Page 122 of Take the Lead
Stone gave her a long, steady look. His mouth opened, then he shook his head, like he was going to say something, then changed his mind. “Break a leg. In the audition, I mean.”
“I know what you meant.” She fought back the nervous smile that tugged at her lips. Tried to think of something else to say. Found nothing. “I guess… this is it.”
Again, Stone opened his mouth, paused, and closed it. The awkward silence stretched between them, pulling taut, trying to drag them together. Her stomach muscles tensed against the need to close the distance. To hug him one more time. To kiss him even though they were surrounded by people.
Why the fuck was she resisting so hard?
Stone exhaled, his massive shoulders rising and falling. “Bye, Gina.” His voice was low, almost sad.
“Bye, Stone.” She held back everything else she wanted to say to him and collected the pieces of her broken heart as he boarded the bus.
Well, the show must go on.
After making sure her sunglasses and Yankees cap were in place, Gina gathered her emotional shields, grabbed the handle of her suitcase, and headed for the casting studio.
Over the course of her career, Gina had been to plenty of auditions. Hell, she’d even attended auditions at the exact rehearsal space in the Garment District where she was meeting Hector Oquendo and theBronx Girlteam. So it was silly to be nervous. All the same, her skin hummed with anticipation as she rode the elevator up, her fingers clenching on the handle of her rolling suitcase like it was a lifeline.
When the elevator let her out, she checked the map in the reception area for the room number her agent had emailed her. Heart pounding, she made her way through a maze of hallwaysthat smelled of floor cleaner and dodged people in dance and workout gear who were reading lines and trying to act like they weren’t all nervous and intimidated, too. For once, Gina didn’t have to worry about any of them. She was the only one auditioning for this role. It was hers to lose.
No pressure.
When she found the correct room, she closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. All the stress of the past week—dealing with Donna, breaking up with Stone, winningThe Dance Off,and jumping through verbal hoops onMorning Mix—had left her utterly worn out. Really, she wanted to sleep for a week. Or six. But this was the chance of a lifetime. It was exactly what she’d wanted ever since she was a kid. If she got this role, and ifBronx Girldid well, she was set. She couldn’t let her mind be consumed by… everything else.
Stone.
It tore her up inside to think about him. He wouldn’t be on the plane yet. In a movie, this would be the moment where she dropped everything and raced to the airport to stop him from leaving.
But this was New York City. One did notraceto the airports. One sat in traffic, or squashed onto the train or bus, hugging one’s suitcase between one’s knees and praying the security line wasn’t bonkers.
Anyway, he had his life to get back to. Just like she had hers. As always, her career came first. And she was about to take the next big step.
Gina pushed the door open.
Holy mother of…
Meli!
Gina’s jaw dropped. Meli stood with a group of people at the far end of the rehearsal room, gathered around a rectangular folding table. Meli’s brown hair was swept into a high ponytail, and she wore a white blouse, glittery jeans, and wedge sandals.
Not even in Gina’s wildest dreams could she have imagined playing Meli on Broadway, and now she was about to audition infront of the woman herself. For some reason, it had never crossed her mind that Meli might be present. The nerves that had buzzed innocuously before now threatened to overwhelm.
Since no one had noticed her yet, Gina took a moment to get herself under control, sucking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. It wasn’t like she hadn’t met Meli before. They’d spoken briefly just a few weeks earlier. The whole reason she was here now was because Meli believed in her.
And she had to stop thinking, or she was going to psych herself out. Better to get this over with before anxiety could overtake her.
Striding forward, Gina fixed a big smile on her face.
Hector the producer spotted her first. “Ah, Gina’s here.”
The others looked up, and as Hector made introductions, Gina filed away everyone’s names. The director, writer, music director, choreographer, casting director—shit,everyonewas here. The whole production team. Even more amazing, everyone was Latine. Plus the writer, director, and casting director were women, and the choreographer was nonbinary.
But then Meli came around the table and enfolded Gina in a rose-scented hug, and Gina forgot about everyone else.
“Gina, I’m so glad you could make it.”
“Of course.” Gina’s thoughts were a litany ofomigod omigod omigod,but she tried to play it cool. “Thank you for thinking of me for this part.”
Meli waved that away. “As soon as I saw you, I knew. I wanted to ask you then and there, but I had to run to the airport. That’s why I sent Hector.”
