❝ 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 ❞// original book

iii. a new era

CONNOR PULLED HIS HOOD UP AFTER HE'D REVEALED HIS BRUISES, and the teacher didn't object.

I didn't know what everyone else in my class believed, but it was glaringly obvious that someone had done this to him.

It showed in his mood too. Every time we talked, there would always be the exchange of sly comments, laughter, and comebacks. 

Now he was quiet and withdrawn, avoiding contact with anyone when he was usually so social and hiding in dark clothes.

But maybe it was a rough patch he was going through. He was acting the exact opposite of the Connor I knew, shining out and surrounded by friends.

That didn't explain the wounds though. 

Attendance had continued, and I pushed Connor to the back of my mind as Luna said her name. 

"Blanco,"

"Chan,"

"Firelily," I said, staring at the stack of report cards on the desk. If I didn't have good enough grades, would my label make me wait? 

Debuting as a singer was full of challenges. 

After everyone's name had been called, we were given instructions and travel reminders by our teacher before being free to collect our cards and go. Luna caught up to me as I left the classroom, scaring me slightly. 

"What are you thinking about?"

I jumped and turned around. "Um... nothing." I wasn't going to tell her I was still thinking about Connor. She wouldn't understand; she thought I liked him because we had a bit of a rivalry going on. I'd never heard of the enemies-to-lovers trope happening anywhere else than books and movies. 

But of course, she knew. 

"Ange, it's not just how you two tease each other. You're empathetic, you could help him with whatever he's going through. And I still think you'd be a cute couple."

I sighed, trying to ignore her statement. "It's just he wears baggy clothes all the time. Tries to cover himself up. And I'm worried that the version of him I - and everyone - knows is just an act." 

"See, you do care about him," said Luna, her expression softening. "And he'll be in LA with you when you go for the summer. You'll have more than a few opportunities to find out." 

"Maybe," I murmured. Connor wasn't likely to show how he really felt, especially to me. And he was an actor, after all. He would hide himself well from anyone he wanted to. 

As would I if I went into the spotlight. 

We reached the front of the school, where several cars and taxis were lined up to drive people home or to the airport. Luna was staying in New York this summer, where she'd be training in her ballet program. 

I hugged my best friend before flagging a vehicle, and she laughed as I squeezed her. 

"Call me, send me vlogs - everything," Luna said into my hair. "I know you're going to get the album."

"I can't wait to see your shelf of awards too," I replied, pulling back to look at her. "I wish I could be here for all your recitals."

"Me too, but I'm sure you'll be a household name by the time we're both back here!"

I smiled and waved as I ran to catch a car. A part of me hoped that my dream of becoming a star would come true but another part of me was scared of the thing that would happen along with it. I had heard many stories about the dangers that young artists like me faced, not to mention the media's thirst for personal details.

Usually, I loved New York's tall buildings, but now they just made me nervous. Knowing that at the top of one of them was where my whole future would be decided in mere minutes. 

After I'd paid the cab fare, I walked up to the building, trying not to feel queasy as I went through the door and stepped into the elevator. 

As I stood in front of the studio door, my hands shook with nervousness. I had been going to this studio for almost two years with the hope of becoming a singer-songwriter. 

But as I stood there, I couldn't help but wonder if my dreams were just an illusion. Would I be able to achieve my goal and tell my future children about it? Or would I have to tell them about my unfulfilled teenage dreams?

No one had believed in me when I'd first started wanting this, except maybe Luna. I honestly doubted my parents would know I was alive even if I walked out of there with a dream come true. 

All the laughter and dismissals rushed into my brain. I'd heard my parents talking to my elementary school teacher years ago after I'd first told them what I wanted to be.

"Kids these days think they really can do anything. Wait until she's an adult and barely able to live on her own," my mom had muttered, not noticing I'd been in the doorway. 

A part of me had wanted to step up and prove them wrong ever since that moment. But what if I tried, failed, and they laughed about it the rest of my life? And me, carrying that on my shoulders, knowing they'd been right the whole time but refusing to believe it like a naive, rebellious little kid?

But I knew I couldn't win if I didn't play. 

I placed my shaking hand on the doorknob and turned it, stepping into the room as the faces of my record label greeted me. 

vic's note ::

hi guys! ik it's been sooo long but i just got inspired randomly to the two people who are reading this lol

anyways i'll post again soon xoxo