I wasn’t going to stop until I made this gorgeous woman mine.
CHAPTER 5
Auditions & Old Flings.
Raine Williams - August 30th, 2025
Today was the day of the auditions for Dawn’s tour, and I was beyond nervous.
This would be my first time having such an important role, and definitely my first time working on choreography for a tour. I wanted to make a great first impression on the rest of the staff. They’d all been working in the industry longer than I, so to them, I was nothing more than a newbie. I was well aware that I needed to prove myself if I wanted them not only to take me seriously but also to secure a job with them in the future.
So, as I got dressed this morning, instead of putting on my lucky leggings, I settled for a fresh pair of black joggers, paired with a green-and-black plaid shirt unbuttoned to show off the plain green tank I wore underneath. For the shoes, I went with a pair of running shoes. I had a feeling I would be on my feet a lot today, so I made sure they were comfortable and had great support.
When I pulled up to the building where the auditions were being held, I noticed a long line of at least 100 adults wrapping around the building. At last week’s meeting, I was informed that 300 candidates would audition today. They had been sent avideo of the choreography I made and had to perform it on the spot in the second round.
For the third round, the top 50 would come back tomorrow to learn a new dance from me on the spot. I’d only have 30 minutes to teach it to them, and then they’d perform it back while being judged by me, Dawn, and a few other members of our team. I was nervous, and I wasn’t even one of the candidates that’d be auditioning. It was truly one of the best perks of being hand-picked by Dawn herself.
Speaking of Dawn, over this last week, we’ve spent a lot of time texting back and forth, sometimes talking on the phone as well. The conversations would always start with the tour and auditions, but eventually, they’d drift over to our personal lives. I wasn’t the type of person who opened up easily to others about that, but she had a way of making me feel comfortable.
Recently, we’ve been discussing our families and childhoods a lot. I learned that she was the oldest of three, with a brother who was about 10 months younger than her and another sibling who was about 12 years younger than her. The way she talked about her youngest sibling, Devin, you’d think they were her child because she doted on them like nothing I’d ever seen. Honestly, it was really sweet, but I couldn’t help but feel just a bit jealous because my older sister had never been as lovely and caring as Dawn was to her siblings.
When she asked me if I had any siblings, I reluctantly told her about Myra, but omitted the part about how she treated me. I didn’t want her to feel bad about talking about her siblings simply because I had such a shitty experience with mine. I liked hearing all the stories about the fun stuff they did together. I felt like I was living vicariously through her, experiencing the way familyshouldbe.
“Okay, Raine,” I said to myself as I grabbed my backpack. “Enough feeling sorry for yourself. Time to go in there and show everyone why you deserve to be here.”
With one last glance in the rearview mirror to check my hair, I blew out a quick breath and climbed out of the car. Once it beeped twice, I hit the lock again for good measure, before finally stashing my keys in my backpack and making my way to the staff door. Upon entering, I felt the urgency all around me. People were buzzing about, gathering different wardrobe pieces and taking inventory of equipment. I had to do a bit of ducking and dodging to avoid tripping or getting in people’s way.
“Name and ID, please.”
I turn to my left to see a man dressed in the standard security guard uniform. He looked bored, and when I didn’t immediately do as he said, he rolled his eyes and repeated himself, this time a bit louder. A few people nearby heard and looked over to see what all the commotion was about. Great.
“Oh, sorry,” I apologized and quickly pulled my wallet out. I slid out my license and handed it to him. “My name is Raine Williams.”
“Look over here and smile,” he mumbled, motioning to the small camera at the edge of the desk. I did as told, and there was a click and a flash before he began typing something on his computer. He then handed me my ID and a lanyard with a badge attached that had my photo and name. I thanked him. “Starting tomorrow, just scan it on that scanner by the door, and you can walk on through.”
“Great, thanks again!” I nodded, taking the items. He grunted again before turning his attention back to his computer screen.
After putting my license away and putting on the lanyard, I followed the signs down the hall as they led me to where I was supposed to be. This was my first time being in this building, butit was surprisingly easy to navigate given how big it was. I was thankful for the signs at every corner. Whoever was in charge made sure that people knew exactly where to go and how to get there.
When I finally made it to the room, my eyes expanded upon seeing how massive it was. I was expecting a small conference room with a few chairs and a table, but this was an entire banquet hall transformed into the perfect audition space. I noticed a large table on one side with about 10 chairs and nameplates set in front of each one. I figured I’d check to see where I’d be sitting.
“Oh wow,” I said to myself as I found my spot. “Am I that important?”
I was slightly surprised at the fact that my chair was right next to Dawn’s in the middle of the table. It had the perfect view of the center of the room where the dancers would be auditioning. I placed my things down and walked around the table to claim my seat. My nerves were slowly starting to build, so I’m glad I had a few moments to collect myself.
“Wow, it looks nice up in here,” I hear someone say. “They went all out, huh?”
My eyes travel toward a trio of nicely dressed women as they stroll my way. I sit up in my seat, prepared to greet them with a smile, but it drops as soon as the woman in front removes her shades, and I instantly recognize her as Trelyn Hunter. The woman who went from being one of my best friends to my first love to my first heartbreak in the span of three years.
My nerves were working overtime, and I tried my best to ease them because I knew that I got nauseous when I got too worked up. The last thing I needed was to get sick on one of the most important days of my life. I’d gone so long without seeing her, but now it looked like I couldn’t avoid her.
How do I explain my relationship with Trelyn Hunter other than that it never actually was a relationship? We’d met during my freshman year when I was assigned to be her roommate because all the freshman dorms were full. She was a sophomore then, but that didn’t seem to matter since we quickly became great friends because we had so much in common - from dancing to favorite foods to favorite artists. Everyone knew that if you saw her, you saw me, and vice versa.
We were attached at the hip, and she had made her way to third-best friend after Ginger and our other friend, Robbie. But the more we hung out, the more I ended up catching feelings for her. She was sweet and always went out of her way to watch out for me. She showed me around campus and invited me to hang out with her and her friends. Looking back, she could’ve very well just been stringing me along under the guise of being nice.
Actually, Iknewthat’s what it was, but back then, it didn’t register for me. All I knew then was that this gorgeous woman was paying attention to me, and I loved it. So, when we crossed that line one night after drinking a bit too much, our innocent friendship turned into more of a friends-with-benefits type of situation. I knew that I should’ve stopped before I fell too deep for her, but she felt so good, and she made me feel so good. Something deep inside of me knew that we’d never work, but I was nothing if not optimistic.
It all took a turn for the worse when an opportunity arose that had all the dance majors buzzing. A big-name production company was holding a contest solely for upperclassmen. They were looking for the next big name in the choreography community to help with a new musical. It was a big deal, and the whole campus was buzzing.
