Better Than Revenge [Chapters 1-15 Rewritten]

Chapter 3: Bon Voyage

Chapter 3: Bon Voyage

"Sophia, you have a phone call," my mom called out from the living room. The sound of her approaching footsteps made me scramble off of my bed in protest. Something told me relaxation just wasn't in the agenda today. All I wanted was some peace and quiet – not another phone call. As a matter of fact, I didn't want to take another phone call ever again for as long as I lived.

"Don't answer it." I slid into the living room, using my socks as makeshift skates. I held up my hands to halt my confused mother. "Please don't answer it. Wait, who is it?"

Not that it mattered who it was. I had just sworn off phone calls, after all. I wasn't answering that phone – no exceptions.

"It's your school." She raised both eyebrows at me. "Still want me to let the call go?"

Okay, time to reconvene. Exceptions could be made to impulsive oaths. "No! No, give me the phone."

She shot me a knowing look and handed the phone over to me before returning to her native habitat: the couch.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Sophia?" she said. I didn't recognize the voice right off the bat, but I knew it belonged to someone who was female and vaguely familiar. My observations were validated when she added, "This is Mrs. Franklin."

So it wasn't technically my school that was calling; it was one of my teachers. Mrs. Franklin was by far my favorite teacher from the summer acting program I'd attended in New York right after graduating from high school, although that didn't offer me any insight as to why she was calling me at this hour. I already knew I'd been accepted into their full program, and I was all set to return to New York for my second summer session in a week.

Whatever it was that she had to say was important enough to merit a late-night phone call to Nowheresville, Indiana, though, so I was all ears.

"Yeah, it's me," I said. "What's up?"

Was that an inappropriate way to greet a teacher? By the way my mom was looking at me, I had a feeling it was, but Mrs. Franklin wasn't your average teacher.

"I have some very, very, very exciting news for you. I suggest you sit down for this. Hold onto something, too, if you can. But not too tightly, or your mom will think you're having contractions."

"What?"

"Is that not the right metaphor to use in a situation like this? I'm not sure right now. I've had a few glasses of wine. Okay, I've had a bottle. But that's not why I'm calling."

I laughed and did as she said, sitting down on the recliner by the couch and holding onto the side with my free hand. "I would hope not. What's this exciting news you speak of? I think I'm ready for it."

"I know you are. That's why I picked you."

I pressed my lips together. "I'm still not following."

"Sophia, I've been in the acting business for a long time, as you probably already know by now. Botox can only do so much for a woman. When auditions roll around and casting directors are looking for fresh new faces to fill some of their smaller roles, sometimes they turn to me to help them out."

She paused, probably to take another drink of her wine if we were being honest. The woman loved her Moscato.

"I've never promised any of my students immediate success," she continued. "I can't promise something like that. The only thing I can offer is a way to get your leg in the door. That's what I'm offering you."

I made some sort of strangled noise I couldn't quite describe. "What?"

Her tone turned downright jovial when she said, "I recommended you for an audition over in Hollywood. Teen book adaptations are a hit right now, and there's another one right around the corner. It's called Kidnap My Heart. Your audition for the part of Natalie is in a week. Again, I can't promise you anything, but I can say that you're a good candidate for the role."