Message in the inbox 📥

Chapter 1

How it All began

It's odd how life can change so dramatically, and as the cliché goes when least expect it to.And as they say that if you really want something with all of your existence, then the universe might help you reach it. With technology and social media platforms things are changing and more accessible in a sense or is it ?

As she lay on her side in her small bed at 11:00 PM, the only light in the room came from her phone screen. She felt a wave of loneliness and self-pity after a long, tiring day of dealing with angry strangers.

After finishing her skincare routine and putting on her Disney pajamas, she stumbled to her bed. Her final bedtime routine included scrolling through her Instagram feed, saving cool hacks to try later, finding a new song she liked, or laughing at a funny video. But tonight, her heart skipped a beat when she saw a notification for a new story from an account she knew by heart.

Without even looking at the post, she immediately liked it. But when she finally watched the video, a frown appeared on her lips. It showed her favorite actor partying at an exclusive nightclub with his current girlfriend. There was only one hashtag: #🤟🏻. Seeing them together made her feel a mix of jealousy and disappointment.

She didn't like her. As she watched the video of him and his girlfriend dancing and laughing, she felt a pang of jealousy. The girlfriend had her arms around his neck and whispered something that made him smile. She watched them more closely, feeling like something wasn't right between them, though she wondered if she was just imagining it.

But one thing was certain: she didn't like the girlfriend at all. She let out a dramatic sigh. "Oh, who am I kidding? I don't like any of his past, current, or even future girlfriends," she thought. "He can do better.

Someone funny, friendly, ambitious, and with a bit of a temper, maybe?"

A sarcastic voice in her head almost shouted, "Like you, maybe?"

She grinned without any humor. "WE GET IT. WE DON'T STAND A CHANCE HERE. GO AWAY," she replied dismissively to the "crazy" voice that always seemed eager to burst her bubble.

She rolled her eyes but adjusted her position to lay on her back. She smiled widely as she saw the time: 11:30 PM. It was time for her final night routine.

She clicked on the direct messages icon, went to a specific conversation, and started typing:

"Hey you... just saw that you're enjoying your time and went clubbing. Just enjoy yourself and have fun, and be careful, especially around the paparazzi. We don't want a repeat of last month's incident. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I think you're amazing and have so much potential if you just made a bit of an effort to reach it. As for me, it's the same old customer complaints and fighting with my idiotic supervisor like I'm the only person working there. Speaking of, I really need to sleep. I have an early shift tomorrow, so good night..."

As soon as she hit send, she heard her sister, whom she shared a room with, complaining about the iPhone light keeping her awake. She rolled her eyes and looked up in a silent prayer, mouthing "more patience, please." Then, with a muffled voice filled with rising temper and knowing sarcasm, she said, "Yes, your highness."

She plugged her phone in to charge, pulled the covers over herself, and closed her eyes. She fell into a deep slumber almost immediately, not realizing that the small virtual "send" button would soon turn her life upside down...