Broadway Love

Chapter 3 - Age 8 (1)

The last few years had gone by in a haze. There were a lot of tears—both happy and sad. There were a lot of laughs and new friends, but also lots of bad grades and a few detentions, even. Alice couldn't remember any time when Betty cried more than after her audition at the age of 6 when they had finally finished playing 'The Sound of Music'. The small girl had remembered from the last time she went to auditions that people adored her and loved the way she sang. This time, she was told she didn't get through because of her young age and because of her height (she was too short). Her acting coach and every different person she practiced with told her there was nothing wrong with being short. But she hated it after that.

The blonde had to go back to real school in March when the musical ended. This time it was first grade. She had been used to studying backstage with her teacher, dressed up as Gretl and ready just in case if something happened to her understudies—a few times it did. She had been used to going to school to do the important tests once in a while and get some new homework sheets she needed. So, the change wasn't easy. She didn't have any friends at first either.

She kept going to different auditions, kept going to her singing and dancing classes every day, most of the dancing ones with Jughead. The boy had gotten some small background parts in plays and musicals over the year.

All of this was partly the reason why the—now—8-year-old Betty started crying when her manager called them, saying she got the part of Matilda that she had auditioned for so many months now. She had tried so hard for almost two years to get a part that wouldn't discriminate against her for being under the age of 8. Now that she had gotten 8 a month ago, she felt like this year was going to be the best one yet. It was only the 4th of January and already she had gotten good news. She loved that.

The Matilda auditioning process had shown her how many kids actually wanted that part. Or any part. She had stood in a line for 6 hours until it was finally her turn. The never-ending callbacks kept coming every week until it was only down to her and nine other girls. In the end, they chose three.

Once they had finished the call with the manager, Betty crying in Alice's arms quietly as the woman tried to listen to every bit of information they needed to know now. After about twenty minutes, the call ended. Betty didn't have any tears left, but she wasn't over the shock either.

"I got it," the girl said like it would've been impossible. "Did I really get it?"

"Yeah, honey," Alice chuckled, stroking her hair and giving her head a kiss. "You really got it."

Betty's eyes got glassy again, full of hope, sparkling. "But I was sick while auditioning."

"You were," Alice nodded. "See? I told you you'd get at least one part in the musical. Nobody cares you didn't have one for two years. You kept trying and practicing and that was all that mattered."

Betty hugged her mom really tightly, her tears replaced with a huge smile. "Am I the understudy or the real one?" she asked curiously.

"All are real ones," Alice chuckled. "There will be two more girls, playing Matilda. Fred said that they're going to decide during rehearsals who was going to be the main one for most of the shows. And even if you don't get that part, you'll still get to perform again."

Betty smiled big and closed her eyes when Alice kissed her forehead. "Can I call Juggie?" she asked excitedly.

The blonde woman chuckled. "No, Juggie's at school right now. And you're going back to bed, come on."

"Mom," she whined, being pulled off the couch. "I'm not that sick anymore."

"You have a huge fever, honey," Alice said, walking her back to her room and bed. Betty sighed, climbing under her duvet, and smiled again as she had another idea. "Can I call FP?"