Sophia Norton - The First Audition

Hi, I’m Lola. And yes, that’s my real name. I go by Lola Vixen. Though that’s not real; the Vixen part that is. I moved to Los Angeles exactly 1 month ago to be an actress. I thought I would’ve made it big by now. Well, not exactly blockbuster big but small commercial big. But I haven’t even been on an audition; in fact I haven’t even been able to find an agent. And I’ve got $50 to my name. I’m staying with my best friend and her parents in a place called Silver Lake. It’s okay. Not exactly Beverly Hills, but I don’t exactly have 90210 money either. So here I stay until I make it big.

“Hey Lola,” Tikki called out to me from the kitchen. Tikki is not the name she was given when she was born but one she decided to give herself. She thinks it makes her more alluring to men. I think it just sounds stupid. Tikki and I met in college, we both went to Penn State and we were matched up as roommates.

“Yes, Tiks?” I called back to her, thankful that her parents were out. Well, they weren’t both really her parents. It was her dad and his girlfriend. Neither of us liked the girlfriend but what could we say or do? It was her dad’s life!

“I met a guy at the club last night and he gave me his card and said to contact him if I was ever looking for acting work.”

“Really?” I perked up and grinned at her as she bit into an apple.

“Yeah.” She grinned and handed me a card. “You should call him.”

“You sure?” I grabbed the card from her hand. “I’m going to call him if you’re sure you don’t want to.”

“I have no interest in being an actress Lola. I’ve lived in this city too long to even try.”

“Okay. That’s one more audition for me then.” I ran to my room and sat on the bed. If I didn’t get this part I was going to have to get a job. I sighed as I lay back on the bed. I didn’t want to be a secretary and type all day and I certainly didn’t want to be a barista. I groaned at the thought. I didn’t want to follow the normal path of actors and actresses in Hollywood. Waiting tables was not for me. I wasn’t patient enough, or nice enough and I couldn’t see me getting any big tips. I think that was what brought Tikki and I together: we were both bitches. In the nicest way possible of course. But we said what we thought and neither one of us cared about being popular or well liked. Tikki wanted to be a DJ and that was why she went to clubs all the time. She was always trying to make friends with the bartenders and bouncers so that they could refer her services. And it usually worked. Of course it helped that she was hot, long red hair (dyed) and big blue eyes. She also had a curvy body and didn’t care who saw what. I guess that’s what happens when you grow up in LA.

People called us ‘The Bombshells’ when they met us. I had long black hair and big blue eyes and a body that went on for days. At least that’s what creepy guys told me. I wasn’t sure if it was a compliment or not. I’m a bit self-conscious. You should know that about me from the very beginning. I used to be overweight and not a couple of pounds overweight but more like 30 pounds overweight. Okay I lied, more like 40 pounds overweight. And it wasn’t puppy fat or the Freshmen 15. I just liked to eat good food and not much exercise. I still do actually. That’s why I’m not stick-thin and most probably why I haven’t gotten any parts as yet.

I’m not ashamed of my weight. I’m a healthy size 12 right now. I lost about 25 pounds when my last boyfriend dumped me. I couldn’t eat much because I was crying so much. It was a bit of a disaster and it was the reason I finally moved to LA. Tikki had been telling me to come out since we graduated from college 3 years ago but I hadn’t wanted to move because I thought my ex was going to propose to me. It turns out I was wrong. He was more interested in sleeping with his sister’s best friend. In our bed. In the apartment we shared. Let’s just say I wasn’t impressed. I moved home the next day and moved here a few weeks later.

I’m not really bitter though. LA is great. Not as great as it would be if I had money or if I was famous but still pretty great. I go to the beach everyday and have a nice deep tan, almost everywhere. Except for the parts my bikini covers. I’ve thought about going topless but I don’t need any more dirty old men ogling me. You know how it is.

I looked down at the card, closed my eyes and then dialed the number. A man with a deep husky voice answered. “John speaking.”

“Hi John, I got your number from Tikki and she said that there may be an audition I can go on?”

“You’re an actress?” His voice was silky and rough. He sounded like a biker, or a hells angel. Not someone I would assume was a talent scout.

“Yes.” I sighed. “I’m trying to be. I just moved to LA.”

“So you’re a newbie?” He seemed excited.

“Yeah. You could say that.”

“Can you come over and audition today?”

“Today?” I was surprised.

“Yeah. We’re talking to some girls today.” He paused. “If you’re really interested in being in the biz, I think you’ll find I’m the man to talk to.”

“Oh yeah?” I was intrigued. Maybe he was a scout for the studios or a big name director like Steven Spielberg or Quentin Tarantino.

“Come down to XYZ Studios on Santa Monica at 2pm.” He cleared his throat. “And dress sexy.”

“Sexy?” This didn’t sound right. “I’m sorry but is this for a porno?”

“No.” He laughed. “I don’t make no porn.” And with that he hung up.

I put the phone down and stared at the Tom Cruise poster on the wall. I still teased Tikki every time I saw that poster. I didn’t know why John would ask me to dress sexy if it wasn’t an audition for a porno. There was no way I would do a porno. Not that I didn’t like sex. I did. But would I star in a movie where everyone in the world watched me having sex? Hell no. But he had said that it wasn’t an audition for a porno. And if he was lying she could always leave. Maybe it was an audition to be the next Bond Girl. Now that was a part I was made for. I jumped up and stared in the mirror. “Nice to meet you Bond. James Bond.” And then I started giggling at my goofiness before running to the bathroom to shower. “I got an audition Tiks, I’m just going in the shower.” I jumped in the shower before she could stop me. The problem living with Tiks and her dad and his horrible girlfriend was that they only had one bathroom and that just wasn’t enough for 3 women. Tikki and I fought about whom got to go in first all the time because the hot water only seemed to last for one person. Tikki’s dad said it was because of old pipes and his girlfriend would just giggle and point at him. She was dumb and only a few years older than Tikki and I. Though for 28 she had aged badly. I thought she looked about 35. And she was a typical LA girl: fake blond hair, blue eyes and plastic tits. Tikki and I don’t know what her dad, Beau, saw in her. As I washed myself I pictured Tikki’s dad. He is super hot. Tall, nice body, kind sparking blue eyes dark hair sprinkled with grey. He was 45 but looked 40. He and Tikki’s mom had been 20 when they had her. And then Tikki’s mom left when she was 2 and he has raised her by himself ever since.

He really was a great guy, but Barbie (yes, that’s her real name) did not deserve him. They’d only been dating for about 3 months and she had already moved in, supposedly temporarily while she saved up money to get her own place, but both Tikki and I had a feeling that she wasn’t going to be moving out anytime soon. So we did everything to annoy her, like call her mom in public. She hated it. Especially because some people believed us. How embarrassing!