Lovers & Liars Read Online Free

Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire. Her
breath caught in her throat and tears stung the back of her eyes for a moment. Blanche is so vulnerable. Does he see that
when he looks at me? Her gaze connected with his sympathetic brown ones.
She nodded. “Good choice,” she muttered, reading over the words.
    When
her turn came, the words became real for Erica. The breathtaking sadness of the
character’s situation penetrated her heart. All her years of being alone,
struggling to succeed or just keep her head above water, came rushing back. The
pain, the anger, the resentment toward her father made her brave, even jaunty,
haughty, and superior. It was perfect, the best reading she’d ever done in
theater class, on a summer stock stage, anywhere. There was a round of applause
when she finished.
    The
emotion of the performance drove her into the ladies room to splash cold water
on her face. I have to calm down. I’m not
Blanche. I have options. I’m going to get a break. When she returned, Sam
gave her an admiring stare and patted her hand. “Not bad, for a beginner.”
    I was good, but was I good enough
to beat Sam? Probably not.
    At
the end of tryouts, the coach asked the performers to step outside while he
conferred with his class. Sam leaned against the wall and pulled her next to
him. “You were good, Erica.”
    “Not
nearly as good as you were. You’re a professional, aren’t you?”
    “If
you mean a paid actor, yeah. I’ve done some TV, a few commercials, and a little
summer stock. You?”
    “Summer
stock, that’s all.”
    “Maybe
this will be your lucky break.”
    Before
they could continue their conversation, one of the acting students appeared and
called everyone in. Sam took Erica’s hand in between his and sat down. Whitmarsh gave a short speech about how great everyone was.
Erica knew he was lying. Then, they awarded the full scholarship to Sam. Erica clapped
hard, hiding her disappointment behind a smile.
    The
coach raised his hands again, and the room quieted down “This year, I’ve
decided to do something different. While Sam Rawlings was clearly the most
polished actor in the group, there was one other outstanding, though not as
professional, performance that grabbed me. I’m going to award a second
scholarship to Miss Erica Stone, for the most heartfelt performance of Blanche DuBois I’ve ever seen.”
    Erica
couldn’t believe her ears. Tears clouded her eyes as she covered her mouth with
her hands. Sam grinned at her and applauded along with the rest.
    Whit
dismissed the contestants and motioned for Sam and Erica to join the students. “Your
first class will begin tomorrow. We meet twice a week from eight to eleven.
Don’t be late. Introduce yourselves to everyone.”
    One
female student set out sweet refreshments while another poured coffee. Erica
was starving. She bit into a sugared donut. “Too many of those will ruin your
figure,” Sam warned.
    “Don’t
you worry about my figure.”
    “I’d
like to get to know it better…much better.”
    “You
win the award for the worst pick-up lines ever,” Erica said between bites.
    Sam
laughed. “Can’t blame me for trying.”
    “Hire
a writer.”
    Sam
and Erica agreed to meet at Buns and Burgers before the next class then went
their separate ways. Erica couldn’t stop smiling as she drove her rust bucket home.
Amy was in her pajamas, waiting up for her friend. She smiled when Erica told
her the news.
    “See!
I told you working for Gunther would pay off. Your first day and already you’ve
made a connection.”
    Erica
hugged her friend. “You’re right. I’m the luckiest girl ever. This is going to
be a great experience.”
    “Won’t
Gunther just die when he finds out?”
    “You’re
not going to tell him, are you?” Erica put her hand on her roommate’s arm.
    “No
way. Someday, you’ll leave him for a juicy part, and he’ll be so pissed, he
won’t know what to do.”
    “No
one’s irreplaceable, Amy.” Erica sat back