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By Garrett Langton
Fiction Submission for The Makeshift Review's Writing Contest 2021
Billy was nervous. He had not auditioned in days and was apprehensive to go on stage. His agent reassured him he would succeed and claimed he had everything under control. He also claimed he had other people begging to use him. Billy knew his agent was bluffing; the only parts his agent had for him were trash. Billy knew this was his only chance of having a “big break," for now anyway.
He looked through his requirements one last time and understood what he had to do. His part said he was supposed to be intimidating, someone who could control an entire room with his presence. His agent pushed him onto the stage, put on his straight face, and tried to persuade those around him of Billy’s talent. Billy stood and performed with the others on stage, acting as though his career with his agent depended on it, which it did.
Maybe it was his acting chops that convinced everyone. Or perhaps it was his stature and color that caused the others on stage to be intimidated. But be it Billy’s skills or plain old chance, everyone around the stage was dazzled by Billy’s performance. He got the part and the people on stage surrounded him to celebrate alongside him. His agent left, followed by Billy and his newfound friends. Billy felt proud because he had saved his agent’s bacon and had some new people to hang out with. They would probably leave him the next day, but he savored the victory while it lasted. So was the life of a black poker chip.