Inspired by the film Black Swan
The play "Icarus" described in this story does not exist as far as I know. The play is based on the Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus.
The song James sings is "Tracks of My Tears" by Smokey Robinson
The annoying buzz of his alarm pulled James from his slumber. He laid there momentarily and stared at the harsh red lights of 5:30 am in the darkness before turning off the offending sound. He got out of bed, groaning as he stretched his muscles and cracked his joints, and then headed towards the bathroom.
He entered the shower, letting the hot steam help to relax his muscles and soothe his throat. The warm water ran over him as he sang his scales and arpeggios. He washed his hair and body while practicing his audition solo. He continued to hum to himself as he exited the shower and dried himself off. He wrapped the towel around his waist and headed back to his room to get dressed. Once he was clothed he met his mother in the kitchen where she was making his breakfast.
"Morning, mother," James greeted as he took a seat at the breakfast nook.
"Good morning, sweetheart. Today's the big day, isn't it?"
James nodded but avoided her gaze.
It was audition day. The time had come for the production of another musical with the Gustavo Rocque Theater Troupe. James had been with this company for the past six years but had yet to receive any starring roles despite his amazing musical and acting skills. There was always someone just a little better than he was. There was always someone with more seniority. And there always seemed to be that one slut that would sleep their way into the production.
James had always dreamed of being in the spotlight, being the center of attention, being a star and his mother's broken dreams only fueled his desire. Every time he failed, she relived her devastation and he hated putting her through that. This year he was determined to get the lead. Not just for himself, but for his mother. He would do whatever it took to make both of their dreams come true.
"I had that dream again last night," he told her. "I was on center stage singing that Smokey Robinson song you like so much. The spotlight was so bright I couldn't see the audience. At first I thought the theater was empty, but I could hear them, mom. All of them. Shouting and clapping for me. They loved me."
Mrs. Diamond smiled affectionately and patted James on the shoulder. Her hand lingered a moment and he brought his hand up to meet hers. They locked eyes briefly, expressing emotions that could not be conveyed accurately by words.
After an hour of vocal warm-ups at home, James headed to the theater. He arrived fifteen minutes early and sat quietly by himself until Gustavo called them to start the auditions. At promptly 10 o'clock, the portly man entered stage right and yelled for all the talent to assemble in the rehearsal hall.
Many people sat in the chairs along the wall, while others practiced quietly to themselves. James was part of the former group, sitting in one of the uncomfortable, worn out chairs and scoping out the others in the room. He knew he was better than the others. He was definitely the most talented. He just had to prove it to Gustavo. His audition needed to be perfect.
Several names were called before it was finally his time to shine. He entered the audition room where Gustavo as well as the stage manager, Kelly, and the producer, Griffin were waiting. He handed his music to Gustavo who was seated at the piano and waited for his cue.
"Some people say I'm the life of the party because I tell a joke or two. Although I may be laughing loud and hearty, deep inside I'm blue."
James continued to sing like an angel, confidence growing with each new lyric.
"So take a good look at my face. You'll see my smile looks out of pla-"
James jumped in surprise when the large bulky door at the back of the room burst open with a loud boosh revealing a short brunette. Caught off guard, James couldn't prevent his voice from ringing off-key as he stumbled over the words. He glared in the direction of the door as it closed just as quickly as it opened. At this point, he noticed Gustavo had stopped playing and was leaning over whispering to Griffin.
The embarrassed boy cleared his throat awkwardly. "Uh. C-can I start over?" he asked.
Gustavo looked up at James with annoyance. "No, that's enough, James. You can go."
"At least let me finish the song!" he protested.
"I said, that's enough."
James stood there expressionless for a few moments before shaking his head in disbelief at what had just happened. Once again his hopes for lead in the play were surely shattered. He gathered his things in a rush and did his best to not appear as childish as he felt when he stormed out of the room. As the door closed behind him, he scanned the rehearsal hall for the boy who caused his mistake. Hazel eyes met chocolate across the room as the taller man glared hard at the pale, shorter brunette. He gave James a sheepish smile in return as an apology, but the offended did not accept it. Would not accept it. His chance at stardom was blown once again and it was all this boy's fault.
Everyone was instructed to leave when their audition was over, but James stayed until everyone was finished. He had to convince Gustavo to give him another audition, so he waited outside the larger man's office to catch him before he left for the night. When he arrived, Gustavo did not acknowledge James' presence, even when the actor followed him into the room.
James swallowed the lump in his throat as he shut the door behind him. He didn't want anyone to see what he was about to do. Beg. Such an unprofessional thing to do, but James was desperate. He had to be the lead.
He hesitated slightly before speaking, as his nerves were getting the best of him, but his confidence grew when he told himself there was no turning back. He was in Gustavo's office. The battle was half over.
"You need to give me another chance, Gustavo. That audition was completely unfair. I know I'm good. The best singer in the troupe. Let me prove it to you. Please, Gustavo. I'll do anything to get the lead this year."
The entire time James was speaking, Gustavo was packing up his things to leave for the night. It wasn't until he heard the end of the boy's plea that he seemed to gain an interest.
"Anything?" he echoed with a raised eyebrow.
The portly man took a few predatory steps towards James who instinctively took a step back, colliding against the wall. He felt a hand rest on his hip, holding him in place. He was now trapped. Another chubby appendage reached up to cup his cheek. Suddenly, Gustavo's face was mere inches away from his own and James desperately wanted to melt into the sheet rock when he realized what was about to happen.
James' entire body froze when Gustavo's lips collided with his own. He stood there helpless as the older man attacked his lips. He didn't know what to do. Should he accept the advances and kiss back? This could be his big break, his only shot. If he rejected the man, he would most likely be stuck singing in the ensemble for the rest of his career.
The swipe a tongue along his bottom lip brought James out of his daze. His eyes widened in fear as he tried to push the oversized man away. The grip on his waist tightened and caused James to gasp in pain, inadvertently giving the unwanted tongue access to assault his mouth.
A wave of nausea overcame James as panic reached an all time high. He pushed Gustavo away with more determination this time and kneed him hard in the groin. The man's hold on James immediately dropped as he reached for his wounded pride and fell to his knees.
James ran out of Gustavo's office and straight to the bathroom where he locked himself in a stall and puked his guts out. When all the contents of his stomach had been expelled, he leaned back against the door and slowly slid down to the ground. His eyes stung with tears. He brought a hand to his mouth to fight the whimper that wanted to escape. He banged his head against the door behind him. How could he have been so stupid? And what was he going to tell his mother?
James took a deep breath and wiped the tears from his eyes as he looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes were red and puffy. His skin was splotchy with dried tracks of tears on his cheeks. He nearly laughed at the bitter irony. Tracks of his tears indeed.
He splashed a handful of water on his face. The liquid felt cool against his heated skin. He pulled out a small black comb from his pocket and fixed his disheveled hair. There was a time when he considered the object lucky, but what good had it done him? It was apparent that luck was just not on his side.
Once he felt presentable, he gathered his things and left the restroom. The hallway of the theater was dark as everyone had left for the day. He walked solemnly towards the exit thinking of how he would explain this all to his mother.
Maybe it was the lack of lighting or lingering emotions of his confrontation with Gustavo, but James had a very uneasy feeling deep in the pit of his stomach. He felt like he was being watched. Was that another set of footsteps he heard? He stopped dead in his tracks and looked over his shoulder. He didn't see anyone and things were eerily quiet. The only sound that could be heard was his labored breathing. He held his breath for a better listen.
The loud trill of a cell phone shot through the quiet corridor and James nearly jumped out of his skin in fright. He calmed down when he realized it was his phone vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out to see the word MOM flashing on the screen. He was not in the mood to deal with her yet. He turned the phone off and placed it in his bag. After one more look around he quickly made his way to the exit and headed home.