Secret

“Take it or leave it, Hun. One thousand freakin’ dollars is on the line. Do you hear me? Take the offer, Aurora. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. No one else will give you this offer—it’s going to be huh-uge. You’re pretty, your co-star is h-o-t and it’s based on a book sold to millions and millions of people. Let’s cut to the chase here, Rory. This will change your life.” Denise said.

After she saw me at Roy’s Coffee Palace, she stalked me. Literally. I didn’t even know; she tracked my every move in hope of getting me on her movie. I only know this now; three weeks after ‘The Stalking’. I didn’t even notice her petite figure at the Coffee Palace. I was too busy taking demands from my manager who was ordering me to make a fresh batch of our world-famous chocolate truffles. Producer’s now scare me. Do all of them do, ‘The Stalking’ as she called it, when she told me? Creepers.

“B-b-but, this is all so much. Thank you, but I don’t know what to—” I started, looking at her with a cheek-to-cheek smile, trying to be empathetic.

“Say? Say one word; ‘Yes.’ I promise you, Aurora. You’re a perfect casting for Lana; you don’t even have to audition! I’m sorry, but you are really stupid. Who offers you a thousand dollars and you don’t take it? I looked at your drama marks; I even talked to your principal. You’re not supposed to know, but he said if he reviews ten episodes you’ll get a scholarship for Harvard Drama University.”

What about my parents? Moving to L.A isn’t something every parent wants their sixteen year old daughter to do. It’s a dream, I know. Usually actors have time to make this decision, but no, she wants me to decide now or I’m never offered one o’ these ever again. Don’t I need to discuss this with my mom and dad? A thought of moving by myself wouldn’t even cross a sarcastic smile on their faces; they’d laugh and say, “Ha, you wish.”

Denise’s pleading eyes and persuasive tone stood in front of me, mockingly.

“I guess.” I said.

She rose up her head and her mouth shaped into an ‘O’. “You’re not serious.”

“What, do you want me to say no?”

“NO, no! Never! We’ll get to it right now! Oh my god, you are a saviour, Aurora. Do you know that? She pulled out a white card from her Prada snake-skin purse and said, “My card. Call me tomorrow at 8:30 AM sharp. No later. Do it later? Off the job. Got that? Bye now, talk to you in hours. No questions. Discuss with your parents. Once done, call me and we’ll arrange a place and time for you to read and sign the contract. Ta, ta!” She walked off to her Mercedes-Benz and mumbled other things about the new show through her Bluetooth while texting on her sleek, black Blackberry. The clickety-clack of her high heels on the concrete repeated, making the rhythm get stuck in my head.

What happened to the sweet and persuasive Denise? At first I thought she was a fun producer, but apparently not. Where’s her Casting Director? Isn’t that the person who should be stalking me—not her? I don’t ‘do’ Hollywood so, then again, how would I know? She’s strict and business-like. I kind of adore that about her, even though she’s crazy.

I jumped into my black Toyota Corolla and drove out of Roy’s Coffee Palace’s driveway.

:::::://\\::::::

“Heeeey, dad? Mom? Can I talk to you…?” I yelled while walking down the stairs.

“What?” asked my mom from the kitchen, washing dishes.

My dad mumbled, “What?” from the living room while watching How I Met Your Mother, hardly paying attention.

I waited for the sink to turn off, meaning that my mom was finally listening. The house was in a bit of a mess. There were un-matching patterened pillows everywhere on the black leather couches, the laundry basket was in the middle of the living room, next to the table and there was a Chico-Gum candy wrapper on the coffee table. It was weird; the house still smelt fresh--like lemon Pine Sol. The sinked turned off and I began to speak.