Shooting Star (9 page)

We found out there were only about ten kids left auditioning when we arrived at the studio. I didn’t recognise any of the others except for Henry Dufault. Nydia smiled and nodded at a couple and so did Kirsty. They must have been in the other groups yesterday with them.

Christina Darcy and Ralph Fearson had appeared along with Sean to speak to us all.

“Well, you are our final choices for the lead roles. As you know there are four leads. Sean is already cast as Sebastian so it’s the other three we need to finalise. We’ve decided who is suited to which role and you will only be able to audition for that role now. Today it’s all about your screen presence, your chemistry with Sean and your acting ability. So just enjoy it, immerse yourself in the characters and don’t mess up.”

“So no pressure then,” Henry whispered in my ear. I found myself nodding in agreement, but then caught
Christina Darcy watching me, so I came to my senses and remembered that I found Henry really quite annoying.

“Ruby, Nydia and Kirsty – we want you to audition for the part of Arial. Follow me, please.” I heard a sharp intake of breath behind me from the other girls who realised their chance to play Arial was over for good.

As we followed Christina Darcy I smiled at Nydia. “We’ve made it this far – it’s amazing, isn’t it?” I said, forgetting she hated me.

“It is amazing,” Nydia growled at me. “But I imagine Sean’s secret girlfriend has a better chance than Kirsty or me.”

“You’re Sean’s secret girlfriend?” Kirsty exclaimed, wide-eyed. “Cool!”

“No, I am
not
,” I whispered, hoping Christina hadn’t heard. “For the last time, I like Sean, Sean likes me, but we are
not
and never will be going out together!”

“I’d totally go out with Sean Rivers,” Kirsty said. “Secretly or otherwise.”

“I thought you were going out with Danny?” I asked her, diverted for a second.

“Well, kinda – only he hasn’t actually asked me. We just hang out a lot.”

“That’s Danny for you, eh, Nydia?” I said. But Nydia blanked me.

“OK, if you don’t believe me, your best friend of a hundred years, then that’s fine,” I said. “Good luck with your audition and may the best girl win.”

“I intend to,” Nydia said.

As she flounced off after Christina, followed closely by Kirsty, I stood stock still and stared. That wasn’t Nydia, my all-for-one-and-one-for-all best friend. Even if I
had
secretly been going out with Sean behind Anne-Marie’s back I wasn’t sure I deserved that. And then I realised, maybe it wasn’t just the thing that hadn’t happened between me and Sean that had made Nydia suddenly so cross with me. Maybe it was
this.
Her and me battling for a part that we both really wanted. We’d never been in this situation before. Even when we all auditioned for the part of Polly Harris in
The Lost Treasure of King Arthur
, Nydia didn’t get past the first round of auditions so we were never really in direct competition. Come to think of it, she had been a bit annoyed with me back then too, thinking that I’d got all stuck up just because I was making a movie. And when she’d gone on the TV talent show to find the lead for the UK version of
Spotlight!
, I’d given up show business and was really only in the chorus by mistake. I wasn’t her competition then. And now here she was going for the same part as me (and Kirsty) and, as far as she was concerned, I was the
leading man’s secret girlfriend. No wonder she was furious with me.

I followed Nydia into the room where Sean, Ralph Fearson, Christina and Kirsty were waiting. I had a choice to make. Should I try and throw this audition and hope that they chose Nydia? Because if I did I was fairly sure I’d have my old friend back much more quickly, and pretty soon we’d be back home in London and all of this would be water under the bridge. Or should I do my best to try and win this part because I was good enough and I deserved it, and because I wanted it?

And then I realised there wasn’t really a choice. I wasn’t choosing between my best and oldest friend and my career. I was choosing to try my best or to not try at all – and that wasn’t a choice I could make. I wanted to be Ruby Parker Superstar.

I had to give this audition everything. And let whatever was going to happen next happen.

At lunch time we were allowed to take our sandwiches outside to have at picnic tables that were arranged in a courtyard at the centre of the studio complex. Nydia went to sit with the girls she knew from her group and I went to sit on my own. It wasn’t long
before Kirsty joined me and I was glad to see her.

“Hey,” she said, sliding along the bench next to me. “How do you think you’re doing?”

I’d done quite a few scenes with Sean during the morning and I’d been relieved to find that it wasn’t weird at all, even in the soppy romantic ones. Sean was such a good actor I knew that when he looked at me, he was seeing Arial, which helped to look at him and see Sebastian. Arial was allowed to stare dreamily into his electric blue eyes and hold his hand and feel romantic, and it wasn’t confusing at all. OK, it was very confusing, but if I concentrated very hard I could just about get my head around the whole situation. I’d sat and watched as Kirsty and Nydia acted the same scenes with Sean and I had to admit I thought both of them were excellent. Later we were going to be screen-tested individually again and sing once more. After that, they’d make their decision.

“I think I’m doing my best. What about you?”

“Same,” Kirsty said. “I’d like the role. It’s going to be such a huge film.”

“Yes, I know,” I said. “Does that worry you? The pressure of fame at such a young age?”

Kirsty shook her head. “ Truly? No.
The Young Robin Hood
is going to change my career for good and, besides,
I have cool parents who won’t let me get carried away or work too much. No, there’s really only one thing that worries me right now…”

“What’s that?” I asked her.

“How can I get Danny to ask me out on a date?” Kirsty said.

I laughed so hard I nearly fell off the bench and all the people on Nydia’s table looked over at us, except Nydia who scowled at her food.

“Don’t ask me,” I laughed. “Me and Danny never did things in the conventional way. We were always falling out or breaking up over something, and not telling each other when we didn’t like each other and not telling each other when we did. But my advice is, if you like him then ask
him
out – because he’s quite shy really plus very bad at saying what he’s feeling.”

“Me ask a guy out?” Kirsty looked shocked for a moment, but then she smiled. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Ladies,” Henry appeared from nowhere and grinned at us as he sat down. Then he winked at me which made me feel instantly cross, but I couldn’t say anything because I had a mouth full of food.

“So I could ask you how your audition is going and all that,” Henry said, “but I am a man of few words
and I’d like to cut right to the chase. Ruby Parker, I dig you. Can I take you on a date?”

I looked at Kirsty, who was sitting open mouthed. “See Danny would never do
that,”
she said.

“Well, can I?” Henry persisted.

I couldn’t answer him straightaway because I was chewing wholemeal bread and it was really quite seedy. Also I was slightly worried I might have some bits stuck in my teeth so I kept chewing for a bit longer than I needed to and tried to look as if I was just being thoughtful. Why on earth would I want to go on a date with a boy who I found irritating, annoying and seemed to bring out the worst in me whenever I was around him? No, there was no way I was going on a date with Henry Dufault.

But the words that came out of my mouth were, “OK then.”

That was the other thing that happened whenever I was around Henry. I said things I absolutely never usually would. It was most inconvenient.

“Great, I’ll call you later and arrange it.” Henry winked at me again and I seethed.

“You don’t have my number,” I said.

“Ruby, I’ve so got your number,” Henry said, and then he was gone.

“You are going on a date with Henry Dufault,” Kirsty said.

“I know! How did that happen?” I dropped my head in my hands.

“Millions of girls across America would love to date Henry Dufault,” Kirsty told me. “He’s mad, bad and dangerous to know!”

“That’s what I’m worried about,” I said. “Why did I say yes? I didn’t mean to say yes!”

Kirsty tipped her head on one side so that her blonde hair fell over one shoulder. “Maybe because you don’t hate him at all,” she suggested. “And maybe because whenever you are around him, you light up like a Christmas tree.”

“Don’t be so ridiculous,” I said. “I have a doomed crush on Sean Rivers. I can’t possibly like Henry Dufault.”

“Are you sure you have a crush on Sean?” Kirsty asked me. “Or is it just easier to like someone you know you’ll never be with?”

To say that the atmosphere in the house was a bit strained that evening was like saying that Jade Caruso was a BIT irritating. In other words, it was an understatement. So I was really pleased to see Danny’s e-mail ping into my inbox. It was good to know that we were friends and that I didn’t feel odd about him any more, not even though he knew about the thing that hadn’t happened between me and Sean, and Henry asking me out on a date. I didn’t mind that he didn’t mind, and I didn’t mind that he and Kirsty liked each other. It was official. I was over Danny Harvey. At last.

If only everything else was as simple. When we pulled up outside Jeremy’s house, there was a big black limo parked on the drive and I guessed it was Anne-Marie’s dad come to take her home. Nydia got out of the car first and went in before me and Mum, slamming the door behind her so it nearly took the tips of my fingers off.

“Still not made up yet?” Mum asked me. I shook my
head. “I expect it’s the nerves.” She patted me on the arm. “I’m sure that once we’ve had that phone call tonight and we know what’s what, then everything will be all right between you.” She glanced at the limo and pressed her lips together. “Right, I have a few things to say to Mr Chance.”

But when we got indoors, it was pretty clear that Anne-Marie had said most of them already.

“I have a job, Anne-Marie,” Mr Chance was saying as she stood with her hands on her hips in front of him. “An important job that keeps a roof over your head and pays your school fees. I let you have whatever you want; you have more freedom then any other child of your age that I know of. I am sorry I couldn’t be there to sign this form in time, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. You need luck on your side; it’s all about breaks.”

“Really? Funny that, because for a lot of fourteenyear-old girls all they need are their
parents
on their side. If I had just one parent who put me before work then none of this would have happened. I wasn’t asking you to be with me, Dad. I gave up hoping for that when I was about five. All I needed was one signature.”

There was a silence as Mr Chance and Anne-Marie glared at each other. I was proud of Anne-Marie, telling her dad how she really felt. It must have been hard when
she hardly ever sees him. And he looked all shifty and stupid like the boys at school do when Mr Petrelli catches them mucking about with maracas.

“Listen, Anne-Marie, you are not being reasonable,” Mr Chance said. He was wearing a white shirt and sunglasses pushed up on to his grey hair, a look that was far too young for him.

“Of course I’m not being reasonable!” Anne-Marie shouted back. “I’ve just lost out on the best audition ever, not because I wasn’t good enough but because my parents couldn’t be bothered to answer the phone!”

“If you’d found out exactly what was required beforehand…”

And then Anne-Marie flew at her dad, pummelling her fists into him. She was crying and he was just standing there, looking sort of bewildered and as if he’d rather be anywhere else in the entire world. What he should have done was to put his arms around her and hug her, but he didn’t. Which is probably why, after the initial shock, my mum raced over. Mum wrapped her arms around Anne-Marie and hugged her tight, as she sobbed into Mum’s hair. I wanted to go and hug her too, but I didn’t think she’d want me to. So I just stood there, not wanting to leave, not wanting to look.

“This poor girl has had a very difficult time,” Mum
told Mr Chance. “I don’t think we’ve met before – I’m Janice Parker, the woman you entrusted your daughter’s care to here in Hollywood.”

I could hear the ice and anger in my mum’s voice, but I don’t think Mr Chance could. I think he was just relieved to have someone else there to manage his daughter so he didn’t have to try and figure out what to do.

“Mrs Parker, I am so sorry for the inconvenience…” Mr Chance began, treating her to his smarmy smile.

“Anne-Marie is not an inconvenience,” Mum snapped. “She’s a lovely, funny, sweet girl – or don’t you even know that about your daughter?”

It suddenly dawned on Mr Chance that my mum was fed up with him too. I don’t think he was used to people standing up to him. He looked rather shocked.

“Well, anyway,” he said stiffly. “What’s done is done and it can’t be changed. Life is hard and the sooner children learn that, the better they will do. Anne-Marie and I are booked on a flight out of LAX this evening. We need to get going…”

He looked at the back of Anne-Marie’s head. “Are you packed, Anne-Marie?”

Anne-Marie pulled away from my mum and nodded without looking at him. “I’ll go and get my bags,” she said quietly. All the fire and anger had burnt out and
drained away, and now she looked sad and small. I wasn’t used to seeing her look that way and I was really upset that some of it might be because of me.

I watched as she ran up the stairs and then, after a second’s hesitation, I followed. I had to try and talk to her.

She was zipping up her case when I walked in, stuffing in some of the new dresses and shoes she had bought and trying to lean on the lid of the case while zipping it up. She wasn’t having much luck. I was glad to see that Nydia wasn’t with her, but I was sure she’d turn up soon so I knew I’d better make it quick.

“Hi,” I said. It wasn’t my best ever start to a making-up speech.

“Hi,” she sniffed without looking at me. But she didn’t throw anything at me either and I took that as a good sign.

“I’m really sorry that you’re so upset. I really hate to see you like this,” I said tentatively. “And I know that part of the reason is because of what you think happened with me and Sean. Anne-Marie, I am so sorry. Are you still really angry with me?”

Anne-Marie looked up then and I could tell she must have been crying for a lot longer than when her dad got here.

“It’s just that you
knew,
Ruby,” she said. “I told you how important you and Sean were to me, especially with
my rubbish parents, and all this time you were…”

“But we
weren’t
,” I said. “Honestly, Anne-Marie. It wasn’t even until we got to Hollywood that things went a bit bizarre. I’ve never fancied Sean before and he’s never liked me…”

“He has, he always has,” Anne-Marie said wearily. “And I’ve always known that, but you were with Danny. And anyway I never thought you’d really go out with him…”

“And you were right! Because I wouldn’t!” I exclaimed. “I like Sean, I like him a lot – but
you
? You are one of my best friends and I
love
you.”

Anne-Marie said nothing as she wrestled with her case. It kept pinging open no matter what she did to it. After another second’s thought I went over and pressed my elbows down on the lid, squidging it flat. Bits of shoes and clothes poked out all around the edges.

“Quick,” I said. “Jam your stuff in now and do up the zip!” I pressed my elbows down with all my might and Anne-Marie eased the zip round, stuffing in bits of stray fashion as she went until finally it was shut.

“Done!” she said, smiling for the first time.

“At last!” I said, standing up. We eyed the case suspiciously as if we both expected it to explode, but when it didn’t, we half smiled at each other. “Anyway,”
I said, “it looks likes I’m going on a date with Henry Dufault.”

“Really?” Anne-Marie looked sceptical. “But I thought you hated him?”

“I do,” I said. “Or at least, I think I do, but I said I’d go, so I guess that point is up for debate.”

“Does Sean know?” she asked.

“I don’t think so,” I said. “We haven’t talked that much since yesterday. Look, the way he finished with you was really rubbish and he knows that. If you talk to him maybe you can sort things out before you leave?”

Anne-Marie shook her head and gave me a watery smile. “No,” she said. “I’m not ready to talk to Sean. But it’s nice to talk to you. Come and hug me.”

“Does this mean we’re still friends?” I asked her hopefully as I had my arms around her.

“I suppose,” Anne-Marie said, sounding a little bit like herself. “You chose me over Sean and for any girl to do that must mean that she is usually a really good friend.”

“Do you think you could tell Nydia that before you go?” I asked her as she hefted her case off the bed.

Anne-Marie shrugged. “Yeah, I’ll tell her that we’re OK. But you’ll sort it out. You and Nydia never fall out. You are like the Great Wall of China.”

“What? Do you mean really strong with deep foundations?” I asked, a bit perplexed.

“No you can both be seen from outer space,” Anne-Marie said, and suddenly the old, fun, wise-cracking, sarcastic Anne-Marie was back. I knew she wasn’t completely back; I knew she was still hurt and upset and confused, but I knew she was insulting me to prove that our friendship was on the mend and that meant a lot to me.

“I deserved that one,” I said with a wry smile.

“I’ll say,” Anne-Marie said as she lugged her case into the hall. “And now I have a ten-hour flight with my dad to look forward to.”

When we got downstairs, everyone was there to say goodbye to Anne-Marie, including Nydia and Sean. Anne-Marie hugged my mum hard, and then Mrs Rivers, and then she hugged me again, so that Nydia and Sean could see I suppose. Both of them looked fairly surprised.

“Bye, Nyds,” she said, hugging her too. “Listen, I’ve had a chat to Ruby and we’re cool now so don’t feel you have to blank her over me. That would be even sillier than girls falling out over a boy.”

“If you say so,” Nydia said, glancing at me.

“Bye, Annie,” Sean said as Anne-Marie walked past him. She paused and turned to look at him.

“You dumped me in the worst possible way at the worst possible time and I think you are pathetic,” she
said. “And if you ever call me Annie again I’ll punch your pretty blue lights out. Got it?” “Got it,” Sean said.

I had hoped that after Anne-Marie had gone Nydia would come and find me so that we could make up, or that at least I’d be able to try and talk to her. But she went straight up to her room and shut the door, after asking Mum to call her if we heard any news.

But we didn’t hear anything for ages. Time had never gone by so slowly, there had never been less on TV and the phone had never been so quiet before. So quiet in fact that I caught Mum picking it up just to check it had a dialling tone, which would have been funny except that I’d just done that exact same thing about five minutes before.

At some point I knew we would find out who would be playing the role of Arial. But the evening seemed to be going on for all eternity.

I wanted it to be me, but if it was, would I ever be friends with Nydia again? After all, she had been Arial in the UK TV special. She was really the most qualified of us of all to do it and she was more than good enough. If they picked me and not her I wasn’t sure that we’d ever be friends again. But what if they picked her?

I tried to imagine how I would feel. I think it would be like when you see four actors on a split screen waiting to find out if they’ve won an award. They all have the same smile on their faces – a fake one. And when they hear a name being called out that isn’t theirs, they keep on fake-smiling and usually nod as if to say they knew all along it wasn’t going to be them that won the award and that they weren’t bothered anyway, because awards are meaningless. But inside they are hurting really, really badly. That’s how I would feel if they picked Nydia. I’d be glad for her, and glad that a girl who deserved the job had got it, but if it wasn’t me I’d be gutted. I would feel as if my insides had been torn out and I was empty.

Of course it could be Kirsty O’Brien. If it was then I’d feel exactly the same only perhaps a little bit of relief. Because then me and Nydia would go back home to London together knowing neither one of us was better than the other.

That’s when my mobile rang. I looked at it for a panicky moment, wondering if it was the studio calling me with the news as it was a local number I didn’t recognise. But I was sure they’d said they were going to phone Mum direct. I was sure they wouldn’t break news of this import direct to the child involved, because if it was bad news or anything I might jump out of a window
or need counselling. If it was good news I might jump out of a window or need counselling. Knowing how worried the studio was about being sued, I was sure the call couldn’t be from them. I seriously hoped not anyway. After a deep breath I pressed
answer
on my phone and held it to my ear.

“Hello?” I said uncertainly.

“Hi, Ruby, it’s Kirsty.” As I heard her voice I felt a strange mixture of relief and disappointment because I still didn’t know anything – but then I thought, hang on, perhaps Kirsty knows. Perhaps they’ve already given Kirsty the part and she’s rung to commiserate with me.

“I hope you don’t mind me calling,” Kirsty said. “Danny gave me your number because I was freaking out waiting for the phone to ring. He said I should talk to you because you were the best freaker-outer in show business and that after talking to you for five minutes I’d feel really sane.”

“Oh, tell Danny thanks,” I said sarcastically. “So you still haven’t heard?”

“Nothing. I was wondering if you had.”

“Nothing.” But as I said it I heard the house phone ring downstairs. “Did you hear that?” I asked Kirsty, my voice tight.

“Yep,” she said. “Is it them?”

“Hang on, I’ll find out.” Still with my mobile in my hand I went out of my bedroom door at exactly the same time as Nydia. We looked at each other and slowly walked down the stairs to the hallway where Mum has answered the phone. David, Sean, Sean’s mum, Alberto and Marie were all standing there staring at my mum as she talked.

“Yes, Miss Darcy,” Mum said, nodding. “Yes…uh-huh…uh-huh…yes, I see…I see…of course. Of course. Of course.” Me and Nydia looked at each other, a temporary truce between as we waited to hear our fate. “Yes, yes, I’ll explain everything,” Mum said finally, her voice completely neutral. “Thank you so much. Goodbye.”

She hung up and we all stared at her.

“Right,” Mum said. “Ruby, Nydia – would you like to follow me into the study, please?”

As we followed I put my phone to my ear. “Still there?” I asked Kirsty.