Left Behind // Scarlett Johansson x Daughter

A crazy day

POV YN

It was truly astonishing. Our TikTok account had been steadily growing ever since The Outset started following us. In the following days, they commented on our videos, sparking debates among other followers about their comments. Ava still hoped that whoever was behind that account was Scarlett Johansson or Kate Foster. She said that if it were Kate, it was most likely that Scarlett would notice it. The truth was that something like that would be incredible. But sometimes, we had to keep our feet on the ground. Who were we for celebrities to follow us? We weren't viral; we were just one of the thousands of accounts of girls our age that you could find on TikTok or Instagram.

It was the distraction I needed, but the worries wouldn't disappear. I was determined to participate in the competition this year, and if I won the first prize, I would pay for any expensive treatment so that Dad could keep on living. Once I paid for it, he couldn't refuse.

I finished getting ready with a pair of jeans and a hoodie. There was one more week until classes ended, which meant I wouldn't have to see Leyla unless I ran into her in some store. When I walked out of my room, reality hit me hard. Dad looked worse, and seeing him in that condition was heartbreaking. He had dark circles, a sickly pale complexion, and barely ate, and what little he ate, he couldn't keep down. I couldn't understand how I hadn't noticed his condition earlier. I hugged him, afraid of hurting him, and he kissed my head.

"I love you, Dad, to infinity and beyond," I whispered before leaving. I was so scared that this day might be the last. Would those be the last words I'd say to him? I swallowed hard and tried to relax, not to worry Ava and not to give more ammunition to those who wanted to make fun of me at school. Teacher Jones was as attentive as she could be, but even she had her duties during classes or in some meetings.

"Yn! Ready for the last week?" Ava appeared with her ever-present big smile. She was the cheeriest girl I knew, even if she thought the same of me, though lately, I didn't feel that way.

"Yes, I want to stop seeing some faces even if it's just for a few days," I murmured, then looked at Ava and hugged her tightly. "Except yours."

We met up with Cassie. She wasn't a bad girl, but sometimes I felt like she didn't like me and only tolerated me because I was Ava's friend. I knew she often invited Ava to sleep over at her house, and on some occasions, Ava decided not to go and instead stayed at mine or invited me to hers. It didn't really bother me because I didn't feel like going to Cassie's house or having her come to mine. If she didn't like me, why should I make an effort?

"Congratulations on the increase in followers!" Cassie kissed Ava's cheek and stood beside her. "What was all that about?"

"I don't know, Yn and I are still amazed." She hugged me, and I knew she did it so that I wouldn't feel left out, as she usually did whenever Cassie appeared. She had a knack for making me feel like I didn't belong or, at times, blatantly ignoring me.

The first class was with Professor Jones, who taught History and Geography. It was in my best interest to pay attention if I didn't want a scolding; at least it would keep me awake.

Between classes, many people approached us to congratulate us and ask us to join them in a choreography. Then, Ava did something I never thought she would do.

"Yes, Scarlett is very nice. She defended us from other followers and all that," Ava boasted, as if we had actually had contact with the actress. I looked at her with a "What are you doing?" expression, and she looked back at me as if to say "calm down and don't embarrass me."

Ava opened Pandora's box. We couldn't stop receiving visits from students in other classes asking us about our friendship with Scarlett Johansson. The snowball grew so big that as people talked to each other, a completely different story from the one Ava had started emerged. This was turning into a game of telephone gone wild, where you said one word and it turned into something entirely different.