If Trouble Could Talk

Auditions

As the last bell rang, I placed my palm on the cool metal handle and swung open the glass door it attached to. The room was cold and dark, opposing the sun's warmth and light outside. I could see another set of double doors about 100 feet down the hallway, and there were three sets of doors down the left side of the long, narrow room.

"It's that one." Georgie pointed to the second door, beginning to walk down the hallway, me following. "The first door's the props room; like backstage when we have performances. And the last one is the music room, where the band practices for events, it gets really crowded down here around Showcase Night."

I was a little confused, but not enough that it took my mind off of the impending thought of having to do an audition in front of countless strangers.

Georgie reached for the door. "We're probably early, there wasn't anyone outside was there?"

Before I could answer, the door swung inwards, away from her grip. A bright light from inside the room hit us, and standing there was a rather small figured woman wearing a red cardigan and long black genie pants.

"Girl! Could you please keep it down! There are important auditions going on in here and we can hear you in the hallway - if you have a class down here this lesson the please keep quiet while you wait for your teacher!"

I must have been half shocked, and half utterly embarrassed at that moment; which is probably why I didn't say anything. I just stood there - with my eyes widened like a stunned deer standing on the road staring into a poacher's headlights.

"But Mrs. Eastbeck." Georgie had piped up in the sweetest voice I'd ever heard her use. "We're here for the auditions." From her expression I gathered that she must have been somewhat shocked as well.

The woman's expression, however, hadn't changed. And she was now looking down at a gold watch on her left wrist, her other arm still on the door, holding it open and pressed against the wall to her right, revealing fifty or so kids sitting in a clump in the middle of the room staring at us.

"You're late." She finally scowled. Looking back up at us with another unpleasant stare.

"Auditions have already begun. You were all told to be here fifteen minutes before the end of lunch so we could get started as the bell rang!"

I was sure that my face had flushed hot red by now, I didn't think I'd ever felt so embarrassed for before.

"But we were told the end of lunch!" I tried to reason, surprising even myself that I had spoken.

"Really? By who?" She seemed to be getting more agitated by the minute

I didn't want to rat Abigail out, but even though I was sure she'd told us the right time - my fearful doubt was poking holes in my certainty with every passing second.

"It doesn't matter!" She angrily sighed, indicating she had made up her mind. "Go and sit in the back; you've already taken up too much of my time today."

Still completely stunned, as I'm sure Georgie was too; we made our way past this practically fuming teacher standing at the door, around the clump of students on the floor - many of them still staring at us, mind you - and sat down quietly. Not another word! I thought to myself. Not another word!

"Okay, let's continue the introduction, and then we'll get started!" The teacher yelled again over the slight mumbling of the class.

I could see her clearer now that my eyes had adjusted to the brightness of the room. She didn't stand very tall - even with massively high pumps on, maybe 5 ft 2? She had short brown hair, styled into one of those can-I-speak-to-a-manager haircuts with a streak of purple across the front of her fringe. And she was definitely no spring chicken - she had to be at least sixty.

"Now, who knows what role they are auditioning for?"

I looked around as the rest of the class put their hands up, and decided I would too - there was no way I was attracting myself any more attention today.

I wasn't entirely lying, I had read 'The Importance of Being Earnest' last year for English, so I sort of knew the characters. And after a second I'd decided I would just go for the butler - if I was made to audition, that is.

"Brillant!" Mrs. Eastbeck bellowed, now appearing happier at seeing the amount of hands raised around the room.

***

Auditions didn't really get any worse from then on.

Mrs. Eastbeck sorted us into groups of scenes, and we read them out together, I was lucky enough to slip into the corner and watch, that was - until Abigail saw me.

"Hey girl!" She smiled, jogging over to me. "You gonna audition? I think you'd make a great-"

"I thought I was too late to audition."

"Oh, yeah I'm sorry about that." She knelt down. "I really thought they started at the end of lunch! But then I spoke to Miss today and she was telling everyone that we needed to be there earlier... I couldn't find you - so I just hoped that someone had told you. But from what I just saw I'm guessing no one did. I really am sorry."

"It's fine. I guess. But I'm not auditioning; I won't get up there after that."

I really disliked being here, especially after being told the wrong time, and then the teacher's explosion at us being late. But Abigail sounded sincere, and I knew that Georgie wanted me to be here for her - she was still auditioning, no matter what.

"Okay then. But it'll be a shame - you look like a great actor." She smiled and got up, then skipped back over to her group and began running lines again.

Mrs. Eastbeck was wandering around the room, stopping, watching, scribbling notes down onto a piece of paper and moving on. And I all I could do was sit there for what seemed like forever, and wait...

***

After a while, Mrs. Eastbeck blew a small red whistle that was sitting on a desk at the back of the room.

Finally.

"All right class!" She screeched once again. "That's all we have time for today! Pack up your things and have a good afternoon. If I haven't been around to your group - I'll see you tomorrow at the same time!"

I heard several sighs as I stood up. Georgie grabbed my arm from behind as soon as I'd picked my notebook off the floor, which nearly made me jump.

"Hey! I can't believe you never auditioned! Miss said my group did great, one of the best she saw today!"

"That's great news Georgie," I sighed, surprised to be more tired than she was. "Can we get out of here now?"