I wrote this story for my English class.
My Fifteen Minutes of Fame
By Amelia R. McIntosh
“Hawes! Get your head in the game!” Mr. Peterson shouted at me. I turned my head to glare at him and a basketball flew into my face. One of the many reasons I hate PE, I thought. “What’d I tell you, Hawes?” He said, still referring to me using my last name.
“Seriously Aubree, I might just pass it to you when you’re not looking,” My friend Judy sarcastically added, knowing full well of my horrible athletic ability. She giggled and shouted, “Heads up!”
I ducked and put my hands in front of my face. Mr. Peterson blew the whistle and the class went to the locker rooms. “Typically when somebody shouts ‘heads up’, you put your hands up so you can catch the ball.” Judy said. She had a knack for sarcasm. The final bell rang, and school was out.
I walked toward the bus after school, and it started pouring rain. Judy rushed behind me, and held up her umbrella. I ducked to her side and mistakenly pile-dived her into the hedges lining the schoolyard. She laughed and shoved me onto the bus. We picked a seat in the middle so we wouldn’t be harassed by eighth graders. After all, we were just little “seveys” as they called us.
After a smelly ride home, Judy and I raced to my front door, and of course she won. “Aubree Hawes: zero! Judy Liu: every other time we’ve ever raced!” She bragged, doing her strange victory dance. I lightly punched her on the shoulder and opened my front door. My mom was sitting on my couch with her coffee cup brimming around her nose as she inhaled the bitter liquid.
“Sweetie,” She said, putting the mug on a coaster. “I have news for you.” She was giving me the creeps by how strange she was acting. I could tell it wasn’t anything bad, because she was using her, “I’m going to pretend something is wrong so I can scare Aubree, when the news I actually have is really awesome” look.
“You know how you said you wanted to be an actress when you were nine?” She said, a smile creeping onto her face. “Well, I got you a commercial booked! It’s for a local channel, and…” She shrieked excitedly, but her voice trailed off when she realized I was furious.
“Holy cow, MOM! I was nine for crying out loud! I don’t wanna to come within FIFTY FEET of doing that commercial!” I shouted. Judy was inching toward the door, and I could tell she wanted to head for the hills, so I nodded my head. She waved and ran away.
“But Aubree! I already booked it! It’s a commercial for The Metro! It’s your favorite store! Please do it for me! You have no idea how much I had to do so you could get this job! Please, sweetheart!” Mom whined. I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes. The Metro was my favorite store, but that doesn’t mean she can book a commercial without my permission!
I pursed my lips and stomped toward the kitchen. I heard mom get off the couch and follow me. I put a bag of popcorn in the microwave and pushed the popcorn button. My mother’s breathing bounced off my back as I watched my snack rotate in circles as the kernels popped.
“What time’s the audition?” I asked under my breath.
My mom’s Ford bounced along the road on the way to the local TV station. There were six other cars in the parking lot, one car I recognized as the host to the morning news. There was also a van with The Metro logo. It must have been the producer of the commercial. I went inside the studio with a scowl. My mom had to make a phone call, so she’d join me inside soon.
There was another girl in the waiting room and she looked so nervous, she could have been mistaken for someone headed for the chair. She had bright orange hair and was sitting on her left hand, biting her nails with the other. I sat next to her and said, “’Sup? I’m Aubree.” She glanced up at me and curved her lips up just the slightest.
“I’m Trinity,” she replied then looked at the wall facing away from me. She mumbled, “Good to meet you,” and went back to nail-biting. A producer came out of a room and tipped his fedora cap at us.
“Hello, all. My name is Robert Down and I’m your director. We’ll be seeing you both frequently, so let’s get down to it,” He said officially. Robert looked at his clipboard and continued. “Aubree Hawes will be playing the cool girl who shops at The Metro, and Trinity Oaks will be playing the nerd with poor fashion sense. But bada bing bada boom, Aubree helps Trinity out in the end by taking her to The metro and giving her a much needed makeover.”
I raised my left eyebrow but stood up and braced myself. “Find a new cool girl, Robbo, ‘cause this one is outta here!” I said. He gaped at me. “Good luck, Trinity,” I added as I walked out of the studio with a smile. That was easy, I thought to myself.
My mom was just getting out of the car as I was leaving the studio. “Aubree? You’re done already?” She asked climbing fully out and shutting the door.
I smiled and nodded. “Yep. Now let’s get home, shall we?” I said. Mother looked at me puzzled and mumbled a tiny “Okay…” I was done being an actress. After all, I want to keep my fifteen minutes of fame for something important, like a intense chase scene.
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