Chapter 3
The second I open the door to the apartment I hear moaning.
"AHH, FUCK YEAH. SLAM THAT DICK IN ME!" The sound of skin slapping against skin echoes down the hallway. "OHH...I'M CUMMINGGGG!"
Covering my eyes I kick the door shut behind me, quickly rush down past the living room and into the kitchen. As I take a bottle of water out of the fridge I yell "There is a bed in your bedroom, Bryan. Maybe use it next time!" I rush back past the living room and go upstairs, taking two at a time. "Sanitise the couch this time!"
Later in the evening Asia and I start preparing dinner. I place the potatoes on the cutting board and slice them each into fours. "Can you pass me the olive oil?" She slides it to my side of the counter. "Thanks."
"Have you had any ideas on how we can get chosen for the team? Anything that could give us an advantage?" She asks
If I'm being totally honest, the only thing I've been thinking about is a way to get out of the deal I made with her. I know everything she said is true, getting handpicked by the CEO of a media company to be on a team of people who will work closely with not only him but many other people in the film industry, publishing industry and more, it could change our lives. Maybe even make our dream careers a reality.
When Asia and I were six years old we both decided what we would be when we grew up. She would be the next JK Rowling and I would be the next Angelina Jolie. We made a pact, her promising me that she'd help me practice my acting by recording me and telling me what I needed to change, be with me at every audition I went to and write a book that would be turned into a movie and insist that I be cast as the main character.
I promised to her that I would read every draft she wrote, help her edit them and send them to publishers, even let her ghostwrite my autobiography.
Little did we know that at seventeen we would leave Australia for Los Angeles in the hopes of making our dreams come true. Almost two years later and no movie offers or publishing deals have come our way.
Asia and I practically gave up six months ago.
She places her hand on top of mine, forcing me to stop cutting the potatoes. "No. You already made the deal with me, you can't back out."
Exasperated I say "I didn't even respond."
"You didn't have to, I can see it on your face." She says, her expression knowing.
Why I thought she wouldn't know I'd be thinking of a way to get out of it, I don't know. Asia has known me longer than any of my own nieces and nephews have. She can tell whether I'm nervous or not just by looking at my jaw, she knows I waited to watch the final episode of Hannah Montana until six months after it aired because I was waiting for the perfect day.
I know the first book she ever wrote was a romance novel about her marrying the blue Teletubbies. I'm the one she came to when She threw up in Jason Higgins' mouth when he tried kissing her after we had a chicken nugget eating contest and she ate twenty-three of them, I told him I'd tell everyone he eats his ear wax if he ever said anything about it. Unfortunately, I've had to live the last eighteen years knowing he actually did eat his ear wax.
"I just don't know if it's even worth one more try." My fingers play with the dark brown end of my braid. "I've been to more than five hundred auditions. Out of all of them, I got sixty-three callbacks and only got cast in nine of them."
"They just haven't been the right roles for you."
Rolling my eyes as I respond "Or maybe I'm not a good actress and no one has bothered to tell me!"
She slams the bag of sweet potatoes on the wooden kitchen counter, vibrating it so much the potatoes on the chopping board slip off and onto the floor.
I stare at her, hesitatingly stepping backwards. My footfalls on one of the spuds, jerking it from under me so quickly I don't have time to grip the edge of the counter.
Asia rushes to me kicking the potatoes out of the way. "Are you okay!?"
Sighing as I place my head in the palms of my hands I mumble "I'm just so tired."
"Don't fall asleep, you might have a concussion!"
"I meant the auditions, I'm tired of all the auditions."
She sits on the floor beside me, flinging the potatoes elsewhere. "I am too. I'm tired of spending hours and hours writing all these books and not getting anywhere."
We sit in silence, thinking about the future. We've spent so many years trying to get to one place, we haven't stopped and looked at all the other places we could have gone. God, I hate it when people use analogies, yet here I am using one.
I snort out loud, startling Asia. "Why are you laughing?"
My head shakes side to side as I try to catch my breath. "I don't know"
"You are so weird"
"I know"
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Asia and I clean up the mess we made with the potatoes, running over the floor with a steam vacuum to make sure all the starch was gone. By the time the rest of our roommates got back dinner was ready and waiting. Asia and I could definitely make amazing housewives to rich men with our cooking and cleaning skills.
Not feeling like a conversation, we decide to eat in our bedroom.
"We should talk about it."
I sit my plate on the bedside table and pretend I didn't hear her. My phone dings, as I go to unlock it Asia snatches it and slides it under her ass.
"Fine!" I cross my arms. "I don't think its worth it, for me at least."
"One, it is worth it. Second, if it's not worth it for one of us to do it then it's me, not you." She states. "This is an opportunity to work directly with someone who owns a media company Flora! He decides what movies and tv show's his company makes, I bet if he saw you audition he'd give you the part of the main character in something."
"Ugh, why would I want to work with this guy anyway. People like him, people in a position of power, almost always abuse it." I declare. "What if he tries to make me suck his dick or have sex with him?"
"He's married."
"Oh and being married stops people from having sex with strangers." I sarcastically rebuke.
"Would you stop making excuses!" Asia snaps. "You have a legitimate chance to kick start your career and you're just going to throw it away? If you don't want to act anymore just say so, but stop making excuses."
I close my eyes and focus on my breathing. I don't want this to turn into a full-blown argument, we don't need this right now.
"How long do we have until he comes in and picks people?" I ask softly.
She refuses to look at me, turning away. "Two weeks."
God, please let this work. We need it.
"If I do this and I end up back where I began, it's over okay?" I hesitate. " I can't keep chasing after something that may never happen."
She grunts, shrugging her right shoulder.
"Five seconds to answer!" I warn. "Four...three...two..."
"Okay okay. Yes, if it doesn't work this time it's over." We both nod.
"Great. Now move your ass over, I want to go to sleep."