Vicious Circles - By Leann Andrews Page 0,13
sister last night?”
He nodded.
“I had a sister once. She couldn’t paint but she loved whales.” I smiled slightly and turned my face to the cement.
“Had? As in past tense?”
My chest clenched. I could feel the familiar ache creeping back in. “Yeah, past tense.”
It was his turn to change the subject. “Hey, have you ever considered acting? I bet you would be good at it.”
I looked up, surprised. He was grinning and obviously making fun. “That was an asshole thing to say. I’m allergic to the entertainment business.”
There was no way I would act. Just the thought of it made me want to laugh out loud. It was absolutely ridiculous. Mason seemed to think I would be good at it but one look at me and I would be sent back out the door I’d shuffled through to begin with.
“You’re quiet,” Mason said, breaking the silence.
“I was thinking…wondering actually, why you put up with my shit, why you insist on helping me.”
His knuckles turned white as he made two perfect fists. “Have you ever felt invisible, Fallyn? Even though people see you every day?”
The question was not what I was expecting. “Um, well I know what you mean.” My voice cracked and I cringed, hoping he would continue.
“I feel that way, a lot. Like no one cares to know the real me. There was something about you and the way you just told me how it was that interested me. It sounds selfish, I know.” He glanced over at me but I just smiled.
“Guess I should be honest about something then…I’m not as tough as I look, Mason.”
“Doesn’t matter,” he said. “Being see through would be boring right? How would you ever find that one person who just got you despite all the garbage?”
He brought up a good point. “Is that why you enjoy acting so much? I mean there are infinite possibilities on people you could be.”
Rather than answer me, he pulled a folded, yellow sheet of paper from his back pocket and tossed it into my lap. I picked it up as if something was going to hop out and bite me.
“Just open it for Christ’s sake.” He was smiling which made me feel a little better.
“An audition? Why in the hell would you give me this?” I almost yelled.
“I think you can do it,” he admitted, running a hand through his messy hair. “If you get it, it’s quick money. If not, then you’re no worse off, right?”
He looked so excited, like a kid in a candy store, that I couldn’t say no. I would rather chew my own leg off than step in front of some arrogant, judgmental fucks but I didn’t want that genuine smile on Mason’s face to fade.
“I’ll give it a try.” This could be it. This could be my ticket off the streets.
***
I stepped out of Mason’s bathroom for the second time in twenty-four hours, except I had more clothes on the second time around. He really wanted me to audition for some television show and I had agreed. There was no way I would get the part but just to shut him the hell up, I’d said yes.
He was beginning to grow on me; I kinda liked him. There was a decent guy deep down in there somewhere.
“You look great,” he exclaimed when I rounded the corner and entered the living room.
“Yeah well, new clothes and a hot shower would make anyone look better.” New clothes, courtesy of my last ten dollars and the Goodwill shop.
He shook his head, disagreeing. “No, there is something else. You’ve got that look that sets you apart.”
“Honestly, I don’t know if I should be flattered or smack you in the face right now.”
Mason stood to admire me closer. “It’s your eyes.”
I picked at the hem of my shirt, turning said eyes toward the floor. “They’ve seen more than their fair share of bullshit…”
“So, do you want to work on your audition?” He asked, handing me a bottle of water.
“No,” I said shaking my head. “I don’t want to think about it at all. Let’s just sit here in silence.”
He laughed and fell to the couch. “Let’s say you get the job…what is the first thing you’ll buy with your first paycheck?”
I pursed my lips and truly thought long and hard about the answer. There were so many things I’d gone without. “I would rent an apartment.”
“There’s an empty one bedroom on the first floor here.”
“So you can spy on me you creeper…fuck that. Besides, if I’m