The It Girl [COMPLETED]

Chapter 23 - "I'm willing to take that risk."

Twenty minutes later, the glorious smell of rice, beans, meat, and everything happy in life heralded Miguel's arrival. The smell was so heavenly Courtney half expected angels to appear before Miguel.

They didn't but the sight of him walking into the theater holding two plastic bags was a beautiful sight indeed. She threw up her hands.

"My hero!"

"Calm down, it's only food."

"He said to the starving man."

Miguel merely shook his head and set down the food on the floor. Courtney pushed her work to the side and Miles managed to come out of his work coma to lay down his tablet.

"Miguel," Courtney said, scooping beans and rice into a tortilla. "Do you ever compare yourself to others?"

Spoon in hand, Miguel paused and gave her a long look. Not sure how the look could be long when he wasn't far away but it was a long look.

"Where is this coming from?" he asked, wrapping up his food.

"Something I talked about with Micah today."

"Who's Micah?" Miles asked, around a mouth full of food.

A sight that contradicted the heavenliness of the food.

"He's a friend," Courtney said.

"Well he can't hang out with this trio," Miles said.

"Why?"

"Because we already have two names starting with m-i, adding a third would be overkill."

Logical and stupid.

"Fine, but I'm serious, do you compare yourself to others?"

Miguel nodded, looking a little like some strange fashion ad with his slacks and button-down while eating a burrito. Not sure what the ad is trying to sell... Burritos? Clothes? Miguel? Pretty sure all three would sell.

"I don't know how I couldn't," Miguel said, unaware that he was apparently for sale in some strange world in Courtney's head. "You know my family. Everyone is successful. I'm the youngest cousin and I'm trying to live up to titans. Even though I don't play baseball, it's hard not to look at how talented and accomplished Jace is and not compare myself to him."

He shrugged. "It's what humans do. Look at social media, half that is staged, edited, and still people compare themselves to it, thinking its a real."

Okay, that was true.

"What about you, Miles? You don't compare yourself to others, right?"

She didn't know how he could, he was the one others would compare themselves to.

"Sure, I do," Miles said. "Heather. She was in high school when she started her career. It took me till college."

Sigh. There is no hope for me. Oh, cruel world giving me two geniuses for siblings.

Heather popped in as if called by Courtney's thoughts. Though most likely it was the savory scent of food.

"Heather do you compare yourself to anyone?" Courtney asked, watching her sister quickly make a burrito.

"Yeah, Aunt Lillian. She started a company in college. I'm only working for her."

She wrapped up her burrito, which was far bigger than Courtney thought it should be.

"Hey! That's our food," Courtney said.

"And now it's mine," Heather said, walking away.

"I can't wait for Micah's dad to find you a place."