Page 3 of My Best Friend Prince Charming

“That’s huge, Ryker! If you get this role, it could completely change your life,” Aunt Kristen said.

Shannon sat quietly, twisting her ring around her finger. It had been her grandmother’s, and Shannon always twisted it around when something was bothering her.

I shrugged. “I’m not sure I’m going.”

“What?” Aunt Kristen said. “Why would you pass up an opportunity like that?” She knew how much I loved acting, so I understood her surprise at me not wanting to audition. It wasn’t that I didn’t want the part. I’d always dreamed of making it big one day. But that was just a far-off fantasy. Like something one of my fan fiction characters would dream about doing. But that wasn’t reality. Shannon and I used to have big dreams. I was going to be an actor, and she was going to be an author. But we weren’t kids anymore. We were both staring down adulthood. We’d each seen how hard life could be without a stable career. That was why college was so important. It was reliable and practical.

“We already have our future all planned out,” I told her.

“Ryker,” Aunt Kristen shook her head. “Sometimes life takes an unexpected turn with better results at the destination. You can’t give up on something amazing just because you’re too attached to the outcome you had in mind.”

I brushed off her advice. “Shannon just heard back from the University of North Carolina. They’re offering her a full-ride scholarship.” They’d just offered me a full ride as well, and it meant that we’d both be able to go to school together. It was huge news. I knew Shannon had experienced a lot of anxiety about leaving Sweet Mountain and going off to a new school alone. Sometimes I didn’t understand the inner workings of her mind. She always talked about how she wanted to get away from Sweet Mountain so she could see the rest of the world, but she didn’t want to be alone when she left.

She had been really excited for us to go to school together. I didn’t want to mess that up. Her top school was UCLA, but since UNC offered her the scholarship, that was where she’d decided to attend. It was her second choice, but it wasn’t like she had a rich daddy to pay the out-of-state tuition. Her dad couldn’t even pay child support. Couldn’t . . . or wouldn’t.

“Maybe it doesn’t matter. I probably won’t get the role anyway. Just because the director liked my stage performance doesn’t mean he’ll like me in front of a camera. It’s a totally different acting style. No one sees my face up close while I’m on stage.”

“You should at least go for the experience of auditioning in front of someone that famous,” Aunt Kristen said. “And I’ve seen you on camera. Remember all those silly videos you used to make back in middle school? You were actually really good.”

I shrugged. “I guess.”

“This is your ticket out of here. You can see what’s beyond Sweet Mountain.”

Everything I wanted in life was right here in this little town. And she was sitting right across from me. If I couldn’t be with her romantically, at least I could be in her life every day as her best friend. I would take whatever I could get.

Our food came, and we sat eating, discussing more of our fan fiction. I loved watching Shannon’s face as she talked about her story ideas. She was so passionate about her writing. She came alive whenever she talked about it. I wanted to see her this happy every day. If I could bring her this kind of joy, then I knew I was living my life the right way.

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