Lean on me

Chapter 11

Sloan spent the rest of the day, and most of the next, in her room. She spent most of the time pacing her bedroom, knowing if she sat still for too long, she would fall asleep. Around two o'clock, Sloan decided to start getting ready for her audition, which was in an hour. She pulls out a black spaghetti strap dress that stops just above her knees. 

Sloan pulls off her tank top and slips into the dress, leaving her shorts on underneath. She slides her feet into her favorite black heeled boots and puts a gold ring on her middle finger. She quickly curls her hair, her hair falling down her back like a blonde waterfall, stopping just below her shoulder blades instead of its usual length at the middle of her back. She applies a little bit of brown eyeshadow and a thin layer of eyeliner, pairing it with light pink lip gloss. She shrugs into her red leather jacket, pulling the left side onto her shoulder, feeling more like herself in her jacket. She looks at her reflection quickly in the mirror, wrapping her fingers around her mother's heart-shaped locket as she takes a deep breath before grabbing her phone and walking to the door, grabbing her room key on the way out.

She rides the elevator all the way down, putting her phone on silent and slipping it into her jacket pocket, zipping it up so it doesn't fall out or get stolen. Sloan takes a few deep breaths just before the doors open and she walks out. She looks around the lobby, spotting a sign with an arrow pointing down a hallway saying the conference rooms were down there. 

Sloan rolls the signs before finding herself in front of Conference Room A. She walks down the hall until she reaches the fourth door, Conference Room D. She takes a deep breath before reaching out to turn the handle just as a voice rings out from her right, the suddenness of it making her jump. 

"I'm sorry, miss. You can't go in there." A man that Sloan assumes is a security guard says. "That room is going to be used in ten minutes."

"It's okay." She tells him. "I'm supposed to be here." 

"Can you give me your name, ma'am?" He asks, pulling a notepad out of his pocket.

"Sloan Ackles." She says, watching as he looks at the notepad, reading what Sloan assumes is a list, before looking back up at the girl. 

"My apologies, Miss Ackles." The security guard says. Sloan shakes her head and gives him a polite smile. 

"No harm done." She tells him. He nods politely before walking away. Sloan takes another deep breath before pushing the door open, finding the room empty. 

Sloan walks in and sees one long table set up in the middle of the room. She begins walking around the room, counting how many exits there are and memorizing where they're located, finds the best place to take cover should anything happen, and chooses a chair that gives her the best vantage point of every entrance and exit in the large room. This is her new routine when entering a room or building she's not familiar with. 

The only sound in the room is that of Sloan's heels clicking against the tile floors as she paces nervously. Her fingers absentmindedly trace the shape of her locket as she starts to have doubts. Was this the right room? The right time? Did they already pick someone more experienced, more talented? Did they decide they weren't going to meet with her because they want someone who's whole, not broken, and doesn't have as many problems or need as many accommodations as her?

"Miss Ackles." Sloan hears behind her and whips around. She sees two men, one tall and lanky and the other a bit shorter and stockier, walk into the room. She quickly assesses their posture and mannerisms and determines that they're no threat. Something else she's gotten into the habit of doing recently. "I'm Joe Russo. This is my brother Anthony." The shorter man says. Sloan shakes each of their hands with a small, polite smile.