Page 53 of The First Time
Chapter Eight
Piper
Nervous energy fills my stomach the closer I get to the theater. By the time I'm there, I'm shaking. It's just community theater. And I really don't have time for this play.
But I'm a woman of my word. I lost that bet to Kit. I'm auditioning forA Streetcar Named Desire.
The theater is nestled behind a set of bushes. It's in the middle of a small commercial district and its sandwiched by a bar and a restaurant. It looks more like a restaurant, really like a cute Italian restaurant in a fairytale cottage, than anything else.
But the handwritten sign on the door readsAuditions Inside.
I hug my purse to my chest and I make my way into the building. It's a small space, the lobby, and it's filled with women older than I am, with better makeup and wardrobe than I have, with a hell of a lot more poise than I have.
These are open auditions. Which means it might be a while. I put my name on the list—I'm spot 20 and they're currently on five—and take a seat in one of the blue plastic chairs. There must be twenty people here, a mix of men and women, young and old.
I play with my phone, cursing its utter lack of texts from Kit. It's not like I'm waiting for a reply.
I shouldn't get caught up in wanting to hear from him.
I should focus on practicing my monologue.
Instead, I unlock my phone and shoot him a text.
Piper: I'm at the audition, waiting. I'll probably be waiting another hour. I'm really nervous.
Kit: You're cute nervous.
Piper: Yeah?
Kit: Yeah.
I should let it go.
Kit is important to me. And he's a good friend. But I want a lot more than friendship with him. I want to know that when he saysyou're cute nervoushe meansand I've been thinking about how fucking hot it will be when you're nervous over stripping for me.
Deep breath.
Piper: Cute how?
Kit: You get red. You ramble. You have a sweet, innocence about you.
Piper: Corruptible?
Kit: You could see it that way.
Piper: How do you see it?
Kit: You should get ready for your audition.
Piper: I am. I'm relaxing before my turn.
Kit: Bullshit.
Piper: It's true.
Kit: Then tell me about that show you're watching.
Piper: Which one? I'm watching a dozen.
