“If he can’t see how great you are. He’s not worth your time.”
She sighed. “I know.” She smiled a little sadly and walked out the door, the click-click of her heels fading as she went.
I took another drink and got back to work. I’d promised Ian I’d have these reports done in the morning, and God knew he didn’t need another reason to hate me.
Be More Pleasant Than This Bitch
Eve
Theroomtheywereholding the actors in to wait for their auditions was small and stuffy. I’d gotten here a little early, and a few other actors milled about waiting for their call time. Bottles of water were lined up on a narrow table to the left. I grabbed one and took a seat a few chairs down from a man with dirty blond wavy hair falling across his wire-framed glasses.
The chill of the metal chair bit against the backs of my thighs. I tugged at the hem of my slip dress, which had inched up as I sat down and pulled out the folder of sides my agent had sent me. I had them memorized, but there was no such thing as being too prepared.
A woman with short, dark hair stepped in and looked down at her list. “Blake Bale,” she called. The guy sitting a few chairs over stuffed his hands into his pockets, looking like he might puke.
“Break a leg,” I said, attempting to give him a little boost. Auditions were nerve-wracking, but I’d been to enough that I could rein in the nerves when it came time to perform.
He gave me a nervous smile and a nod before walking out the door.
There was a loud sigh from across the room. I glanced over to find the pale blonde in a bubblegum pink miniskirt and floral blouse eyeing me with distaste as she tossed her long locks over her shoulder. She looked familiar, but I couldn’t place where I’d seen her before.
What was her problem?
The large black man sitting across from me pointedly ignored her dramatic sigh, so I bit my tongue and went back to studying my sides.
The door creaked open a minute later and a young woman stepped into the room, fresh-faced and timid. She took a water bottle from the table in the corner and then came to sit down in the chair beside me. Her hair was a platinum blonde and she looked younger than the rest of us in the room by at least half a decade.
“Hi,” she said with a shy smile.
“Hi,” I answered, closing my folder in an effort to be polite. If I was going to be working with some of these people, I wanted to start off on the right foot. Myabuelitaalways warned me against angering the wrong people. Make them jealous, and they could give you themal de ojo,the evil eye.
I gnawed at my bottom lip, thinking about what Brian had said about a bad sex hex. Maybe my attitude toward Ben was the reason for it.
“Which part are you auditioning for?” she asked, attempting to make small talk to calm the jitters while her hands fidgeted in her lap.
“Evangeline,” I said, setting my folder aside. “What about you?”
“Grace.” She tucked a hair behind her ear.
“Ha,” the blonde gave her a once-over and a cruel smile. “You? Grace?”
The girl’s shoulders drooped, and her gaze dropped to her shoes, her cheeks flaming.
“Ignore her.” The large man wearing a three-piece suit said. “She’s just trying to get underneath your skin. She can’t stand the thought of having competition.”
The girl next to me looked up at him, wiping an angry tear off her cheek.
“Don’t pay her any mind. People who have to tear others down to make themselves feel better aren’t worth your time or your tears,” he said kindly.
I smiled at him and nudged the woman beside me with my knee in sympathy.
“Please, do you know who I am?” the blonde sneered. “There’s no competition.”
“Who are you exactly?” I asked, unable to bite my tongue any longer.
The large man snorted.
“Cheryl Baudin. I’m sure you’ve heard of me.” She studied her nails as I stared at her, the puzzle pieces falling into place.
