IF YOU'RE LUCKY (COMPLETE)

8. Everything

VICTORIA POV

"Victoria! Just the woman I wanted to see!", the director shouts enthusiastically. She struts over to me, kissing me on either cheek. "Victoria, I wanted to talk to you about your act".

"Sure", I say as I twirl the baton mindlessly in between my fingers. It was almost the end of rehearsal and I was spent. I clearly didn't get enough sleep last night.

Gee, I wonder why.

"Now you and I both agree that it is perfection. However, since this is a larger audience, we have to make the performance last a littler longer and we both know that's impossible to do on your own. So, we'll be pairing up with a partner to create a one-0f-a-kind duo. How's that sound? Will you be okay with that?" She searches my face for a reaction, waiting impatiently.

A partner act wouldn't be the worst thing. I've never prepared a routine with another person before, so it would be new to me. But then again, I've been going out of my comfort zone lately and the director was lucky to catch me in such a good mood. "I think that sounds good", I smile.

"Great!", she shouts. "You guys have a few weeks to create a new routine and can present it at the end of the month. Jacob! Come meet your partner!"

Jacob? Tall, muscular Jacob is my partner?

He strides over to us, his hair disheveled as usual and he's not. wearing. a. shirt. "Victoria, nice to see that I have a cute partner. Too bad you're stuck looking at this", He laughs, motioning is hands up and down his body.

I let out a small laugh and think about how much funnier Benji was. "I'm sure I can grin and bear it. My ride's about to be here soon, but let's meet here tomorrow to come up with a routine?"

"Sounds perfect", he smiles at me, running his hand through his hair.

I stuff my belongings on the table into my backpack and leave through the side stage exit. Benji texted me telling me his meeting was running late so I made myself comfortable on the couch in the lobby. I could hear the chatter of tourists and concierge in the background as I pick up a magazine to kill time. I skim through the pages of all the celebrities and high society people featured in it. I was never one to look at trash pieces like this, but spending time with Benji made me look at the wealthy differently. I used to just see their million dollar smiles and even more expensive gowns, but now all could do was think about what kind of pain must lie behind those eyes.

I flip through the last few pages when I notice Benji's photo. I can't help but smile. It's a picture of him eating and it's so funny to me how people find this interesting. My eyes glance over to the fold and I pull it out only to gasp in horror.

Is that me!?

It was me. There I was in all my trashy glory, wearing my Sunset Mobile Park shirt with the holes in it and my Goodwill jacket. I was mid way in eating chili cheese fries and I looked horrendous. But that wasn't what bothered me, I could've cared less what I looked like. It was how I looked compared to Benji. The caption under the photo read: Hotel playboy, Benjamin Blair heads out to dinner in lower end with unknown mystery woman.

Hotel playboy. Unknown mystery woman.

Reading it, reality couldn't help but sink in. They were right, I was an unknown woman. Who was I to Benji? What was a nameless woman like me doing with a guy like him? All the doubts I had before came flooding back to me. I could no longer hear the distant chatter, only the thump of my heartbeat in my head.

I'd finally let someone in because it felt easy, I didn't have to work for anything with him. I'd worked my entire life for everything, but I could rest with him. I almost felt... lucky. But that tabloid smacked me right in the face and brought me out of my dream. I was stupid to think a girl like me could fit in with someone like Benji. Society saw me as nothing but a speck of dirt on his Armani suit.