Page 2 of My Bully's Crush: Vol1

His producer looked none too pleased, but the reporter, Devon Hash, a man in his early forties or thereabouts, seemed to ignore the harsh whispers as he packed up to leave.I do not doubt as to what was being said.Everyone wanted the scoop; he was the first not to go for the jugular.

You’d think that three years after being left at the altar while my fiancé was across town marrying someone else, the commotion would’ve died down, but it’s the only Hollywood story that didn’t seem to have an expiration date.At least not one shortly.

I felt Mom’s warm hand on my shoulder and looked up at her, fighting back the tears of relief.There were always tears, no matter how these things turned out.But for the first time in three years, the tears were tears of, if not joy, appreciation for the man who had shown me kindness where I least expected it.

I was hustled out of there and whisked away to the SUV that idled as Mom and my assistant, along with hers, followed behind.I called out answers of hello to the paparazzi who stood around outside the studio waiting for a glance at me.It was only when I strapped into the backseat behind the driver that the shakes started.“Mom, I’m going to be sick.”

“I know, baby, put your head between your knees.I’ve got your bag right here.”

The buildup to the dreaded question that evoked the darkest time in my life was too much for my poor body to take.A body trained to expect the blow these last three years.The body that had suffered not only mentally but physically as well.And I wondered, not for the first time, how this had happened to me.

Chapter 2

*Elena*

I grew up when the world was so innocent to me.My single mom, a Jill of all trades, most things concerning the stage and acting, was my best friend and confidant—well, as much as a seven-year-old needs one.

She was the person I looked up to most in the world, so it was only natural, I guess, for me to get bitten by the acting bug after many hours spent tagging along by her side when the babysitter fell through.I was fascinated by the whole concept, and when I saw my first real TV show, with children like me and not the cartoon characters I knew so well from the only shows I was allowed to watch up until then, it just made sense for me to want to do that.

Back then, Mom had not pulled any punches; she’d done her best to warn me about the vigor of getting into that life, but she never tried to deter me, especially once she realized that it was my dream.Looking back on it now, I don’t know how she did it with the little bit she had.

Even though she’d warned me about the rejections that were sure to come, nothing in life can prepare you for them, and there had been plenty before I got my first big break.From there, it was smooth sailing as I spent days doing what I loved most while my innocence stayed intact.

Thankfully, I had a mom who did her best to protect my innocence and kept me grounded by forcing me to do everyday childhood things when most of my peers were being forced into things that were too adult for them.In some ways, though, that lack of early exposure hadn’t prepared me for what would come in my teenage years.

I didn’t stop wanting to be an actress just because I outgrew the childhood shows I’d been booked for, but being a teen idol was a whole new ballgame.Luckily, I lucked out with my first long-running show, which had been a success with the teenage audience and kept the industry in business.My stardom skyrocketed, propelling me into a whole new stratosphere.

Still, I kept that glow, and the heart that had never changed grew along with my changing elements.And then he came into my life.That boy the world had fallen in love with just the year before.That boy that I had mooned over on the screen and in live audiences when I was lucky enough to score a ticket to one of his shows.Not that it was hard for up-and-coming me.

I still remember our first face-to-face meeting, that jolt of love I felt when I didn’t know it was love.It was a feeling of being consumed entirely from head to toe; all the hairs on my body stood on end.The beat of my heart changed that day and has never been the same since.From that day until now, he was always a part of my heart’s rhythm, good or bad.

Our love story was told from the first day to the last.Everyone had been invested; their favorite child actress and the most talked about teen heartthrob made for some good coverage, but for us, for me, it was real life.This wasn’t acting; he and our love wasn’t part of any script.However, many had their ideas of how our love should play out.

He was the most fantastic thing that has happened to me since the day I fell in love with acting.He was my person, which made my heart beat even more robust and with more longing than even acting had evoked.My mind and soul were filled with dreams of happily ever after, and the dreams I wove around our life together are too many to be recounted.

I was just as lost in him as I had been in acting in the very beginning when it was still fresh and new before it became a job and the thing that put food on the table and a roof over my head and the heads of so many others who were dear to me.

But he was honest, flesh and blood.Something I could touch and feel and get a ready response.I didn’t have to wait for stats or polls to know where we were, and getting to see him every day was like life to my soul.Oh, the joys of a first real love.

He wasn’t like the others.No studio had concocted our union; this was ours, something we found when we weren’t even looking, and as young as we were, we just knew.Two teenagers in the first blush of love, and it was epic.

The world loved us and showed it in many different ways.We were hounded by paparazzi every time we stepped foot out the door, but we didn’t care, I didn’t care, because we were so lost and wrapped up in each other.

Plus, it was a hoot seeing our pictures on the front pages of every teen magazine and reading what our fans thought of our union.The love and support we received only served to prove to me that we were meant for each other.So, how did it all go so wrong?

I snapped back into the here and now when the car pulled into the garage at my place, and the door closed behind us, shutting out the rest of the world, which is what I preferred these days.Long gone was my thirst for the spotlight, and where I once reveled in the flash of the camera and the call of my name from the crowd, I now wished to disappear, to be forgotten, to be left alone with my fears and sorrow.

“Sydney, you’re still here.”My best friend came out the door with her arms open to offer me the hug I needed.On days when I regret stepping one toe into this world of entertainment, she is the one constant that makes me grateful that I had lived the life I had.

You hear so many stories about the false friendships and relationships made and broken in the industry that it’s hard to imagine something as accurate as the bond we’d formed exists.“How did it go?You should’ve let me come with you.”

“That would’ve caused quite the stir.”

Sydney was even more famous than me, even though she was a musician and not an actress or musician like me.But we’d both made waves in the industry simultaneously, each holding firm in our respective fields.

“Come on.It’s time for some ice cream.”Though ice cream is my go-to choice for dessert, I have no taste for it right now.As usual, after giving an interview, I only wanted to climb into bed and pull the covers over my head.

“No, I just want to lay down for a while.”

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