1-800-SK8

Chapter 3

"So how did it go?" Ava squeezed my arm.

"Good, I think. You?"

"I don't think I'll be getting a call." Ava rolled her eyes. "They were looking for blondes and they said I'd make the boys look short."

"That's ridiculous!" I scoffed, but secretly I was glad I wouldn't have to compete with her.

"You'll definitely get it." Ava was much more confident than I was. 

We walked out of the building towards Ava's parked BMW. 

"Yikes, Ave. I think you got a ticket." I cringed pointing at the paper on her windshield. 

"Dammit." Ava snatched it off and crumbled it in her bag. "The parking meter literally expired 10 minutes before."

"Ridiculous." I agreed, opening the passenger door. 

My heart still hadn't stopped beating wildly since the audition. The second Nate and I made eye contact I felt a spark, but I doubt it was the same on his end.

"So, Nate huh." Ava snapped me out of my trance like she could read my mind.

"Yeah he looked cuter in pictures." I lied, pushing him out of my mind.

"Well, I don't think so." Ava remarked. "I was talking to some girls when you were in the room about him."

"Oh?" I tried to sound disinterested.

"Apparently, he's a huge fuck boy. Like all he does is party and hook up with a different girl every night. One girl was saying how he has groupies in like every city he's ever toured in. Her cousin hooked up with him or something in Pittsburgh and they never spoke after that."

"Oh." My heart sank. "He seems like that kind of guy"

"Yeah." Ava sighed.

I kept trying to forget about him, but I couldn't. I was just so drawn to him, but I knew nothing could ever happen. 

***

"Can anyone define deontology for me?"

I scrolled through twitter on my laptop, tuning out my philosophy professor.

Bzzzzz. Bzzzzzz. Bzzzzz. 

I fumbled around my tote, looking for my phone. 

Bzzzz. Bzzzzz.

"Where is that thing??" I mumbled to myself. 

Finally grabbing it out from underneath a bunch of papers, I cradled my phone between my shoulder and chin and snuck to the back of the lecture hall. 

"Hello?" I whispered, opening the back door into the hallway.

"Is this James?"

"This is she." I didn't recognize the crackly voice on the other line. 

"Hey, it's Dillon from the audition. We'd love if you would be in our music video. It's set to shoot next weekend on Saturday. It should only take a few hours and you'd get paid $500."

$500? That's more than I make in a week and I'd be getting that in one day.

"Perfect! I'd love to do it." I jumped up and down excitedly in the hall.

"Great! I don't know if you'd be interested or anything, but me and the boys are having a party tonight. You can meet the other girls in the video and just chill with the guys. You can bring a friend too, as long as they're a girl. It'll be cool to like hang out before hand."

"Um, yeah definitely." I ran my fingers through my hair.

"Okay cool." Dillon sounded relieved. "I'll text you the address."

"Okay, see you tonight." I hung up and went back into the lecture hall. 

I couldn't focus on philosophy right now, not that I really was before, but now even less so. 

I excitedly texted Ava and bounced up and down in my chair. 

Even though I tried not to acknowledge it, I was excited to see Nate again. What would I wear?