Suddenly Starlet

Suddenly Starlet--Chapter Five

Chapter Five

“So, we know you can perform in front of a crowd,” Mr. Hyperman said. “But the question is, can you act?”

They were all sitting around the Herman’s living room, having ended up there after the varsity team had beaten the JV team 45-18. After settling down with cups of hot tea, Mr. Hyperman had begun his cycle of questions.

Can I act?

This was the same question Laney had been asking herself the whole ride home. In theory, the idea didn’t sound too far-fetched. She was a cheerleader after all, used to being in the spotlight and commanding people’s attention. But could she move outside herself and be someone else? And would people believe her?

“To be completely honest with you, Mr. Hyperman, I’m not sure. The only time I ever acted was several years ago when I played the queen,” Laney answered slowly.

“A queen, like in Shakespeare? Which play was it? ‘Macbeth’? Or maybe ‘Hamlet?’” the tan man asked, perking up.

Laney stared at him blankly. “I was the queen of hearts in ‘Alice in Wonderland.’

The room went silent and Mr. Hyperman looked back and forth between her parents. Then he burst out laughing, Laney’s mom and dad joining in almost immediately.

“You are one funny young lady,” he said, still laughing. “Queen of hearts!”

Laney laughed with them, nervously, as she scuffed her shoe along the floor.

“So, why don’t you show me what you’ve got, Miss Laney,” Mr. Hyperman said once he’d stopped laughing.

Laney’s heart started to race.

“Right now?” she asked, her eyes widening.

“Sure. Do you have any monologues memorized?” he said settling back in his chair and crossing his legs.

“Monologues?” she squeaked.

“Um, Mr. Hyperman, I don’t think Laney was aware she’d need a monologue,” her mom interjected. “But I’m sure she would be happy to perform something else for you, if that’s okay.”

“I don’t see any problem with that,” Mr. Hyperman said after a moment. “Go ahead and start whenever you’re ready.”

She smiled at Mr. Hyperman and then glared in her mom’s direction. Thanks a lot, Mom!

What was she going to do? She didn’t have a monologue—heck, she wasn’t even sure she knew what a monologue was.

Think, Laney, think! She surveyed the room around her as she stood up and moved in front of her audience. Her gaze fell on the box of one of her favorite movies and she instantly got an idea. She turned to face her parents and Mr. Hyperman and began to speak.

“Don’t you get it? I don’t want to be the chosen one,” she yelled, obviously angry with the imaginary person standing beside her. “All I want to do is graduate from high school, move to Europe, marry Christian Slater and die. Now that might not seem like too much to a scone head like you, but I think it’s swell. And now you come along and tell me that I’m a member of the hairy-mole club so you can throw things at me? Last night, you knew I was sitting on a fresh grave?” she asked and threw a jab into the air as if she were punching someone violently.

“Wow! I didn’t even break a nail,” Laney said, ending her performance as she examined her own chipped nails.

Laney paused for dramatic effect and then bowed for her parents who were clapping from their place on the couch.

“What is that from?” Mr. Hyperman asked, puzzled.

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” Laney said

He shook his head in confusion.

“You know—grrr, argh,” she added, making her best vampire face. After another long stare, Laney gave up and let her hands drop to her sides. “It’s all I could think of.”

“All in all, Laney, that was pretty good. You could use a little polishing, but I think we could probably work something out. That’s if you’re interested,” Mr. Hyperman said, staring straight at her.

“R-Really?” Laney asked, surprised.

“Well, and if it’s okay with your parents, of course.”

Laney turned to her parents and gave them her best “please, please, please” face and waited for their reaction. Her dad spoke up first.

“Mr. Hyperman, we certainly appreciate your very special offer, but this is sort of a big decision for us. Would you mind if we thought about this for a few days and then got back to you?” her dad asked, cleaning his glasses with his shirt sleeve.

            Mr. Hyperman stood up and smoothed out his pants.

            “No problem, Mr. Herman. Take all the time you need and call me when you’ve come to a decision,” he said, pulling on his coat. “But FYI—Things change quickly in this business, so my advice is not to wait too long, okay?”

            He shook Mr. Herman’s hand, thanked Mrs. Herman for the tea and before they knew it, the tan man had left the building.