Storymakers: My Fifteen Minutes of Fame

Storymakers: My Fifteen Minutes of Fame

By Amelia
Seventh Grade
Miller Jr. High School
Aberdeen, WA

"Hawes! Get your head in the game!" Mr. Peterson shouted at me. I turned my head to glare at him and a basketball hit me in the face. One of the many reasons I hate PE, I thought. "What did I tell you, Hawes?" He said, still referring to me using my last name.

"Seriously Aubree, I might just pass it to you while you're not looking." my friend Judy sarcastically added knowing full well of how lame I am at sports. She giggled and shouted, "Heads up!" I ducked and put my hands in front of her face. Mr. Peterson blew the whistle and the class went to the locker rooms. "Typically when somebody shouts 'heads up,' you put your hands so you can catch the ball," Judy said. She had a knack for sarcasm. The final bell rang, and school was out.

I walked toward the bus after school, and it started pouring rain. Judy rushed beside me and held out her umbrella. I ducked to her side and mistakenly piled drived her into the hedges lining the school yard. She laughed and shoved me onto the bus. We picked a seat in the middle so we wouldn't be harassed by eighth graders. After all, we were just little "seveys" as they called us.

After a smelly ride home, Judy and I raced though my front doo, and of course, she won. "Aubree Hawes: zero! Judy Lieu: every other stinkin' time we've raced!" she bragged, doing her strange victory dance. I lightly (but aggressively) punched her on the shoulder and opened my front door. My mom was sitting on the couch her coffee cup brimming her eyes and nose as she inhaled the bitter liquid.

"Sweetie," she said, putting the mug on a coaster. "I have some news for you." She was giving me the creeps by how strange she was acing. I could tell it wasn't anything bad because she was giving me her, I'm-going-to-pretend-something-is-wrong-so-I-can-scare-Aubree-when-the-news-I-have-is-really-awesome-look.

"You know how you wanted to be an actress when you were nine?" she asked, a smile creeping onto her face. "Well, I got you a commercial booked! It's for a local channel, and..." she shrieked excitedly. Her voice trailed off when she realized I was furious.

"Holy cow, MOM! I was nine for crying out loud! I don't wanna come FIFTY FEET of doing that commercial!" I shouted. Judy was inching toward the door, and wanted to head for the hills. I looked at her and nodded. She waved and rushed out the door.

"But Aubree! I already booked it! It's a commercial for The Metro! It's your favorite store! Please do it...for me?" my mom whined. I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes. The Metro was my favorite store, but that doesn't mean she can book me a commercial without my permission. I pursed my lips and stomped toward the kitchen. I heard mom get off the couch and follow me. I put a bag of popcorn in the microwave and pressed the dedicated popcorn button. My mother's breath bounced off my back as I watched my snack rotate in circles.

"What time do I have to be there?" I grumbled.

My mom's Ford bounced along the road on the way to the TV station. There were six other cars in the parking lot; one car I recognized as the host to the morning news. There was also a van with The Metro logo stretched across the side. It must have been a representative for the commercial. I went inside the studio with a scowl. My mom had to make a phone call, so she stayed in the car. She told me she'd meet me inside soon.

There was another girl in the waiting room and she looked so nervous, she could have been mistaken for somebody headed to the electric chair. She had bright orange hair tied up in a ponytail. The girl's right hand was in her mouth, so I assumed she was a nail biter. She was sitting on her other hand. I sat next to her right side and said, "'Sup? I'm Aubree." She glanced up at me and curved her lips just the slightest into a smile.

"I'm Trinity," she replied and looked at the wall to her left. "Good to meet you," she mumbled and went back to nail biting. A commercial official came out of an office and tipped his fedora hat at us.

"Hello, all. My name is Robert Down, and I'm your director. We'll be seeing a lot of you so let's get down to it," he said officially. Robert looked at the clipboard he had nestled under his right arm and continued, "Aubree Hawes will be playing the cool girl who shops at The Metro, and Trinity Oaks will be playing the loser who doesn't. But bada bing, bada boom, Aubree helps Trinity out in the end my taking her to The Metro and giving her a much needed makeover."

I raised my left eyebrow but stood up and braced myself. What I was about to do was selfish, but it needed to be done. "Find yourself a new cool girl Robbo 'cause this one it out!" I said. He gaped at me as I left the studio. I turned back and smiled at Trinity. "Good luck!" She giggled and waved.

My mom was just getting out of the car as I was leaving the studio. "Aubree? You're finished already?" she asked climbing out of the car.

I smiled and nodded. "Yep. Now let's go home, shall we?" Mother looked at me puzzled and mumbled, "Okay..." I was done being an actress. After all, I want to save my fifteen minutes of fame for something cool, like and intense chase scene.

Storymakers: A Creative Challenge for Young Writers, is a program inviting students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades living in Washington State and British Columbia, Canada, to submit their own original creative writing pieces.