Reach For The Stars (Dallas Liu & Ian Ousley)

28

Star's POV

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

There was a loud knock on my door, waking me up. The booming noise zipped through my hallways, making my body spring up. The same vibration went through my bed. My phone got lost in the sheets, so I searched for it as it rung.

I hurriedly stood up, deciding to answer the door first.

Observing my cameras, Kass was there. 

"Um, good morning?!" I said as I opened the door. I share my obvious confusion. 

Pushing by me, Kass says, "Star! I haven't stopped calling you all freaking morning! I was concerned about you." 

"I was asleep, I thought I had nothing scheduled for today."

"Are the boys here? How come they're not responding either?!" 

"No, they had a shoot today so they stayed at their place since it's closer." I yawn. "Why are you acting crazy? We were at the beach yesterday night and stayed out late." I inform her.

"Oh my god." Her expression falls. "You don't know." Her complexion becomes pale. 

"I don't know what?" I ask.

She scans my house but doesn't say anything. 

"Kass, what don't I know?!" I begin to worry.

"Just trust me, please. Don't use social media today." 

As I start to think the very worst, my blood starts to race through my body.

"Why?!" I shout out.

"Please Star, you need to trust me." I feel her grasp my forearm.

I let go of her touch and head straight upstairs to my room.

"Star! Listen to me, this is for your fucking benefit." 

I march in the room and find my phone on the floor. Must have fell when I yanked the blankets off me. 

I open the first social media app quickly.

POPSTAR'S STAR FATHER DEAD AT AGE 57

The post read.

I lost my grip on my phone and felt dizzy right away. My hands went numb and my heart started racing faster than a hundred miles per hour. 

"Star, I fucking told you."

My eyesight became fuzzy and my breathing became strained.

All I could see in front of me was Kass's blurry figure, and I could not seem to understand a word she was saying.  

He's dead. He's beyond dead. The worst thing was that I was unsure of how to feel about it. Why should I feel horrible given everything he has done to me? His presence has haunted me for years. The worry that my parents might suddenly appear even after moving away from them lingered. It's not possible anymore, at least for him.

Dallas' POV

Ian and I rushed through Star's front door. 

The one stupid night we don't spend with her.

Kass contacted us several times during our shoot, but neither of us knew because we weren't carrying our phones. We both felt terrible. 

The shift from the joy of yesterday night to this tragedy.

"We're here!" I inform Kass.

Star, like a zombie, stared at nothing at all while seated on the edge of her bed. 

"Star, we're so sorry." Ian tells her as he kneels down and grabs her hands. "We didn't have our phones on us." 

"She's not going to answer you." says Kass. "She's unresponsive." 

"I think we should call someone to check up on her." I say.

"I already have. There will be a home visit from a doctor."

"I swear to you if we knew we would've cancelled everything and rushed here." Ian goes on.

"We can get a team to take care of her while she needs her space." Kass adds.

Ian replies, "No, we will do it." 

"To be frank, you guys really need to focus on your careers. I'm sorry to say it, but life goes on."

"We must be by her side. We'll take care of her needs." I back Ian up.

She says, "You guys are great friends." 

A doctor showed up in a matter of minutes.

"She is experiencing a traumatic shock." After taking Star's vital signs and evaluating her, the doctor tells us. "She needs time to process this and recover."

The doctor leaves after providing us with a care plan. 

"Everything else will be handled by me. She is looked after by you guys. Watch out that she doesn't harm herself." She explains to us. "Lily is going to be there for all of your needs. PLEASE DO NOT leave this house without getting in touch with me first."

With a nod of acceptance, Kass departs.

We watched Star for hours while we sat in her room. She didn't say a word at any point in time. She did not respond when we tried to lie her down for comfort. She didn't move a muscle even after food was delivered to the house. 

It terrified me seeing my friend like this. What's going through her mind? How does she feel, I wonder?

I heard sniffles coming from the other side of the bed. Ian was crying silently as I walked over.

"It sucks seeing her this way." He states.

"I know." I give him a shoulder rub. 

"We should've had our phones." He sobs. 

"Ian, that wouldn't have changed anything." I inform him. "He's still dead..." 

"We could've been here quicker!" He states.

"We're here now, that's all that matters."

"She was on her own to find out, with nobody to comfort her." He thinks back.

I comfort Ian as he was taking this very personal. "I think what Star needs from us right now is for to be strong for her."

"You're right." He wipes his tears.

When I look up at Star, she is looking in our direction. I give Ian a quick shoulder tap.

"Oh my god, Star." He gets up with a quick hop.

She is staring at Ian and me with a blank expression.

"Are you okay?" She asks Ian with a really thin voice.

Ian asks Star gently as he sits next to her, "How are you feeling? I'm truly sorry."

I keep my distance from her as I stand in front of her, wanting to give her some room.

"I'm okay." Looking at nothing she says. "I just feel exhausted."

Ian and I exchange glances; she's in denial.

"This is a safe place." I remind her.

"I'm fine, I don't know what you're talking about," she says shaking her head.

I said to her, "Let's eat?"

"I think I should get some sleep." She gives me a direct glance.

"Are you sure?" Ian asks her.

"Yes", she replies.

I gesture for Ian to stand up with my head.

Star curls up into the sheets as quickly as possible.

"We'll be here if you need us Star." Before we leave the room, I say.

"I don't think it's a good idea to leave her alone." Ian is sweating.

"We are going to be here. Just give her a little room, please. Ian, she needs some time to make sense of things." I tell him.

"I'm scared."

"I think she is too." I say. "This has got to be really hard on her."

He swallows nervously. Ian was clearly in distress. He felt bad about something that is beyond our control. He would hold her hand every moment if he could. You can't change the emotions surrounding a parent's death, no matter how hard we try.

All I can make out in Star's room when I turn to look back is the outline of her body in the sheets.

I wish I could protect you from the pain.