﹙ HURTS ME TOO ★ ﹚

DYLAN PUSHED THE DOOR OF THE CORNERSTORE OPEN!

The bell rang as he entered, announcing his presence. He crossed his fingers and prayed Jorge was working the register and not Estrella. He had a huge audition in only a couple hours and she wouldn't let him concentrate.

As fate would have it, she looked up from behind the counter. "Can I help you?" She questioned, shoving the sketch pad to the side.

"Someone likes their job. Are you always this charming?" Dylan tilted his head, watching as she rang up his usual order.

"I try not to be. It gets too many panties dropping." She said, going to the other end of the counter to prepare the sandwich.

She was silent as he did so. She glanced up at his wired earbuds and held back a scoff. What was he wearing? If he was trying to go early 2000s, he was succeeding in the worst way possible.

"Here." Estrella said, dropping the wrapped sandwich on the counter before him.

"Stellar customer service." Dylan said, handing her a bill and taking his order.

He found an open spot in the corner of the deli section of the corner store. He only ate half the sandwich before going over the script he'd been given by his agent.

He'd gone through the first couple of auditions fine, but next up was the chemistry read. If he did well, the role was his. A Rom-Com wasn't where he thought he'd go, but he needed to take what he could.

He was going for the role of Kieran Adams, a teenager sent to a summer camp for troubled youth who falls in love with a girl he believes is a drug-induced hallucination.

Working under a big-name director like Everett Winston could do wonders for his career, especially for the man's first film comeback after the passing of his wife.

He'd confirmed his interest the second his agent got him the first audition. All that was left was convincing the casting directors that he was the perfect fit.

Estrella stepped out from behind the counter and pushed the entrance door open. Dylan watched her from the window beside his seat. His eyes trailed over her chosen outfit for the day.

Crew socks poked out of her high-top Converse. He wondered how she kept them so perfectly white. They looked like they'd only ever been worn indoors.

Estrella expressed creativity in any way she could manage, whether it was through the colorful stacks of jewelry on her arms, through a pen and paper, or her own voice.

Her favorite way, though, was clothing. Clothing was more than just fabric to her, it was what people first noticed about anyone.

She always looked like she'd stepped out of his Pinterest boards. Her jorts reached her mid-knees, but the cold of the morning breeze didn't draw her back inside.

A white long sleeve was layered beneath a blue t-shirt. It should've looked excessive with dark blue denim, but she made it work. He wasn't gonna take outfit inspiration from her, though.

Estrella pieced up the slice of bread she was holding and scattered it on the sidewalk in front of the store. She stepped a couple of feet back and watched the birds swarm the food.

Dylan shook his head and immersed himself in the script. He read every line, over and over again, trying to find the right tone and emotion for each scene. He'd spent the entire night practicing in front of a mirror.

He needed to channel the complexity of Kieran's character if he was gonna prove himself to the directors. He was still relatively new to the acting industry in terms of projects.

He rehearsed the lines under his breath and then wondered if he was practicing too much. He tapped his phone, looking over the time. He had to get going anyway.

Dylan hung by the door until all the birds were gone so as to not scare them away. "I'll see you tomorrow." He told her as he walked out from behind her.

"You just can't get enough of me?" Estrella questioned sarcastically but didn't look too pleased.

"Yeah, that's definitely it. I'll be here bright and early."

"I probably won't wake up until one."

"Fascinating life you lead. Don't work too hard."

Estrella scowled as she pushed the door open and returned inside. Dylan crossed the street but glanced back one last time, wondering if she ever got out of the house.

Dylan's heart pounded in his chest throughout the entire audition. He tried not to let the director's expressionless gazes unnerve him as he ran through the scene with the girl who'd been selected for the role of Angel Ramirez, the love interest.

All he could do when it was over was hope he'd done enough to impress.

Days passed and eventually turned into weeks. The weeks turned into a month, and by the end of October, he got a callback.

The role was his.

male manipulator
i got it

mini sandler
got what

boba addict
are u the person who got my doordash

please drop it off

demitra's bf
DID U GET THE ROLE

male manipulator
yeah

demitra's bf
DYL PICKLE GOT THE ROLEEE

male manipulator
do not call me that

mini sandler
THE EVERETT WINSTON ROLE?

boba addict
bro

u got one of the biggest roles in the
industry and ur sending three word
sentences

demitra's bf
what's wrong with you dude

i'd be running around the room

tell the director to cast me as ur love interest

boba addict

mini sandler
anxiety stop

boba addict
don't stop get it get it

male manipulator
will u guys shut the fuck up

mini sandler
right no brainrot for u

it's not aesthetic enough

boba addict
it's worse since he doesn't use emojis

male manipulator
also malachi

the love interest role is taken

as much as i'd love for you to have it

mini sandler
disgusting btw

demitra's bf
because u guys are homophobic?

boba addict
because u guys are both hideous

mini sandler
LMFAOOO

male manipulator
wrong but okay

do you guys wanna see my sandwich

mini sandler
no

boba addict
no

demitra's bf

show me baby

boba addict
i just threw up in my mouth

mini sandler
me too

male manipulator

demitra's bf
looks good

hope u enjoyed it

my king

male manipulator
i did my love

boba addict
u guys sicken me

mini sandler
just glazing bro

demitra's bf
should i post this

mini sandler
is that a trick question

boba addict
LMFAO

post this one

demitra's bf
i'm removing u

male manipulator
that one's good too

mini sandler
okay but seriously

post the picture

boba addict
who are u trying to impress

demitra's bf

obviously

mini sandler
what girls in specific

demitra's bf
all of them

boba addict
whore

male manipulator
LMFAO

mini sandler
u shouldn't be laughing

boba addict
yeah ngl ur worse

demitra's bf
wtf are these strays for

male manipulator
how am i worse than him

mini sandler
at least malachi knows he's
fucking around

ur the type of guy to say ily and
never call back

male manipulator
alright gotta go

boba addict
see

male manipulator
bye i'm reading my feminist literature