I sighed with relief as I walked down the hall into the bathroom. I wasn’t as much of a disaster as I thought I’d be. Sweaty, ruffled hair, but not a complete hot mess. I rinsed my face, washed the blood and dirt from my elbow, and took a comb from my pocket to smooth my hair. I wasn’t vain, but I knew I wouldn’t get anywhere if I didn’t look good.
Growing up, I’d always hated how my looks lead people to underestimate me. With my heart-shaped face and full pink lips that stood out against green eyes and brown hair, my features were so feminine it hurt. I guess that’s why I’d always liked defying expectations by keeping my hair short and going for menswear over fussy dresses.
I dried off quickly, returned to the reception room, and waited….
And waited...
And waited...
I scratched my nose, my eyes feeling itchy, as if just that brief encounter with the puppy had sent my allergies flaring up. It must’ve been my nerves. My body was reacting as if the room was teeming with dog hair. I tried not to sneeze as I waited….
And waited…
And waited...
“Is there an issue?” I finally asked the receptionist after I’d been si
tting for over twenty minutes.
“Errr.” The woman hesitated.
Just then, a door opened down the hall and I heard a shout. “I can’t do this until we find her!”
The receptionist's eyes darted back to the door where the shout had erupted from. “Look, I’m not supposed to tell anyone this.” The look of glee said that she couldn’t contain the secret. “We’ve already booked one of the romantic leads.”
“And?” I said to fill her dramatic pause.
“It’s Jessica Black!” She literally squealed with excitement.
No way.
No fucking way.
Jessica Black? It couldn’t be the Jessica Black. She had way better roles to be filling than this small-time movie that would be lucky to make it to a couple film festivals. And besides, her brand was built on selling the idea of romance to cheap magazines with headlines like “A Bazillion Ways to Please Your Man!” Barf! She’d dated every single actor from her romance blockbusters. Jessica Black was the last woman on earth anyone would expect to see in a lesbian romance movie.
That thought was interrupted by an enormous sneeze that made the chair shift under me.
“But of course, the star gets what the star wants,” the receptionist continued, giggling like it was all amusing to her. “She insisted on bringing her puppy to the set and it got out of her dressing room. She’s saying she won’t start until we find her.”
Of course.
Of course with my luck there would be a dog at the audition. If there would even be an audition. What a diva to not only insist on bringing her puff-ball, but refuse to start until it was by her side. How did someone with that little professionalism even make it this far? I blamed it on her stupid good looks. Must be easy to get ahead when you have every guy on the planet drooling over your curves and every girl trying to look like you.
Well… I also had to admit that she was a good actress. I set my lips in a hard line. That didn’t change how much I resented her for the trivial way she was treating this whole film. After everything I’d gone through to get here. All the literal pain I’d endured. First my car, then the mad dash, then the—wait a minute.
“What does her dog look like?”
“Oh, she’s the sweetest thing! Fluffy white fur and the biggest blue eyes you’ve ever seen!”
“Will you wait for me a minute?” I asked, already jumping up.
“I don’t see us starting anytime soon.” She still seemed amused by all this. Must be nice to be paid by the hour and have a guaranteed source of income.
I stuffed that bitter thought down as I dashed out the door and retraced my steps, searching for the ball of fluff that’d bruised my wrist. I found the bush I’d seen her scamper out of and called out, “Hey, umm... Marshmallow.” That was probably her name, right? What else could you call something that white and fluffy? “Marshmallow! Here girl.”
I was on my hands and knees now, getting dirtier by the second as I searched under the bush. I had no idea why I was even doing this when every second that ticked by made me want the role less and less. Did I really want to spend months working with a diva like Jessica Black?
I sighed. Diva or not, I needed this break. And the fact that Jessica Black was co-starring in the film only made it even more enticing as the opportunity that could rocket my career to the next level.