The Secret Life of a Star

 Chapter one:

For as long as I could remember, I wanted to be a singer. Playing sold out shows in every city in the world, millions of albums being sold and becoming an idol to millions of girls at every corner of the globe. I mean, who wouldn’t want that kind of life? Here I was! I was 17 and living the dream I never thought I could reach. Life could not get any better!

SALLY, SALLY, SALLY! The sound of the crowd cheering my name always sent shivers down my spine; a sensation I will never get used to or tired of. ‘5 minutes and you’re on baby girl’ said my mum. She had helped me so much throughout this whole entire thing. She gave me the support and love I needed and moved our whole life to LA just to see if I could reach for the stars. Every show I did, I made sure that it would cover all of my mum’s hard work. I followed behind the stage manager and a security guard to the back of the stage; ready to play my very first show at Staples Centre and completely sold out! My heart was racing like a racehorse and stomach was twisting and turning like I was on a carnival ride. But being consumed in all the excitement and thrill, I hardly even noticed how nervous I was. ‘Here she is everyone! SALLY MARTIN!’ As simple as that, I was out on stage giving the best performance of my life. Never had I even planned on performing at the Staples Centre and being completely sold out! This was the one experience I was never going to forget!

2 hours performing never seemed long enough to thank my fans for everything they have done and where they had gotten me. However, 2 hours is a long time for a 17 year old to sing, jump up and down and dance all the time. I got back to my dressing room where my mum had the biggest smile on her face and a tear in her eye. Giving her the biggest hug I whispered in her ear “thank you.” She leaned back and cradled my face in her hands. “No. Thank you.” I could tell Mum was proud of me and that was the best feeling in the world; a feeling that could never be overruled by one performance. After every show I come down from an adrenaline high, only to become a normal teenaged girl; similar to those who filled the crowds tonight. Being famous had its moments though. The money and fame could only get you so far; and with reporters following your every move it doesn’t take long for a story to erupt. People forget that you’re just a normal person that happens to be liked by millions of people. They forget that you are human and you have feelings too; so they go on and report rumours and stories that can sometimes be offending. Some stars fall to the trap of those set by reporters; they don’t have anyone to support them like what I do. I consider myself lucky to have my mum; she’s always there and makes sure the truth is out there for everyone to know.

We returned home to indulge ourselves in relaxation and any food we could find in the kitchen. “This is the best part of every tour” I muttered with a mouthful of chips. “I agree Sal” Mum said with a mouthful of chocolate. Mum and I were extremely close, especially after my dad had died when I was 7. Every time we talked about him, Mum would always talk about the promise she made to him. “I promised that I would always look after you and be there for you.” She always said it so innocently; and even though Dad had died 10 years ago, Mum was still very heartbroken. “He would be so proud of you” Mum said with a piece of chocolate in her hand. “I know. I just wish he was here with us.” All I ever wanted was my parents to be right beside me at every red carpet, CD signing and concert I did. Unfortunately it wasn’t going to happen, and this was an upset for me.

Being 17 and famous, there wasn’t much time available to make friends. Instead, you became friends with other celebrities that would boost your stardom. There were no real friendships, well none that you could point out anyway. I never knew if someone actually wanted me as a friend or if they were using me to boost their popularity. I wasn’t allowed to go to school either, in case I would be harassed or something stupid like that. So I was home schooled and I was missing out on something every teenager dreaded and hated. There were other things I missed out on too; like prom, formals and the random party or two. I liked to think of myself as an everyday teenager; but when I actually thought about it long and hard, I knew I wasn’t. I’ve tried hundreds and millions of times to convince Mum to let me go to high school for one year. I mean come on, she should be happy I actually want to go to school and it wasn’t like I was asking for the rest of my schooling life; it was one lousy year. But Mum answered hundreds and millions of times with the same answer. “No! You’ll be caught and harassed and…..just no Sally.” I knew she was getting frustrated at me when she actually calls me Sally; most of the time she calls me Sal and even Salsa which is kind of weird.

I wasn’t going to take this lying down. No matter what it took, I was going to somehow convince my mother to let me have one year of school; and I knew just who to turn too. Being famous meant you could spend hours in a hair salon and not having to worry about your spending limit. This also meant I became good friends with my hair stylist, Marie Fitz. This was one friendship I knew was real for certain. “Marie, I need some help.” “You name it and I’ll do it” she said convincingly. I sat down in my chair and looked into the mirror at Marie. “I need you to change me into a completely different person.” Marie looked at me weirdly; like she didn’t understand what I was saying. “And why are we doing this?” she asked suspiciously. “So I can convince my mum that I could go to school for a year without worrying about a thing.” Immediately Marie was against the whole idea. “No way Sally Martin! I do that, and I’m fired.” I needed to guilt trip her; it was the only way to get her on my side. “Come on Marie. Don’t you remember your time at school? Spending time with your friends, going to prom. I need to experience that just once!” Marie stood there like she was fighting against herself. “Ok, fine. I’ll do it” she said putting her hands up like she was surrendering. I had my way, and with Marie’s help I could achieve anything.

Marie spent three hours doing hair and make-up to transform me into a complete stranger. I crossed all of my fingers and toes hoping that all of Marie’s hard work will give me the result I wanted. With Marie’s room being on the floor below us, I walked up to the room Mum and I were staying in and casually walked in. “Um excuse me. Who are you?” It was working! Mum had no idea who the heck I was! “You serious?” I asked. Mum looked at me like I was a foreigner who had gotten lost. “I don’t know who you are but you’re not allowed in her.” She was starting to get angry so I decided that I had enough fun. “Mum it’s me, Sally.” Mum had a look on her face suggesting she half believed me. “Ok, fine then. I’m Sally Claire Martin born and raised in Louisiana. What people don’t know is that I like eating fries with soft serve.” She looked at me astonished. “How did you?” “Marie helped me.” I walked over to her and sat beside her. “Looking like this mum, I can do it.” She was looking at the floor; not wanting to look at me and see how determined I was. “Do you really want to do this?” For I don’t know how long, Mum has kept me under her wing the entire time. I could only imagine this would have been tough for her to loosen the reigns a bit. “You have no idea how badly I want to do this.” Mum looked hesitant; I don’t blame her though. As soon as I step into any high school, she can’t protect like what she has been doing since the death of my dad. “If it’s what you really want, then ok.” I gave her a big hug and a huge smile, “thank you so much Mum.” YES! The plan work and now I could officially say that I’m an ordinary teenager; but with a secret.