Chapter Text
Therese walked in last, behind the group of chattering young women. How could they be so calm? Auditions always made Therese feel like she was going to throw up. She quickly found a chair to sit in while she changed out of her nice black heels into her tan character heels. Aside from the slight bit of nausea, she was excited. Dance call was always Therese's favorite part of any musical audition.
A voice called the room to attention, the choreographer most likely. Therese quickly finished buckling her shoe and raced to the back of the group. As much as she loved to dance, she wasn't exactly a gifted and trained dancer. Besides, the role she wanted most in the show didn't require more than half a song's worth of skill.
Therese pushed her anxiety aside, took a deep breath, and looked up. This time her stomach dropped for a whole other reason. The woman Therese could only take for the choreographer was beautiful. No. Beautiful wasn't good enough, she was gorgeous, breathtaking, mesmerizing. She was tall and thin, with golden hair pulled back in a neat bun with bangs swept across her porcelain forehead. Therese was so wrapped up in looking the woman up and down she missed her name being called out next to her.
"Yo! Earth to Therese!" Therese looked over to her right.
"Marcia! Hey! Yes, hi! Sorry!"
"You okay?"
"Yeah! Fine, just nerves as usual. No biggie! I wonder what song we're learning the dance for."
"Well we're about to find out. Carol is great, she can teach anyone to dance! Hell she taught me to tap dance last summer and god knows I'm a hopeless case when it comes to being light on your feet!" She laughed.
Therese smiled and looked forward again.
Carol.
The next 20 minutes went by quickly. The entire time Therese had her eyes trained on Carol but never once did Carol seem to notice her. By now however Therese was more grateful than disheartened. Along with not being a "dancer" she was also not exactly fit. Sure she was slim and held a good figure but she had no great endurance and was starting to really sweat.
Before she knew it, Therese and the rest of the girls were being herded back downstairs. It was time to perform what 90 seconds of choreography they had learned for the director of Legally Blonde: The Musical. 15 girls gathered on the stage of the old historic theatre and peered out into the audience waiting for instructions. They'd perform in groups of five, three times each in front of everyone, production team and fellow auditioning actors alike.
Therese felt her stomach start to knot up again but told herself not to worry. She was gunning for the part of Vivienne and dancing was not a necessity. Her time came and went and she was allowed to sit down again. She was done, two out of three, for the night. She had already performed her audition song and felt very solid about it. All that was left were the cold reads.
She watched as Carol took another group of young men and women upstairs to teach them the same dance routine. She couldn't help but start to wonder about her. Has she done work with this theatre often? How old she was? Was she single?
Oh get a grip, Therese told herself, you haven't even spoken to her. Then she realized if she were cast in the part of Vivienne, she'd hardly get work with Carol more than a few days total on the show. She suddenly wished she had tried harder in the dance call, maybe stood in front in hopes that Carol would've seen her and given her a few pointers or corrections. Anything to have spoken with her at least.
Therese's only other hope was Ann. Ann was Therese's best friend and, unlike herself, a very gifted dancer and about to graduate college in the fall. She was looking for a chance to dip her toes into the job of choreographer outside of a school setting. So Therese drug Ann along with her to auditions and told her to approach whomever the choreographer was and to ask if they would mind letting Ann becoming their assistant on the show.
Ann apparently hadn't approached Carol yet about being an assistant and seemed nervous. Therese saw her opportunity and spoke up.
"Look Ann, Marcia knows Carol, she worked with her last year. So Marcia will do the introducing. I'll go with you so you aren't the only one, then it won't be so awkward. Marcia will explain about you wanting to be an assistant just to get the ball rolling and you can take it from there. I'll be right beside you so if anything happens, you freeze up or don't know what to say, I'll just jump in with something. Okay?"
"Alright, alright! JEEZE I'm not THAT scared, you don't have to come with me."
"No I want to! Besides it's always good to get to know the production team, name to a face, better chance to be remembered and cast!"
"Ah yes true! The next group is just coming back, we should go talk to her after they perform, before she takes up the last group."
When the trio starting making their way down the aisle, Therese started to feel herself sweat. She was glad to be at the back of the group once more. She tugged at the hem of her dress and smoothed her hair. She didn't know why she was bothering at all.
Of course you know why you idiot, you want to impress her! You want her to notice you. Therese pushed these thoughts away and put on a professional smile. Marcia was grabbing Carol attention as Therese came to stand by Ann waiting to be introduced.
"Marcia! It's so good to see you again!" Carol's velvety voice made Therese weak in knees. Carol reached out and hugged Marcia and Therese felt a small stab of jealousy in her chest.
"These are my friends, Ann and Therese"
"Hello, it's wonderful to meet you both! We're so glad you came out to audition for the show." Carol extended her hand to Ann giving it a quick shake and then offered her hand to Therese. Therese became acutely aware of her heart beating swiftly and feared her hands would be sweaty. Looking down to Carol's hand, she lifted her own. When they finally met, skin to skin, Therese nearly gasped. She was wonderfully soft and held her hand so tenderly. It was a perfect fit, the most comfortable and natural feeling. Therese looked up quickly, meeting Carol's stormy grey eyes with her own. Carol smiled down at her.
Therese froze. Oh help.