𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 | C. Bushnell

01. Behind The Name

"you know me, always ready !!"

Sophias POV

: tired but pretty 🎀🫶🏻
liked by @dior.n.goodjohn and 1,963,783 others

@dior.n.goodjohn: UGH SO PRETTY I CANT
⤷ AW TY BB 🩷

@realsophiegrace: GORG
⤷ ALL YOUUU

@blake.lively: 🫶🏻
liked by creator

I leaned against the marble counter in the kitchen, absentmindedly scrolling through my Instagram feed. Another day, another flood of notifications—nothing new there. I skimmed through comments on my latest post, ignoring most of the generic praise. But one comment caught my eye: "You're only famous because of your mom."

I sighed, locking my phone and tossing it onto the counter. No matter how many auditions I aced or how much work I put in, people always seemed to tie MY success to my mother, Blake Lively. Being the daughter of Hollywood royalty was a double-edged sword. Sure, my last name opened doors, but it also made me feel like I constantly had something to prove.

My phone buzzed again, this time with a text from my agent, Margo.

Margo: Big day tomorrow, Soph! You ready for PJO? The press will be all over youuu...

you know me, always ready !!

Margo: Good, because the buzz around you and Charlie Bushnell working together is huge. The fans are FRAKING OUT.

I rolled my eyes. I hadn't even met Charlie yet, never even talked to him! And already people were pairing us up like some Hollywood power couple. I swiped over to Twitter, where #SophiaAndCharlie was trending. There were endless tweets speculating about our "chemistry" and whether it would extend off-screen. Of course, I thought. They always want a love story.

Charlie and I are playing love interests in a Disney+ show called Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The casting has been out for a week now, and I haven't met the cast, other than Walker Scobell and one of my best friends, Dior Goodjohn.

I scrolled through some of the posts, trying to push down the anxiety building inside me. Charlie Bushnell was talented, no doubt, and obviously a very beautiful man. I mean, I would know that since I did some stalking—but wouldn't you too? Anyways, I was here to work and wasn't interested in the fan speculation or the inevitable rumors. I had a job to do—and that was to prove to the world I could shine on my own, without my mother's shadow looming over my every move.

My phone buzzed again—this time from Instagram. Curious, I opened it to find a follow and message from Charlie himself.

@IAMCHARLIEBUSHNELL STARTED FOLLOWING YOU

@iamcharliebushnell: hey
The cast and I are meeting up tomorrow for dinner if you'd like to come? I'd like for us to get to know each other before the table read...

I smirked. So, he was reaching out first. That was unexpected. I quickly typed back.

: hey backk
Ya sure!! Just send me the location and I'll be theree.

He didn't reply right away, but I didn't mind. Tomorrow, we'd be face-to-face for the first time, and I could finally judge for myself what kind of guy he was.

As I locked my phone and tossed it onto the couch, that familiar wave of anxiety washed over me. I was nervous for tomorrow's dinner.

Shaking off the thoughts, I headed to bed. Tomorrow, everything would change. But for tonight, I needed rest.

Marias Note:
guys bare with meeee this is my first book in like 3 whole years so .. btw comment any suggestions youd want in the book !!