"You sure Austin Taylor is here, Ms Wang?"
"Yes, I'm sure. I just received a call."
"You sure I won't be sent back a second time?"
"No, ma'am. I said we're sorry,"Ms Wang said, with an exasperated look.
"Are you willing to pay for your sin?"
"If I could do anything about it…"
"Then give me two more passes"
"What?"
"These two here are coming with me."
With a sigh of defeat, Ms Wang gave me the passes.
Maya and Jeremy couldn't control their excitement.
"Thank you, Laura. We shouldn't forget to take a selfie with Austin."
"And show it to to Mandie and Lisa. It'll be fun to watch their wonderstruck faces."
When you are with your two most favorite people in the whole world, time does injustice to you. Before any of us knew it, we were standing in front of the same man who asked me to return after three hours. I gave him my most vicious glare to express my dislike, but he didn't mind. Instead, he asked me who the two people with me were.
"Show him your passes, guys."
For the first time, the man showed annoyance on his face. But he let us in without saying a word.
Our hearts hammering against our ribs, we got in. Right in front of us, like a king sitting on his throne, was Austin Taylor.
I disliked him at first glance. I disliked everything about him-especially that I'm-da-king look. I disliked that handsome face of his, which could make any girl fall for him. His posture was graceful and his figure strong, but he looked as if he cared for nothing but himself. When we came in, he didn't even raise his eyes from the book he was reading. It was when Maya called out his name excitedly, did he finally look at us.
"Austin Taylor! I'm so glad I could get to meet you. May I shake hands with you?" Maya asked, her voice with brimming with excitement.
"Yeah, yeah," Taylor said, taking his own sweet time to stand up.
As Taylor and Maya shook hands, I glanced at Jeremy. His reaction was just as I expected. He wasn't smiling anymore. He turned his face away when he noticed me and didn't say a word.
"I thought only one person would interview me. Anyway get it done ASAP and leave me some time for myself. I have better things to do,"Taylor said, sighing.
I couldn't stand his behavior anymore. Just because he was famous, didn't mean he should treat us like cockroaches. And I couldn't bear to hear anyone talking to my friends like that. I walked up to him. Words won't make him understand it. Only actions would. And the best action…SLAP! The sound reverberated across the room.Maya looked at me, her mouth hanging open in bewilderment. Jeremy looked at the wall, but I could see a hint of satisfaction on his face. Jeremy loved Taylor songs, but when it came to touching his girl, he was ready to give up anything, even his fave singer. Meanwhile, Taylor looked at me, a hand on his cheek, unable to utter a word in surprise.
"Mr Taylor, just like you, we are also busy with our lives. Being a bit more popular doesn't mean you should treat us like flies rather than humans. FYI, I was forced to interview you against my will, without a pay, because 'it's a matter of great honor to even meet the famous Austin Taylor' If you understand it, I would suggest you sit down and patiently answer our questions.."
Taylor gritted his teeth.
"How dare you… If you want to act over smart with someone, don't choose me. If I just say a word, you would be…"
"Actually, you should be the one to choose your words. You know what, I have recorded everything from the moment we entered here." I pointed at the smartphone in my breast pocket. "I am going to take your interview, after all. It's only natural for me to record the things you say. I don't need to inform you of the consequences you will have to face if I post this in the net?"
Thank goodness, this room is soundproof, I thought, I don't know what would have happened to me it wasn't.
"Fine." Austin said, heaving a sigh of exasperation. "I'm sorry for what I said. I wasn't in a good mood today."
The interview took nearly one hour. Maya and Jeremy were the ones who did most of the questioning. They talked to him like a friend. By the end of the interview, I was surprised to see that the smug look he had on his face earlier was replaced by a cheerful and friendly look. He didn't look so unpleasant anymore. I joined in the conversation at times and soon we were talking like we had known each other for years. We didn't know time flying until the man I had seen earlier at the door knocked on the door and entered.
"Sir Taylor, it's time."
Austin Taylor's expression changed back to the way it was when we came in like, a nanosecond. Wow, he could make a good actor, I thought. But I was relieved to see his superior aura was something he only put up to maintain his image.
As we walked to the door, Austin beckoned to us.
"Guys, I'm really thankful for today. And I'm really sorry for my preposterous behavior earlier. This was the best of the hundreds of interviews I've ever had,"he said, his smile slowly returning.
"You need not thank us,"I replied.
"I'm not sure if I can forgive 'you' though,"Taylor said, turning to me.
"Like I need your forgiveness, 'Sir' Taylor," I said turning towards the door, with my friends at my heels.