For young people, drinking only needs one excuse—
For example, being thirsty.
Chirping away, they were busy discussing the location for their celebration. So wanted to head straight to the bar, while others suggested eating first and then drinking.
Notably, among this group, Seth, Chris, Anson, and others were still under 21 and not legally allowed to drink.
In reality, so bars would let them in but not serve them alcohol, while others wouldn't even allow them through the door. Likewise, so bars turned a blind eye, allowing Jas, the "adult," to buy the drinks without the bartender spoiling the fun.
Thus, the choice of location was particularly important.
Then, amidst the clamor, Jas' loud voice could be heard.
"How about we go to '1640'? You can eat, drink, and enjoy the sights."
"1640," a bar with special "dance performances," strictly for adults—
Literally, "strictly."
Chris couldn't help but roll his eyes. "It's not even six o'clock yet, Jas, and you're already getting restless?"
Jas' eyes widened. "What? It's already five o'clock? And we're still not seated at '1640'? No way, we need to speed this up."
Laughter erupted from the group.
Chris gave Anson a helpless look, seeking so assistance.
Just as Anson was about to help, his Nokia phone buzzed again. He glanced at the caller ID and gestured to Chris.
"Hey, this is Anson Wood."
Anson didn't notice, but his tone carried a mix of anticipation and nervousness, which Chris imdiately picked up on.
A thought flashed through Chris' mind, and he silently mouthed, "Audition?"
Anson shrugged lightly, indicating he wasn't sure—
Even though from the beginning, Anson had a good feeling about this audition, winning such an opportunity on his very first day here had his emotions swirling.
So, had Hollywood's doors truly opened?
Chris caught on right away.
"Shh, guys, quiet!"
Chris motioned for everyone to calm down and mouthed softly.
"Audition."
Instantly, everyone understood.
Even Jas, who was halfway through removing his makeup and now had half of his face looking bizarre, quieted down and stopped goofing around. Instead, he stared intently at Anson through the reflection in the makeup mirror.
Everyone held their breath.
In the small dressing room, there wasn't a sound. Everyone strained their ears, trying to pick up clues from Anson's words and expressions.
"Yes..."
"Right..."
"Okay, no problem."
"Great."
But the information was limited.
In no ti, the call ended, and as Anson turned around, he was t with a room full of eager eyes, watching him like prairie dogs. The sudden spotlight effect made his skin prickle under the intensity of their stares. It was undoubtedly the center of attention.
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but they were forcefully held back by those excited, wolf-like gazes—each person more thrilled than he was.
Unconsciously, a smile crept onto his face.
And then, Anson didn't keep them in suspense any longer.
"I got the part."
Boom! The room erupted in cheers.
A cacophony of cheers and laughter erupted, like a volcano bursting into the sky.
Chris was the first to throw both hands into the air, shouting with excitent. Then, with a stride forward, he opened his arms and charged at Anson.
Anson froze, waving his hands in protest. He still wasn't used to Arican customs—hugging upon eting, expressing love freely—none of that was his style.
But!
Before he could utter a word, and just as he hesitated whether to give Chris a judo flip, Chris had already bear-hugged him tightly. Anson looked at Jas with a face of pure resignation, silently begging for help—
Was nobody going to stop this?
Thankfully, Chris soon let go. With a broad smile, he clenched his fist and pounded Anson's shoulder twice, as if hitting a punching bag. His steps couldn't contain his excitent, bouncing up and down in place.
"Nice one, bro!"
"Haha, congrats, congrats!"
"I knew you could do it. See? I told you that missing Laura and Natalie was a good sign."
"Ah, you're going to be on cara now!"
Chris couldn't resist rubbing his hands together, while Jas and Seth quickly gathered around too, as if Anson were the coveted World Cup trophy—sothing that everyone wanted to touch for good luck, even if it wasn't theirs.
Jas, still with his half-makeup face, leaned in. "What show?"
Anson replied, "'Friends.'"
The room fell into silence. Everyone exchanged stunned looks, frozen in place.
One second, two seconds...
Ah! Aaaaah!
Chris clenched his fists and roared at Anson, his expression like that of a Lakers fan witnessing a last-second three-pointer winning the NBA Finals against the Celtics. His whole body was flooded with adrenaline, ready to explode.
Anson pondered whether he should share the secret of his successful audition with them.
Jas imdiately scooted over, "Anson, Anson, can you get a picture with Jennifer? And tell her I'm a huge fan."
"Jas, get in line." Seth butted in, "You shouldn't bother Anson like that. What if Anson doesn't even have any scenes with Jennifer?"
Saying this, Seth squeezed forward, flashing a flattering smile. "I'll keep it simple. Just give a call from the set, so I can hear what it sounds like during filming."
"Anson, we have to celebrate tonight with drinks. No way we can skip out on the booze!" Jas said, his mind completely focused on that single thought.
Sam, watching from the sidelines, joined in with cheers, "Party! Party! Party!"
The room was filled with excited chatter.
Despite Jas and Seth already being regulars on their show, "Freaks and Geeks," the level of that show couldn't compare to "Friends." Right now, they were even more excited than Anson, the person directly involved.
Unconsciously, Anson was also infected by this joyous and festive atmosphere.
So, how do you celebrate at eighteen? Scream and shout? Or run wild through the streets?
As the group celebrated, Anson noticed Chris, bouncing and shaking his head energetically, receiving a phone call. While still hopping up and down, he answered the call.
His expression shifted—from excitent to shock, then to tension—
No movie had ever shown such a subtle and remarkable performance, but Anson could clearly see it all on Chris' face.
A thought flickered in Anson's mind.
"Shh! Guys, shh!"
This ti, it was Anson's turn to hush the group. He pressed his hands down, signaling everyone to quiet down, then raised his chin to gesture towards Chris.
The others were a bit slow to catch on, their eyes filled with confusion as they glanced at Anson.
Anson didn't respond, just widened his eyes and focused on Chris.
Anson's own audition had been a sure thing, so he hadn't been nervous—just excited. But with Chris, the situation seed different. From his reaction, things didn't look good.
The key was, if an audition failed, casting companies typically wouldn't call or email; they'd just leave you in the dark. But if there was a phone call...
So, was this really a call from the casting company?
Now Anson was noticeably more anxious than he had been before.
The others, still unsure of what was happening, gradually began to quiet down, curiosity mixing with a sense of tension as they turned their attention to Chris.
Could it be... a double blessing?
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