you're back helping here! Do you think Mrs. Atanabi would let me use the grey room?"

'Yeah! Of course! You're her favourite! Well besides Alex and me!" She says with a laugh, "Just make sure there's no classes going on in there."

"Thanks Nat! Just remember you can always text me!" Jordan says with an ear to ear grin. I give an awkward friendly smile to the girl behind the desk as I'm dragged down the hall.

"Who was that?" I ask tentatively.

"That was Natalie Silver, she's Mrs. Atanabi's granddaughter. We've kind of grown up together because I started dance when I was 2. She says I'm Mrs. Atanabi's favourite because I was one of her first students. She's like a 2nd grandmother to me. Anyway here's the grey room."

She opens the door to find nobody in it. She places her bag on the ground, and grabs a leotard and shorts out of it. She walks out to change in the bathroom and then puts her weird shoes on. 6/10 comes on and she moves with the beat, choreographing a near perfect routine at a drop of a hat. When she finishes dancing I just stare at her, a look of awe on on my face.

"I know you are mad at me, but will you teach me how to dance?"