Chapter 24 #2
Instead, she realised, the call of her name had come from Ollie, who was beckoning her towards the press pack that surrounded him.
‘Guys, I want you all to meet Ginny Canavan and I advise you to take as many photos of her as you can because she’s one of our coaches, a phenomenal actress and singer, and trust me, you’re going to be begging her for interviews one day. ’
Ginny could have landed a huge smacker of thanks on his cheek, but the flashes were already going off as Ollie posed with her, letting the press get their shots.
They fired some questions at her too, and she was happy to answer them, with Ollie, A-list megastar, operating as her wingman.
Ginny had never loved him more – and she’d be on the phone to Stevie as soon as this was done, pointing out that her pal had got herself the most decent man who ever lived.
Unlike her own boyfriend, who was currently still schmoozing influencers and ignoring her.
‘Right, people, sorry to break up the party, but it’s time to move inside.’ That came from Sandra, who was brandishing her clipboard in their direction.
It said a lot that every member of Academy staff, including Moira, Ollie and Calvin, immediately did as she commanded, wrapping up their interviews and moving through the grand front doors of the old church building.
Due to the camera crews, the press representatives and the Health and Safety around all the wiring at the red carpet, the non-celebrity attendees, students and their families had been requested to enter via a side door, so Ginny knew that the theatre would already have filled up.
Alyssa had texted to say that her and grandad were inside and sitting with Jessie and Georgie.
That’s why, when her phone rang in her bag, she ducked into an alcove, thinking it must be Stevie, the only one of her chums that wasn’t currently here.
‘Hey…’ she said, without even checking the screen.
‘Hi, Ginny, this is Carl Boddins. Have you got a moment to speak?’
Shit, not Stevie. Her heart began to race like someone had just given her a shot of pure adrenaline – and she also wondered if anyone ever said ‘no, Mr Boddins, director of some of the most significant musicals in theatre history, I’m afraid I do not have time to speak to you.’
She wasn’t going to be the first.
‘Erm, yes! Of course! Lots of minutes. To speak. Loads of them.’ She might, however, be the first to stutter over her words like a fool. She slapped her hand to her forehead, hoping the pain would make her stop talking.
‘Thank you for auditioning for us today. We did say that we would let you know as quickly as possible…’
You did. Yes, you did.
Bugger! Did she say that out loud? No. It was her inside voice. Don’t speak.
‘The panel had a discussion after you left, and we’ve decided…’
What? What have you decided?
‘We’ve decided that…’
Pause.
A longer pause.
Still silent.
That’s when she took the phone away from her ear, checked the screen and realised that her mobile had died in the middle of the most important call of her life.
Bugger.
‘Five minutes to showtime,’ Sandra was shouting now, ushering the last of the stragglers into the auditorium.
A choice – go in now and watch the show. Or go and charge her phone and call Carl Boddins, but miss the show, because they would lock the doors due to filming.
The fact that she couldn’t even remember where her charger was made the decision for her.
She dashed inside and searched for familiar faces, before spotting them and shooting over to the empty seat in a row with her grandad and Alyssa at one end, Jessie and Georgie at the other end, and most of the Once Upon A Time café customers in the middle.
Moira had clearly been unable to refuse any of the villagers’ requests for tickets.
She leaned across Grandad to hiss to her sister. ‘Alyssa, do you have a power bank?’
Her sister was the most organised person on earth. Ginny was pretty sure she could ask for a tape measure, a roll of Sellotape and a portable curling iron and Alyssa would produce them from the backpack she carried everywhere.
Her sis didn’t disappoint this time either. She fished a power bank out of her backpack, and handed it over, letting Ginny plug her phone in to charge. Hopefully, there would be a quick break at some point to allow her to nip out and call Carl Boddins back.
In the meantime, she tried to calm herself down by absorbing the buzz in the room.
Over in the front row to the side of the stage were Ollie, Calvin and Moira, and then a few of the other coaches.
The celebrities that regularly supported the Academy were there too.
Odette Devine, the queen of the Scottish soap The Clydeside for over forty years before she retired, and still one of Calvin’s closest friends.
Rex Marino, a famous Glasgow-born actor turned reality sensation that Ginny had, in truth, always thought was a bit of a self-satisfied tosser.
Casey Lowen, star of the biggest show on Paramount right now.
Ginny knew that Casey and Ollie had a brief romance after his divorce and before he met Stevie, but now they were just great mates and Casey was always happy to pitch in on the Academy shows.
Then there was Caden, of course. She’d wondered if he would come and sit with her family, but he’d clearly chosen the seat that came with the spotlight.
Even though she was mad at him, she didn’t blame him for that.
Having his face there was good for the Academy. And for him, of course.
Her gaze then went to front and centre, where she could see a whole row of her students.
Amelia. Aila. Jack. Liam. Ahmed. And a dozen others.
She could see lovely Ava Strang there too, as always, a little more serious than the others.
Sometimes, Ginny thought that girl carried the weight of the world on her shoulders.
For a second, Ginny wondered if there was something wrong because Ava was scanning the back of the room looking anxious.
She thought about running down to check on her, but just at that moment, Ollie took to the stage.
No one would ever know that he was dealing with a whole broken heart situation because he was a total pro who put his game face on as he delivered an emotional introduction that had Ginny struggling to hold it together.
She adored that man in the most platonic of ways.
And she loved this Academy and the community they’d built here.
No matter what happened next, this would always be a most special chapter in her life.
Just a few moments later, the theatre lights died. Ginny’s heart stopped, as she feared another electrical fail, but no… there on the huge cinema screen at the back of the stage, a live Netflix feed of a show that could change so many of their futures burst into life.