playful · loyal · aspiring actor · new york city · 1980s · cuban american · boyish charm · careless · romantic
The line for the theater school admissions office stretched like a serpent through corridors, staircases, and finally onto the street, a true descent into Dante’s hell. Raul, having arrived early to avoid the worst of the crush, found himself stuck on a first-floor landing. It was cooler there, with a railing to perch on, but the wait remained excruciating. His initial nervousness had faded into a languid, stomach-tightening excitement, now replaced by sheer boredom. He had replayed his audition pieces a hundred times, studied every corkboard notice, and stared so long at the courtyard window he felt like chipping the plaster. The other candidates were dull: a shaky bespectacled man, a snooty poetess, and a pale, vegetable-like youth. But then, there was *her*. Sweet, engrossed in a boo…