The three people behind the table exchanged glances.
One of them, a man who looked exhausted in a way that suggested this casting process had been personally victimizing him for hours, leaned forward. "Did he say... which role?"
"He said you'd know," Chad said, smiling. "He said I had theenergyfor it."
Another pause.
The woman cleared her throat. "Okay. We're going to have you read a few sides. Just... do your best."
She handed him a script.
Chad looked down at the pages.
CHARACTER: THE EX
JAKE (late 20s, convinced he's the hero of this story, is actually the obstacle) stands in the doorway, blocking EMMA's exit.
JAKE:But I thought we had something real! You can't just—you can't justwalk awayfrom three years!
EMMA:I'm not walking away from three years. I'm walking away from you.
Chad's smile faltered. "This is... the ex-boyfriend?"
"Yeah," the woman said. "Supporting role. Three scenes total, mostly reaction shots to the protagonist's journey."
"I thought—" Chad's voice climbed slightly. "Caleb said this was aleadingrole—"
"No, It's the ex."
An awkward silence filled the room.
Chad cleared his throat. Reminded himself he was here. He had the part. This was happening. "Okay," he said. "Sure. I can do that."
The woman gestured. "Whenever you're ready."
Chad took a breath.
And then heperformed.
He delivered the lines like he was giving the keynote at a sales conference. Loud. Emphatic. Pausing for impact that never landed. He pointed at the camera like it owed him money.
"But I thought we had something REAL!" Chad boomed, his voice echoing off the warehouse walls. "You can't just—you can't just WALK AWAY from three years!"
He threw his arms wide and stepped toward the camera.
Behind the table, the three people sat very, very still.
Chad finished, breathing hard, energized, certain. The pause stretched so long he could hear the fluorescent lights humming.
The woman blinked. "That was... certainly a choice."
"Is this..." The woman looked at her clipboard, then back at Chad, her expression caught between confusion and the beginning of hysteria. "Is this aprank?"
Chad froze. "What?"
"Did someone send you here as a joke?"
"No! Caleb Hart—"
