“You might as well give it up Casey. No one is going to hire you for an acting job, especially a male role. You look like you could be my little sister or in a kiddy show.”

Casey had barely made it back in time for his shift at Pete’s Steak House. He looks at Harry as he slips his apron on over his black t-shirt. He was lucky that he remembered to keep a change of clothes for work in his 1998 Mustang. The body needed some work and it had an oil leak, but it got him where he needed to go. He could fix it, thanks to his uncle showing him how to work on cars at his garage.

“I’m not giving up Harry. I’ve done a few spots.”

“You mean the kid commercials you did for JCPenney and Kmart? You were lucky you got those gigs.” Harry was a little jealous that Casey had gotten those commercial spots over him.

“I know I was lucky I got them. The only reason I got them was, I had gymnastics experience under my belt and could do what they were asking you and the others to do.”

Casey ties his long copper color hair back into a ponytail and grabs his busboy chart. He heads out to the restaurant and starts clearing tables off. He hated this job, but it took this job and his part-time job at Shirley’s coffee shop to pay for the small room he rented.

“How did the auditions go?”

Lucy knew Casey was trying to break out as an actor but didn’t have any connections or famous name behind him.

“I struck out. They said I was too short and too young looking for what they had in mind.” This audition had been his seventy-six, that he had gone on since moving to Los Angeles. His agent sucked at getting him parts.

“Maybe next time Casey. If you keep at it, someone is going to say, yes.”

“Thanks, Lucy.”

“Any time kiddo.”

Lucy goes back to work helping customers.

By the end of the night, he was bone tired and covered in puke. A customer out in the restaurant had drunk too much beer and hadn’t made it in time to the bathroom. He threw-up the contents of his stomach on the front of Casey’s apron. He silently kept chanting a mantra to keep his cool. He helped the man to the restroom and cleaned him up as much as he could. After one of the waiters came and escorted him to the waiting cab. Casey tried to clean his apron as much as he could. Some of the throw-ups had soaked through to his t-shirt underneath the apron.

He changes into another t-shirt he kept in his car and wore that one till he got home. He could tell his landlord had been in his room again. He had nothing of value he kept in his room. He slips his clothes off and takes a shower as he gets ready for bed. He hopes tomorrow brings better results.

For the next week, Casey puts in long hours at both his jobs, the steak house and coffee shop. The shift supervisor at Pete’s told him that they might start cutting back people hours. Since he was the last one they hired. His hours would be the first to be cut. As he was taking his break at the coffee shop. His cell phone rings. He looks at the caller id and notices it was his agent.

“Hello Arnold, what can I do for you?”

“Hey, Casey it’s not what you can do for me, but what I can do for you. There’s a new movie in development and they are looking for unknown
actors for it. I sent them the audition DVD you made recently and they said they want to meet you.”

“Cool, when do I meet them?”

Casey was getting excited about this chance.

“There’s a catch. They want you to come dressed as an eleven-year-old girl, Casey.”

“You got to be kidding me. Why do they want me to come dressed as an eleven-year-old girl?”

“Because the part they call me about was for the eleven-year-old part. They said your unique qualifications was perfect for it. So, if you want this role, come dress as an eleven-year-old girl on Friday. I’m sending you the address right now.”

Casey didn’t know if he wanted them apart now. However, if he could pull it off. He would be in a movie.

“Alright, I’ll be there Arnold.”

Arnold could hear the disappointment in Casey’s voice.

“Look, Casey, I know it hasn’t been easy or something you have been hoping for. However, no sooner had I sent your audition DVD in, that they called me and asked about you. They want to see how you look and fit among the other actors. Just give it a try and see how it goes. The least they could say to you is no.”

“Okay, I’ll give it a shot.”

“Good, I’ll see you there.” Arnold disconnects.

Casey goes back inside the coffee shop to finish his shift up. He talks with his boss to see if he can take Friday off; Casey’s boss didn’t mind him taking Friday off. He already was off at Pete’s Steak House. His friend Harry didn’t have his hours cut, only his and a clumsy waitress had their hours cuts.

The address he was given was taking him out of Los Angeles to a new studio that has produced some blockbuster movies lately. He goes out after work and buys clothes, shoes and everything he could remember an eleven-year-old girl had and wore, since they wanted him to show up as an eleven-year-old girl.

He googles how far the address was and figures that he’ll have to wake-up an hour earlier then he normally does to get ready and drive out there. He hopes no one stops him on his way. Casey takes a nice relaxing shower and shaves what little body hair he had on his body. Once he was silky smooth, he tries the clothes he bought. He had to buy a size up and a size down on a few articles of clothing because he wasn’t sure of his size.

He checks his image in the mirror and couldn’t believe how young he looked. His copper hair was brushed out and sweep into a ponytail. He had on very little makeup and just lip gloss. The outfit he had chosen made him look like your average eleven-year-old girl. He was eighteen years old and never developed like most of his friends and siblings had. The two-inch heels he bought to wear, brought his height up to four feet nine inches. When he took them off, he stood four feet seven inches.

The clothes he decided to wear and the way he looked would fool anyone into thinking that he was an eleven-year-old girl. He gets undressed and lays everything out. He transfers his id, money, cellphone, brush, tissues and a few other things into the purse he bought to take with him.
He double checks his alarm clock and lays down to sleep. He hopes he gets the part. It was for a movie, so he should make some good money.

The Next Morning:
Casey couldn’t believe he had been pulled over three times on his way over to the studio. He was glad he left earlier then he planned too. The State Trooper and police thought he was a teenage girl who had stolen their parent’s car. Even the security guard at the studio gate had to do a double take before they let him through.

He was shown where to park and where the auditions were taking place. He couldn’t believe how many other people had shown up for the part or parts that were available. He waits in line as he listens to a few girls and their mothers. He takes his compact out and fixes his hair and make-up.

It had taken him an hour-n-half to get everything right and lots of research watching teenage customers. He wanted to be able to pass for the character they were looking for. He stands in line for hours and finally is called forward to audition for the part.

He is escorted to a stage where there were four other people. Two of them were women, while the other two were men. One of the women gets up and walks over to him.

Amy Bates has been listening to every teenage girl that auditioned for the daughter part of the movie. They had picked three people so far that they were going to have come back and done test reading with the rest of the cast. She watches as a young girl with long copper color hair was escorted in. She had a dusting of freckles that went across her face, just under her eyes and across the bridge of her nose. The way she was walked was so natural. The dress she was wearing showed off the slight athletic build she had and what they were looking for.

When she stops in front of Amy “Hi, I’m Amy and I’ll be playing Carol Jones the mother in the movie. Have you had a chance to read Dixie’s part?”

“Yes ma’am, I’ve read it and I’m ready.” Casey takes a deep breath to prepare himself.

“Young lady, I got a call from your teacher today saying you haven’t been turning in your homework? Explain yourself.”

“Mom, the classes are so boring. I try to do the work, but its boring to me.” Casey had slipped into the personality he had developed for the character.

“That’s still doesn’t excuse your poor performance young lady. Till you get your grades back up, you’ll turn over your cell phone. I’m restricting your time with your friends and your computer time.”

“Mom, I need my cell phone. How are my friends going to call me.?” Casey had a pouty look on his face trying to get her mother to not take her cell phone away.

Virginia, David, and Ben had been very impressed with Casey’s performance.

“That’s enough Miss. Casey Waldron. You’ll be hearing from us in a few days.” Director Philip Mosley had liked the test audition.

He wanted her to come back along with the other three they had chosen as well. They still had a few more cast members they needed to choose for the production. He liked how Casey looked and she had the right build for the character.

“Thank you for auditioning me and I look forward to your call.” Casey leaves and heads home.

He was hoping he had the part. He could use the money and the work. This way he could stop working at the coffee shop and Pete’s place since his hours have been cut.

Casey stops at Harry’s hotdog to grab a couple of hotdogs. He parks his mustang next to Harry’s van and heads inside.

Trudy was at the cash register when Casey walks in.

“Harry, your daughter is here.” Trudy had a smile on her face.

She loved how cute Casey looked. She always thought Casey looked better as a girl, then he did as a girl.

“He’ll be out in a minute Casey. Why don’t you take a seat and remember to sweep your dress under you, young lady?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Casey heads over to the counter and sits down on the bar stool. She makes sure to sweep her dress under her.

Trudy fixes Casey a vanilla coke “here you go kiddo.”

“Thanks, Trudy.” Casey drinks her drink while she waits for Harry to show up.

A few minutes later, Harry comes from the kitchen carrying a red basket. It was loaded with three chill dogs and a bunch of fries with chill and cheese on them.

“Here you go kiddo.” He sets the basket in front of her.

“Thanks, Harry.” Casey picks one up and bites into it.

He loved Harry’s homemade hot dog with a chill. The hot dogs were made here at the store by Harry and his assistant. The chill they used for the hot dog was made by Harry as well. He loved the snap of the hot dog as he bites into it.

“How did the audition go?” Harry was curious because he knew how much Casey wanted to break into movies.

Casey swallows the piece of hot dog he was eating before speaking.

“I think it went well, but I’m not sure. My agent said they liked the DVD he sent them of me, but they still made me wait and audition like everyone else.”

“That’s Hollywood for you, kiddo. Did they say they were going to call you?”

“Yes, sir. They said they would call me in a couple of days.” Casey takes another bite of his hot dog.

“Well, if they loved your DVD and they loved what you did today. I would keep your phone nearby.” Harry knew how things worked in Hollywood.

He used to be a stuntman, till he seriously injured himself while filming. He took his saving and bought a hot dog place that was about to close and turned it around to the best place around. It was even featured on Drive-in’s, Diners and Dives.

“I will.” Casey eats his second hot dog,

Harry goes and starts helping a few customers that have come in. Casey eats his hot dogs and thinks about the audition he did. He hopes he gets picked. He finishes his meal and goes up and to pay.

Trudy charges him half price since he was family. Just before Casey leave “hey kid, let me suggest something to you. Before you go back, I suggest you go and get your hair styled. You have beautiful copper color hair. Also, if you want to I can take you shopping if you like.”

“Thanks, Trudy. I would like that.” Casey heads home and changes out of the clothes he was wearing and removes the make-up he had on.

For the next few days, he works double shifts at his two jobs. He does make time to go out with Trudy to get his hair styled. The hairstylist that Trudy takes him to, had an emo style hair-do. He could tell she was the type of person that was heavily into anime and Japanese Babymetal.

On Tuesday morning Casey’s cell phone starts ringing. He picks it up and looks at it. The number was his agent.

“Good morning Arnold, what can I do for you?”

“I have some good news for you, Casey. The studio wants you to come back for a second read.”

“I thought you said I already got the part, before? You said they looked at my audition DVD and they liked it? I had to wait in line and then give another audition to a member of the cast like a normal person.” Casey was having a hard time understanding why they didn’t just give him the part.

“They do love your audition, but they wanted to see how badly you wanted the part. That’s why they treated you just like everyone else. This time, they want you to come back, looking maybe thirteen or fourteen years old? They decided to go with a teenager instead of in the script.” Arnold had heard back about Casey’s performance and they loved him. However, they decide an older child would be better for the script.

“Sure, no problem. So, when do they want me to come in?” There was no way he could do it today because he had to be at work in an hour.

“Tomorrow morning at 10:00 A.M. Studio 12. Dress as if you are going to school as a fourteen-year-old girl.”

“Alright.” Casey writes everything down.

He’ll have to go out after work to buy a few things from Walmart and Target. He heads to work and informs both of his bosses that he won’t be coming in tomorrow, because he has another audition tomorrow morning. They give him the okay to take the day off.

The rest of the day goes peacefully for him. By the time he gets off work, he is extremely tired but he needed to grab some clothes to wear tomorrow for the audition. He goes to Walmart first and grabs a few items and then he goes to Target and grabs a few more items. He didn’t mind dressing as a girl, but he wonders how the studio was going to want him to act when he wasn’t on stage. That might present a problem for him. He heads towards checkout with his purchases and heads home. He takes a shower before he goes to bed and set his alarm to wake him early. Hopefully, he doesn’t get pulled over again like last time.

Casey wakes-up an hour before the time he set his alarm clock for. He couldn’t sleep because of how nervous he was. He gets up and fixes some coffee for himself. He enjoys his cup of coffee before he gets to dress in the clothes he picked out for the audition today. He decided to
wear a nice beige pencil dress with two inches heels.

Casey checks himself in the mirror to make sure he got everything right. He double checks his make-up and hair. He transfers all his stuff from his wallet to the purse he picked out to go with the outfit. He was nervous as he left his place for the audition.

As he drove up to the security gate, he was met by the same security officer. The security guard checked his name against the list that was given to him when he started his shift. The guard gives Casey directions to the studio he was supposed to go to.

Casey finally finds the studio and parks. He double checks his make-up and does a few touch-ups.

“Here goes nothing.” He grabs his purse and heads inside the studio.

As he walks in, he is met by an assistant.

“Hi, I’m Kimberly, you must be Casey. I’m to escort you to the soundstage for your audition.” Kimberly likes how Casey looked. In her opinion, she picked the right outfit for the audition.

Casey follows Kimberly as she escorted her. As he walks behind Kimberly, he studies how she walks. He wanted to make sure the female persona he was playing was correct.

When he arrives at the soundstage, he notices several people standing around. There was an older gentleman, the woman playing the mother, a middle-aged man, and an older woman.

“Miss. Waldron, if you’ll take a spot overhear, please. We can start your audition.”

Casey looks at the scruffy looking middle age man. He didn’t see him at his first audition. Casey walks over to the spot where the person was directing him too.

“Good, now I want you to read this script when it comes to your part. When you read the part, I want you to read it as if we are filming right now.” The guy hands Casey a script with it already opened to the page they were reading from.

Terry: So, early to bed tonight, and no teen vampire dramas for you, princess. Your mother needs her rest, and I need my beauty sleep.
Casey: I wasn’t imagining it, dad. It was real.
Betty: Casey, it was dark and stormy last night. You probably imagined it during the storm, sweetie.
Casey: But mom, I swear it was real.
Uncle Fred: (sneaks up behind Casey) BOO!
Aunt Susan: giggles!
Casey: (acts frighten) Jumps, as if she was scared.
“Cut!” The voice sounds from the speaker.

The man comes out and over to the group.

“I think we have found our fifth person. All we need to do, Miss. Waldron is to, sign you and start productions.” Alex was glad that they have finally found the fifth person they needed.

The unknown cast he has put together should be the chemistry he needs for this movie.