Academy One Shots

The Academy TV Show

I looked around the room, checking the blind spots on the cameras. "I think we're all good!" I called out. The shout echoed around the empty hallways.

"It's about fucking time; it took forever to get all those cameras up! Why do we need so many watching this shitty high school anyways?" Gabe grumbled. I shrugged.

"We have to catch the administration doing something illegal, and for that we need a lot of cameras." I explained.

My pocket vibrated. I tried as hard as I could to turn off the phone before it began to ring, but I wasn't quick enough and the noise pierced the hallway.

Shit, I murmured.

"Cut! Victor, what the hell was that? You should know better than to leave your phone on while we're shooting!" the director exclaimed.

"Sorry, I know." I apologized. I watched as everyone reset to film the scene again.

Owen looked at his phone. "While they're resetting, we should go and say hello to the people they're looking to cast for the girl." he said. I perked up- this sounded like fun.

"Hell yeah!" Gabe yelled. The director turned and hushed him with a glare. Gabe remained unapologetic.

We walked over to the casting area. As soon as Kota pushed open the door, a mob of fangirls surrounded us.

"Gabriel, lick my forehead!" one screamed.

"Victor, would you sign my shirt? It says 'Victor- the only person who makes classical music cool'." another one screeched. God, were these all the people auditioning for the role? They were rabid!

Owen's eyes glinted. It was funny how much his character was like his actual personality. "None of these girls work- dismiss them all." he ordered one of the aides. The aide blanched but moved quickly to do his bidding.

"Okay. Sorry everyone, you didn't get the role. Move out peacefully or be escorted out, it's your choice." he said. The girls grumbled but left within a few minutes.

I looked around the empty room, despairing. Who would we find for the role now?

The door opened and a petite blonde poked her head in. "I'm sorry I'm late, is the casting still open?" she asked. Owen glanced slyly at the rest of us.

"Yes, Miss..."

"Sang Sorenson. I came to audition for the girl role in The Academy." she said. My heart rate sped up at her words- her voice sounded so musical and beautiful.

We led her into a private room. Owen gestured for her to take a seat, which she did so gracefully. The rest of us took the other nine chairs on the other side of the desk. Owen and Kota were at the front of the mob; I had to jockey for the best chair behind them.

"So Miss Sorenson," Owen began, "Did you bring a resume?"

Sang nodded and opened up a folder. From it she pulled a single sheet of paper. Owen took it from her and perused it for a moment.

"This is... quite impressive. How come I've never heard of you before?" he asked eventually.

"I've tried to stay out of the spotlight. I think that it's time for me to fully embrace being an actress, however." Sang explained.

Luke snorted- I'm sure he was wondering how she would deal with the massive popularity that comes from being part of The Academy. The paparazzi, the talk show appearances, the fanfiction...

"Would you be fine using your actual name in the show? That's what we all do." Kota asked. Sang nodded, looking pleased.

"That would be great." she said.

The room descended into silence for a few moments. I expected Sang to fidget or look uncomfortable, but she simply sat there, maintaining eye contact with Owen.

"Well Miss Sorenson, why don't you try reading part of the script so that we can get a feel for if you fit the character." Owen said to break the silence.

Kota handed her a sheet of paper, which she looked at intently. From her rapid eye movement, I would guess that she was memorizing it.

"In this scene, you were running away from home for a night and Kota stopped you by making his dog run into you. Kota is currently trying to get you to stay at his house." Owen explained.

"Ready, start!" I called out, turning on a camera to film the exchange.

Kota took a deep breath. "So what were you doing out so late?" he asked. Sang looked uncomfortable at his question.

"Just taking a walk. I couldn't sleep." she said. I could tell that she was just the slightest bit defensive.

"With a book bag weighing a ton on your back? In the middle of this weather?" he continued. Sang blushed and cast her eyes around as if hoping that the answer would magically appear.

Kota gave her a sympathetic smile. "Hey, I'm sorry. Look, it's personal. Whatever it was, did you have to do it in the middle of the night?" he asked.

Sang seemed to fold in on herself. "It felt like a good idea at the time." she whispered. Even in such a short scene in the middle of an office, her acting skills drew me into the story. I found myself completely absorbed, unable to think about anything else.

Kota frowned before switching to a more neutral expression. "Okay. Here's what I'm going to do," he said, "I'm going to find you something dry to wear. I'm going to go downstairs to change. I'll make you some hot chocolate, too. If I come back and you're not here, I'll understand. If you are, you get to tell me what's going on."

Throughout the course of Kota's speech, Sang seemed to grow progressively more hopeful while still looking wary. Remarkable.

Kota leaned in towards Sang. Her eyes widened at his movement. "I make a halfway decent friend, if you give me a chance." he whispered. Sang looked right into his eyes, and I could tell that they had major chemistry together.

It was obvious that Sang didn't know how to respond, so she settled for a nod. Even her nods were dainty and gorgeous, just like her.

Kota pulled back to a more socially acceptable distance. He pretended to hand Sang something. "It'll be big on you," he said, "These might be too big as well be they at least have a tie." Kota paused to stare intently at Sang. "Just put your wet things in the bathroom for now. When they aren't so soggy, we'll toss them into the dryer."

Once Kota finished speaking, Sang smiled at him. It transformed her whole countenance, making her seem even more stunning that she already was.

She kept it in place for a second before switching to a more demure expression.

She stopped and looked at us. "How was that?" she asked. We were all too caught up in her performance to answer.

"It was... amazing." Luke finally got out. Sang smiled again, setting my heart off at a thundering tempo.

Owen cleared his throat. I wanted to laugh at how shaken he looked. "We just have a few more questions, Miss Sorenson," he began, "Why did you choose The Academy to audition for?"

She shrugged. "I'd never heard of it before yesterday when I saw the casting advertisement. I figured, why not give it a go? I've never watched any of the other seasons, but if I get casted I'll catch up on them." she said.

Never heard of The Academy? How's that even possible? It's one of the biggest shows on HBO right now. It would be a huge advantage for the story if she didn't know anything in advance, however, as it would make her reactions genuinely authentic.

I could tell that Owen's thoughts were following the same path as mine. "Don't bother catching up, Miss Sorenson." he instructed.

"Why?" Sang asked.

"It'll be better if you're actually clueless as to the role of the Academy. Welcome to the cast, Sang." Owen said. We all cheered as we watched Sang's surprised expression.

"Thanks guys, I'll work my hardest to do the story justice." she said once she composed herself. Owen smiled at her.

"I know you will." he murmured.