Crossing Boundaries

Chapter 1

"Yeah, hey, Luke, it was so nice hearing from you, but I might have to call you back later. It's work." I asked my brother almost hurriedly as I saw another caller coming in on my phone screen.

"Oh yeah, of course. Go ahead, Em! You're so stacked lately I couldn't even fit myself into your schedule." He replies, sounding sad, covering it up with a humorless chuckle. Even though I have missed him so much, I can't risk wasting time catching up, and I can't blame him for sounding so sad, but I have bigger responsibilities to fulfill now, and time is of the essence in the city. 

My biggest commitment and change after heading off to university was from living in a small town where everybody knows you to living in a city where you're expected to strive and make a name for yourself. I never thought of the life I'm leading thus far, yet I live it here. For most, it's a dream come true, but it's getting a bit exhausting for me. 

"A girl's gotta work, y'know? Besides, I'll call you as soon as I get home. I'm sorry, Luke, I love you," I replied quickly and dropped the call, not waiting for his reply. I accepted the incoming caller with an unregistered number.

"Hello? Is this Miss Emily Summers from Xntric Media?" a man asked on the other end of the line.

Xntric Media is my pride, my baby. It is a company I've only ever dreamt of in college, just a vision, now my reality. It started as a passion project; people began investing in my skills. From being a one-woman job, turned a team of three to four to many more. As we grew, the vision became one of the top three media publication outlets to rise in the following years. We primarily cater to magazine publication opportunities and online branding for influencers, artists, politicians, and celebrities. I get to meet influential individuals, attend prestigious events, and aid these individuals to more social power and influence. I am also very influential to the public through my work. All these people who rely on my passion make them more powerful, and that's the biggest responsibility that I have right now.

"Yes, speaking."

-

One word: Exhausted.

It's a whole day of dump-diving into the work world. It is tiring to drive from place to place, read through paperwork and e-mails, and have back-and-forth meetings with different agendas and people involved. At 25, I don't think this is healthy anymore. Being too caught up in the bustling streets of city life and not enjoying one bit of your day to yourself on the weekend? Dare I call myself human?

Before heading home, I went to the grocery to buy my essentials and food as I was running out of stock already. Living alone doesn't require much, so I only need so little to supplement my necessities to survive.

I connected my phone to my speakers, played my Tate Mcrae playlist, and started organizing groceries when my phone rang again, disrupting my momentum.

"I swear, I'm gonna have to throw this phone away if I get one more work-related call," I muttered, bracing for what I might see on the screen.

Oh, it's just Macey.

Macey is my city girl, a one-call-away girlie. She helped me get through college and was one of the people who supported me in starting Xntric Media; she was my first investor—the closest to a best friend I could have here, to be honest.

"What do you want?" I asked grumpily as I continued restocking the fridge.

"Hey, tone down that attitude, girlfriend. Especially when I got us takeouts,"

"Sorry, just tired. Got us Chinese?"

"No telling till you open up,"

"Alright," I took a deep breath absentmindedly, "I want to spend time with my brother back in our town," after I said this, there was a minute of silence.