Two days later, during breakfast, Grandma's phone rang. We had been eagerly waiting for the "big call" for what seemed to be months. Every time the phone rang, one of us would jump to it and answer loudly, "Bonjour!" or "Hello!" But this time, we got the big call. I beat Grandma to the nearest phone and answered excitedly, "Cormier residence, Avril speaking!"
"Avril Hills?" said the husky woman's voice.
"Yes, is this the theater?"
"It sure is," she said. She wasn't speaking coldly but nicely as if she had something awesome to say. But if it were bearing bad news there was a kazillion percent chance I would break down. She continued, "We are giving you a great honor and we hope you accept it."
I gasped and put it on speaker. "Yes?" I replied.
"After much thinking, the conductor and director and I have decided that you are fit for the part of Christine Daaé."
I couldn't hold it in. I screamed at the top of my lungs in happiness and Grandma joined in. After I calmed down, I said, "I accept, I accept, I accept a million times!"
"Good, because all the other girls who auditioned could not handle Christine."
"I can't thank you enough, when do rehearsals start?" I shrieked.
"March seventeenth, same place you auditions. After that, every Thursday for a month and sometimes main characters will be called in on weekends."
"That's absolutely fine, thank you!" I exclaimed.
"And thank you," she replied. "See you there."
"Bye!" I squealed. I hung up and screamed a little more with Grandma until I could hardly breathe and had to breathe in a paper bag for a while.
March seventeenth came before I knew it. I couldn't stay still in the car as Grandma drove me to the community center, but neither could she. We went in and I saw a sign that said, POTO Rehearsals in Gymnasium today. I didn't notice there was a gym but I found it and went in happily without Grandma, who said she would be there when it was over. The room already had what I believed to be a lot of the cast chatting merrily around. The directors were going through papers and I ran towards them and shrieked, "Avril Hills, I'm here."
They all looked at me at the same time. The man who wasn't at the piano when I auditioned said, "Oh, good, we couldn't start without you." He turned to the mingling cast and shouted, "Attention, Phantom cast!" All heads turned towards the directors and me. "Let's get into a circle now and…get to know each other."
I stayed where I was as everyone else swiftly got into a circle. A guy no older than me with shaggy brown hair and rather familiar blue stood next to me but I was too excited to say he looked familiar, and I didn't really care. The guy who wasn't at the piano said, "Okay, so, I'm Frank, the director, and I'm very excited to be working with you all. I'll also be playing the retiring manager of the Opera Populaire."
The woman said, "I'm Marine, I'll be choreographing and playing Madame Giry, who is also a choreographer."
The man who was at the piano said, "My name is Pierre, I'm conducting and playing Monsieur Reyer, the conductor."
Frank looked at me and said, "Introduce yourself.
"Um, I'm Avril Hills, American, sooooooooo excited to be here playing Christine!"
"Avril Hills?" the guy next to me murmured. He saw everyone staring at me and said, "Oh, um, I'm Alex, I'm playing the Phantom of the Opera and I'm very happy to be here."
When the next person, who was playing Firmin, introduced himself, Alex said, "I think I know you, we have to talk later."
If that boy was Alexandre Moreau, I would attack him with a strangling hug. Whether he was or not, I was willing to stage-kiss him because he sounded nice.
When everyone introduced themselves, Frank asked Carlotta, Raoul, Andre and Firmin, Meg (who was to be played by the nice girl who gave me the audition form) me and the Phantom to come into a circle and talk. All of them were really nice and I knew this wouldn't be a shitty school play but an awesome semi-pro production. Frank later said that there was a chance that the Palais Garnier itself would let us perform a few shows at their theater, but not to get our hopes up. I promised myself that if I were to meet whoever's decision it was that I would beg until he or she said yes. When everyone was finished talking to their individual groups, it was five o'clock and everyone had to go. Before I went, the guy who was playing the Phantom tapped my shoulders and said, "Don't forget me, I wanted to talk to you."
"Yeah, um, your name is Alex, you said?"
"Um…I don't suppose you remember seeing Carmen and hanging out with a little boy for the rest of the summer," he said with a smile.
My mouth dropped. "Are you Alexandre Moreau?"
He nodded. I screamed and hugged him as tightly as I could. "I can't believe it's you!" I exclaimed. "I was thinking about you on the plane and hoped I'd see you again but Paris is so big."
"Oh, I've been wanting to track you down ever since you left but I didn't remember your grandmother's name!" he replied, just as excited as I was. I let go of him and sighed. "We need to hang out, Alex."
"I was going to get dinner out, if you wanted to join me and ca—"
"Yes! Please! Definitely!" I exclaimed. "My grandma should be outside."
Grandma was waiting in her car and I knocked on the window while Alex was getting his ride. I said to Grandma, "Grandma, I was reunited with Alex Moreau, is it okay if I go out to dinner with him?"
"Oh my, Alex Moreau?" she exclaimed. "Your old friend when you visited?"
"He's playing Erik!" I squealed.
"Don't let me stop you," she said with a smile.
"Thanks!" I exclaimed.
Alex drove to me on a silver motor scooter. I shrieked, "Is that a motorcycle?"
"It's a Vespa 250, thank you," he chuckled. He handed me a black helmet and I put it on. I sat behind him and once my arms were around his torso he sped out of the community center. He said over the motor, "So, how have you been?"
"Since I got here, fine and dandy," I replied.
"What made you decide to come back?"
"I'm sick and tired of the crap I get from society in St. Cloud," I told him. "Everything there sucks. The schools, the food, the entertainment, everything. And I couldn't live with my mom anymore so my grandma gave me a place with her, which is so awesome. I'm really happy here, even more happy to be playing Christine and over the moon because you're here!"
"Same!" he exclaimed. "My school did a production of Phantom and I was in the chorus. No one there had a good time."
"Some guy at a music store told me that a school did a bad production."
"Was he scrawny, with black hair?" Alex asked.
"Yeah."
"That's Denny, a good friend of mine. He was a trumpeter in the orchestra and I convinced him not to quit because he was the only good trumpet player in the entire group."
"Oh," I replied.
"I was called back for Piangi but a mom threatened to sue so her son could get it. That was the last thing the school needed. So I wasn't Piangi."
"I'm glad you're Erik, that character's just right for you. You deserve it!"
"No, Avril, there is only one person here fit to play Christine and that's you."
"All I needed was to be part of it," I replied. "Grandma would have gone to great lengths to give me a huge part but that wouldn't be necessary."
"Of course not, you earned the part!" He suddenly stopped at a restaurant with tables outdoors. "I love this place. Wanna eat outside?"
"Yeah, it's a really nice day," I replied.
So we ate outside and got caught up on twelve years' time apart from each other. I had more rants in me than information but he listened and added as I did to him. The whole time, I felt like he was trying to flirt with me but at the same time, I felt like the same thing I felt while auditioning, was watching. I tried to ignore the same feeling I felt when I was auditioning and focus on Alex. I did.