Oh my god. I slapped Roman Everett.
I didn’t mean to slap him.
Is it wrong that it felt great though?
Probably.
Do I regret it?
No.
What a dick.
By the time I get back to my car, my brain is an absolute pile of post-audition mush. I look forward to getting home so I can get into comfy clothes, whip my bra off, and settle onto the couch to watch some TV and turn my brain off. So I can distract myself for however long until I hear back about the status of the chemistry read. With a sigh, I begin the long drive home.
I’m still so mad at Roman. My stomach is in knots over hearing him give voice to half the insecurities I have on a dailybasis. I’m genuinely surprised he didn’t tear into my appearance as well, but I’m sure he would’ve if given enough time.
Roman’s words dance through my mind, and now I worry that Arnold and the rest of the studio will see me as too new, not talented enough, and then they’ll have no choice but to go back to the drawing board.
By the time I make it back into the apartment, I’ve settled upon feeling dejected. There’s no way this will pan out for me, and not only did I meet Roman Everett, but it sucked.
My key rattles around in the lock for a minute, and I give a hard shoulder to the door to get it open. Much to my misfortune, Maren is sitting right on the couch, and I won’t be able to avoid an interaction.
“So?” she asks as she continues to stare at her phone. “How was it?”
“It went...” my mind flips through everything, “okay.” I settle for the word, knowing there’s nothing to accurately summarize what just happened.
“How was he in person?” Maren glances up from her phone and drags her gaze across my face.
“Umm...”
She looks at me like I’m an idiot for taking so long to respond.
“I mean, he was-is-beautiful,” I concede. “We didn’t really get to talk much.”
“If I had any kind of audition with one of the Everett brothers, I’d be sure to talk to them afterwards,” she laughs.Yes, Maren, I’m sure you would.She brushes her long dark hair behind her ear and gives a little pout. “Do you think you’ll get it?” She tries to be a little disinterested when she asks, but I know she’s trying to mentally tally up who has the upper hand between us right now when it comes to our acting careers. Up until this moment, it’s definitelybeen her.
“I don’t know,” I answer truthfully before heading into the kitchen to grab some lunch. After not eating anything today because of my anxiety, I’m coming down from the nerves and now I’m ravenous. I toss together a quick sandwich and head back into the living room, eager to make it back to my bedroom and dissociate from the world for a little while. I still have so much strange energy from today thrumming through me.
Giving a quick smile, I head toward my door, hoping to avoid further conversation with Maren. But it would appear the shitty luck I’ve had today continues, since Maren pipes up.
“Oh wow, someone must be really hungry,” she says with a laugh.
My back is turned to her, so she doesn’t see me roll my eyes aggressively enough to get them stuck. I attempt to put extra chipperness into my voice.
“Yeah, I haven’t eaten yet today, so I am.”
Maren makes a dismissive noise in response.
I turn to look at her.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” she reassures when she notices. “It’s just that I wouldn’t be eating carbs if I were up for a role where I’d be wearing a spandex suit...” She gives me an up and down that could make an entire botanical garden wither. “But that’s just me.”
“Okay, well... I’ll be in my room,” I respond lamely. I don’t even know what the hell to say to her. I’m sure I’ll come up with the perfect comeback in the comfort of my room in approximately twenty minutes, but that’s neither here nor there.
Scurrying into the safety of my own space, I shut the door behind me and lean against it, hoping it acts as a barrier between me and the negative energy of my shitty roommate. Dejectedly, I drop my sandwich plate onto my dresser, where it lands with a clatter.
Smokey, the Chartreux cat that I rescued as a preteen, lifts her head disapprovingly over the sound that disturbed her slumber.
