The Audition
"Natalie Freeman!"
Natalie perked up at the sound of her name being called.
"Right here, ma'am!" She raised her hand to signify that she was present. The overly serious woman standing in front of the reception desk and who looked to be in her mid-thirties, tipped her glasses slightly below her nose, to look at her properly and as though unimpressed with what she saw, she huffed.
"You're up next, be ready when I call on you the next minute," She said dismissively.
Natalie couldn't tell if the 'huff' was a racist action or if it meant she was not cut out for the role. She hoped for the woman's sake, it was the other because who the hell still practiced rascism in the 21st century? Did the world not have enough problems? Moreover, she wasn't the only black woman auditioning for the role, so it was safe to say it was the other.
At exactly one minute later, Natalie was inside the cramped up audition room with the only people present being the panel of judges which consisted of two men and a woman. She gulped nervously as they stared at her unnervingly and it pegged the question -- why was everyone being so serious?
"Hello Natalie Freeman, congratulations on making it to the auditions. My name is Hector Smith, this is Paula Rivers and Michael Floyd." One of the men smiled while pointing to the other two judges in introduction. She sighed internally -- finally! someone smiled.
He was a cute brunette with a sweet charm and she already knew they would be friends, if she got the role.
She smiled in return, feeling a bit more at ease.
"Hi, I am excited to be here." She spoke confidently even though her hands shook occasionally.
"Good, we are also excited to have you here. So tell us, why are you here?" Hector asked.
Oh, that was easy.
"I am here to audition for the role of the female lead in the movie titled, 'The Perfect Match'." She answered confidently.
Hector nodded, "Yes, I know that...we all know that, right Paula?"
Paula nodded in response, "Yes, the question is why are you actually here today, Miss Freeman?"
Natalie paused for some seconds and stared at them in confusion. She was obviously here for the audition, what else was she supposed to say?
They waited patiently for an answer.
Finally, she exhaled slowly and opened her mouth to speak, "I came here to become a star."
Michael smirked, "You want to become a star?"
She nodded.
"Then you've come to the right place!" He continued.
Oh, so that was it.
"Those chosen to audition were sent the scene that they would be required to act to pass for the role. Did you receive yours by email?" Paula asked.
Natalie nodded -- she had been at it all week nonstop, practicing in front of her mirror and to her bestfriend, Kylie.
"Well, goodluck to you, Natalie." Paula said finally.
Natalie took a deep breath and let go of herself.
*
"Lucas?"
"Lucas, are you home?"
She opened the bedroom door and saw Lucas having sex with a stranger.
The bag that she held, fell off her hand to the ground as she trembled in anger. The thud made Lucas and the strange girl turn to look at her, shocked by her sudden appearance.
"You cheat!" She screamed in anger, trying to hold back the tears from rushing down her cheeks.
"Don't touch me!" She screamed again, walking angrily away from the bedroom door as Lucas begged her to listen.
*
"Okay, stop, thank you." Paula said abruptly.
Natalie stopped her act anxiously. What did that mean? Were they not impressed by her performance?
Paula scribbled something down and the three of them whispered to each other while she stared at them tensely.
"Okay Natalie, we will send you an email if you passed the audition. Thank you for coming." Hector smiled.
Oh shit, no. Why couldn't they just tell her immediately if she passed or not?
When she got outside, the next person walked past her but she didn't notice them. She left feeling more anxious than before.
***
"But you said you gave it your best shot, why are you so worried then?" Kylie asked while chugging down a bottle of whiskey. Kylie loved alcohol -- she liked to drink and taste all types including vodka, whiskey, wine, tequila and all sorts of cocktails. If Natalie was to blame anyone for introducing her to the beauty of alcoholic drinks, it was Kylie Strauman -- she was the bad influence.
Kylie had been her bestfriend since college. She was a little crazy, but when you pushed aside all that nastiness, you get a darling that would do anything for the people she loved.
The club they were in, was buzzing with people and energy but tonight, they were not in the mood to dance so they stayed seated at the bar, watching other people dance to their heart's content.
"I dunno, I couldn't read their expression. Did I or did I not pass? I just wish they told me immediately so I could move on with my life, most auditions I have gone to usually tell me straight up," She said tiredly.
Kylie slapped her arm, a bit hard.
"Ouch!" Natalie whisper exclaimed.
"9:00 is approaching!" Kylie whispered excitedly.
"W-what?" She turned to the side in confusion and truthfully, there was a well built, tall and
goodlooking bald black man approaching.
He reached them and gave her a flirty smile.
"Hello ladies," He greeted.
"Hello goodlooking," Kylie mummed in response.
Natalie rolled her eyes secretly at Kylie before giving him a fake smile, "Hi,"
"My name's Owen, can I buy you both a drink?" He asked politely, his eyes moving occasionally to her cleavage.
She sighed internally -- they could never resist it.
"We..."
"Yes you can, Owen." Kylie cut her off.
Natalie gave her a playful glare as Owen proceeded to call the bartender over.
"What? You need to get laid." Kylie mouthed.
Natalie chuckled at that. Kylie was right though, maybe what she needed to forget about the audition was a good dick.
She looked at Owen again and decided that he would do for the night.