Rhythm || Ashton Irwin

Chapter Thirty-One

(Lauren’s POV)

“Lauren Chandler?” I heard the very formally dressed woman ask from the backstage door.

Taking a deep breath, I shook out the last bit of nerves I had before jogging over to her, giving her a small smile.  “Hi.”

“You’re up next, come with me,” she instructed, motioning for me to follow her to the right side of back stage.  Glancing out onto the beautifully lit stage I could see another girl about my age, dancing to her routine in front of the on looking judges.  “You gave your music to the sound technicians right?”  She asked, as she clutched the clipboard to her chest.

“Yeah,” I mumbled, feeling the nerves building in my stomach.  I hated tryouts, they made me so nervous, which was ironic considering the profession I was following.

The music came to a stop, with the girl standing center stage, holding her last pose with a smile plastered on her face, trying to make it seem as though she wasn’t completely out of breath as the lights dimmed and she ran off to the opposite side.

“It’s time, good luck Miss Chandler,” the woman said, giving me a fake smile while shoving me towards the stage.

Walking to the center stage as gracefully as possible, I faced the judges, giving them a warm smile.  “Name?” an older woman asked, not even glancing up form her clipboard.

“Lauren Chandler,” I said as confidentially as possible.

“Role?”

“Sugar Plum Fairy,” I said giving them a nod as the four judges looked at me critically.

“Well, whenever you’re ready, Lauren,” she instructed.  Getting into my first position, I waited for the music to start, letting my last month of training take over as I glided across the stage, suddenly forgetting about the nerves I had previously felt.  I kept my form as straight as possible, making sure to land all of my aerials as softly as I could.  A short minute and a half later, I landed my final turn, taking my final position in center stage, smiling wide, knowing I had just completely nailed my routine as the lights fell.

Once off stage, I let out a loud sigh of relief, happy I hadn’t passed out from the nerves or completely forgotten my routine, which was probably my biggest fear.  “Lauren?” I heard a squeal from behind me, immediately making the smile fade from my lips.

Turning around slowly, I made eye contact with Paige who was dressed in the brightest pink tutu I had ever seen.  “Paige.”

“I thought you weren’t interested in school productions,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest and cocking her head to the side.

“Actually, I said I loved these productions,” I said shaking my head some, trying desperately not to roll my eyes at her ignorance.  “You’re the one that said these were beneath you.”

She gave me a small shrug with a wide grin on her face.  “I thought I’d give it a shot.  I mean if you’re able to get into them, then anyone can right?"

Letting our a harsh breath, I held my tongue not willing to get into a pissing contest with someone who clearly fed off of my anger.  “Yeah, okay.  Good luck Paige,” I muttered, walking away from her as quickly as possible in search of my gym bag that was sitting against the edge of the packed dressing room.  I needed to take these pointe shoes off, knowing for sure that there were some new blisters on my toes.

I sat myself down beside it, untying the laces of my shoes and releasing my feet from their hold, letting out a sigh of relief.  Pulling out my street shoes, I put them on tenderly, trying to avoid my toes rubbing along anything.