*AN* After a long Hiatus I am finally back to uploading. I was going to wait until after Christmas or after New Years but this story that I am currently writing was getting long and I didnt want to lose track of Chapters. Just a word of warning this is a bit long winded I guess and I hate that it has gotten that way but I'm at a loss of whether I should go back and change or continue on, I want to do both but at the same time I'm a bit satisfied with the work I have. I took a guess at the amount of chapters and it's roughly already in the 20's and it's not quite done yet or even close to it. I'm working on a plot twist in the story right now and I'm trying to see how it is playing out or if it is going to work so bear with me as I upload chapter sporadically or whatever.
As a word of warning, the first few chapters only mention BTR as far as names, they dont get any speaking parts for a while. The bigger parts come later and will eventually surround Kendall and my OC Katie. Bear in mind that this is another alternate version of meeting BTR for the first time and becoming famous in order to meet them. I found this idea in my notebook from over the summer and I wanted to put it into a story and I somehow came up with this long story although it follows the main plot a lot in the beginning. While this follows the characters of BTR, some of the details might follow the real life BTR such as having their own show, living on their own, etc but I put in background for each similarity to kind of separate it from the real BTR.
I'll upload the first couple chapters until I at least get to some main BTR stuff and then the uploads will come randomly after that. I have more free time now that I am on vacation from school but I still have so much to do. Enjoy the story thus far and I will keep working on it or leave it as is and just create some alternate endings or even a condensed version if I need to or want to. Also as a word of warning, there is a lot of dialogue in this story in several chapters. As such, some of the more long winded conversations will be color/font coded to alleviate he said/ she said redundancy. Any time this method is used I will put a key code in the AN however in the event that I might forget, the first few lines of dialogue will have some sort of possession regarding who said what; that way you can figure it out for yourself if you had to.
PS- When I hard began writing this story, I had assumed it would be shorter than it is now. As I'm editing the tory I realized that the ages are off in accordance to the time line of the plot. this chapter my character should be 16-17 y/o as should the guys. By the time the time line reaches to the point I am at now (currently being written), they should be 22-24. I apologize for this confusion but hopefully I can put some hints/reminders where they might be needed. *
After a few days, the episode was finished and awaiting to be edited. Katie had gotten another shot in, doing the same thing, handing out smoothies, this time to Carlos with a small speaking part when she handed him the smoothie. With the episode finished, a small wrap party was held to which Katie was invited. She had a lot of fun while there but not everything went according to plan. She met all the cast but after the first day, the girls were a little distant and the guys, although gracious and friendly in passing, didn't really want to socialize with her. She paid it no mind, they were stars and very busy for too much interaction, she got her autographs and pictures as well as some memorabilia from the set.
She was going to be in LA for a few more days, the episode wrapped early, much to everyone's surprise so instead of starting the next episode, everyone was given a few days off. A table read of the new script was done first so there could be a few days for changes though. Katie was stuck in LA for the rest of the week and really had nothing to do. She spent the day in the bunk house suite alone and played some games before one of the other bunk mates, Jess, came back and invited Katie to her set. Katie and Jess got alone well much to Katie's surprise, she was glad she made some sort of friend although Katie was still quite shy and submissive towards everyone.
Jess was working on sound stage 14 on a show called Mystical Mayhem, where she often played one of the many students that passed by in the background. Katie was put in as well when she showed up, much to her surprised. Her and Jess talked together as they walked the halls or sat in the background. The scenes were shot a few times as the main characters messed up their lines and after an hour, Jess and Katie were free to go.
"Being an extra is kinda fun. Easy hours and its pretty simple stuff." Katie said sitting herself down on the couch
"Yeah but it doesn't get you anywhere, or pay the bills." Jess replied, putting her stuff in her room
"True. But at least it gives a taste of acting. Acting is fun and I wouldn't mind doing it. I know its hard work but I'd be willing to give it a shot." Katie agreed.
"You should. it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. Its tough landing your first role though." Jess encouraged
"I've heard. So many people want to be famous but they don't really know how it goes down; how tough it is to stay afloat. I could try out for 50 auditions and not get any of them." Katie stated
"If acting is what you really want to do, then you keep at it until you don't get rejected. Those who cant take rejection, don't belong here." Jess said. "I heard you were a pretty good actor at the table read a few days ago. You should try out for one of the parts for the new show that Kids Network TV producing."
"What's it called?" Katie asked
"Last I heard it had the working title, The Other Side of High School. I guess its about the negatives of high school, dealing with problems teenagers face today." Jess explained
"Hmm, sounds interesting I guess but I'm not sure if it's exactly something I should try out for. I don't want to be doing make-up gurus. I mean if it's a show about teenage problems, no doubt that's going to be a topic at some point." Katie surmised
"Probably. Try out for a different role, like a recurring character. You're old enough to play a teacher." Jess encouraged
"Yeah but I don't look like one." Katie replied
"Studio make-up is amazing. They can make you look 80 if they have too." Jess smiled as she sat down next to Katie. "In any case, I really think you should try out. The audition is just before you leave, might as well try out for a few parts while you're here; you never know!"
"I suppose. I get really nervous though. I've done auditions before but nothing this big, I just read from a script, big deal." Katie said.
"Yeah, this is different than a high school audition. I have some paperwork for the audition in my room. Let me go get it and we can go from there!" Jess said enthusiastically. She returned in a few minutes with an envelope. "Here's a list of the parts and the day of the audition, which is tomorrow morning actually. Come on I'll help you practice!"
"But I don't even know what part to go after!" Katie came back
"We'll try them all!" Jess said, grabbing Katie's wrist and pulling her off the couch.
"Ahh!" Katie said in surprise.
Early the next morning, Jess sprung onto Katie's best, excited for the big day.
"Come on, Katie! Rise and shine, you don't want to miss your first audition!" Jess said enthusiastically throwing the covers off of Katie's bed.
Katie moaned in protest but got up shortly after and got ready. She was excited and nervous for this audition but Jess was way more excited, although Katie didn't mind. She was glad Jess was helping her out. The audition was held at sound stage 47, halfway across the compound, so Jess signed out a golf cart to get them there a bit faster.
Once there Katie and Jess sat in a corner in a room full of people, chatting while they waited for Katie's name to be called. Everyone was practicing so Katie did too, saving her full performance or the camera. She was feeling less nervous now and more confident, although she still didn't hold too much hope that she would get the part and just had fun with it. After an hour Katie's name was called and Jess walked in with her, being her 'coach' and moral support.
"So, Katie is it?" the staff member ask
"Yes sir." she replied
"Nice to meet you, Katie, my name is Kevin; welcome to TOSHS audition. I don't seem to have a portfolio from you." Kevin stated
"I'm new to this so I don't have one, just the form." She said
"Ah I see. Have you acted before or is this just something you wanted to do while in Hollywood?" he asked
"Just school plays, silly little things with no merit. I've been an extra on two shows this week but that's it. This is my first real audition." she replied
"I see. How did you get into being an extra?" He wondered
"My cousin is a casting director and he got me the small part so I could meet some of my favorite actors and directors. I'm a big fan of Kids Network." she explained
"That's great, this show is actually for Kid's Network. If you're willing to give it a go, we'll definitely look at your tape." he said.
"Sure! I've been practicing as best as I can." she said
"Alright then. Look into the camera say your lines and we'll go from there." he instructed. Katie got into her audition, saying her lines like clockwork, putting enough emotion into them to get a surprised but satisfied look from Kevin. She was done in a few minutes and was excused with new paperwork to fill out and mail to him at her convenience. She thanked him for his time and exited the building with Jess; once outside they both screamed in excitement at a job well done and hugged each other in congratulations. They returned to the bunk house and Katie got right to work on her paperwork.
It took her the rest of the afternoon so she'd mail it in the morning; she had to find the money to send it too, she only had a few dollars left and still had another day and a half before her flight on Saturday. Jess helped her out and gave her the money she needed to send it out, with Katie promising to send her money once she got back to Connecticut.
"Don't worry about it! This is a gift to you, in hopes that maybe something good will come of this. I don't know, I know it's a slim chance but I got this feeling that you've got exactly what this tow is looking for." she said.
With the packet sent, Katie was excited and spent a lot of time thinking about it but it was almost time for her to head home. She knew it would be a while before she heard anything, if she did at all so she spent her last day, hanging out with Jess and the other girls in the bunkhouse and splurged on a small yogurt at a fancy LA boutique. The next morning, Katie was packed and ready to go as her taxi showed up ready to take her to the train station. The girls waved goodbye as Katie waved back, a tear flowing down her cheek as she said goodbye to the most fun she's had in a long time.
Just over a day later, Katie was home again, she arrived late in the afternoon and had to walk home with all her bags. In about an hour she was home, living less than a mile from the train station and she was greeted by her dog. She sat down and tried to cool off and distress about her travel time and all the fun she left behind but she was happy to be home. She brought her stuff upstairs and unpacked before hopping online and messaging Jess to let her know she made it home safely. Jess was on set and wouldn't be able to talk for a while so Katie went on to play a game to keep her busy.
School was starting up again soon and Katie became more focused on it and less on the fun times she had in LA. She got her supplies together and psyched herself up to do the best she could, her grades had slipped last semester and she wasn't about to let them go any further. When classes finally started, she hit the ground running and kept going at full speed, even getting ahead of the game. She took a few breaks to avoid getting burnt out but she didn't get sidetracked. The semester was almost done and all she had left were her presentations, that she was nervous about. All the practice of speaking at the Academy for her job and for the auditions in LA, didn't seem to matter, it was a different type of crowd; always judging her. She did her presentations anyway, getting by just barely but passing her classes with high honors. She worked through most of her winter break, including Christmas Day, which she didn't really mind. Things were getting tight in her house in terms of attitudes. Everyone was getting on each others nerves and Katie got the brunt of all the hatred and negativity.
She was sitting at her desk alone in the main office building, her dog Shadow by her side of course, doing paperwork and late paper grading that she wanted to get in before school started up again in a few days. All was quiet, including Shadow who had taken a snooze in the corner of her office. The building was eerily quiet, being the only one in the building, although not on campus, as there were some students who stayed and other staff members that had to help take care of all the animals. The building was locked, and most of the lights off, leaving on the ones that are needed to get around.
With it being so quiet, she got startled when her phone rang, making her scream a little bit, and jump in her seat, sending papers and utensils to the floor. Shadow was startled as well but he was quick to his feet and went to Katie's desk as she picked up a few things from the floor, letting the phone ring once more before picking it up. It was her personal line so she just answered it with a simple Hello.
"Hello, is this Katie Pryszweic?" a familiar voice said.
"Yes it is." she replied
"Hi, Katie, this is Kevin, from the audition a few months back?" he said trying to jog her memory "I'm calling to ask if you were still interested in the audition at all or wanted out."
"It was fun, I'd probably do it again if I'm ever in town again. I'm back in CT and don't have the funds to travel back and forth or live out there." she replied
"I understand. I have an offer though, if I send a PDF of the next portion of the script, would you be willing to make another tape for me and send it over? A few other staff from the project enjoyed your performance and would like to see more to decide if you are the right fit." he said.
"Are you serious?!" she asked in surprise
"Yes, 100%. I know it must be hard to believe, you go to 1 audition and you already get halfway through! Its exciting but don't get too over confident, this is just round 2. If things go well and you impress the staff even more, you might get called back again before the final pick. I believe you have a pretty good shot at this but the choice isn't up to me." he explained
"I'm speechless, I don't know what to say! I mean I'll send you a tape as soon as I can but I have a few questions." she said getting excited
"Ask away, my dear." he said happily
"If I make it to the next round again, is it possible to stay here in between auditions? And how long before I would know?" Katie asked
"I'll see what I can do about that, if you happen to make the final cut and you get this job, you will have to fly out to LA but I'm sure by then, you'd be set up with some sort of living arrangement, even if it's at the sound stage itself. It's actually a fairly common living arrangement for the first few weeks for new comers to the acting scene. As for how long, probably a few months; there are less people to go through this round so it will be much quicker. I think by late spring you would probably know if you got the part or not. I'll contact you regardless so you wont be left hanging." Kevin said
"Ok! I had actually put the audition behind me, I figured I wasn't going to get it and although I was excited, I had other things to focus on, like school. I just wanted to know what the schedule would be so I know if I could fit another semester in or not." Katie said.
"Yes, by all means continue your schooling. If you get the part, you'll know around April or May and by then you'll probably just be finishing up so you'd be able to finish with no rush. It'll take some time before everything gets started anyway, it might be the spring after this one by the time things get booked and set up. So don't worry about any of that and just keep going to school and work on the auditions." he explained.
They finished up their conversation and Katie screamed in excitement, spooking her dog. She was so happy she couldn't calm down and focus on the grading so she went for a walk, keeping everything tucked away for now. She didn't want it getting out how she had auditioned and now had another chance, getting closer. She didn't want to jinx herself or get ahead of herself. This was exciting for sure, but like Kevin said, just because she got this far didn't mean she was going to get it, and she should expect to. She was just surprised she had even gotten this far with her lack of acting background or previous auditioning experience.