The Next Big Thing

Chapter 2

The ringing of her phone jerked Lauren out of sleep and she glared into the dim half-light of the morning. Glaring didn't make the ringing stop, however, and so she hazily groped at her nightstand, seeking the sleek shape of her phone.

"Hello?" She mumbled.

"Miss Jauregui?" A crisp female voice had her eyes snapping open.

"Yes?" She sat up, pushing the sheets away from her mouth so she could speak clearly.

"I'm calling about your audition on Monday."

"Yes?"

"We'd like you to come back in."

Lauren stared blankly at the foot of her bed, trying to process the words. "You're calling me back?" She finally asked dumbly.

"Can you come in at eleven this morning?"

Lauren had no idea what time it was, but she was already nodding, despite the fact that the woman couldn't see it. "Yes. Yes, that's fine."

"Please be ready to play a different song than Monday, and to learn a short piece of music while you're here," she said, voice efficient and uninterested.

"Yeah, sure. Um, thank you?"

"You're welcome, Miss Jauregui." The call disconnected.

Lauren pulled the phone away from her ear, staring down at the screen dumbly. It was only eight in the morning, but there was no way she was going back to sleep.

"Keana!" She bellowed.

She had gotten a call-back. She couldn't believe it.

____________________________________

When she walked through the doors at 10:45, the building felt different. There were still people there, but far, far fewer than two days before, and the energy in the air was different. Charged. Everyone seemed more nervous, more excited. Now that they had made it past the first open audition, people were beginning to think that this could be their chance.

Lauren was beginning to think that this might finally be her chance.

She paused at reception, an entirely different woman sitting behind the low desk. "Hi, I'm Lauren Jauregui? I have a call back?"

Her fingers flew across the keyboard of her computer, and then she gave her a smile. "I'll let you know when they're ready for you, Miss Jauregui." She held out a piece of paper. Thinking it was another form, Lauren was surprised to glance down and find it was sheet music. "You'll have time to rehearse it, don't worry," the woman said kindly. "We'll call you into a practice room first."

"Okay. Thanks," Lauren gave her a tentative smile back, turning to the rest of the room and eyeing its occupants.

It was still a lot of people, but...not nearly as many as Monday.

In fact, Lauren thought with a grin, it wasn't such bad odds.

She settled herself down on the floor again, next to a serious looking girl.

The girl's eyes flickered up to hers as Lauren slid down to the floor. "Guitar?" She asked, glancing at the case in Lauren's hand.

"Yup."

"Drums," the girl offered. "I'm Dinah"

"Lauren." She stifled a laugh as the girl actually extended a hand to shake, gripping tightly and giving her firm pump up and down. Just like she was probably taught in business school or wherever she had wandered in from.

She really didn't look like a drummer.

"This is crazy, isn't it?" Dinah asked, nodding at the room at large.