Chapter 1
Chloe
I sat in the living room of my parent’s beautiful brownstone on the east side of Manhattan. My mother was a retired college professor that spent her time shopping online and watching educational television. She wasn’t much of the “stay at home” mom type, but in spite of that, she and my father made their situation work. My mother had a petite frame; small hands and feet with a slim waist and long, brunette hair that stretched down to the middle of her back.
Her sapphire blue eyes were trademarks of her side of the family. They burned like a hot, blazing fire at its core. Everyone said that I was a miniature version of my mother, and as much as I hated to admit that when I was younger, they were right. We were spitting images of one another and if it weren’t for the signs of a life well-lived at the corners of her eyes, we could’ve passed as sisters. As a matter of fact, when I was in high school, I was annoyed by the fact that teachers would begin to reprimand her for not being in class and the guys in my grade always made passing comments about how hot she was. It was irritating, but it wasn’t until later that I realized it was comforting to see my future in her eyes.
My dad still worked as a pharmacist and he enjoyed his work. While my mother was outspoken, my father was much more laid back. He towered over my mother’s 5’4” frame. His stomach protruded just a bit, but he did his best to keep himself in shape by running on the treadmill and staying active. His face was cleanly shaven because of his profession, but whenever he got the chance, he allowed the hair on the sides of his face to grow into a five o’clock shadow. His bold brown eyes rendered him deeply loveable, and even when he was trying to be serious, the sparkle in his eyes made it impossible to find him so. I was the personification of a daddy’s girl, born with his thick eyebrows, slim nose, and a cluster of freckles across my cheeks.
I sat in their living room, munching away at fast food French fries, when my mother walked in. She wore yoga pants and a nylon top. Her hair was tied into a ponytail as she stood in the entryway with her hands propped on her hips. Her arms resembled teacup handles as she peered at me.
“Chloe, that is so unhealthy.”
I raised one eyebrow and spoke with a muffled voice because of the mouthful of fries buried inside.
“Huh?”
“That fast food garbage. You know, they are poisoning us with that trash a little bit at a time. I just finished watching a documentary about the things that these people are doing to our food. You are eating actual garbage right now.”
I took another handful of fries and stuffed them into my mouth. A few bits fell out and onto the soft couch cushion as mom sat next to me.
“And then, to top it off, you are getting it all over my couch. Chloe,” she huffed, “I told you about eating in here anyway.”
I took my drink off the table and sipped on it to help wash the fries down. “Geez, mom, when did you get on this health kick? You sound like dad.”
She relaxed, and collapsed back against with a sigh. “Well, I told you that I just watched that food documentary, so now I am a bit more cognizant of what is going on in the world around me. And that right there,” she said, pointing at my food, “is going to kill you.”
I grabbed a few more out of the box and slid them into my mouth, ignoring her paranoia. “Well, we all have to die sometime.”
She swiped the fries off the couch and into her hand, then dumped them into the empty brown bag on the floor. “Well, I guess a college diploma means I have to let you make your own decisions, huh?” I watched her from the corner of my eye because I knew she wasn’t finished. Every time she said something like that, it meant advice was coming, which came off as more of a demand than anything else.
“So, while we are on the subject of decisions, what are your plans now that you are out of school? You can’t just sit around eating fries all day.”
I sighed internally. I knew that both of my parents were wary of me launching myself into an acting career because they thought it was hit or miss. So many people had aspirations of becoming a movie star, but only a small percentage of those people made it and I knew the odds. I also knew that I had the passion to make it work.
“The same thing I said the last three thousand times you asked, mom. I am going to pursue my acting career and start auditioning. I graduated with a theatre degree, and I’m not going to let it go to waste.”
She smiled, her beautiful blue eyes piercing through the room like a spotlight as she glared towards the fireplace. “I had a feeling we would end up here one day,” she said as she stood up and took a picture off the mantel. It was taken during my first ballet recital. She told me that I didn’t even want to go out and perform because I was afraid of the audience. She laughed. “You were cowering behind the curtain, while your father and I begged and pleaded with you to go out there.”
She looked at me with a smile. “We offered you everything. Ice cream. Candy. A pony. You wouldn’t budge. Not one inch.” She held the picture in front of her as if she was replaying the scene in her mind. “That was the day that I told myself I would never force you to do anything like that again. But one year later on your sixth birthday, you went to your father, and begged him to let you try it again. I said no, but you know your father. He gave in, and well, the rest is history.”
She put the picture back onto the fireplace mantel. “Now, here we are. Are you sure you want to do this? It’s so hard, Chloe, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”
I finished my meal and discarded the empty wrappers into the brown paper bag on the floor. “I’m sure,” I said, standing next to her at the fireplace, “I am going to make it work because it’s the only thing I ever wanted to do. It’s the only thing I’m good at. I have to make it work.”
Mom smiled and exhaled a short burst of air from her lungs. “I just don’t want you to be disappointed if things don’t end up the way you expect. I want the best for you. We both do.” I fought back the knot of worry in my stomach. Deep down I knew she was right. I knew my chances were slim of actually making a living as an actress. But I refused to not give it my best shot.
“I know, mom, and I appreciate that. I have to at least try though, you know? I am going to give it my all and see what happens.”
She kissed me on the cheek. “Yeah, I know. That is all you can do, sweetie.” She grabbed her keys off the table. “I’m going to go for a run while your father is at work, and then I’m going to come home and try to make hummus for the first time. You are welcome to try some.”
“Um.” I smirked. “No thanks. I’ll pass on the hummus.” I gave her a hug, and with that, she turned to leave the house and go on her run.
I didn’t know what I was going to do though. I had gone to a handful of auditions for stage plays, musicals and short movies, but I hadn’t received a callback yet. Work was hard to come by in New York and I was beginning to get discouraged, but I didn’t want to tell my parents. I didn’t want them to see me as that little girl who was too afraid to come out and perform during her first recital forever. I wasn’t a quitter, but I had to figure out something because time was flying by and I needed to get my first role so I could move on to bigger things.
I walked to the back of the house and into my room, then plopped onto the bed. Minutes later, my phone rang. My best friend Jade’s lively voice shot through the receiver as soon as I said hello.
“Hey, Chloe! What are you doing?”
“Just laying around and feeling shitty.”
“Shitty? Why?”
I sighed, as my worries started to take over my thoughts.
“Because, nothing is going the way I thought it would. I’ve been to about ten auditions and none of the directors called me back for a second audition. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Maybe I am just not talented enough. Maybe I need to look into some other career or something because things are not panning out.”
“What?” A moment of silence saturated our phone call until she spoke again. “I can’t believe what I am hearing. You are one of the most talented people that I know. Wait, no, you are one of the most talented people that I have EVER known, so what you are saying right now is complete bullshit.”
I loved Jade for that. She never hesitated to tell me the truth, no matter if it would hurt my feelings or encourage me. She was a true friend. Our bond had strengthened during our sophomore year at NYU. We were in the same drama class and we decided to work together on a few projects. After running lines over and over with each other, we found out that we had much more in common than just majoring in theatre. She was an only child, just like me, and on top of that, she was born and bred in Manhattan too.
“I’m just feeling so dejected. I know it hasn’t been that long, but there are so many actors competing for so few roles here. I don’t know if I can do this.”
“Yes, you can. But instead of scraping by out there, why don’t you come out here to LA with me?”
“LA?”
“Yes. Come to California. There are so many more opportunities out here than in New York. I mean, there are casting calls almost every weekend and I’ve used those to make some excellent connections. There is always somebody shooting a movie or two around here…”
“Jade, I am not getting into in porn.”
She laughed. “I’m not talking about that. I mean, there are legit movies and even if it’s just an extra role, they are always looking for people. I’ve gotten a few callbacks. So many that I’ve had to turn a few of them down. So, I don’t think you have anything to lose by coming out here. You can stay with me. I mean, I live with a roommate right now, but we have an extra room and I am sure that she won’t have a problem with it. She’s cool.”
“I don’t know, Jade. California? I’ve never lived anywhere but New York and I am coming there with literally nothing.”
“Nothing but a dream, Chloe, and trust me, that is more than enough.”
I sat with her on the phone as she presented her case before me and the more she spoke, the more sense she made. I had to give California a try. It was either that, or waste away here in New York, not knowing if anyone would give me the break I needed to get noticed in the industry.
“Yeah. Let me think about it, Jade. I’ll let you know one way or the other.”
“Ok, Chloe. I promise, this will be amazing.”
“Ok.”
I hung up the phone and reclined on my bed, facing the ceiling. Maybe this move was exactly what I needed. Nothing was happening for me in New York, and if there was even a chance I could find what I was looking for in Los Angeles, I had to take it.
No one ever succeeded by refusing to take a chance, right?