STAGESTRUCK - The Complete Series (9 page)

I woke up the next morning with a hangover and a renewed determination to fight for the life I want. I took a long, hot shower and cleared my head of everything that had been distracting me. I decided that a long walk in the city was exactly what I needed to help regain my focus. I still hadn’t visited Central Park, so I decided that was the perfect destination. I blew my hair dry, pulled on a sports bra and running clothes, and dug through several of my boxes until I found a cap.

I debated cooking a quick breakfast but decided to eat out instead. I filled my purse-like Camelbak with cold water and slid my I.D., debit card, and house key into the assorted pockets. I plugged my ear buds into my phone, strapped it to my wrist, and I was ready to go.

I paused at Janette’s door for a moment and considered inviting her to come along. I quickly decide against it; as much as I’ve come to love Janette, I know that she’s one of my biggest distractions.

I stretched my legs with a slow jog to the subway station. I boarded an empty car and used the seats to continue stretching as the Manhattan skyline came closer and closer into view. After leaving the subway, I popped into a small bakery for a cup of coffee and a sweet roll. I finished them both quickly and set off for the park.

Like everything else in New York, I’d dreamed about Central Park but I’d never actually been there. I was overwhelmed by the vast amount of open space that was nestled in the heart of one of the busiest, most crowded cities in the world.

I came upon the Alice statue and my thoughts drifted back to the youth theater program I’d worked with back home. I wondered what kind of programs like that were available in New York and how I could get involved in them. I realized immediately who I could ask. I turned off my playlist, slid my phone from the arm strap, and dialed Serena’s number.

“Hello?” She answered.

“Hey, it’s Kate.” I greeted her. “I’ve been walking around Central Park for the last couple of hours, and I’ve thought of some industry related questions. I was wondering if you’d like to meet for lunch? I’ll buy if you let me pick your brain.”

“Sounds good, I’m actually scheduled to take lunch in an hour. Have you been to the coffee shop that’s right where Central Perk was on Friends?” She asked me.

“No, do they have good food?” I asked.

“It’s a tourist trap mostly, but the food is decent. It’s worth seeing though, if you liked the show.”

“Sounds good, I’ll see you about an hour and fifteen minutes?” I asked.

“Yep, I’ll see you then. Thanks for calling Kate, it’s nice to have plans for a change.”

We hung up and I spent another hour exploring the park before heading to the coffee shop.

“So what did you want to ask me?” Serena asked with a kind smile. We’d been at the coffee shop for half an hour, catching up on each other’s lives over chicken salad sandwiches but avoiding sensitive topics like my now infamous Phantom audition.

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Do you think that I have a chance in hell of ever getting another audition after what happened at the last one?”

Serena laughed. “Oh Kate, don’t worry about that!” She insisted. “You’re not the first person to show up drunk at the theater. If you were already a part of the cast, no one would have thought twice about it. Half the people on stage on any given night are wasted or stoned out of their minds. I know I have to wipe the booze sweat off of them and fix their makeup between scenes.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “So I didn’t ruin everything.”

She shook her head. “People will pay attention to how you carry yourself now. Keep your head high, own your mistake, and move on. They’ll have no choice but to respect you for it.”

“Thank you so much, Serena.” I smiled. “I hope you don’t mind me talking to you about this… I know that you’re experience on stage didn’t go the way you’d hoped.”

“It’s not a problem.” She assured me. “I’m happy to help you how ever I can. In fact, I have another hour before I have to get back to the make-up room. If you want we can get another latte and I can give you a few pointers.”

“That would be amazing.” I accepted gratefully.

Serena spent the next thirty minutes giving me all of the dirt on what goes on behind the stage at all of the different shows. She filled me in on which directors like to discover unknowns, which put unreasonable demands on their casts, and which had a reputation for trading roles for sex. I asked her if there were any youth theaters I could volunteer at; she wasn’t sure, but she promised to look into it.

Serena also knew which actors were about to get fired but didn’t know it yet, and which ones were about to leave for better opportunities. “I can’t tell you any names, of course, but there’s about to be a larger than average turnover on The Great White Way.” She smiled. “There will be plenty of auditions; hold your head high and land yourself a role.”

“Serena, do you ever…”

Serena smiled and interrupted me. “Yes, I still want to be on stage. I still wish for it all of the time… I was actually thinking of taking another stab at it.”

“You SHOULD!” I insisted. “You have to! We can run lines together, watch each other’s backs… it would be perfect! I’ll talk to Marion and see if she’ll take you on.” I offered.

Serena shook her head. “You don’t have to do that. I know plenty of people at the theaters, I can get my own auditions… I can’t afford her commission.” She laughed.

“Alright, but let me know if you change your mind.”

“Thanks… I’ve got to get back to work, are you off tonight?”

I nodded. “I’m going to stay home and finish unpacking my apartment. I can’t live with the chaos any longer.” I laughed.

“Alright well, thanks for lunch. I’ll call you if I hear anything about an audition… I’m no Marion Russo, but I do have my sources.” She smiled.

“I’d probably be better off hiring you.” I joked. “Thanks for everything Serena.”

“No problem… in fact, I have one last little tip for you… more of a hint really. I can’t say which actors are on their way out, but I can tell you ‘they had it coming’ she said with air quotes.

“Fantastic.” I said with a smile. We stepped back out onto the sidewalk; Serena went left towards the theater while I raced to the nearest subway station. I caught the train back to Sunnyside and spent the rest of the day unpacking and listening to the Chicago soundtrack on a continuous loop.

“So, you’re going back to Orlando’s tomorrow?” Janette asked as she passed me a lit joint. “You’ve had a long break, haven’t you?”

I nodded and took a long hit. It was Tuesday afternoon and I hadn’t been to the restaurant since Saturday night. “I called Steve yesterday morning and told him that I felt like I was coming down with the flu. I know that I’m being a coward but I just don’t want to watch Max and Megan swoon over each other all night long.” I explained.

“I don’t blame you.” Janette assured me. “If I were in your shoes, I’d have quit weeks ago.”

“I don’t want to quit… I want him back.” I confessed.

“What made you change your mind?” Janette asked.

“I can’t stop thinking about Max. And Megan is sweet, but I don’t think that she’s right for him. Max is a serious guy, he submits articles to The New Yorker and keeps up with current events. Megan watches American Idol for god’s sake.”

Janette cringed. “Oh, that is bad. Well, if you want him we need to come up with a plan. I still think that bold and direct is the best approach. Just lay everything out on the table and be honest about your feelings. Megan may not be perfect for him, but he’s falling for her awfully fast. If you don’t make a move soon you’ll miss the chance.”

I shook my head. I knew that Janette had a point, but my mother’s voice was in my head once more telling me that ‘good’ girls aren’t aggressive with men. “I don’t want to put him on the spot. I think that a slower, more covert plan is better.”

“You mean a game?” Janette said critically.

“No,” I replied defensively. “More like a slow prodding… we’d talked about getting to know each other as friends, so I’ll just act like nothing has changed. I’ll become the best friend he’s ever had and in no time he’ll see that I’m the one he should be with.”

“And where will Max’s girlfriend be while you’re becoming his best friend?” Janette asked. “Remember Megan? She may be sweet, but do you really think that she’s just going to sit back and watch while you cozy up to her hot boyfriend?”

“I’ll figure something out.” I assured her. “I’ll find reasons to go to the bar, grab every free moment that I can get with Max. And I’m sure that other opportunities will present themselves along the way.”

Janette shook her head. “I don’t like it, Kate. I know that you don’t want to be direct and make yourself vulnerable by just telling him how you feel. But essentially, your plan is no different than mine except that it’s going to take longer. I want you to just rip the band-aid and get it over with; you want to pull it off centimeter by centimeter… I’m just afraid that you’re going to get hurt.”

“I understand what you’re saying and I appreciate that you want to look out for me.” I assured her. “Please, just let me do this my way. If it goes wrong, you’re more than welcome to say ‘I told you so’.”

“I’d never say that, Kate.” She insisted. “I just hope that you know what you’re doing.”

“I can handle myself.” I took another long hit off the joint and passed it back to her. “Let’s talk about you for awhile.” I suggested.

“What about me would you like to discuss?” She asked through a cloud of smoke.

“You have strong opinions about my love life, but you never talk about your own. What happened to that guy you met at Syd’s? He was hot, have you seen him again?”

“He was hot.” Janette sighed. “But no, I haven’t seen him again. Can I tell you a secret, Kate?” She asked.

“Of course you can.”

“Evan, the guy from Syd’s, I didn’t sleep with him.” She confessed.

“Okay… why is that a secret?”

Janette blushed. “About a year ago, I met a guy and fell hard. I was head-over-heels stupid in love with him, and after four months I caught him with another woman… To be honest, I still haven’t gotten over him.”

“That’s awful, Janette, and it’s fine if you’re not ready to start dating again. But why do you want everyone to think that you slept with Evan?” I was more than a little confused. In Waterloo, people thinking that you had a one night stand with someone isn’t a good thing… in fact, it’s about the worst thing that could happen.

“Parker and Mark were so worried about me after the breakup… they went out of their way to make me feel better, so I don’t want them to know that I’m still falling apart inside. Every now and then I pretend to go home with someone, just so they think I’m back to my old self.”

“You’re secret is safe with me, Janette.” I assured her. “And if you ever need to talk about your ex, I’m here to listen. You’ll feel ready to date again when you meet the right person.” I advised; she blushed uncontrollably. “Unless you already have found someone…” I hinted.

“Other than Parker and Mark, the only man I’ve spent time with since my ex is Paul.” She began. “He’s easy to talk to, and he’s always relaxed because he’s stoned all of the time. He’s also really smart… we’ve had some of the most interesting conversations… and it doesn’t hurt that he’s incredibly hot.”

“Good for you!” I smiled. “My mother has always told me that it’s best to get to know a man as a friend before you decide to date him. I know that her advice isn’t always the best, but I think that she has a point with that one.”

“You think?” Janette asked. “I’ve never done this before… my relationships generally start with sex and move on from there.”

“So… you haven’t slept with him yet?”

She shook her head and smiled. “I haven’t even told him how I feel. I guess that I should take my own advice, huh?”

“Only if you’re ready,” I told her. “You’ll know when the time is right… now, what are we going to do for dinner? I’m starving.”

Janette was off for the evening too, so we decided to have a tame night on the town. We set off for an early dinner at Janette’s favorite Vietnamese restaurant and then walked the streets of Manhattan, dreaming about our futures out loud.

“No offense, Kate, but you look exhausted. Are you sure that you can finish out your shift?” Steve asked suspiciously.

“I’m great, Steve, I promise. I’ll be able to handle the dinner rush, I just need a couple of shots of espresso.” I explained.

It had been almost three weeks since Max and Megan joined us at Janette’s show. My plan wasn’t working as well as I’d hoped, but Max and I were becoming closer as friends. The problem, as Janette had anticipated, was that Megan never left his side; she and I had inadvertently become closer friends as well. The more I got to know Max, the more I liked him; the opposite was true for his girlfriend.

As my plan to win Max back crumbled around me, I threw myself into my work. Marion hadn’t secured me any auditions yet, but Serena had kept me updated about all of the open calls. I spent my mornings and early afternoons auditioning for small roles in big show choruses and sucking up to the important people Serena introduced me too; so far I’d exhausted myself for no reason. No offers came in from any of the theaters.

“You just have to be patient and keep doing what you’re doing.” Serena kept telling me. “They’re going to make you prove yourself, but you’ll get there.”

“Kate!” Steve’s voice brought my attention back to the present.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” I asked apologetically.

“I said that you need to go drink some caffeine and maybe splash some cold water on your face. You look like death warmed over and I don’t want you scaring off the customers. Pull yourself together or I’m going to send you home.”

“I’ll be fine,” I promised him again. I walked towards the bar area, happy to have an excuse to see Max. The happiness faded quickly when I stepped into the room and saw Megan standing behind the bar with him. He had his arms wrapped loosely around her shoulders and they were in deep conversation. I cleared my throat as I approached.

“Hi Kate!” Megan greeted me with a smile. “Another long night?”

‘What a polite way to tell someone they look like shit.’ I thought. “Not exactly,” I told her. “More like a long morning… a lot of them. I’ve been going on a lot of auditions.” I explained. “In fact, I haven’t had a drink since Morell’s.”

“It’s good that you’re buckling down.” Megan nodded. “If I’d been as disciplined as you are, I’d probably be on stage today instead of here. It’s a hard business.”

I was too exhausted and too fed up with Megan to listen to her for a second longer. “Yes, I’m sure that if I get a role, it will be because of my discipline… talent has nothing to do with it, right? Because it can’t be your lack of TALENT that kept you off of the stage…”

“Kate!” Max gasped angrily. “That’s quite enough. What the hell is your problem?” Confusion and hurt filled Megan’s eyes and I immediately regretted my words.

“Look,” I sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m exhausted and on edge, and I snapped. I never should have taken my frustrations out on you like that Megan. I just need a couple shots of espresso and then I’ll leave the two of you alone.”

“It’s alright.” Megan said quietly. “We all have bad days. I won’t take it personally.” She turned to Max. “I should get back up front, I’ll see you on my break.” He kissed her on the cheek and then she went back to the hostess station. Max stared at me wordlessly for a moment before turning to focus on the espresso machine. He filled two ceramic shot glasses with the steaming liquid and slid them across the bar.

“I hope this snaps you out of the god awful mood you’re in.” He said coldly. “If it doesn’t, you can send someone else to fetch your drink orders tonight.”

I slammed back the first shot and set the glass back on the bar. “I don’t think that you can refuse to work with me.” I snapped.

“Keep up that attitude and watch me.” He said with a hint of a dare in his voice. I rolled my eyes at him, turned away, and stomped back to the service station to wait for my first dinner guests.