A Thousand Miles Apart (A Skylar Astin Fanfic Sequel)

Chapter 2- Nudity

~Skylar's POV~

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" I asked. 

Jon Lucas and Scott Moore gave each other a look that said, We knew this was going to happen. 

Scott cleared his throat. "If you take the part of Casey, and we really hope you do, you and your co-star will be naked in the film."

I was hoping that I had heard Scott wrong, but after he repeated it, I knew it was true. Leave it to one small detail to make me have second thoughts over a job. 

"Um..." I managed to say. "I don't know how I feel about that. Exactly how naked would I be? Because I have to back out if it's full-frontal."

Jon smiled. "Well, the good news is that there won't be full-frontal...because you'll be wearing nothing but a tube sock." He gestured to his lower torso. I suddenly realized what he meant: I'd wear a tube sock, but it wouldn't be on my foot...

I raised my eyebrows. "Ok. I guess that's one way to cover up." The thought of nudity made me shudder, but the rest of the job sounded like a fun time. I never had a college experience, so playing another college student (like Jesse in Pitch Perfect) was my way of making up for it. My reaction to the news put worried expressions on Jon and Scott's faces, so I decided to ask a couple more questions to put their minds at ease. 

"Am I the only one that has to be naked?"

"No," Scott said. "The guy who'll play Miller will wear just a tube sock as well."

I nodded. "Ok. At least I won't be alone. Where is the scene happening?"

"Casey and MIller will be naked in multiple areas," Jon explained. "For two scenes you'll be on two different closed sets, and for another one you'll be walking around the campus that we're shooting at."  

 A college campus? "How many people are going to witness the campus scene?" I know I sounded like I was being picky, but I just really wanted to know what I was getting into.

Jon shifted in his chair. "Well, we're planning on shooting that scene in an outdoor courtyard, so we have no idea how many people will see it. We'll try our best to schedule it on a weekend so a lot of the students won't be there."

I took a moment to process all the information. Playing Casey sounded like a really fun job, and being employed again was something I yearned for. Sure, there would eventually be a scene where I'd be wearing nothing but a tube sock. The thought of doing it terrified me, but I knew that Ben would be there to get me through it. 

Besides, a job is a job, right?

~Ben's POV~

"So when are you available for an audition?" Trey Parker asked over the phone. 

"Anytime," I said back. "I literally have nothing going on."

Trey laughed. "How about next Tuesday at 10 AM? You have the directions to our production offices, right?"

I looked down at the piece of paper that I had written the directions on. "Yup, I've got them here. And Tuesday at 10 sounds like a perfect time."

After Trey and I said our goodbyes, I jumped up and down excitedly when I ended the call. It was not my proudest moment, but hey, I got an audition!

I was up for one of the lead roles in a Chicago production of The Book of Mormon, a musical that was making millions of dollars on Broadway. Making movies was fun, but musical theater was on another level. Why make a movie that only a few people might see when you can sing and act in front of a sold-out audience every night?

Just then, Skylar walked in, a white paper bag in his hand. "Sorry that took me so long, Ben. I thought I could go to the Dunkin' Donuts without getting flagged by teenage girls, but, you know."

I stood in the middle of the living room, staring at Skylar with a big grin on my face. 

Skylar cocked his head. "You look unusually cheery for someone who seemed really down this morning."

I cupped my hands over my mouth, trying to contain to the excitement. I couldn't. "I got an audition!"

"Are you serious?" Skylar said, dropping his things. He ran up to me and put me in a big embrace. "Ben, that's so great! What's it for?"

"The Book of Mormon!" I answered. "They're opening a new production in--"

"Hey, I've seen that!" Skylar interrupted. "It's gonna be so great to see you in that. What character are you up for?"

"Elder Cunningham."

"You're up for a lead role too? Ben, I was only gone for two hours!" Skylar laughed. "How did all of this happen?"

I explained to Skylar how Trey Parker, the director of the Broadway production, called me and offered the role. If I hadn't played Benji in Pitch Perfect, the call would've never happened. 

Skylar poked me in the shoulder. "He should've given you the role of Elder Price. He's a lot more dramatic."

"Shut up!" I said, playfully punching him back in his shoulder.

Skylar and I sat down on the couch. We were tilted a little so I could lay my head on his chest. 

"So how did your audition go?" I asked.

"I got the part," Skylar said, squeezing my hand with his. 

"That's fantastic!" I said. I kissed his hand and then looked up at him. "I knew you would get it." Skylar leaned his head down so he could kiss me. 

"The role is pretty interesting too," Skylar started. "I'm gonna be wearing nothing but a tube sock."

"On your foot?"

"Ben." Skylar looked me right in the eyes. "Think about it."

I hesitated for a second, and then I figured it out. My eyes widened in realization. "Oh." Then I started laughing.

Skylar started laughing too. "I cannot believe I just signed up for something like that."

It wasn't even that funny, but Skylar's situation somehow managed to put us in hysterics. Once our laughter died down, I said, "Well I am definitely coming to the set on the day you do that. Shooting starts in, what, two weeks?"

"Actually, it won't start for a little while," Skylar said. "Jon and Scott are still finishing the script. They said we'd start filming in September."

September? I instantly sat up. "September is when practice for the musical starts."

"Yeah, but you'll be here in LA, right?" Skylar questioned. 

I shook my head. "It's a Chicago production, Skylar."

Skylar's mouth dropped. He suddenly looked really worried. "21 and Over is shooting in Seattle."

Now we both looked worried. We both knew what the other was thinking just by looking into each other's eyes:

We were going to be on opposite sides of the country. 

To be continued... ;)

(A/N): Ugh, slow updates are the worst, aren't they? Once again, I apologize for making you wait so long. I think this summer has made me very lazy, so once school starts back up, I'll be more focused. 

I have to say that I am REALLY excited about this book because I'm going to be introducing new characters in the next couple of chapters, and they're really going to shake things up. ;)

Thank you for your patience, guys! Keep those votes and comments coming!