Before I biked back to Grandma's place, I attempted to take a picture of myself outside the store, holding the sheet music. I tried, but it turned out the picture only showed my mouth, my chest and the mask logo on the bottom of the cover of the sheet music. I tore it in half and threw it away before I pedaled home with a form, a monologue, sheet music and a very happy Avril.
I parked the bike in Grandma's backyard and brought the stuff inside. I found Grandma in the living room knitting and watching TV. I exclaimed, "Grandma, Grandma, I have the opportunity to audition for a community theater English production of Phantom!"
She looked at me and I showed her the form. "Because I'm kind of a minor, I need guardian permission."
She looked around on an end table and found a pen. "Gimme the form now!" she squealed. I shoved it in her direction and she signed her name, pressing down. I added, "I have to do a monologue from Mean Girls and I wanna sing a song fromPhantom. I got some sheet music."
Grandma brought out an electric keyboard and played Think of Me over and over until we both got starving and ate. As we ate, we filled out the form. Grandma told me to say that I'd only want a lead role and even though that would be super awesome I just needed to be part of it so I didn't add that.
That night, I finally was able to sleep after getting over the excitement of auditioning for my dream the next day and slept. I had the same peculiar dream with the Phantom, dead sexy as ever, singing to me. It would be soooo cool if I believed that there was a Phantom but I just didn't. I woke up to Grandma shaking me and we headed to the community center after eating breakfast.
I waited outside the theater with Grandma, humming the song and trying not to think about Lindsay Lohan in rehab. Grandma was whispering words of encouragement in French and English as I was trying to sit still but what was in my mind was the practically perfect voice of the Phantom I saw in my dream. The door finally opened and a nervous looking girl came out. She said before I went in, "Prenez garde, le directeur est un type effrayant."
She walked away and I asked Grandma, "What'd she say?"
"She said the director is scary," Grandma replied as we went into the theater. "Just do your best."
Sitting in the front row was a gray-brown haired man in a red polo shirt with a frighteningly sour face. He was next to a woman at least in her thirties with piercing green eyes and neat pure brown hair. On stage left was a man in a button-up shirt with black hair and a droopy face that was probably even droopier because of his glasses. I said, "Um, hi, I'm Avril Hills."
"Mhmm. Your form?" the man in the front row said. I passed it to him and he skimmed over it. He continued, "So, you got sheet music for us?"
"Yeah, do you want me to sing first?" I asked.
"It's up to you," the woman said with a husky voice.
"Okay, um, I'd rather act first."
"Got a monologue?"
"Yeah, from Mean Girls."
"Cool," the woman said. "Get on the stage."
I got on the stage and cleared my throat. "Whenever you're ready," the guy at the piano said, sounding a little impatient. I opened my mouth and spoke. I tried not to look at the people's sour expressions staring blankly at me as if they didn't give a crap but it was scary! When I finished, the man sitting in the front row said, "All right, your song?"
"Think of Me," I said, handing it to the guy at the piano.
"Good choice," the woman said. It was nice, but she sounded a little tart. The piano guy starting playing and I sang like I never sang before. As I did, I felt like I wasn't just under the cold eyes of the two men and woman, but being watched by someone I didn't know personally but wanted to. It was a ridiculous thought and I hoped it didn't interfere with my singing but when I finished the song and the man not at the piano said, "Okay, send the next person in, we'll call you in a few days," I wasn't so sure he liked me very much. I took my sheet music back and went back to Grandma who was waiting outside. "So, how'd it go?" she asked eagerly.
"That girl was right, they are tricky."
"Maybe they just want to see how you are under pressure. That's good. Unfair, but good," Grandma said.
"I hope so, I'll be really bummed out if they don't cast me. I'll play anyone, even Carlotta."
"It'd be an honor to play Carlotta, she has plenty of songs to herself," Grandma said as we headed outside.
"But she's not supposed to be a good singer. I don't need to be considered any good, I just need to be in it!"
"I promise, Avril," Grandma said, stopping before the door. "You'll be in it whether they like it or not."