female celebrity comfort stories

boarding school | angelina jolie

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my mother had been cast in a new marvel movie, the eternals.

i was so happy for her when she told me, when i came home from school on a regular tuesday afternoon she was already in the kitchen.

mom was never home before me but i just thought she couldn't wait to share her good news with me.

we sat down at the kitchen island when she broke the news, showing me her copy of the script.

being a big fan of the franchise i was excited to see what would come from this movie.

all my excitement was quick to wash away when she said that filming was to take place all the way in London.

we had moved around before, for her filming. but never this far, and never for this long.

10 hours and 25 minutes away.

"when are we going?" i asked, the smile on my face became more of a frown as the conversation went on.

mom cleared her throat, she was having a hard time making eye contact, her hands were slightly sweaty and twitching. it was all very unusual for her.

"darling i can't bring you with me this time, i'm sorry butterfly" her eyes looked at our interlocked hands with tears in her eyes.

it felt as if my heart plummeted into my stomach, she's never left me before. not for any movie.

i pulled my hands from hers and got up to get a glass from the cupboard.

"baby i'm sorry, they won't let me. i tried i really tried. i'm sorry" her words broke my heart.

i stood with my back to her, my hands shaking as i filled the glass with water.

"what about shiloh? and knox and vivienne?" i asked, my voice was breaking now.

i couldn't even look at her, i knew the moment i did the tears wouldn't stop streaming.

"they're going to stay with brad my love" she got quiet this time, i could barely hear her.

i was the only one of my siblings that didn't share any relation to the famous brad pitt.

angelina adopted me from britain when i was 8, only a month after her divorce.

that's why i was the only one to go wherever she went, because i had no one else.

everytime she filmed, all my siblings would either be at school or with their dad, i was always with mama.

i felt her slim hand on my left shoulder, "baby please just look at me, look at mama." her gentle voice sent me over the edge.

i nestled my face into the back of her hand as i sobbed, my grip tightening on the edge of the kitchen sink.

her arms came around my torso as she held me, softly whispering the words 'i'm sorry' into the top of my head repeatedly.

we stood for an eternity, comforting each other. the thought of her leaving for such a long time felt like impending doom.

the rest of the evening was spent discussing where i would be going, when this was all going to happen and how long it would last.

boarding school.

i was going to be a boarding school prick.

for the whole school year i'd be confined to the school where i'd spend 24 hours of the day surrounded by the same people.