Born to Perform

Chapter 21

After the rather unfortunate start to the journey, I finally manage to stop crying and pull myself together. The other passengers already hate me for my public display of emotion while boarding and the hysterical crying wasn’t exactly helping. 

I put my earphones in to listen to my iPod and, within the first two bars of ‘I’m the Greatest Star’, I already feel better. I’ve been dreaming about this moment for as long as i can remember and I’m not going to let anyone ruin this for me. Sam is part of my past. This journey is part of my future. 

Once I’ve recovered, the time actually goes really quickly and, before I know it, we’ve landed in California after a couple of bounces. I can barely believe I’ve finally made it and peer out of the window in wonder. Stepping off the plane, I am hit by how warm it is here compared to in Rosedale and I’m glad I wore the Maria skirt now. 

I manage to get through airport security without being arrested and collect my luggage, then wander towards the exit. I spot Nathan Cruz waiting for me, his head about a foot above the rest of the crowd. Wow, he is really tall. He is dressed in another expensive-looking suit - this time in an elegant grey colour that makes him look even more tanned than the last time I saw him. I wheel my suitcase over to him. 

“Hey, Melody!” He greets me and flashes a smile that belongs in a toothpaste commercial. “How was the flight?”

“Um, yeah, fine,” I lie. I won’t share the details of the hysterical screaming and crying with him. I doubt he’d be impressed. 

“My car’s just outside,” he says, leading me out of the airport. I elbow my way past groups of travellers trying to get a taxi, towards a huge parking garage. It’s weird, I’d always assumed that everything in California would be glamorous and such an ugly building looks out of place. I trail after him until we stop at a sleek black BMW, then he throws open the trunk, lifts my suitcase in as if it weighs nothing at all, then tells me to get in on the passenger side. The seats are plush black leather and the whole car smells new. 

“Wow, this is awesome,” I gasp, then want to kick myself for sounding like such a dork. He just laughs, though, and pulls out onto the road. Within a few minutes, we are speeding away at what feels like a hundred miles an hour. We pass palm tree after palm tree, office block after office block until I feel so dizzy I might faint. Sunshine beams in through the open window and the warm breeze tousles my hair. Ok, this place really is magical. 

We sit in silence for a while, the only sound being tyres on asphalt. I lace my fingers together anxiously, hoping and praying that the director will like me and put me in the film. Mr Cruz glances at me. 

“Feeling nervous?” he asks. 

“A little,” I answer. Understatement of the century. 

“You’ll be fine. When I told the director, Mr Ferrelli, about you, he thought you’d be perfect for the part,” he tells me, smiling that billion dollar smile again. 

“What part is it exactly? I don’t actually know anything about the film,” I confess, suddenly realising how clueless I am about this whole thing. What if it’s an awful film?

“Well, it’s basically a teenage musical based in a Los Angeles high school,” he starts explaining. Well, that might not be too bad, I tell myself. “It’s about a girl who moves to a new school in Hollywood. She’s an aspiring singer and sets her sights on winning the school’s annual talent competition.” I can certainly empathise with this character - I know exactly what it’s like to reach for the top. 

“Then, she meets a boy and falls in love,” Nathan continues, keeping his eyes fixed on the road ahead, “And they want to sing a duet together for the talent competition but the school’s queen bee gets jealous of all the attention the new girl’s getting and tries to sabotage her performance, but as always love saves the day and good wins over evil.”