Early Morning Encounter

The next day found Mia thinking about Gwen and Lucy on the way to school.

She would be reminded of them whenever she felt watched, which she did at the moment. Through the stillness of the street, she'd noticed an incongruity in her daily route—the sound of a car engine, dampened but near. She had learned from them how to recognize the sensation of being observed, and that same feeling was creeping into her now.

‘I should've accepted Wes's offer to pick me up,’ Mia lamented as she recalled her last conversation with Wes.

He had proposed heading to school together. However, she’d already begun her preparations for the fashion competition, which she'd been doing in secret every morning before class. He was also busy enough with the shoot.

The vehicle behind her wasn’t loud, just present. When she slowed, it slowed. When she stopped, it stopped.

‘I’m probably overthinking it,’ she told herself.

But the school felt farther than it should've been, and the car rolled closer. Instead of glancing back, she peered at the shadow along the pavement, then at the reflection of the headlights in storefront glasses. The windows appeared to be tinted, hiding who was inside.

She made up her mind. ‘I have to get away.’

She picked up her pace, then pulled out her phone. There were four more minutes before she reached her destination—two, if she ran. Her instincts took over, and she was breaking into a sprint.

The engine revved, cracking the silence.

She cut through corners, her breath tearing out of her chest in sharp bursts. To her horror, the car gained on her and now waited at the next block, forcing her to change directions. Her eyes landed upon a narrow alley, and she ducked into it.

As she flattened herself against the brick, hands over her mouth and heart hammering in her chest, she listened to the vehicle drift into the distance.

‘That…never happened before. What was that?'  In the meantime, Mia decided to hide there, too terrified to leave yet, and turned on her phone again to call Wes. ‘I’m sorry. I may have to bother you with taking me to school for-’

“Bwah!”

Her thoughts derailed as someone slammed into her, causing her to yelp. She spun around in alarm and panic, then froze once she saw who came into view.

Alice stood there, eyes wide and mouth open.

“Oh, it’s you.” She appeared to recognize her. “You scared me! Why are you here?!”

‘I like to ask the same thing,’ Mia would’ve said in response if she weren't too shaken. “I-I think I’m…being f-followed.”

“You are?” She searched behind her. “No one’s there, though. Who is it?”

“I h-have no idea… J-Just a car with tinted windows.”

“Getting that treatment already, I see.”

“P-Pardon?”

“You’re in a relationship with him. It's expected.”

“So, you, um… Y-You know who I am?”

Alice whipped her head away and crossed her arms with a huff. Looking closely, she noticed she's less dressy than the last time she saw her, and any trace of haughtiness was gone. Right now, she wore dull clothes that gave off a brooding air.

“Gwen and Lucy told me about you, said you weren't anything special,” she snorted, albeit humorlessly. “Yet here you are getting doted on by the object of every woman's fantasy. You've been trending for a week now, even without anyone knowing your name. They haven't seen how pathetic you could be, not when you're framed as this mystery girl living a fairytale dream.”

‘She seems to dislike me…but not that much?’ Mia was bewildered. “I-I didn't know that.”

“Aren’t you on social media? I found your account and sent you hate messages, but it turned out to be old and inactive.”

‘Ah, her frankness is quite something.’

“Anyway, don't tell anyone I'm here,” Alice went on. “Especially not him. Got that?”

“A-Are you going to meet up with…them?”

“Gwen and Lucy? I don't hang out with them anymore. Ah, and some advice. You shouldn't get involved with them either.”

‘Like I haven't been trying for years.’

“I'm just here for my part-time work, so…” she trailed off, lowering her gaze. “Long story short, my makeup vlog hasn't been doing well lately. My parents also found out what I was up to with those two, so they took away my allowance. To make it worse, they threw me out to teach me a lesson. I decided to get serious about my career and tried applying for jobs, but it turned out all those video tutorials couldn't match actual experience.”

Mia was taken aback to hear Alice open up.

She seemed to have it tough, finally facing the consequences of her actions. In a way, she had lost her fame, friends, and family, but she didn't blame anyone. Instead, she was trying to figure things out and move forward on her own.

‘But what was it she did with Gwen and Lucy that caused such a rift?’ Mia wondered but dared not ask, thinking it would be meddling.

“Serves me right, I guess. I failed to recognize him back then, and I called myself a makeup artist,” Alice muttered with bitterness before huffing once more. "Anyway, that's that, and this is this! Whoever's following you might give up if they see you're with someone, so I'll go with you.”

“H-Huh?! But that's… I-Is that okay?

Back when Mia met Alice, she couldn't understand why Wes liked her.

Not only did she humiliate him, but she's also close with Gwen and Lucy, who harassed her. She's full of herself, and she judged others based on looks. This was the first time Mia saw her being nice, and somehow, she felt Wes had seen more of this side before.

“It's no trouble,” Alice said, shrugging. “It’s not an apology. I just feel like being a decent person today.”

---

Seth had perfected the art of looking like a functional display with opinions.

He stood at the back of the classroom, expression neutral. If anyone asked, he was a bodyguard and an assistant. If anyone asked again, he was also an unwilling observer.

“No! No! No! Something’s missing!” the director groaned, pacing back and forth. “The story is flat—technically perfect, but emotionally dead! What is missing?!”

‘Breakfast, and maybe a nap,’ Seth resisted the urge to suggest.

The crew members voiced their ideas one by one. Wes sat near the door, face photogenic even while doing nothing but gaze out the window. Seth knew why he chose that spot, even if he pretended it was about lighting and not about who might walk past the school gates.

The director pointed at the projector screen. “See all that action and drama? It talks, but it doesn’t breathe. It needs a…a…a heart!”

Through the window, Seth caught movements at the gates.

Mia had arrived. Then, Wes was gone.

“Mia!” he called, voice unfiltered and real.

The director and other crew members paused mid-discussion, as though Wes shouting Mia’s name had rewritten the script. They watched him run to her with a smile that seemed to say happiness was, in fact, a person. They listened to the unbridled joy in his voice and light surprise in hers, to the fond warmth in their words.

“Oh, that…” the director whispered, pointing at the couple. “...That’s what it is.”

Seth smirked to himself before heading to Wes and Mia.

The director and writers followed shortly after, interjecting in their conversation. Mia seemed to be speaking of a serious matter, so Wes was displeased by the interruption. Something's off here. Seth surveyed the surroundings with a practiced eye, then spotted Alice.

‘Alice Quin? Did they arrive together?’

“You could play as the girlfriend,” the director said, voice too eager to sound casual.

Mia blinked, shocked and conflicted. “U-Uhhh… I-I-I…”

Wes frowned, stepping forward. “She is not an actress.”

“Wait, listen!” one of the writers chimed in. “You see, your character is strict, disciplined, uptight—not to mention, too perfect! Having a girlfriend gives him a human side. It shows he can care about someone, make mistakes, stuff like that!”

“No.”

“Come on! Just a couple of takes will do!”

“No.”

“We don’t even have to show her face!”

“No, I said,” Wes repeated more firmly this time, eyes flicking to Mia, who had been quietly listening.

“Umm… W-Will it be paid?”

“Mia?” Wes was incredulous, and even Seth was.

“Of course! We pay our extras!” 

Everything else happened quickly.

Wes took action after confirming with Mia several times that she was on board. He laid down the conditions to the crew—minimal exposure, short scenes, brief lines. Seth watched the negotiation while also keeping Alice in sight.

So much was going on, and he had a feeling there’d be more.