Love, Loathing, and Limelight

Chapter Three

Waking up is my favorite part of the day. I like waking up and seeing the sunlight stretch across my ceiling; it's a sign of promise. This day, in particular, I woke up feeling like I was on top of the world. I was coming off my junior year of high school. I had a fantastic group of friends with whom I spent almost every waking minute. I ended the year with a 4.0 GPA, wore my dream dress at junior prom, and I've gotten most of my required credits out of the way to have four dance classes a day during senior year.

Life is good, and it's only getting better. As I woke up, I reached for my phone. This The-Wave-cast-tour thing has blown up overnight. Lana is a big city, but at the same time, it's not. For the cast to come to Lana for a whole week is a big deal. It's kind of like a big "Hey, World! Don't forget we exist!" Our little city has had small claims to fame, but it's never anything long enough to sustain a reputation. But I like it that way. I like city life but without tourism. I don't think I'd love where I live that much if it didn't have the right amount of privacy from the world.

I had taken my bike down to this coffee shop called Club Coffee, the one I'd always gone to for studying. I always get a chai tea latte, I always sit in the back on the green chair because it's the most comfortable, and I always admire the gorgeous view of the city out the window. It has a fantastic view of the university where I'll study to become a teacher one day. Teaching ballet in any form I can has always been my dream for as long as I can remember. People say that your teenage years are the time to experiment and find out what you like. They say that you're a completely different person when you come out of high school, but I don't think that's the case for me. For as long as I can remember, I've always been sure of what I want to do and the kind of person I am. I've always been confident about my future. It consists of dancing; that's all I ask of God. I'm ordinary, and the world is complex, so I'm happier when life is more straightforward.

I got up to leave. I turned to the side of the building, and as I turned the corner, I was almost hit by a guy, no older than me, on my bike. He quickly slammed the brake.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Are you ok?" he asked frantically. My first thought was to reassure him that it was all right, then it came to my attention that he was a stranger. And he was on my bike.

"Uh, yeah. Who are you?" I asked. He started moving in random nervous motions.

"Um, who are you?" he responded as if he could fool me.

"The owner of this bike," I said firmly. His face dropped as he laughed nervously. He tried to come up with an explanation, but he gave up and owned up.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," he said quickly. "But listen, this is important. I really need a ride-" He asked with more confidence in his voice- the audacity. Stealing didn't work out, so now you beg? Makes sense.

"I'm sorry?" I asked rhetorically.

"Trust me, you're gonna want to," he explained. He pulled the hood of his hoodie off his head, then looked at me like that changed something.

"So, um, what does that change?" I said. He stared at me with the same expression.

"You don't know me?" he asked.

"Should I?" I responded.

"I'm Noah Lancaster?" he asked. The name didn't bring up any memories. "I'm an actor. I'm on the show The Wave." I almost chuckled at my luck. How perfect that I've caught a seemingly narcissistic celebrity in a vulnerable place? I decided to play his game.

"Oh, I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you," I said dramatically, his face lightening slightly. "But, don't you know me?" His face fell into confusion again. "I'm Sara Connor? Local high school student? Aspiring dancer?" His eyes lifted a little, and he stared at me in amazement. Then he quickly changed back to nervous and frantic.