Take a Bow Excerpt

8/2/2019 Take a Bow Excerpt

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ELIZABE

TH EULBE

RGTakeaBow

Point


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Copyright 2012 by Elizabeth Eulberg

All rights reserved. Published by Point, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., Publishers since

1920. Scholastic, Point, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered

trademarks of Scholastic Inc.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,

or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,

recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information

regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department,

557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available

ISBN 978-0-545-33474-7

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 12 13 14 15 16 17/0

Printed in the U.S.A. 23 First edition, April 2012

The text type was set in Palatino.

Book design by Elizabeth B. Parisi


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The Auditions


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CARTER

M

y life has been one big audition.

I cant even remember the first audition my

mom dragged me to. It was for a diaper commer-cial back when we were living in LA. I was six months old.

While most kids first memories are of playing with friends,

mine are of sitting in cold reception areas waiting for my name

to be called. The only plus side was that after I auditioned, Mom

rewarded me with McDonalds. That was the only time I ever

truly felt like a normal kid.

After I got cast in the first Kavalier Kidsmovie, I didnt have to

go on that many auditions. The roles came to me. By the time I

was nine, I was on the cover of Peoplemagazine and a presenter

at the Oscars, the basic go-to kid for cute. I was the on-screen

son of every big-name actor. Ive worked with the best. And

with the Kavalier Kids franchise, I was featured on countless

lunch boxes, pillowcases, Happy Meals you name it, my face


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was on it. (I dont think Ive recovered yet from seeing my toothy

grin on a roll of toilet paper. Really, toilet paper. Apparently the

studios marketing division had no shame.)

Id shoot a big-time movie during the spring and a Kavalier

Kidsmovie in the fall (for a major summer release). And even

though my childhood was anything but normal, I look back

fondly on the Kavalier Kidsmovies. The other child actors were

like friends to me. At least they seemed like my friends, or what

friends should be. But we only hung out on the set. There were

no sleepovers or pizza parties, just on-set tutors and line

readings.

Things were great, but then there was a lets call it an alter-

cationbetween my mom and the producer. I got kicked off the

franchise. A new wave of cute kids came into Hollywood and Iwas relegated to being a featured guest star on network crime

shows.

So I made a decision. It was the one thing that scared Mom

more than anything, even more than crows-feet and taxicabs.

And it wasnt moving to New York City or starring in a soap

opera that was beneath me. No, we did those things so I could

do the thing that was even scarier to Mom:

High school.

Yes, Carter Harrison, former child megastar and current soap

opera actor, wants to go to school.

But as I sit in the hallway at the New York City High School

of the Creative and Performing Arts, I know that this isnt a

normal school. Its one of the most prestigious performing


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arts high schools in the country. I knew I could convince my

mom to let me go if I talked about how this would help me with

my craft.

Yes, I actually used the word craftto describe what I do. But

my craft is more on a par with the caricature artists in Times

Square than with a true artist.

I play pretend. Ive been doing it my entire life. Ive been

doing it so long, I dont even know who I am anymore. Im more

comfortable being someone else than being me. I dont even feel

like me when Im Carter Harrison. The paparazzi were wait-

ing outside the school today when I arrived, and I flashed that

famous grin at them . . . but that wasnt me. That was a role.

As we wait for my name to be called, I glance at Mom hiding

behind her oversize sunglasses. She didnt seem all that sur-prised to see the photographers outside. Gee, I wonder who

leaked that my audition is today? Its not like being on a soap

opera gets you a ton of press, but when you were the biggest box

office draw at the age of ten, people like to follow you around.

See what youre up to. Its like my life is a never-ending episode

of Where Is He Now?

At least Ive gotten used to the attention. Im really good at

blocking it out. Plus, it helped me get a role on a show that only

requires me to work a few hours a week. This way, I stay on

television to appease my mom and I get to go to school for me.

Im not even nervous as I wait for my name to be called. Step-

ping onto that stage and reciting my two monologues (one from

Our Townand the other from Youre a Good Man, Charlie Brown)


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SOPH IE

I

ts all going according to plan.

This audition is just one more box to check off on

Sophies Plan to Superstardom.Basically, the list so far has consisted of me performing at

every possible talent show, wedding, sporting event, bar mitz-

vah, birthday party, etc., in the Brooklyn area (check!), getting

Emme to write me a cant-lose original song for my audition

(check!), and getting into CPA.

Of course, once Im accepted, Ill have my work cut out for

me. Im not that nave. So once I get in I need to become the star

pupil, land the lead in every play, get the most coveted spot in

the Senior Showcase, and then get a record contract by the time

I graduate.

I will have a Grammy before I turn twenty. Even if it

kills me.


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Im not even nervous. Are you kidding me? I LOVE being

onstage. I LOVE the glow of the spotlight. Its the waiting thats

killing me.

I look around and notice a few other contenders for the vocal

department at CPA from different talent contests that Ive

done . . . and won. Theyve got nothing on me and they

know it.

All the singers (at least in Brooklyn) are jealous of me. While

theyll be auditioning with songs from West Side Story,My Fair

Lady, and The Sound of Music, I have an original Emme Connelly

song written just for me.

For a second, just a second, my stomach drops. I hope Emme

gets in. Her audition for the music composition program is in

a couple weeks. Although her acceptance (or rejection) wontreally affect my Plan. Shell still write songs for me. It would just

be easier if she would also be at my school. Dont get me wrong,

shes talented enough to get in, but being center stage really isnt

her thing. She gets nervous.

Not everybody can be a natural.

Sophie Jenkins.

I hear my name and enter the auditorium. I cant wait to show

the panel what Im capable of. Im ready to move on with my

Plan and be the star that I know I am.

This is just one small step.

Check.


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ETHAN

Iwant to get this over with.

My stomach has been in knots all morning. Oh,

who am I kidding? Ive been a wreck since I got thedate of this audition. Maybe going to CPA isnt the best idea. Ive

got it pretty good in Greenwich. Ive got friends, and even bet-

ter, Ive got Kelsey.

Although, I just got a girlfriend and what do I do? I audition

for a school in New York City, which means Ill have to live at

my parents Park Avenue apartment during the week.

Leave it to me to complicate one of the few good things in

my life.

I almost considered backing out of the audition and not going

to CPA, but and Im fully aware of how corny this sounds

music is my life.

At first I didnt know that it was unusual for someone to

hear a song and be able to play it back instantly on the piano or


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guitar. Or that not everybody can sit down and write a song. Ive

been playing music, mymusic, for as long as I can remember. It

flows from me with ease.

Its just the lyrics that I suck at.

Im a thirteen-year-old kid who lives in a huge house in

Connecticut with my investment banker father and stay-

at-home mom. What do I have to write about? I dont know

anything about suffering or pain. Or love.

I guess the one good thing going for me is that I dont have to

sing today. Im doing a couple of instrumental pieces. I hate

singing. I hate it when people look at me. I wonder if theyll let

me perform behind a screen?

I try to get my legs to stop shaking, but if they stay still, what

will distract me from the bile that is slowly rising in my throat?I go to bite my nails, but there isnt any nail left.

Dad squeezes my shoulder. I hate him knowing that Im ner-

vous. Why cant I just tune out the voices in my head telling me

Im going to mess it up, like I mess everything up? Why cant I

be normal? Why cant I do something without thinking of the

fourteen thousand ways that I can mess up?

Actually, there is one thing I can do to quiet the voices. The

only thing that I am good at, which is playing music. ThatI can

do well.

Its everything else thats the problem.


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EMME

Ithought things would be easier the second time

around.

But nothing seems to be going according toSophies Plan. And its all my fault.

I dont think there was ever a doubt that Sophie would get

into the vocal music program. How could she not? Shes amaz-

ing. She got her acceptance letter right away . . . on the same

day that I got my letter telling me that the admissions depart-

ment was undecided on my application and I had to audition

again.

While the CPA letter explained that the reasoning was that

they had an overwhelming number of applicants for the music

composition programs inaugural year, I knew the truth: I wasnt

good enough.

I try to hold back the tears that are creeping up. What would


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the admissions team think if I walked onto the stage in tears?

Probably not the best idea.

But Ive wanted to go to CPA since I was little. Ive wanted

this for so long.

And I dont want to disappoint Sophie.

Going to CPA together has been our goal since we first met,

when we were eight and both performing at a youth talent show

in Prospect Park. I played an original song I wrote on the piano.

Sophie sang Over the Rainbow. But Sophie doesnt just sing,

she Sings with a capital S. She opens her mouth and time stops.

I havent met a single person who hasnt been mesmerized by

her voice and her stage presence.

She even had it back when we were eight. Ill never forget her

coming up to me afterward with her gold medal aroundher neck (I got the silver). She didnt even introduce herself

she didnt need to; everyone there knew who she was. She simply

said, Hi, I like your song. You should write one with words and

Ill sing it for you. Weve been a team ever since.

Its Sophie whos been my biggest cheerleader from the very

beginning. She was the one who planted the seed years ago

about going to CPA. Wed be an unstoppable force, a dynamic

duo, the greatest singer-and-songwriter team that CPA has

ever seen.

But thanks to me, our team is in serious jeopardy.

Emme Connelly.

My name is called and I try to steady myself as I walk onto

the stage.


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I try to block out all the doubting thoughts in my head.

I can do it.

I can do it.

I can do it.

This isnt just about me. Its about Sophie.

And if Im not sure I can do it for me, I know I can do it

for her.

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