Becoming Ready

Chapter 16 - The Costars

The email she had received from Professor Roth didn't contain much information. He requested her to meet him at his office that afternoon at 4:00 PM. That was it.

She didn't want to jinx it, but she was excited. Surely it must have meant something, if not all but confirmed that she got the part. Before she got too carried away, she reminded herself that he seemed unpredictable, and this could have just been another round of auditioning.

Charlie paced outside his office at 3:55 PM, debating whether or not to knock. She decided against it. She would wait to meet him until the exact time requested. He was kind of a severe person, and he struck her as someone who liked to keep a tight schedule.

Five minutes later she knocked. She heard a vague response from inside, so she assumed that meant he was ready for her.

"Professor Roth, you wanted to see me?" she asked, straight faced.

"Yes, Charlie. I don't usually do this, but I wanted to offer you the role of Sarah in The Outlaws. Even though you are a Freshman, I believe you are the best for the part, if you'll accept it," he said.

She couldn't help it, she beamed. "Absolutely I will accept! Thank you very, very much."

He nodded, happy with her response. "Great, I'm pleased to hear that. Now, we will be shooting on the weekends, and some evenings. My student production manager will be sending out a weekly schedule and a daily call sheet. Please take a copy of the full script," he said, pointing at a stack on his desk.

Before he could continue, the door to his office opened, and River walked in.

"Hey Roth, you sent for me?" he asked, looking Charlie up and down shamelessly.

"Yes, good, you're finally here." Professor Roth held out his hands, pointing at the two of them. "Sarah, meet John. John, meet Sarah."

John was the name of the male lead in The Outlaws. This was Professor Roth's way of telling them that they were his two principal characters. He had probably meant to break the news to them at the same time, but River was late, like always.

River looked confused. "But, she's a Freshman."

"I know, and I know the starring roles are usually reserved for Seniors only. But I know chemistry when I see it. It can't be faked," their director said. "I am genuinely excited about this project. I might finally submit to festivals this year."

Charlie hadn't said anything yet, because she was still taking everything in. This was a lot to absorb in a short amount of time.

"You're the boss," River agreed.

"You'll receive your schedules and call sheets soon. I look forward to working with you both," Roth said, standing up.

Charlie took that as a sign the meeting was over. "I look forward to working with you too."

Clutching her script, she walked around River towards the door, but as she reached for it, River leaned in and grabbed the handle to open it for her. She reflexively looked over her shoulder at him. He was standing pretty close to her. She felt her heart beat a little faster.

"One more thing," Professor Roth called to them before they could leave. "I'd like you two to spend some time together. Get to know each other a little better, as well as rehearse. We're going to need to hit the ground running when we start shooting."

Charlie looked at him, then looked at River. "Okay," she said.

River raised his eyebrows at her, then motioned toward the door with his free hand. "After you." 

***She got the part! But so did River....