Meg wasn't nervous until she had actually entered the school. Tisch School was definitely the artsy area of NYU. It was actually very homey, it almost all seemed familiar to Meg somehow. Oh, she really wanted to go to there!
Surprisingly, nobody had recognized Mrs. Giry as the famous dancer. In fact, the person getting the most attention in Meg's small party was undeniably Enjolras. Many of the girls looked at him, giggled and looked away. He was one of the only men in the giant waiting room anyway. Meg was initially very jealous of the girls looking at Enjolras. Although, it was the girls who were so absorbed in their audition they hadn't noticed him that were going to be Meg's real competition of the day.
A woman emerged with a clipboard and began to call out names.
"Giry, Meg!" she announced and Meg turned to her mother and Enjolras.
"Well, I guess this is it. Wish me luck," she said with a weak smile.
"I know you'll be great," her mother told her confidently.
Meg joined the line of hopeful dancers, but not without hearing a loud "Go Meg!" from Enjolras, which earned himself a stare from Mrs. Giry and a few other people. That was her last glance of them before entering a spacious dance studio, probably the nicest Meg had ever seen.
The people of Tisch were extremely serious. Not one smile was given as they collected resumes and pictures. Some of the girls matched Tisch in extreme serious. Meg decided not to even try being friendly or nice, she had to come off as dedicated and professional as the other girls.
The woman at the front, one of the instructors, was very pretty and foreign looking. She looked kind of familiar to Meg, maybe she was also a famous ballerina. Quickly and without repeating instructions, she spent the next hour teaching the girls a fast paced routine. Meg couldn't think of a time she had put so much dedication into learning something.
Some of the girls were catching on much quicker, but a lot of girls were doing a lot worse than her. Maybe she was doing well.
After about an hour, they were finally done, Meg could take a water break and return to her mother. All in all, she thought she did a good job. She was typically a quick learner, maybe not as quick as some of the other girls, but still pretty quick.
When she returned to Mrs. Giry and Enjolras, she was bombarded with questions (mostly from her mother, but Enjolras was quite curious, too).
She was willing to tell her mother about it, how some of the girls were amazingly talented and how she still did good despite that.
"Hey, maybe one of the other girls thought you were amazing," Enjolras pointed out, which instantly made her feel better.
"I'm glad we took you along," Meg joked, punching him in the arm.
Mrs. Giry continued her questions, each one making her feel better. Maybe she actually did do a good job. She never noticeably messed up. In fact, it was safe to say that she had done the entire dance gracefully and professionally.
"Profession is the key, you need to look none of this is new to you," Mrs. Giry advised her.
"So, you did the audition. What now?" Enjolras asked.
"That was only the first part. Now we have to wait and see if I make the callback, so I can preform the dance I actually practiced for."
As they faced a two hour wait, the group of three went out to lunch. Meg hadn't even faced up with how nervous she was. She really thought she was on the borderline of making the cut or not. How she was going to impress the Tisch committee with her solo audition was an entirely different problem.
"Do you want to practice your dance again before we go back to the school?" Mrs. Giry asked her anxiously.
"No... I think I'm good," Meg said, surveying the restaurant. Where was she going to practice anyway? "I might not even make the cut."
"Don't say that! I'm sure you did," Mrs. Giry responded, as if Meg had said something terrible. "All I'm worried about is what I'm going to do without you when you're in college."
Meg smiled wearily at her mother's comment, "Thanks Mom."
She hadn't felt as nervous as she did then. It would just be so embarrassing if she had to go home. Some of the girls were basically perfect, both in dancing and appearance. They were tall and skinny and still very graceful. Meg was very short, especially for a dancer and was heavier, at least in comparison to some of the other girls.
The walk back to the school was nerve-racking. She still had time, she could audition again next year...
"There's the list of people who made it," Enjolras pointed out, as they walked closer and closer to bulletin board covered in just one, eery paper.
"I don't think I can look..." Meg muttered, putting her head down. "Someone else go see."
"Hey, don't be nervous! You got in!" Enjolras called back to her.
"I got in? I got in!" Meg exclaimed, running into her mother's arms. She laughed and smiled, rushing over to hug Enjolras, too. "I can't believe it."
She had actually made it in. Of course, she was only half way there, but the list was so small. So many of the other girls must have gotten cut. Sure, she had been second plenty of times, but for now, she was first. All she had left to do was her solo piece, which Meg had never felt more confident about. She really had a chance, she really was one of the best dancers that had auditioned.
"Oh, Meg, I'm so proud of you," Mrs. Giry said. Meg noticed that she hadn't be called Marguerite, which was always rare. She really must have done something spectacular.
"Thanks, Mom," she replied, feeling like a winner, even if she technically wasn't yet. She could already imagine herself there. Of course, Meg would have to work hard, but maybe, just maybe, she could be great.
It wasn't longer that Meg found herself, once again, in a dance studio. However, this time she wasn't nervous or scared. She felt confident, talented. There was no room for introductions, Meg walked in, took one look at the judges and the music began, an old radio playing out Tchaikovsky's Dance of the Angels.
The dance came effortlessly to her. After all, the local ballet studio did the Nutcracker every Christmas. She had been one of the chorus angels that all little ballerinas are in at one point, but she had never been the solo angel before. It was like a new dance that was still familiar to her. And she was actually doing well. There were no mistakes, no signs of nervousness.
Meg finished her dance in about two minutes time, took her CD out, thanked the panel of people a bit shyly, and left. She sort of felt awkward that she hadn't said more. Was she supposed to say more? Probably not.
"How was it!" her mother exclaimed almost immediately as she left the room. It was like auditioning for American Idol, but not knowing exactly if you were going to Hollywood or not.
"I think it went well," she told them both honestly, "You know, I did a good job. I feel like this part went better than the first part of the auditions, and I..." Meg trailed off, unsure of herself.
"And you what?" Enjolras asked her eagerly.
"I think I'm got in!" she responded, happily running to give him a hug. Enjolras, with his much bigger frame, hugged her back happily, almost lifting her off the ground. Her mother was also quick to hug her, which was also rare. It really was a unique day.
Meg had never felt such a sense of relief. She wouldn't have to deal with all the stress of getting into colleges for her senior year. Everything just seemed better. And sure, there was a chance she hadn't made it, but Meg just had a feeling. She never was one for superstition, but Meg really, truly felt like she had done it.
Mrs. Giry and Enjolras had talked all around her as they unpacked from their hotel rooms to get ready to leave, but Meg was barely on earth. Had she ever been so happy in her life?
They walked back to Grand Central Station and Meg took one last look at the enormous city surrounding her. Maybe, it would be her home one day.
"Goodbye!" she shouted at the building tops, which made Enjolras laugh. "I'm sure we'll meet again!"
There was nothing like New York City, especially with Christmas just around the corner. Grand Central Station in particular looked wonderful decorated in huge, beautiful wreaths for the holiday season. It was true, Meg was slowly falling in love with New York. If she were to attend Tisch, she could always ride the train back to New Hampshire. It sounded perfect, like a dream.
Of course, it was fairly crowded, so they did have to squeeze into the three very back seats of the train. Meg, still lost in her thoughts of happiness, had barely noticed Enjolras pick up a call from his phone. She watched him as his face grew from questioning, to concerned. He hung up after a few minutes, and turned to face her.
"Who was that? Is something wrong?" she asked him quickly. Enjolras was silent for a moment, but then told her exactly what she was fearing he might say.
"That was Raoul, it's Christine..."
Ah it's been too long! I had finals, which was not fun, but hopefully this chapter satisfied the long wait. Oh well, I'm on summer break now, which means I can update more quickly. We're actually nearing the end here, because I'm planning on ending the story around Christmas. If you're sick of the where the plot is now, don't worry, it will be changing soon. Please review!