The Academy of the Elite

I have been up for an hour, nervous about today’s final round of auditions. I look at the time and got out of bed. I remember Ally and started shaking her so she would wake up. I didn't want to be late for the bus. I kick the mattress we share that lays directly on the floor. I open the draw of our lone dresser and pulled out the hand-me-downs we received from older cousins and our one young aunt. She remains lying in bed, I sigh loudly and decide to pick out her clothes. I threw a pair of jeans on her face, followed by a baby pink tee.

“Aaliyah wake yourself up before your need for sleep crushes our dreams!” I gave one more hard kick to the mattress and she moans. “UP!!”

She lifts up her head, her hair a sleepy mess, sleep clinging to her eyes. She got up and shuffles to the bathroom. One bathroom in a house of nine is a daily nightmare. Well technically there are two bathrooms but one is in our parent’s room and in this house that’s the forbidden realm. Our parents struggled to get us this much, they would never have to hear ungrateful complaining from us. Nope, they just heard it from our brothers.

Today we were up extra early. I mean early; to get to the academy we had to get up at 3 am. I had to force Ally up these past three days, rush her to get ready, and motivate her to walk the twenty blocks to the bus. If I didn't, she would lag around like she always did. I roll my eyes just at the thought. I start digging in the draw again for something for me to wear. I throw on a pair of faded sky blue skinny jeans that hug my hips, butt, and thighs. I feel so uncomfortable in the tight fit, so I search for a comfortable shirt. I pull out a baggy star wars shirt, pull it down over my stomach. I grab my black chucks and put my hair into a loose ponytail.

“Ally, hurry up!” I harshly whisper into the bathroom door while heading towards the kitchen.

I grab a banana muffin and a bottle of water. Ally walks in and grabs a pop-tart pack. She has applied eyeliner and mascara, and I knew that meant there was a boy. Before I could even ask who he is, she spoke.

“Why must you ruin your great figure, in those jeans, with that baggy shirt?” She is clearly annoyed with my choice in outfit.

“Get off my case Ally!” I said while grabbing my coat and script. “Let’s go. Do you have your song?”

“Yes,” she smiles, “in here.” She points at her head, as I pull the door open not bothering with a speech about having a physical copy. “I have it in my pocket,” she said, rolling her eyes.

She walks out ahead of me, singing at the top of her lungs. I lock the door and shush her. Her silence lasts until we are on the street then she is singing again. The streets are still dark at this time so she walks ahead, but not by much. I knew Ally was singing her song because I have heard her singing it in the shower before. She sings it while doing homework, washing dishes, cleaning our room, pretty much all the time. I knew it very well. The lyrics of her song were deep and meaningful, unlike most music these days. That’s why I could tolerate hearing it all the time. She starts to stomp her heels against the pavement as she grew more passionate with each word.

I tune her out, practicing the lines of my skit to myself. I know I went the cliché route with a love story but I want to showcase my talent that's easy to understand. We all know everyone professes to know love, plus it was the first thing I could think of. Ally pulls me forward as she saw the bus approaching and smiles at the driver who waved us past. Another free ride, we could give our parents ten dollars back.

“Are you nervous Elly? You shouldn't be. You are way more kick-butt than those other kids.” She said confidently as we slide into empty seats.

“Ally,” I elbow her, “this is too important for me not to be nervous. With this school, we would give Mami and Papi two fewer mouths to feed. Not to mention we could send money home from our jobs there. In the long run, we could buy them a house.”

“I know that, but look, let’s not stress it okay? They want us to have fun and be young Liz. That is what is going to make them happy now.”

“Please stick to one nickname,” I sigh, I knew she was right.

We spent the rest of the bus ride in silence. Each one of us wrapped up in our own thoughts, two separate worlds. I watched the green hedges come into view and knew we were so much closer to our dream. Just one audition away from getting in, then I will have fun, I silently promise her. Then I will relax in a way I never have in my whole life. I would be young. Just let me get in, I prayed.

I knew from research that they let you know right there, on the spot, whether you made it in or not. Today is the day I would know, the day Ally would know. She may not show it but I know that she is scared, she wants this just as much as I did. We step off the bus hand in hand, staring at the gate, turn, and smile at each other.

“Break a leg Lizzy.” Ally hugs me tight.

“Blow their minds Als.” I squeeze her in return.

“See you later.” She runs off towards the main building while I head out towards the open field for my audition.

I heard the crowd of students before I see them, I know it was only nineteen people but still my stomach drops. My nerves kick in at full force and I walk slowly towards them. In the back stands Pink, today’s judge next to who I assume is the acting teacher. He is trying to silence the students and remind them how they felt the first time they audition for the school. They fall into a hush when they saw me, my legs feel like jello when all their eyes are on me.

“Ah, I love an early bird.” The teacher says. “Welcome, welcome, you must be Elizabeth Leon. Am I correct?”

I just nod, afraid my voice would betray me.

“I have heard so much about you! You are quite highly spoken of. Well, since JT says you are the best, we will save you for last.” I blush. “Your partner for today will be Zac. Come here Zac.”

I watch as the gorgeous boy walks towards me, the butterflies in my stomach kicking it up a notch. He is 6’1 with a prominent jawline, milky skin, and smoky blue eyes that still have a piercing quality. Not to mention his supple pink lips, and brown lush hair with blonde roots. My heart flops, oh boy. He smiles to reveal his dimples as he stretches his hand out towards me. His mere appearance made me nervous in a whole new way.

“Hi, I am Zac. Can I call you Elizabeth or do you prefer Liza?” I force myself to ignore his big, soft hands, and strong grip.

“Liza is fine.” I manage to say despite my dry mouth.

“Cool,” he smiles staring into my eyes. “So shall we review your skit before the others get here?”

I force my eyes away from his biceps and nod. I put my head down. I'm now staring straight at the scuffed shoes on my feet. He didn't seem to notice my avoiding eye contact, or maybe he was just nice enough to pretend he didn't notice. The teacher shooed us away so we could discuss my small scene. He told me again, that I would be performing last since I got here first. I am sure he thought of this as a reward, but I feel like the anticipation is going to make it a punishment. Zac took the small script from my hand and smiles at me.

He leads us to a small hidden gazebo behind a hedge wall. The wall is just tall enough to block us from the view of the other students. He leans against the edge of the wooden structure and begins to read as I continue to stare at my feet. The silence that fills the air was heavy. All I could hear is the bugs and him occasionally rustling the pages. I knew when he was done because he clears his throat to get my attention.

“A love story, huh? That’s my expertise.” He winks and I feel the flames of a blush creep up my neck.

First Vic, now this guy, what is with the males in this student body? Is being good looking a requirement to come here or something? I avoid eye contact while he browsed over the skit again to get the basic concept of what will be going on. That’s when I remember the kiss, my face must have turned red. I forgot to revise that part. I mean, I have never kissed a guy before and I didn't want my first kiss to be in front of all these people.

“Okay, I got the basic idea of the script. I will let you know now, there is usually a bunch of improv in these things. Especially on my part since I didn't have much time to get to know the lines. Don’t worry about it though; the teacher is looking to see how your plot is and how the story flows. And this,” he said pointing at the script, “is perfect.”

He seems so different from a second ago as if just the thought of acting transforms him into a new person. This relaxes me, I remember who I was supposed to be right now, not shy Elizabeth, but confident Kathy.

“Let’s get into character while we watch the others perform.”

Pulling us away from the hidden spot he leads me to, we head back out into the open with the others. So I, Kathy, interlaced our fingers, taking us to a spot under a tree to observe the others. As I watch the other potential students, I have to admit they were all good. Yet they all lack what I have; complete security in Kathy’s skin. They fumble with words, forget cues, and blush under Pink’s steel gaze. Kathy would do no such thing, she, I am too fierce to be intimidated. Everyone is sent home except one, the one person who would be my competition. She was second and now it was my turn to show her how it’s done.

Kathy took the stage and waits for the attention to fall on her. The class grew quiet as they wait for us to start to perform. Zac follows after me silently becoming in my eyes Christopher, my childhood best friend, and sister’s fiancé.

“Kathy, wait,” He says as I kept moving toward the right of the makeshift stage, “Please, why are you upset with me?”

I turn, outraged, and in tears, “because I love you, Chris, I always have and my good for nothing sister knows that. She is using you to get back at me, why can’t you see that?”

He stares at me shocked, “Kathy, why would you try to hurt me like this?”

I laugh bitterly, “I am not trying to hurt you.” I look down in shame knowing that’s all that I was accomplishing. “I am trying to save you,” I whisper.

“Kathy,” He moves towards me and grabs my face, forcing me to look at him, “tell me it isn't true. Tell me your sister does love me. Please?”

I pull my face from his hands, “I refuse to lie to you. We have been friends for too long for me to do that. Don’t marry her Chris, she doesn't love you.” I give him my back in order to not look at his pain. “She loved Jamie and she blames me for his death. She is trying to hurt me, and she is succeeding. Damn it, Chris!” I turn and stare at him, our eyes connecting. “Please, Chris, believe me. I am begging you.”

He turns away from me, eyes on the floor. He begins to pace as I watch him helplessly. His face is a canvas painting the picture of his conflicting emotions. I know he wants to believe me, but his heart wouldn't let him. He turns to face me.

“Why tell me now Kat? You have had all this time to tell me her plan, to confess your love but you wait until ten minutes after I propose. Why the wait, why not let me know from the beginning? Why did you wait until after I fell in love with her?”

“I didn't know you would fall for her. I thought that you knew how I felt. I should have warned you before but I didn't know-how. When I saw you propose I knew I could not let you marry her. I knew that it wasn't too late to say how I feel. To try and make you see how much you mean to me, what we could be together.”

“I don’t believe you!”

I quickly close the gap between us, grab his face, and kiss him. Pouring all the love Kathy has for Chris into my lips, a mixture of passion and frustration seeping into the kiss. He responded by grabbing my hair and deepening the kiss. Then we part and his eyes held mine firmly. You could hear a pin drop; the class was hooked, waiting for the next line. Leave them wanting more, that’s how you get into a school like this. So we turn and bow. The class is on their feet; clapping wildly, Pink with a grin on her face.

The clapping died down after a minute or two. They all sat down waiting to hear Pink’s verdict. My heart was racing, palms sweating, stomach filled with swarms of bees. I feel like she was taking forever, dragging it out just for the heck of it. Then she opened her mouth and said. . .

“Welcome to Michael Jackson Academy, Elizabeth.”

I jump up and scream, 'yes I did it, I did it', I think to myself. My classmates surround me and hug me. They were smiling from ear to ear with me, probably remembering the day that they themselves heard those words. Its a blur of introductions and congratulations. Nineteen people surrounding me, their excited chatter swirling around me. A chorus of ‘you were great,’ and ‘amazing job girl’ fill the air. Then I feel a hand tugs me out of the crowd.

“Great job partner.” Zac said, “Amazing kiss by the way.” He walks away from the scene, putting a silly grin on my face.

“Thanks,” I said to his back as he walks across the campus grounds.

I stand there for a moment, forgetting the whole world and dwelling on my victory. I can't stop smiling, my cheeks hurt. That’s when I remember Ally. I run across campus and hope with all my might that she gets in too.