Ten Minutes Ago // Ben Tyler Cook

Part One / Chapter Nine

Sky lets out a sigh. "Can you drive any faster, Ben? We want to be there early, not five minutes before the audition."

I turn to him. "We're stopped. In traffic. There is no way for me to go anywhere at all." As soon as traffic begins to move again, I turn, deciding to take a shortcut. As Sky predicted, we arrive at the theater at 4:25.

"Roll out!" Josh calls as he scrambles out of the backseat and shuts the door. We hurry into the theater, making our way toward the rehearsal room. Marlee and Noelle are already there. Noelle is sitting in a chair and Marlee is pacing back and forth, humming softly.

When Marlee sees us, she visibly relaxes, relief flooding her face. "I thought you weren't going to make it," she mumbles, obviously very nervous.

"And miss seeing you before you go in? Not a chance," Josh says, giving her a warm hug. "You got this, Marlee."

"Thanks, Josh." She nods and smiles slightly.

I step over to her. "Hey," I say, causing her to look at me. "You're going to do great. You can sing, don't worry about that. You've done theater before, right?" Marlee nods in response to my question. "You know what you're doing."

Marlee nods, taking a deep breath. "Thank you, Benji." She cracks a small smile as she says my nickname. I pull her into a hug, closing my eyes for a moment. She fits almost perfectly in my arms, and I wish we could stay like this longer. But Marlee pulls away too soon, and we part. Sky speaks to her for a few minutes, and then Mr. Calhoun's assistant steps out of the rehearsal room.

"Ms. Granger? We're ready for you now," his assistant says sweetly.

"Wish me luck," Marlee says, giving us a small smile before following the woman into the room. The door closes behind her. Now we just have to wait.

Sky, Josh, and I take the seats next to Noelle. "I don't think I've ever seen her this nervous," Noelle says softly. "She really wants to do well."

"And she will," I say. "I've heard her sing. Mr. Calhoun would be crazy to turn her down."

"I haven't heard her," Sky starts, "but you never know. This could be the start of her Broadway career."

"Yeah," Josh says wishfully. "She could be the next big star." He smiles slightly. "I guess we'll just have to wait and find out."

Noelle stands up and begins to pace just as Marlee had done minutes earlier.

"Noelle," Sky starts. "Sit back down, please. Your pacing only stresses me out more. Please, please, stop." He runs a hand through his hair.

"Sorry," she mumbles, taking a seat again. Instead of pacing, she bounces her leg nervously.

Sky watches her and lets out a quiet groan, hiding his face in his hands. "That doesn't help either."

"Stop complaining, Skyler," Josh mutters sharply. "She's nervous for her friend. Cut her some slack." I turn to Josh, surprised. He must be nervous, too. I don't think I've ever heard him speak that way to anyone.

After ten agonizingly long minutes, the door opens and Marlee walks out. "Thank you!" She calls back into the room as the door closes once again. We all jump up, everyone asking questions at once. Marlee quiets us all by raising her hand. "Okay." She laughs. "I think I did pretty well. But! I don't want to be too confident," she says quickly. "There are a lot of other people they have to audition. It may be a while before I hear back."

"Anybody up for a celebration dinner?" I suggest, looking at my friends.

"I know I am!" Josh cheers. Sky and Marlee agree.

"Oh, actually, you know what? I think I had something to do tonight," Noelle says.

"Really?" Marlee's smile falls.

"And I need someone to drive me back to the apartment. You two come with me," she says, pointing at Sky and Josh. Noelle is really bad at acting, but Josh understands.

"Yeah, we should probably go." He's obviously hiding a smirk. I know him too well.

Sky just stares at him. "What? I want dinner."

"We can get something else. Ben and Marlee, you go ahead, we'll see you later," Josh says, lightly elbowing Sky, who suddenly understands.

"Bye!" He calls, and the three of them walk off toward the car, leaving Marlee and I no option but to walk.

"I guess it's just you and me," Marlee says with a quiet laugh.

"Guess so. Why don't we go find a place to eat?" I smile and offer her my arm. Marlee lets out another laugh and hooks her elbow through mine. I check my phone as a text comes through before slipping it into my pocket and leaving the building with Marlee.

Josh Burrage

<< Go get her, Benji >>