Head Start

Adrian shuffled his feet, stuck backstage in an oversized suit with a tie that was tied a little too tight. His shirt was sticking to his neck, despite the attempts to peel the two away from each other. The emcee was doing his usual bit, entertaining the audience in between segments. The other nominees were quietly chitchatting, smiling politely then glaring whenever people weren’t looking. Adrian awkwardly coughed. It took all of his willpower to not leave the venue right this moment. He promised himself and the others he would see this through.

There was laughter from the audience, followed by a round of applause. “Wish I could laugh like that,” Adrian muttered, a little louder than he anticipated. He looked around to see if anyone heard and came into eye contact with another nominee. A girl in a black lace dress with long black hair, curled at the ends. She was leaning over while simultaneously looking up at Adrian, who quickly looked back at the floor. “Well I have a joke, do you want to hear it?” The girl was small, with doll like features accentuated by the make up on her face. She wore a mischievous grin and was rocking back and forth from her toes to her heels. Before Adrian could reply the grin disappeared and she walked away, sighing. “Bummer. I had a bunch of good umbrella jokes, but usually they go over people’s heads.” The girl spun on her heel to see Adrian’s reaction. The joke in combination with her eagerness made the corners of Adrian’s mouth rise slightly. When the two made eye contact, Adrian quickly looked away. The girl pouted.

“I just wanted to cheer you up. Everyone here is so uptight, it’s not like we’re at the real Oscars.”

Right. This wasn’t the real Oscars. Just a made up awards ceremony for college students in the film industry. Adrian rubbed the back of his head. He often did that when he was nervous. “Well getting this award would probably jumpstart our careers. It’s probably the highest honor we could get as young actors.”

“And actresses.”

“And actresses. Sorry.”

The girl paced around in a circle around Adrian, balancing on an invisible tightrope. “Well what about the people who don’t want this to be their career? Why does it matter so much to them?”

“I mean.” Adrian hesitated. “If someone didn’t care about the award they wouldn’t have accepted the nomination.” The girl stopped for a moment before resuming her parade around Adrian.

“Maybe they just want to feel happy they got an award. Why are you here? You don’t seem to care too much if you win this award or not.”

Adrian looked down at his feet again. “I’m not winning this award. I already know that. I’m not even supposed to be here. The director told me no one else would accept the nominations, but the movie needed some sort of publicity. He had to beg me to show up. I don’t really get it, this event isn’t even that big why did we have to try to gain traction here?” As Adrian droned on he spoke faster and faster.

The girl squinted at Adrian. “You seem to know a lot about this award for someone who doesn’t care too much.”

“Why does it even matter to you? Why are you so interested in me?”

“Because you talk to me.” The girl pointed at Adrian with dramatic flair. “The others don’t like talking to me. They’re too intimidated. And even if they do I know it’s because they’re just sucking up to me.”

“And why would they do that?”

“What do you mean why? Wait… You don’t know who I am?” She held no hostility in her voice. The girl was just baffled by Adrian’s ignorance. “I’m Abby Hastings.”

Adrian choked again. Abby’s father, Victor Hastings, was the indisputable number one director in all of Hollywood. He raised many no name actors (and actresses) into movie superstars, and holds eight out of ten box office top sellers. There wasn’t a single person in the world who doesn’t know who Victor Hastings is. His daughter was supposedly one of the up and coming actresses of the new generation. Adrian watched plenty of her movies, but did not recognize the actress in plain clothing.

“You are nothing like I would have expected.”

Abby spun in a circle, dress glittering in the dim light of the backstage. “Charming and beautiful?”

“Well that, and so down to earth.” Abby stopped spinning. Red bloomed on her cheeks, but Adrian couldn’t tell if she was blushing or it was just her make up. “I assume you don’t care about this award because you win so many awards already?” The remark came off as more biting and sarcastic than Adrian intended. Abby’s hands dropped to her side.

“Even if I win this award, it wasn’t because I did well.”

“You think you’ll get the award because of your father?”

“That’s all I’ve ever won!” Abby’s voice quavered. Her voice was soft, but piercing. “Yeah, I have plenty of trophies and medals in my room, but none of it belongs to me. I can’t even blame my father. I love him, but every time I’m given an award I can’t help but think this was all because of his hard work and not mine.” Her fists were clenched, but her arms still quivered. “I bet so many other people deserve this stupid trophy, but I’ll probably win it because of my last name.”

Adrian struggled to think of any encouraging words. He studied at a top film school, and plenty of people got in because of their parents. He resented them for it. Those people did not belong there, and it was painfully obvious. However, nothing would be done and they would goof off while others struggled, giving double if not triple the effort to remain enrolled. Adrian remembered all the people who dropped out of the film industry because they had no connections, though they had plenty of talent and skill. He criticized so many of his peers for having a rich and famous parent without any results.

“But you’re ahead of them too.” Adrian voiced his thoughts out loud, eyes trained at the defeated Abby. “There are plenty of people who have the same blessings as you, but you still win these awards. Think about it. How many of these people have a famous mom or dad? Maybe both of their parents are famous. Maybe they are riding the coattails of their last name, but you aren’t. What’s wrong with you having a head start?”

Abby cocked her head, but let Adrian continue. Adrian approached Abby and placed his hands on her shoulders. “You seem to see your father’s name as a curse, but everyone else sees it as a blessing. From what I’ve seen, you still have the talent and skill. You’ve been given these huge roles, and were still able to thrive. The movies you’ve starred in were huge successes! Sure your father helped a little with that, but could you really attribute everything to your father?”

“But the award-”

“Screw the awards!” Adrian’s comment received several glares from the nominees. “You don’t need a trophy or a medal to prove that you worked hard. You’re talented! And the best way to prove it is through your movies.”

Abby gently laughed. “Do you watch your own movies?”

Adrian stepped back, reverting back to his shy demeanor. “Well, I would if I was as good as you.” There was an awkward silence and this time Adrian was close enough to tell that Abby was blushing.

“Do you really think I’m good? You’re not just saying that cause of my father?”

“I know you’ll become a great actress, and one day you’ll understand that all the recognition you get is because of your hard work.”

“Thanks. Uh. I don’t think I ever got your name.”

“It’s- “

A collective hushing interrupted their conversation and the nominees approaching the curtain to hear the emcee better. Adrian and Abby followed suit.

“Now I know you all love me and my great jokes.” A faint laughter arose from the audience. Adrian rolled his eyes. “But tonight we are here to celebrate the youngsters of the film industry. As you saw, these young people are amazing producers, directors, actors- “

“And actresses.” The two whispered in unison. Abby playfully punched Adrian’s arm.

“and supporting cast, but unfortunately there can only be one Youth Oscar. And although there is one winner, I would like to take a moment to appreciate all of the nominees here tonight.” The applause echoed throughout the stage, and a woman in a red dress walked up to the emcee with an envelope. The emcee grabbed the envelope, then created a fake phone out of his hands while mouthing the phrase “call me” to the woman, raising a small chuckle from the audience. Adrian softly pushed Abby towards the main stage.

“And the winner is…” Hand still on Abby’s back, Adrian could feel a sharp intake of breath as she adjusted her posture.

“Abigail Hastings for her supporting role in The House!”

All of the nominees groaned and began walking deeper backstage, preparing for another Abigail Hastings speech. The audience was politely applauding as Abby strutted to the stage. By the time her sheet of paper was on the podium, there were only a few nominees left at the curtain.

“I would like to thank all of the people who helped film The House. Tammy, Jennifer, and Mark especially for helping me out and guiding me throughout the long years. I would like to thank all of my friends and family, for supporting me and encouraging me to pursue my passion…” Abby looked over at Adrian, who raised a clenched fist in encouragement. “And I would like to thank all the other nominees, for coming out and being the best version of themselves. I may have won this award, but I know several of you behind that curtain deserve it just as much.” A few heads backstage turned. Abby took a deep breath, looking out into the audience, hand over her script. “I am aware of all of the criticism and doubt when it comes to my skill. I know plenty of people believe that I was given these awards just because of my father and his own accolades. I had my own doubts not too long ago.” Abby looked back at Adrian, then the rest of the nominees.

“And I know many people would kill to be in my shoes. But! I challenge those who have slandered and mocked me for being ‘daddy’s little girl’ to judge me for who I am.” Abby was emphatically gesturing, and the audience were glued to her tiny face and her passionate expressions. “Judge me for what I have done, and not for the awards I have been given. Because in the film industry…” Adrian allowed a smug smirk to escape. “Everything I’ve done is there!” Abby pointed to the screen above, showing clips of her in The House. “Everything I have done can be watched and dissected several times over! I may have earned this role through my father, and I may have earned this award because of him, but I know that when I look back at this film, I will be proud of what I accomplished. My father set me up for success, but it was up to me to ensure that this wasn’t a missed opportunity. So to my peers who mocked me every step of the way, I challenge you.” Adrian looked around to see the nominees marching back to the curtain, mixed reactions of anger and hope. “I have the head start, but that doesn’t mean you can’t catch up. I’ll see you at the finish line, but know damn well that I will try my hardest to be on the other side first.”

The audience nearly cut off her last sentence, standing and roaring with applause. The nominees were all shaken. Some cried. Some cheered. Some yelled profanities which just added to the applause. Adrian could only stand there and stare. Abby did have a head start, but the gap was only widening.