Can't Move on

I'm late.

This is definitely not the first impression I wanted to make. I quickly park my car in the parking lot and jump out. I grab my bag from the back seat, stuff the last piece of the doughnut in my mouth and lock the car doors.

I overslept. I woke up at nine to my mother's shouts only to realize I'm gonna be late.

It's ten fifteen now. Fifteen minutes late.

Okay, maybe that's not that late, but...way to go Marissa. What a good start.

This is really important to me. I can't mess it up. If I could stabilize my carrier, I could drop out of college. I only have one year of high school left, and I have to make this count.

As I power walk to the entrance of the building, I freeze. There are people everywhere. Fans, I realize, looking at the excited crowd. Most of them have their phones out, and pens in their hands.

OMG. I can't believe it. Seems like I'm more famous than I thought. Now I'm more excited. My heart feels like it's going to burst out.

Don't cry in front of your fans, I tell myself, taking deep breaths.

I glance down at my attire. I'm wearing black pants with a tucked-in red sweater. Wearing red sneakers and black hair tied in a high ponytail, I hope I look professional.

I start walking forward with a dazzling smile on my face. I wait for them to ask me something, at least give me a piece of paper to autograph on.

That's when I hear his name.

"Teric! Over here!"

"Teric!"

"I'm your biggest fan, Teric!"

I spin around to see a black Audi slowing down. A person opens the door, and out comes the person I've hated for two whole years.

Of course. Stupid me. These people are not my fans. They are his.

He's wearing a dark blue shirt tucked into black pants. I can't see his eyes cuz he's wearing sunglasses. Hair messy as always, he has a smirk on his face.

The crowd goes nuts as he starts walking. In my direction. I'm standing on the front step of the company building, unable to move he gives autographs, poses for some photos, and wave at his fans. I'm still frozen when he reaches me.

I stare at the black lenses. He looked younger up close. I see my face reflected in them, staring with wide brown eyes. For a moment he doesn't move. He just stands there, looking at me. Well, I assume he's looking at me. I can't see his eyes.

All these years I hated him, I always thought if I ever met him, I'll slap him in the face. At least do something like that. Spit on his shoes, maybe? At least shout at him. But now that I'm actually standing in front of him, I can't do a thing. He doesn't seem real.

"Out of my way, Sweetheart." He says and I blink at him.

What the...? Did he just call me...?

"I do realize you want my autograph or something. But I don't have the time now, okay? Maybe if you could come back in a few hours..."

That makes me come out of my stupor. Self-absorbed idiot.

Dream-crusher.

"I'm not your fan," I say through gritted teeth, moving to the left to make way.

He shrugged. "Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart," he starts climbing the steps, and turned around on the last one,

"I meant what said, you could hang around, I'll be back in a few hours. Maybe we can have some fun together."

I do not want to intercept that sentence. AT ALL. He even adds a wink as he enters the building.

Calm down, Marissa. Calm down. You don't want to make a scene in front of all these people. Think, what will happen to your reputation?

Huffing out in anger, I enter through the front door. We have to go to the second floor. Luckily, the elevated is empty. What would happen if I got stuck in it with him?

What was he doing here anyways? The Up and Go production company was quite famous...so maybe he's here to...meet a friend? Maybe he's here to give some advice on acting. He's only one year older than me, why should I take his advice?

Don't be such a bad sport, Marissa.

He'll probably be gone when the meeting starts. Or maybe he wasn't here for this movie at all.

I take in my surroundings as I exit the elevator. The elevator opens into a large room which is already filled with people. I instantly see Teric, speaking with the director upfront. Looks like I'll have to deal with him for a few more minutes.

The director stands up and the whole crowd goes silent, everyone sitting in their seats. I sit in the only vacant seat, at the back.

"Good morning, everyone!" He says to the microphone. There's a chorus of good morning. "I'm Rupert Smith, your Producer for this film."

I realize I'm sitting at the end of the seat, so I lean back. I glance around the room, hoping to see a familiar face, but find none. Oh well. Looks like I'm gonna have some new friends.

"To Love or Lose" Rupert continues, "Is a romance, a film adaptation for the bestselling book. I hope you all are familiar with the story. You will get to meet the author in a few minutes, but first I'll like to introduce you to the main characters."

He brings out a paper and stares at it for a few minutes.

"So, first off, our female protagonist, Idiana Mufert will be acted by, Marissa Adean." He looks at the crowd. "Marissa, if you could come to the front please,"

I stand up and everyone turns to look at me. Everyone except one, I note. Teric is typing away something on his phone. I make my way to the small stage where Rupert is standing. As I reach him, he thrusts out his hand for me. I take it and shake hands. He nods at me with a smile, "Everyone, meet Marissa." I smile and do a small wave.

Teric at last looks up and our gazes lock. He has taken off his sunglasses, and I note that his baby blue eyes stand out more with his dark blue shirt. I know he recognizes me, cuz a small smile spreads on his face.

The idiot. He wasn't even ashamed he was flirting with me.

"And our male protagonist, Adam Lead will be cast by none other than our Teric Freedery."

Wait. What?

Everyone applauds as Teric makes his way to the stage next to me.

No. No.No nonooooo.

Why can't I have a single film to myself? And what do they expect, me to act like I'm in loved with him?

Oh my God. I have to act like I'm in love with him.

Is it too late to back off? Then I remember my parents, Kate, my manager, all congratulating me. I can't back off now.

But I can't act with Teric. I can't!

Teric holds out his hand for a handshake. I stare at it. I have no choice but to shake it.

Slowly, I take his hand and shake it a bit before dropping it like it's on fire. I turn back to the crowd, as Rupert gives an outline of the story.

Just like that, I'm acting a romance with my two-year enemy.