Guarded

01

2014

I would have never imagined my life to turn out the way it did. Six years ago, my life had been turned upside down when my parents died in a plane crash. Before that I had been happy and been in love.

I moved to California to escape the memories that would have haunted me had I stayed in Holmes Chapel, England. I knew making the decision hurt more than just myself but I knew it was for the best. Had I been selfish? Yes, but I had to do what I thought was best. I was so young at the time so no one could truly fault me could they?

Those six years since my parent’s death have been bittersweet but they say every cloud has a silver lining, right? My life may have had it’s ups and downs but I had dealt with the shitty deck of cards I’d been handed and made a life for myself in California. A life that I never would have dreamed of.

-

“Archer, c’mon!” My friend Lizzy tugged my hand. “We’re going to be late.”

I rolled my eyes at her and pulled my lipgloss out of my bag, applying a heavy layer and checking my reflection in my compact once more before we stepped out of the car.

We both smiled for the cameras as the paparazzi and reporters took photos and shouted as us for interviews. But Lizzy was right, we didn’t have time to stop and chat or else we would be late.

We walked down the red carpet and into the venue. The swanky hotel in Hollywood had been decked out to celebrate some celebrity’s birthday party and I wasn’t even sure why I was there.

You’re dating the guy whose birthday it is, a voice in my head reminded me. I shook my head and gazed around the venue. Cost Lemoyne was my boyfriend and had been my boyfriend for the last six months. Maybe you’ve heard of him? I hadn’t either until we began to co-star on a new television show on the CW.

Memories flooded back to when I first arrived in Los Angeles. Growing up in England, I wasn’t used to all the sunshine and the obsession with celebrity culture. My aunt had enrolled me in a private school and I had gotten myself involved in all sorts of different clubs the first year.

I tried my hand at journalism, tennis, basketball, heck even cheerleading. But it wasn’t until I auditioned for the school play of Romeo and Juliet where I realized where my true talent lie. I begged my aunt to sign me up for acting classes and she obliged, happy to see me doing anything other than moping. I devoted all of my time to acting, learning to drop my English accent so I could sound more American. I binged on television to try to pick up different mannerisms of Americans.

One day, I saw an ad for a small role in an upcoming television show. I made sure I was there every day for the open casting call and read my lines like a true actress. All my hardwork paid off because I got the role, well the leading role actually. And my life has sort of been pretty different ever since. I colored my normally brown hair blonde, started tanning and changed my stage name to Archer Grey as a tribute to my parents – my mother’s maiden name was Grey and my dad’s last name is Archer.

“Archer!” Lizzy hissed. She snapped me back into reality.