Learning Me (Lightworker Trilogy #1), Page 2

  “If you say so.” He led the way to the passenger side of his old beater and opened the door for Courtney. She climbed inside, pulling the door shut as he went around to the driver’s side. The thing looked like it belonged in a junkyard, but it ran perfectly and Sam considered it his baby. He’d even named the thing, which led to Courtney teasing him.

  Courtney reached over and scanned the radio stations in search of something decent to listen to. It didn’t take long to rule the radio a lost cause, so Courtney popped in one of Sam’s mix CDs. His taste in music was eclectic enough that she never knew what she’d get when she put one in. It was part of what she liked about him — his unpredictable side.

  A mix of metal, R&B, and country filled the air as they drove down the quiet street. Before long, the houses and small stores gave way to apartment complexes and malls. Courtney watched as people travelled down the sidewalks. Each one fueled her imagination and she found herself making up back stories for them to pass the time. She knew better than to try and engage Sam in conversation while he was driving.

  “Court, you there?”

  Courtney snapped to attention, glancing over at her boyfriend. “What was that?”

  He laughed. “I thought so. We’re here…” He gestured to the modern building several feet to their left. The front was decorated with a large awning stretching over the walkway to the door. Outside, a group of people stood around talking while music seeped out into the night as the doors opened and closed.

  “Sorry,” she said with a sheepish grin. The smile on his face told her he wasn’t offended. That was another thing she liked—he knew her well enough to not get offended by her occasional daydreaming. She supposed it came from being an actor.

  Sam reached out and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as they approached the front door. She returned the gesture while they got in line. “This looks like a great place.”

  “Yeah,” she said. “Did you hear that music when they opened the door? It sounds like they have a live band in there.”

  Sam nodded as they moved forward. “I heard they’re only doing that once a week, so we lucked out.”

  The line moved much faster than Courtney anticipated, and before she knew it, they were exploring the club from the inside. A huge crowd was gathered around the stage, while others were dancing in another part of the building. Lights swirled around, adding a little color to the dim space.

  Once they finished chatting about the game with the rest of the team, Sam turned to Courtney and asked, “You want to get something to drink?”

  “Sure.” She followed him to the bar, narrowly avoiding getting trampled by a group of people rushing to the dance floor. She thought she recognized a few from school, and maybe one of the guys from the rival football team.

  “What do you want?”

  The tall, skinny guy at the bar looked bored and she could swear she saw some plugs in his ears. How he’d hear their order, she had no idea. “A Coke, please.”

  “I’ll take a Sprite,” Sam added.

  The guy nodded, and then turned to get their drinks. He kept his gaze on the band as he set their drinks on the counter. “That’ll be four dollars.”

  “Here.” Sam pulled some cash out of his pocket and shoved it into the guy’s hand before steering Courtney away from the counter. “Come on, we can sit over there.” He pointed at a table to their left.

  “So, how’d it go today? You have a show tomorrow, right?”

  “Yeah,” Courtney replied. “I’m freaking, as usual. I hate the lead-up time to a show. It gives me a chance to think about what could go wrong.”

  Sam reached for her hand, stroking it with his thumb. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

  Courtney raised an eyebrow at him and responded cautiously, “Yeah… what made you say that?”

  “Because you’re doing that thing with your hair again. It usually means you’re hiding something.”

  “What thing with my…” Her voice trailed off as she realized she was absentmindedly playing with a strand that had come loose from her bun. “Oh. It’s really not a huge deal, just an audition Miss Hernandez told me about today. There’s a producer coming to town to cast some indie movie and she thinks I’d be good for it. I don’t think I’m going to go for it, though.”

  “Why not? You want to keep acting, right? Even if you don’t get it, it sounds like it would be a fun to at least go for the audition. I’d even come with you if you think that would make it easier.”

  “I’m not scared to do it; I just don’t think there would be a point. You know my parents, they hate me acting. They think it’s a waste of time, and just thinking about me in a movie would make their heads explode.”

  Sam sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Court, I really don’t get it. You’re almost eighteen… why are you so worried about what they think of this?”

  “I care, okay? I’d rather not live in a war zone until I leave.”

  “All I’m saying is, you should do what you really want to do. Do you want to regret missing out on this because you’re afraid of what they might think?”

  “Sam…” She studied the pattern on the wood table while she struggled to counter his logic.

  “Just think about it, okay? That’s all I’m saying.”

  Courtney sighed. She supposed she could concede that much. “All right. I’ll think about it, but I’m not making any promises right now. Come on, let’s go dance.”

  “Cool,” he replied as he got up and led her to the dance floor.

  Chapter Three

  A couple of days later, Courtney gathered the books she would need for the weekend from her locker. She couldn’t wait to get on the road to her cousin’s. Her body practically hummed with energy as she closed the locker and turned to walk out the front entrance.

  “Courtney!”

  Courtney turned, her mood instantly souring as she watched Miss Hernandez approach. She still hadn’t given an answer about the audition and she figured an interrogation was on the way. “Hi, Miss Hernandez.”

  “Hi. I wanted to talk to you about that audition.”

  Courtney gestured to the door. “I was actually in a hurry. I’m spending the weekend with my cousin, so I really should get going.”

  “This will only take a minute. I just wanted to know if you’d given any more thought to what we talked about. The deadline to sign up is coming soon and you’ll need time to prepare.”

  She figured her excuse would fail. She had yet to meet a teacher who wasn’t hard to sway when their mind was made up about something. “Right. I haven’t actually had a chance to talk to my parents about it yet. They’ve been busy with work and I had a ton of homework to catch up on.”

  “Well, I’d suggest you make some time very quickly or you’ll miss out. I’d hate to see you lose an opportunity like this.”

  “I promise, as soon as I get back from my cousin’s I’ll talk to them about it.” Her entire body tensed at the idea, but she figured the only way she was going to get everyone off her back about this would be to tell her parents and wait for them to blow their collective fuse. A refusal from them would be hard for the teacher, or her boyfriend, to argue with.

  “Wonderful. I look forward to hearing what they say. Have a good weekend!” Miss Hernandez turned and made her way back to the auditorium.

  As soon as the teacher was out of sight, Courtney turned and rushed outside to get as far away from the school as possible to avoid running into Sam as well. Knowing him, he’d probably ask the same question, and she didn’t want to have to admit the truth.

  The ride to her cousin’s apartment was exactly the reprieve she needed. The road was almost hypnotic, while the pop music blaring from the speaker boosted her mood. The closer she got to the place, the more her excitement built. She’d been there once before, but only for a quick visit with some family, so she didn’t really count that. There was something intoxicating about the idea of being parent-free for a weekend, even
though her parents did generally let her do what she wanted. The only exception seemed to be when acting came into the picture. While she didn’t understand it, she figured it was better than them policing her clothes or music choices, or worse yet, her friends.

  As she pulled into the building, she couldn’t help feeling a bit jealous. While the apartments weren’t huge, they were nice, and the outside was gorgeous. A garden in front accented the small lawn, while the windows were all adorned with the same old-fashioned blue shutters. It was a simple look that appealed to her, especially when contrasted with the brick houses and fancy roof tiles in her neighborhood.

  Courtney parked her mom’s car and got out. As she pulled her bags out of the trunk, she tried to remember what apartment her cousin lived in. They usually communicated through calls and late-night chat sessions on the computer, so she blanked on the number.

  Where did I put that?

  Courtney set a bag down to search her pockets for the piece of paper she’d hastily scrawled the information on last night.

  “Eighteen B,” she read aloud. Courtney grabbed the bag she’d set down and made her way into the building. A simple wooden staircase greeted her as she entered. On her left was a wall lined with mailboxes, while some pictures dotted the wall on her right. Most of them looked old, featuring the same building she stood in. A few changes here and there marked the different years of each shot, but it was clear it was the same place. The decorative touch appealed to her, and she found herself wondering about the people in the snapshots.

  Snap out of it. Lauren’s probably wondering what happened to you.

  A couple of minutes later, she stood outside her cousin’s apartment. She’d barely gotten a knock in when the door opened and Lauren greeted her with a concerned tone. “Where have you been? I thought you were going to be here twenty minutes ago.”

  “Sorry. I took a wrong turn,” Courtney apologized.

  “No problem. Here, let me get that.” Lauren relieved Courtney of her bags and ushered Courtney inside.

  “Wow.” Courtney studied the living room, taking in every detail. “You got some new furniture in here, didn’t you?”

  “Yep. God bless the rich people up in The Hills. They’re always tossing their stuff out to make room for something more ‘in,’ so we replaced the monstrosity.”

  Courtney laughed as she pictured the huge, lumpy couch with the uneven arms her cousin had owned when she’d first moved in. “Where did you get that thing, anyway?”

  “Annie found it at some second-hand store. She thought it was unique. I think that was a good thing; the world didn’t need more than one.”

  “Where is Annie, anyway?”

  “Knowing her, she’s probably at her boyfriend’s house right now. So, what do you want to do first?”

  “How about a movie night?” It was their usual standby, but Courtney never tired of it.

  Lauren grinned and set Courtney’s bag underneath a table near the front door. “Sounds good. Go pick something and I’ll get the junk food.”

  “Gotcha.” Courtney examined the contents of the entertainment center Lauren’s parents gave her when she moved in. There were some sci-fi things off to one side that she decided must belong to Annie, so Courtney skipped over those. She spotted one of the cheesy ‘80s movies she and Lauren loved on the bottom shelf. Satisfied she’d found the perfect choice, she popped the DVD into the player and took a seat on the new couch. The material was surprisingly plush and she felt as though she could sink into it.

  Much better than the monstrosity…

  “What’d you pick?” Lauren walked back into the room balancing a couple of cans with some bags that looked as though they were going to fall out of her arms any second.

  “Start the player and you’ll see,” Courtney teased as she stood to relieve some of her cousin’s burden.

  “I should’ve known you would say that. It’s times like this I’m glad I never had a little sister,” she retorted. “I don’t know if I could handle one of you full-time.”

  Courtney just rolled her eyes and returned to her seat, digging into a bag of chips while her cousin started the film. For the next hour and a half, they consumed way too much junk while giggling over the movie and the hot actors. It was a welcome distraction that kept her from thinking too much about the decision she had to make.

  In no time, the ending credits scrolled across the screen and Lauren moved from the couch to select another one. “So, how’s everything going, anyway? I heard you did great the other night in that play. I wish I could’ve seen it.”

  “It was pretty good,” Courtney agreed. “We’ve been having a great time. I’m just sad we’ll be wrapping up the performances at the end of the month.”

  “When’s the next show? I want to make sure I don’t miss it.”

  Courtney waved it off. “You don’t have to worry about it. Aren’t you busy here?”

  Lauren put the next movie into the player and took her place back on the couch. “Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss it. We never miss each other’s stuff. Hell, you were barely out of diapers and you were at my dance recital.”

  The memory of all the old shows she’d seen brought a smile to her face. “True. We’re doing a few performances next weekend if you can make it. There’s one Friday night and another Sunday afternoon.”

  “I’ll be there,” Lauren promised. “So, what else is going on? I feel so clueless now that I don’t live in Elkswood anymore, and I need a massive gossip fix.”

  “Well, there is one thing… but I want it to stay between us, okay?”

  Lauren raised an eyebrow before making the ‘cross my heart’ motion. “You know it.”

  “Miss Hernandez said some producer’s coming to town to cast an indie movie and she wants me to go out for it.”

  “Oh, my God! That’s amazing. So, when’s the big day?” Lauren shifted in her seat and sat with one leg crossed under the other.

  “I haven’t exactly said I’ll do it yet.”

  “Why not? I would be lined up now!”

  Courtney shrugged. “You know my mom and dad.”

  “Ah.” Lauren paused for a minute to consider what Courtney said before continuing, “Courtney, you know what the most terrifying part of moving out was?”

  “What’s that have to do with anything?”

  “It has a lot to do with it, ‘cause we’re a lot alike. Anyway… the scariest part was not knowing what to do. I spent about eighteen years doing exactly what everyone wanted me to do. All of a sudden, there was no one there every day to make the decisions for me. I had to figure it out all on my own and I barely even knew who I was. You really don’t want to go that way. Seriously. Think about what you really want and don’t worry about what they think. They won’t be able to help forever, you know.”

  “I get what you’re saying, but you aren’t living with them. They barely talk to me on show days and they’re always rushing me out of the auditorium the second I leave the stage. Do I really want to spend my last few months at home fighting over something that might not happen? Come on, the chances of me getting a part are, like, nil. It just doesn’t feel worth it.”

  “Hey, don’t get all defensive on me,” Lauren said with her hands up in surrender. “I’m just giving you some advice. Do what you will with it.”

  “Right.”

  Lauren turned the next movie on and the two watched in silence. Courtney wasn’t sure how long they sat like that, but her cousin’s words kept echoing through her mind, mixing with what Sam had said as well. Finally, Courtney turned to her cousin. “Hey, Lauren?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Do you really think I have a chance at getting a part?”

  Lauren laughed and nodded. “No doubt!”

  ****

  When Courtney got back to her house Sunday night, she still had the conversation with Lauren running through her head. Sam’s advice crept in again as well, creating an annoying mix that was impossible to ignore. The more s
he thought about it, the more she realized they were right. It did sound like fun, and she likely wouldn’t get a part. At least she’d be able to say she auditioned for Steven Miller.

  I’m going to do it.

  She nodded to herself as she unpacked her duffel bag. Her parents were waiting downstairs to hear about her weekend, so she figured there was no better time than now. At least it would be out in the open and she wouldn’t have to feel like a sneak anymore.

  “Hey,” she said as she entered the living room with a smile on her face. Years of school productions and acting class had taught her how to look happy no matter what the circumstances, so she used those skills now to appear calm and casual. Maybe it would be catching. She had a feeling they might need all the calming influence they could get.

  Her dad looked up from the paper he’d been reading. “Hi, Kiddo. How was your weekend?”

  “Not bad. We watched a ton of movies and talked a little.”

  “What about?” Her mom reached for the remote and clicked off the TV.

  “Oh, just about school and campus life. This cool opportunity I found out about.”

  Her parents exchanged a look and her mother responded, “Oh? What opportunity? I hope you didn’t get it into your head about taking some classes there. You have enough going on with that play and your school work.”

  “No, nothing like that. It’s silly, really, and there’s no way it will happen, but it might be fun to try.”

  “What’s that?” Her father narrowed his eyes.

  Maybe now isn’t the best time.

  “Ya know, it was a long drive and I’m getting tired so why don’t we forget about it?” Courtney yawned for effect. “I had no idea how tiring a long drive really is. You’re just sitting, so you wouldn’t think it would be that big of a deal, right?”

  “Courtney, is there something you should be telling us right now?” Her mother regarded Courtney with obvious suspicion. Her arms were crossed.