Love, Loathing, and Limelight

Chapter Two

"What are you guys doing over the weekend?" I asked as we made our way down the hall.

"Gay bar," Ari said, obviously cracking a joke.

"You're seventeen," I said.

"I may be," she said. "But Maria Lopez is twenty-one," she said, pulling out her fake ID. Okay, maybe it wasn't a joke. But this is exactly what I've learned to expect from Ari. "I actually got this from your aunt, Sara." I rolled my eyes.

"Ok. Well, have fun, and don't go to jail," Chris said. "Kristen still hasn't given up, so we're going bowling tomorrow to settle it." Christiano goes by Chris but has a girlfriend named Kristen, who also goes by Kris. They started dating only two months ago, a relationship that I take credit for because I was the one who set them up, and they are both super persistent about keeping their nicknames. They frequently try to "settle it," but I think they'll both be going by their nicknames forever. As annoying as it is, I tolerate their stupid couples' cliches.

"So I should start calling you Christiano," I said with a laugh.

"Well, thanks for the support Sara," he said sarcastically.

"I mean, come on, Chris," I said. "Is bowling even a sport? Is that a fair fight?" Chris and Ari laughed.

"Kristen says it is," Chris said.

"Well, of course, she did. She's an athlete," I said, laughing.

"I'm totally athletic," he said, defending himself. "Just remember, Sara, I had to lift you in the air for the spring performance."

"Are you athletic, or are you just in good shape? Ballet isn't a sport; it's an art form," I said. "The standards for what makes a good dancer are similar to that of an athlete, but-" I had lost my train of thought. "Okay, I'll put it this way. Have you ever heard a football player say that football is a way of self-expression?"

"No," said Ari. "And I think I'd die on the spot if I ever heard that."

"That's the difference," I said, "Dancing takes emotional depth and artistic outlook."

"We're all athletes here, except for maybe Ari," Chris said.

"Truth," Ari thundered as she pulled a bag of chips out of her ballet bag.

"Disagree," I said. "Athletic artists, not artistic athletes. Besides, you really wanna be associated with them?" I was referencing a school picture of a football player without his shirt, dumping an entire gallon of Gatorade on himself. We all paused and stared.

"Never mind, you're right," Chris said.

"I know," I said. "Listen, I'm okay with not being considered an athlete, but to think that bowling is a sport?"

"Sara, you've got too many opinions," Ari said.

"I know, but they're valid points," I said back.

Ari and Chris headed to the dorms while I turned the corner to leave school and go home. It's kind of ridiculous. School ended two weeks ago, and the upper-classmen camp is already over. But then again, LTA is notorious for making its students eat, sleep and breathe their school life. It's a prestigious school, which I cannot afford. I'm only in because I made a dance video that went viral in middle school, and it landed me an audition and then a scholarship. LTA is one of the top private academies in the country and is notorious worldwide, too, as we have a pretty big population of overseas students. There are five institutes: Athletics, Fine Arts, STEM, Trend, and Medical. Core classes, like math and English, are the least enforced subjects. You only take two every semester, and we're often expected to clep some classes and only take the exam or take summer online courses. The rest of your day is filled with your institute classes.

In your institute, you pick your major. There's dance, art, instrumental music, vocal music, and theater for the Fine Arts Institute. You choose your specialty, but you get to do a little bit of everything your institute has to offer during your time at school. Because my major is dance, I've taken all types of dance, but my focus is ballet. I've also played a couple of instruments in the orchestra at one point and some theater-specific dancing. It was fun, but I've been waiting for a dance-filled senior year.

It's all very confusing, but there's a purpose for all of it. The reason for all the breaking down into specific groups is that everybody gets attention. Everybody gets the best education in their particular area.

My pondering is interrupted by a noise coming from my pocket. There is no hesitation in answering that phone.

"Hey," I said.

"I've literally been in Texas for two hours, and you would not BELIEVE some of the things I've heard from guys on tinder."

"I thought we said no more going on tinder while traveling," I said.

"When did we say that?" Megan asked.

"Well, you were drunk," I said. She started laughing.

"Okay, so you can't hold me to it."

"Whatever," I said. "So, what are the rules?" I asked.

"Rules? I've been out of town before. I think you know I don't do those."

"Yeah, but you've never been out of town for two weeks. You're not worried I'll throw a party or have some boys over?" She laughed.

"No, I am definitely not worried about you throwing a party or having boys over."

"You're not worried that I'll take your car for a joyride?"

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't," she said. "You're responsible, so I trust you to be irresponsible," she said. "I love you."

"I love you too," I said. Before she was responsible for me, she was that wild, carefree college girl in any coming-of-age movie. Then when I was sent to live with her, she decided to calm down until I was old enough to handle her true nature. When I got to eighth grade, she decided it was okay for me to know what she meant by "boyfriend count." She also decided I was old enough to stay home alone at any time while she went out with her friends. It's not inaccurate to say that I've raised myself in a way. Living with my wild aunt has shaped me into who I am, the complete opposite of her.

It was getting late, so I grabbed an apple for dinner and sat on my couch. And by my couch, I mean the cushions of a couch I hadn't had time to put together. I turned on the TV even though I was scrolling through Instagram simultaneously. The news is playing in the background.

"And in exciting news, the cast of The Wave, currently on tour, has decided to stop here in Lana for the week as they tour the surrounding cities. Our small city welcomes these stars as they stop here for our festivities. Now, let's show them our Lana spirit! This is Nancy Wilson from Lana News channel four.."

The Wave is such a stupid show. For some reason, it's like the number one series in the world. I tried watching it but lost interest halfway through the first episode. From what I've heard, it's pretty much a fantasy series about aquatic life conspiracies, mixed with super hot teenage actors, and a former A-list celebrity who has nothing else to do. The show is dumb, but what's dumber than the show itself is the hype. I have never understood the big deal about actors. They have everything they could ever want and make their millions based on their popularity, which we ordinary people give to them. I'm not saying they're not talented people. I'm saying that if we decided to boycott, they wouldn't survive.

Hello, lovelies! Hope you are enjoying the story so far! What do you think of Sara? Most people don't like her at this point in the story. Let me know in the comments. Or don't. It's your choice. Live your life. Have a good day! :)