Straight-Faced

references

Logan and I were both sitting on my bed with plates of food. We were still in pajamas, and neither of us had brushed our hair. With luck, we could stay like this all day and not have to move.

I had just finished filming a movie, and I was finally taking a break from starring in big projects. So because it was my first day off, I had forced Logan to come over to my house first thing in the morning. Logan, being the great best friend that he was, had appeared on my porch within twenty minutes, demanding breakfast.

"Do you ever hate being famous?" Logan asked me through a mouth full of scrambled eggs.

I shoved a forkful of sausage into my mouth. "Hm?"

Logan waited until we both swallowed our food, and then he repeated his question. "Do you ever hate being famous?"

Before I could respond, he elaborated.

"Because you're past the point of being able to say, 'Okay, but I'm not really famous.' These past few years, your fanbase has been growing so fast. You're probably in the millions now. Think about it, that's a lot of teenage screaming machines."

"Don't trash talk my Camerfans," I said, setting my plate down on my bedside table. Logan had the ability to turn any conversation into some variation of 'what's the meaning of life?', so I had to be prepared. "Only I'm allowed to do that."

"Okay, but answer my question," Logan persisted, handing me his plate. "Do you hate it?"

I set it down and shook my head. "Do I hate my life? No, of course not."

"But what about your fame?" Logan prompted.

"It can be frustrating," I admitted. "I have to be camera-ready almost all the time. And when there aren't cameras pointed at me, I can't recline or let loose because one might swing my direction at any moment."

"What's that like?"

I shifted so I could lean against the headboard of my bed. "It's psychos in the lobby when I go to any hotel. It's impromptu photoshoots with paparazzi. Cameras snap at me until my eyes hurt."

"Poetic. Hey, do ya think you could write my next English essay now that you won't be as busy? My GPA has been going down ever since you stopped having time to do my homework for me."

I chuckled. "I'm gonna say no, but we both know that you'll guilt me into doing it."

"Probably. So what else does being famous include?"

"When you're a celebrity, it's adios reality," I said, quoting some song that I had heard once on the radio. "People think I'm cool just cuz I'm on TV."

Logan rolled his eyes. "They'd be wrong. You're not cool, you're a weirdo ."

"My fangirls don't think so."

"And how do you feel about them?"

"They're not the greatest thing to happen to me," I answered honestly. "They're the ones who drive the press."

Logan nodded. He knew that I didn't like reporters, but I could tolerate them most of the time. "What's it like to not be able to leave your house without getting surrounded by people?"

"It's actually-"

He held up a hand. "Hold on, let me add to that. Do you hate it, and why?"

I skirted around the question. "All I wanted was a little attention for my acting. I just wanted some feedback so I could know if my hard work had paid off. Sometimes when I'm dealing with a mob of people in public, I just wanna be left alone."