Passing college is a difficult task on its own, but imagine what it's like when your final grade rests in the hands of the worlds' favorite rock-star.
As graduation from her local community college approaches, Reese Taylors yearns for some answers...
{ diegetic sound } - the sound existing within the scene; the characters can hear it
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Storm might have been too nice of a word; too gentle to describe the whirlwind of events that began to unfold when I reached Maia's room.
I think a hurricane or tsunami might be more appropriate.
"I said fourth door. Fourth." Maia shakes her head. "I knew I should've walked you there."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about this," she shoves her phone in my face and I take a step back. Gripping onto her wrist, I push her phone further away so my eyes can focus on the image she's showing me. It's blurry, pixelated, and zoomed in that it's practically impossible to distinguish what it's supposed to be.
But I know.
And Maia knows.
How did people get this?
"Fourth door, Reese," she repeats, lowering her phone to her side, "was it really that hard to understand?"
I don't get a chance to respond before she scolds me again.
"Clearly it was," she answers for me, waving her phone, "you're so screwed."
"What's the big deal?" I ask, fed up with her waving the blurry picture of myself standing in one of the band member's bedroom door way. "So I accidentally walked into the wrong room. He was cool about it and we got it all figured out."
"It's a big deal when your picture is plastered all over social media. Fans are going crazy trying to figure out who you are. It's only a matter of time now before Jemima Strides latches her claws into you."
"Who's Jemima Strides?"
"Hollywood's Gossip Queen. Trust me, you do not want her to know you exist because she'll make you wish you never did." Maia informs me. "And if she doesn't, then her crazed stans sure will. That is if Lennon's don't drive you away first."
I've never understood why fans believe they own their idols' lives. A person, that they don't even know exists, sits behind a phone screen with their fan label, and trashes those that are dear to them. It's vile and disgusting and not something that I ever want to be a part of.
It's part of the reason I've kept my connections to An Echo in Time for all these years. Contacting Maia strictly through messaging and only allowing her to follow me on my social sites has kept me under the Echoes radar.
However, I wasn't naive enough to believe I'd remain under that radar after spending these next two weeks attached to Milo's hip. I saw first hand the switch in attitudes toward me in my film class once my professor announced my project. I've taken all the necessary precautions; all of my socials are now private and I've muted all notifications.
