me though. Are you all around on Saturday? I’m only going to have, like, forty-five minutes tops to get ready once I get home from work. And he didn’t say where we were going, only that he hoped he could still get reservations. Do I go fancy? A dress? Chic casual? Who’s going to do my hair? Thank God I just got a facial!” I was officially freaking out. Only forty-eight hours stood between me and my date, and I did not feel prepared.
“Al, don’t worry,” Lila said. “We all helped Hannah for her date, and we will all help you for yours. I did have plans with Joel, but I’ll just cancel. It’s okay,” she broke in as I started to protest, “it’s really okay. I’m not sure how much longer I can take this whole smothering act he’s got going on. This will be a relief, really. You’re doing me a favor. And who else can give you big sexy hair like I can?”
“We’ll all be here to help, don’t you worry your pretty little face off,” Carmen said, standing and stretching her arms over her head. “But this chica needs to head off to bed. Got a big day tomorrow.”
“Oh? A big test or something?” Hannah questioned.
“Test? No, no, love. It’s the pancakes and beer breakfast down at Wiley’s. Em’s coming with me.”
Emma stood as well. “It’s true. While I will be stuffing myself full of yummy pancakes, I’m skipping the beer part this year. Got my 8:30 class to make it to, and I’m sure Professor Tallyman won’t appreciate my beer breath.”
“Well, you girls have a blast with that. I work until seven tomorrow at Blissful, but maybe we can all hang out after? Anyone know of anything going on?” I asked.
“Joel’s friends are having a party at their house on Second Street. I told him I would go but...I don’t know. If we can’t find anything else to do, we could go over there,” Lila volunteered, looking less than ecstatic about hanging out with her boyfriend.
After the girls left and it was just me and Lila getting ready for bed, I brought up her problems with Joel. “What’s going on, Lils? You seem completely turned off by all things Joel right now. Did something happen between you two?”
Lila sighed, carefully plucking out her contact lenses and soaking them in solution. “Things have gotten, well, tense between us lately.”
I slathered my nightly moisturizer over my face and neck, even adding some to my décolleté like Allie had instructed me to. “Why? What’s going on?”
“Well, you know how I had those photos taken of me, right?”
“Right. For your portfolio.”
“Right. The guy who took them was extremely nice, and he knows Mary Strubaker personally.”
“Who is Mary Strubaker?”
“Alex! She heads IMAA ––Iowa’s Models and Actors Association. She’s helped people like Carter Boss and Savannah Howe make it in Hollywood,” Lila scolded me, naming two of the most popular actors currently gracing the big screen.
“My bad. So okay, he knows Mary. What does that have to do with you?”
Lila and I headed out of the bathroom and I followed her into the kitchen. She retrieved a big blue bowl out from the cabinet, swiftly dumping microwave popcorn in and popping the bowl in the microwave. I opened the fridge and settled on a pink PowerAde, reluctantly remembering my accounting homework. Damn. I would have to wake up early now to get it finished.
“Well, Mary runs these casting calls that are very limited throughout the whole Midwest. You have to have an invite from her, one of her employees, or a close confidante to even be considered by her. If you ace your casting call, she signs you to her agency, gets you jobs around here and,” Lila paused for dramatic effect, the popcorn kernels popping in the background, “gives you all the training you need to make it in places like New York and LA.”
“So your photographer guy is going to introduce you to Mary?” I ventured a guess, actually a little impressed and thrilled for my friend.
“Yes! Alan–– that’s the photographer–– got me an invite to her next casting call, which is in late November. If I can ace it and get signed, it would be huge for me! I could book real jobs around the area, gain experience and build up a portfolio. Mary also brings in teachers and other real actors and models to help give us more knowledge. Can you imagine if Carter Boss was giving