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𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝗆𝖺𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍
SHAYLA ROSE RUSSO was in the back of a stretch limo, fiddling with her acrylic nails as the driver said they were here.
The destination? The place she had been dredding arriving at for a week. She knew it was time though, if she ever wanted to be a singer again, she had to do this. Like a hedghog emerging from hibernation, as her publistist Nadine had put it.
"Hedghogs are cute, but theyre prickly and dangerous, like you," she had said. She never intended to be dangerous or a threat, she wished to be sixteen again, singing about her familys christmas tree farm in her bedroom. She wanted to feel delicate again.
The good days when she didn't have to worry about who she could trust.
But in reality, you cant trust anyone and she needed to get out of the car. She took a deep breath that was silent but effective, calming her anxieties for a moment as she gripped the handle.
Cameras flashed, fans chanted, all eyes were on her.
"SHAYLA, OVER HERE" "SHAYLA"
Interviews and photos were taken, everyone wanting a picture with the "reformed" Shayla Russo. Everyone blissfully ignoring the tears brimming in her eyes when the incident was mentioned, still she prevailed.
"Shayla!"
She recognised this voice to be Rachel, part of the reason she was here today. "Oh im so glad you came."
Running the hug the brunnette with great passion, one of her best friends, one of the only people who stuck with her and understood what it was like to be hated.
Shayla was introduced to other cast members and said hello to Josh, who she had met many times through Rachel.
"I cant wait for you too meet Tom." She exclaimed, clearly excited at the premire of such a successful movie.
Shayla was proud of her friend, she saw the gleam in her eyes when they would facetime while she was on set. The same gleam Rachel would enjoy in Shayla's eyes as she was touring.
Before shit hit the fan.
As she posed for the flashing cameras, a subtle tremor began to creep through her limbs. The whispers of self-doubt, once hushed during her time away, now roared in her ears. The tightly controlled smile on her face betrayed the turmoil within. The designer gown she wore felt like a suit of armor, shielding her vulnerability from the world, yet unable to guard against the rising tide of anxiety.
Her breaths quickened, and the world around her blurred into a chaotic dance of colors. She sought refuge in the familiar faces of her team, but their encouraging smiles seemed distant, drowned out by the cacophony of her inner demons. In the midst of the glamour, a rising panic threatened to engulf her.
