For You

"So, are you guys going to go to the auditions?" asked Alex as she pulled out her books from her backpack.

"I am," said Daniel as he sat down.

"So am I," said Sam as he pulled a chair over to join the other two.

"I'm not going," said Alex quietly, "I have to work on my piano piece for the next competition, so I'm not allowed to go."

"I don't have permission yet, but I know that my mom will say yes. My dad will just agree with whatever I say," said Sam.

"My parents are completely fine with me auditioning," said Daniel.

The teacher suddenly entered the classroom, stopping all conversations, "Good morning class. Pull out your history textbooks and turn to page 164."

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When Sam arrived home, he immediately called his dad. After a couple of rings, his father answered, "Hello?"

"This is Sam."

"Why are you calling?"

"I need your permission to-"

He was cut off by his father who said stiffly, "I give you my permission. Bye, I have to get back to work."

The line was cut and Sam was left with the phone in his hand, listening to silence. Sam had expected this behavior but he still felt hurt by his father's cold actions. Sam shrugged it off quickly, used to this behavior, and called his mother.

"Hey, mom?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Can I audition for Silver Castle?"

"The entertainment giant? THAT Silver Castle?"

"Yeah, the agent Martin King approached Daniel and me"

"That's amazing, and I give you my full support sweetie if that's what you want to pursue. I just want you to remember that I love you and that I miss you. Annie misses you too you know. Are you going to be there for her birthday?"

"I love you too mom. I'll be there for her birthday of course. December 12th, how could I miss it? Tell Annie that I love her and that I'll see her in two months."

The rest of their conversation was his mom advising him and warning him about the dark side of the entertainment circle. "Don't go to those bad parties, don't do drugs, don't drink, don't force yourself to do anything because other people want you to, etc." His mom was on a rant for half an hour until she said, "Sorry honey, I have to go to work. Catch up with you later?"

"Yeah, bye, I love you."

"I love you too baby. Bye!"

"Hello, I'm Sam, Martin told me to call if I wanted to audition."

"Ah, so you're Jupiter, I'll direct you to Mr. King immediately."

The line went silent for a moment before Martin's voice sounded, "Hey Sam! You're going to audition?"

"Yeah, both of my parents agreed."

"Great! Let's meetup on Tuesday at 4:30 at my office. The address is on the card, but if you need more information, you can call again and ask Martha, my personal secretary."

"Got it, see you then."

"See ya Sam!"

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When the day came, and school was over, Sam quickly changed out of his school uniform and took a quick shower before picking out his clothes. He went with a plain grey hoodie and athletic black sweatpants from Adidas.

When Sam arrived at Martin's workplace, he was in awe. It was a tall silver modern skyscraper that seemed to have tens of floors. The words "Silver Castle Ent." was written in bold calligraphy at the very top.

He stepped through the automatic doors, there were so many people! There were people in suits and formal clothing. He felt very out of place in his casual clothes. He felt like he was being stared at, but he shook it off and walked up to the receptionist, "Hi, I have an appointment with Martin King at 4:30."

"Name?"

"Sam or Jupiter."

"Ah, yes, take the elevator to the 88th floor. I'll let security so you'll only have to give your name if they stop you."

"Thank you."

"Have a nice day."

Sam waited nervously as the elevator played classical music for a couple of minutes until the doors slid open. He walked up to the secretary and asked, "Do you know the way to Martin King's office?"

"Yes, I am his secretary Martha, you must be Jupiter. The front desk told me you'd be coming up. His office is around the corner down the hall."

"Thank you."

When Sam arrived at the tall office door, hands sweaty. He knocked and Martin's voice rang out, "Come in."

Sam took a deep breath before he swung the door open, revealing a man wearing a suit, lounging back in a chair with a large scenic view behind him. The man's tired blue eyes lit up at the sight of Sam, "Sam!"

"Hello, sir."

"No need to be polite, just call me Martin, please sit!" said Martin as he gestured wildly at the sleek grey sofa at the side of the room.

As Sam was walking to the sofa, Martin was observing him, pleased by Sam's calm attitude and graceful stride before getting up and joining Sam on the sofa. He eagerly faced Sam, "I'm so glad you came!"

"Daniel is coming too, but Alex isn't."

"That's too bad, but I'm glad that both you and Daniel are coming to audition."

As if on cue, a knock was heard.

"Come in."

Daniel pushed the door open and slowly walked in. He was dressed in a plain navy blue t-shirt that clung to his body and black pants that showed off his long legs. Despite his plain outfit, he still looked shockingly handsome, his pale blue ice-like eyes contrasting with his black hair. Sam's breath seemed to catch in his throat at the sight of Daniel for a moment before Sam remembered to breathe. Holy smokes! Sam couldn't move until he recovered and gave a cheerful smile while waving at Daniel who waved back.

"So, Alex is not coming, so it's only the three of us. I'll now explain somethings about the entertainment industry."

"This world is very tense and there is a lot of competition, but there are some good people in this industry. When you are climbing up in the entertainment field, you have to watch out for snakes, just like the snakes and ladders game. People may set you up and try to knock you down. I personally knew some talented rising stars that were knocked down and ruined by their competition. You must always care for your reputation and image since the masses are the ones that make us who we are. Our careers depend on them."