Chasing Alana

01 | Come Back Home

"Alana!"

"Alana, how does it feel to officially move back to LA?"

"Alana, over here!"

"What's going on between you and Cameron?"

"Do you have any new music coming out soon?"

Despite wearing sunglasses, the flashing lights were starting to hurt her eyes as she tried to make her way through the crowd. It wasn't like they were at the Grammys or the Met Gala—they were at the Los Angeles International airport for crying out loud.

The 22-year-old pop star didn't know how, but for some reason, her fans and the paparazzi always found her whenever she was out. She was fine with her fans, but the paparazzi were aggressive and knew nothing about personal space.

Thankfully, her team had anticipated this and provided her with security to ensure her safety. On her right, was her head bodyguard, Matt, who was practically always with her and had been with her for 3 years. He was a former marine who stood at 6'3.

On her left, was her manager, Daniel Kim, who was one of the people around her she was closest to. Being Korean, he was quite meticulous and took care of her scheduling as well as everything else that she needed. They were always together and had grown close like siblings.

Surrounding them were 4 additional airport security that made sure to keep the crowd away from Alana. They ensured the safety of her and the massive crowd that had gathered.

Alana kept a smile plastered on her face as she tried her best to numb out the screaming crowd. She just hoped no one would get trampled in this madness— the last thing she wanted was for anyone to get hurt.

She finally let out a sigh of relief when she entered the safety of the car. Matt closed the door after her, dulling out the screams, and got into the passenger seat with Daniel climbing into the driver's seat. The other security guards would clear the way for their car to go through.

"The damn pap get more and more aggressive every single time," muttered Daniel, maneuvering through the crowd, trying not to hit any of the crazy fans that had jumped out in front of the car.

"How do they even manage to find me every single time?" She asked, pushing her sunglasses up onto her head. "It's not like we leak it."

"They're like leeches, attaching themselves to you until you give them something juicy to report on," Daniel added, causing Matt to snort.

"They've been asking me about Cam since last year and every single time I tell them that we're just friends," Alana let out a frustrated sigh. "It's like they fucking don't believe me."

"They're just looking for a story to get out," Daniel looked at her through the rearview mirror. He could see the frustration emitting out of her as her forehead scrunched with annoyance. "Get some rest, Lani. It'll take at least an hour to get there."

Alana let out another sigh before nodding. She slipped her AirPods into her ears and placed her purse back onto the seat next to her. Taking off her heeled boots, she tried to get herself comfortable.

She couldn't believe she was actually headed for her hometown. Of course, she had come home throughout the 6 years since she's left, but only for short little visits here and there. Now, she couldn't believe she was officially moving back to LA.

Even though she had grown up in California, New York was her home. New York was where she had been living for the past 6 years of her life. It was where Kevin Gilligan discovered her talent at a local department store. And it was where Alana became the Alana the world saw today.