“Uh.”
How do I answer that? What’s the best way to say no, I’ve got nothing on the horizon? Nothing at all.
“Oh, did you hear about that new skating show that’s coming to town to audition?” Lana asks the table with a grin.
“Skating? As in the roller-skating show,Cosmic Tracks?” Jo says. “My friend got a role in that just because she could skate. It takes no real talent at all.”
Yeah, because actually learning to skate isn’t a real talent at all.
Fucking pretentious.
“No. It’s for an ice-skating show. Um, what’s it called?”
Ice skating? Like my sister, and… Scotty. Ugh. I hate that I still think about him. It’s been an entire year, and I’ve managed to avoid him at all costs on campus, but somehow, I still manage to think of him most days, which guts me. Figuratively and literally, because every time I think about him, I think about the worst humiliation of my life, and I’m just waiting until that stupidHendricks Uncheckedepisode airs and I lose all the dignity I had left.
How far in advance do they even film? It feels like I’ve been waiting forever.
Lana’s spinning her hand in the air, still trying to think of the name of the production. “It’s for those kids’ movies. You know, they do a compilation of movies and they all have their own segment.” Her fingers click, and she points at Curtis with a smile. “Evermore on Ice. That’s it!”
“Oh yeah,” Jo says. “Aren’t they focusing on the one with the annoying yappy squirrel this year?Iced Out.”
“It’s a pet fox,” I say quickly, garnering the attention of everyone at the table. Then I shrug, pretending it’s no big deal. “I’ve seen the movie a couple of times. It’s a fox, and he’s pretty integral to the growth of the story.” I clear my throat. “Are they—are they doing auditionshere?” I ask, my voice higher than it should be, and although I’d never show it to these guys, there’s a tiny bit of excitement brewing in my belly.
Iced Out…Ice skating.
Surely, there can’t be many actresses here who can singandskate? I can do both…kind of. I’ve also got one thing no one else does. Experience. I played Princess Blanca for a year.
“Yeah, I think they start in a month or two. The show runs over the winter break.”
Winter break?
This could work. I could do this.
The more I think about it, the more I want it. Surely, there can’t be any other singing Princess Blancas that can ice skate.
“Where are the auditions?”
There’s a pause and they all look at each other with smirks.
I know what they’re thinking, but I don’t care. Not anymore. I need to prove to them, to myself that I can do this.
“Wait, you're not going to try out, are you?” Danny asks. “Do you even skate?”
“My sister is a gold-medal-winning ice hockey player.” It’s an answer, but not to the question he asked—mainly because the answer would be ‘kind of’. Noelle and I skated together until we were ten. That’s when everyone started to see how good she was compared to everyone else.
It’s also when I gave up, knowing I’d never match up to her, and I’d just flail behind, but surely some of that experience I had would help. Muscle memory is everything. That’s what Noelle is always saying.
There’s a chorus of questions from the group. ‘She is?’ ‘What?’ ‘How come this is the first time we’re hearing about it?’
I don’t answer their questions, knowing that if I do, it will go into an entire discussion over Noelle, and I can’t face her taking the limelight when she’s across the fucking country. Well, for now. She’s actually coming to visit me next week because she’s playing against Covey U’s women’s ice hockey team.
Fuck, is this fate?
Is this karma finally coming around and offering me something I can’t refuse?
“The most important thing for this role is that the person can sing. I also know the source material well.”
Silence.
