Racing to You ✓

01 | beginning

My life was perfect, if you were seeing it from the outside. 

Being the daughter of two very successful theatre performers meant lots of invitations to exclusive events and a paved pathway towards my own future. My social media pages were nothing short of being filled with fashion and travel pictures, nor short of other big names following me. It seemed like the ultimate Gen Z dream. 

Of course without the still-attending-public-school aspect. 

To be fair, it was my idea to stay in this school instead of homeschooling or going to a performing arts academy -- it was the only thing in common I had with other fellow 16 and 17-year-olds. Also, I wanted to soak up as much of Toronto as I could before I was off to Los Angeles to focus on my screen acting career, which definitely included auditioning 90% of the time. So if this was the only time left to come close to being a normal teen... I would stick with it. Even though I felt like a walking dead person on the first day of Grade 11. 

"Hey, Sunshine!" Justin Fox chirped as he caught sight of me walking down the school hallway, his bag casually slung over one shoulder. He too, had opted to stay in this school (not that he was doing well academically, whoops) -- but he was already in Grade 12. So close to graduating. 

I barely managed a smile, definitely not feeling like sunshine. "Hey, Justin."

He fell into step beside me, ignoring the people that were gaping at him. "Rough morning?" 

I raised a hand to rub my eye. "You have no idea." 

He swatted my hand away. "Uh-uh, you'll mess up your mascara and probably pull out some eyelashes while you're at it." 

I huffed a laugh. "You know the drill. Parents waking me up at the crack of dawn to either practice acting lines or music theory. Your eyeliner is on fleek, by the way." 

He rolled his eyes. "Who even says 'on fleek' anymore? But if it makes you feel better, I was up at 4am getting prepped for a photoshoot with the boys. Came straight here after and couldn't be bothered to take it off. At least I'll look good when we show up on Twitter or something thanks to people sneak-photographing us later."  

I glanced around, noting there were indeed a couple phones discreetly pointed in our direction. "I think you're to blame for this. They almost treat me like a fellow student." 

Justin raised a perfectly trimmed brow. "What can I do -- stop being the gorgeous lead singer of Toronto's very own up-and-coming band?"

I flicked him. "Freaking massive ego." 

He winked at me and slung an arm around my shoulders. "Ego is fine, as long as one has the skills to back it up."

And Justin did. Besides being Luke Hemmings' doppelgänger, Justin possessed the musical talent that justified his position as the lead singer of Flames of Tomorrow -- a rock band he and three other friends formed together. They had been writing songs since pre-teen days probably, regularly performing at local gigs, until a Vine of Justin singing (while playing the guitar shirtless) skyrocketed their popularity. It was at that moment I was jarringly reminded of the beauty bias that existed in society -- did anyone still remember how 'Alex from Target' blew up online just because he was... cute? And got invited to interviews and the freaking Ellen DeGeneres Show?

I shook my head. There was a silver lining, I guessed -- even U.S recording labels had reached out to the boys, and now they were signed under Universal Spotlights. It was the same recording label as my favourite popstar, Nightingale, was signed with, so it was a huge deal -- there was even a rumour that the boys would be touring the U.S with her too.