Twenty minutes later, I leave Emmitt on the subway platform, and he stares after me with a piercing gaze. As I board the subway car, he raises his camera to his face. He snaps a photo of me through the doors, right before the train pulls out of the station, and I flip him off.

On the ride home, the score to Inception (2010) blasting in my earphones, something peculiar occurs to me.

Those few hours I spent with Emmitt today, exploring New York City—it was the first time in months that my thoughts didn’t stray to USC.

I stare at the ground in dismay. I’m always thinking about California. But the second we stepped onto the platform at Whitehall Street, it was as if all thoughts of a future far away from here vanished, disappeared in plain sight.

Strange.

I swallow uncomfortably and lean my head against the subway map behind me.

Emmitt’s lilting voice echoes in my head. New York City is a wonder, isn’t it?

15

Auditions start off with a bang.

A literal bang, because Grant thinks it’s a great idea to try to set off firework sparklers in the auditorium, which is definitely a fire hazard. I’m surprised the bright red curtains don’t go up in flames.

I hold my head in my hands. “Rosie, please collect him before I do. Fireworks do not help team morale, no matter what Grant says.”

Rosie squeezes my shoulder. “It’s fine, Mina.”

The two of us are sitting at a table in front of the stage, three dozen applications before us. Most of the other film club members are seated behind the table, whispering to one another. Though Rosie and I make the final casting decisions, the film club has a tradition of allowing every member to vote for who they think should be cast in each role.

The freshmen are overly excited, whispering to one another as they examine the people waiting to audition. I’m glad to see Christina among them—it looks like she decided to stay in film club, after all. She and all her friends are staring up at the stage in awe. It’s their first time, so I understand their bright eyes and wide smiles—Rosie and I were also incredibly eager during freshman year, but now that we’re in charge... I’m more stressed than anything else.

The drama club is seated on the opposite end of the auditorium, along with a few stragglers that aren’t a part of any specific club but wanted to audition anyway.

Half of the stage crew is fiddling around on the stage, working on sets for the spring play, but we don’t need the entire stage for auditions anyway, so I don’t pay them much mind. Even then, I can’t help but sympathize with them since they look as inclined to smack Grant upside the head as I am.