know.”
“Where are these auditions held?” she asked.
“At my school.”
“I don’t know, Mari.”
“Come on. This is an opportunity of a lifetime, Luz. This is our chance.”
Grace’s head was bouncing back and forth between us. Luz took a look at herself in the mirror. She must’ve been satisfied with her hair, because she didn’t complain anymore.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll audition with you.”
“Yes!” I exclaimed.
“I don’t know why I let you talk me into these things,” she said and then opened her closet and started looking for an outfit for school. “What do you think of these jeans with this top?”
“Cute,” I told her. “I gotta go. It’s almost six o’clock, and I have to be home for dinner.”
“We gotta come up with a routine for this…this…Dance America thing.”
“We’ll start tomorrow,” I said and started gathering my hair products. “As soon I get home from school.”
“After pizza at Manny’s, of course,” she said sarcastically.
“Of course,” I grinned and then gave my best friend a hug. “See you tomorrow.”
“Okay, Chica,” she said and smiled. “Why don’t you sneak me some dinner from your house later. I’m sure I’ll still be hungry. Besides, your mom’s a much better cook.”
“You’re sick.”
“I’m honest.”
“Bye, Gracie,” I said.
“See ya, Mari.”
I pulled Luz’s bedroom door shut behind me; jogged down the stairs and out the front door. The thought of us auditioning for Dance America made me want to skip all the way home. And I did.
six
Drew
My alarm went off and Hot 97 disc jockey Cipha Sound’s voice shook me out of my sleep. When I heard a Timbaland song, I turned the radio up as loud as it would go and rolled out of bed, wearing a pair of boxers but no shirt. I went into the bathroom, splashed water onto my face and turned on the shower. As I stepped into the shower, I started rehearsing my lines for the school’s production of A Raisin in the Sun . Today, I would be auditioning for the role of Walter Lee Younger. It was the role that P. Diddy portrayed in the modern version of the play. The old version premiered in 1959. It was a Broadway play, and the role of Walter Lee Younger was played by Sidney Poitier. I had gone to Blockbuster and rented the 1961 version of the film, which also starred Sydney Poitier. For a few days, I studied my scenes in the hopes I could get my lines, tight as Mr. Poitier’s. He was so smooth. And if I landed the role, the production would take place in an off-off-Broadway stage in the city. It was that thought that made it all worthwhile.
Freshly dressed, and with cologne dabbed on my neck,I grabbed my keys from the kitchen bar and headed for the garage. I hopped into my car. I could’ve walked the twelve blocks from our apartment to school, but occasionally I liked to take my car out for a spin. I knew that my father would probably flip a lid if he found out, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. I let the top down just to catch a little bit of the New York City morning breeze. I popped in a Keri Hilson CD and tried to visualize her beautiful body moving to the music. She was exactly what I needed first thing in the morning. Keri was someone of interest to me. Besides writing songs for people like Britney Spears, Ludacris and Usher, she also attended Oxford University, where she majored in theater. I was somewhat of a songwriter; I had spiral notebooks filled with songs that I’d written. I used songwriting as a way of expressing my feelings. Whether I had a good day or a bad one, I could write a song about it. We had so much in common—Keri and me. All she had to do was recognize that I was alive.
I bounced to the music as I sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Fifth Avenue. The drive should’ve taken only a few minutes, but during New York’s rush-hour traffic, it was the worst drive ever. But I took it in stride; I tried to make the best of each day, no
“Where are these auditions held?” she asked.
“At my school.”
“I don’t know, Mari.”
“Come on. This is an opportunity of a lifetime, Luz. This is our chance.”
Grace’s head was bouncing back and forth between us. Luz took a look at herself in the mirror. She must’ve been satisfied with her hair, because she didn’t complain anymore.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll audition with you.”
“Yes!” I exclaimed.
“I don’t know why I let you talk me into these things,” she said and then opened her closet and started looking for an outfit for school. “What do you think of these jeans with this top?”
“Cute,” I told her. “I gotta go. It’s almost six o’clock, and I have to be home for dinner.”
“We gotta come up with a routine for this…this…Dance America thing.”
“We’ll start tomorrow,” I said and started gathering my hair products. “As soon I get home from school.”
“After pizza at Manny’s, of course,” she said sarcastically.
“Of course,” I grinned and then gave my best friend a hug. “See you tomorrow.”
“Okay, Chica,” she said and smiled. “Why don’t you sneak me some dinner from your house later. I’m sure I’ll still be hungry. Besides, your mom’s a much better cook.”
“You’re sick.”
“I’m honest.”
“Bye, Gracie,” I said.
“See ya, Mari.”
I pulled Luz’s bedroom door shut behind me; jogged down the stairs and out the front door. The thought of us auditioning for Dance America made me want to skip all the way home. And I did.
six
Drew
My alarm went off and Hot 97 disc jockey Cipha Sound’s voice shook me out of my sleep. When I heard a Timbaland song, I turned the radio up as loud as it would go and rolled out of bed, wearing a pair of boxers but no shirt. I went into the bathroom, splashed water onto my face and turned on the shower. As I stepped into the shower, I started rehearsing my lines for the school’s production of A Raisin in the Sun . Today, I would be auditioning for the role of Walter Lee Younger. It was the role that P. Diddy portrayed in the modern version of the play. The old version premiered in 1959. It was a Broadway play, and the role of Walter Lee Younger was played by Sidney Poitier. I had gone to Blockbuster and rented the 1961 version of the film, which also starred Sydney Poitier. For a few days, I studied my scenes in the hopes I could get my lines, tight as Mr. Poitier’s. He was so smooth. And if I landed the role, the production would take place in an off-off-Broadway stage in the city. It was that thought that made it all worthwhile.
Freshly dressed, and with cologne dabbed on my neck,I grabbed my keys from the kitchen bar and headed for the garage. I hopped into my car. I could’ve walked the twelve blocks from our apartment to school, but occasionally I liked to take my car out for a spin. I knew that my father would probably flip a lid if he found out, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. I let the top down just to catch a little bit of the New York City morning breeze. I popped in a Keri Hilson CD and tried to visualize her beautiful body moving to the music. She was exactly what I needed first thing in the morning. Keri was someone of interest to me. Besides writing songs for people like Britney Spears, Ludacris and Usher, she also attended Oxford University, where she majored in theater. I was somewhat of a songwriter; I had spiral notebooks filled with songs that I’d written. I used songwriting as a way of expressing my feelings. Whether I had a good day or a bad one, I could write a song about it. We had so much in common—Keri and me. All she had to do was recognize that I was alive.
I bounced to the music as I sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Fifth Avenue. The drive should’ve taken only a few minutes, but during New York’s rush-hour traffic, it was the worst drive ever. But I took it in stride; I tried to make the best of each day, no
Similar Books
