Superstar Magic

Chapter 24: The Kiss

Annabeth POV

"Honey, you were phenomenal," my dad exclaimed.

His arms wrapped around me as I welcomed his supportive embrace. My little brothers both hugged my legs while still screaming about my performance. Surprisingly, even Helen was smiling.

"Thanks so much, dad," I said. "And, thank you for coming to my show."

"You were incredible, Annabeth. I cannot believe that I've missed watching your talent all these years. I'll never miss your moments again, honey," my dad expressed genuinely.

My eyes watered as I hugged him tightly. I was so glad that they were here. Someone nudged us gently as the large audience migrated around. Gods, it was so crowded on the bleachers, so my family moved onto the football field.

My brother kept screaming in excitement as they complimented every student that they passed. I couldn't help but laugh at their pure nature.

"Annabeth, seriously, I'm so proud of you," my dad said. "Your mother would've been proud too."

His hand rested on my shoulder as he looked into my eyes. That's how I knew that he was being genuine. I appreciated his support and love so much.

"Dad, this is what I want to do in life. I want to act and perform," I said.

"Then, you pursue those dreams, Annabeth. Your family is on your side. Follow your dreams until you're satisfied," Helen said firmly.

I turned towards her in shock. I didn't know if she was being genuine or fake, but I didn't care. I accepted her words with a smile.

"So, Annabeth, I know that you had plans with your friends. Are they still on or will you come home with us?" my dad asked.

"Oh, we're still going out. You guys are welcome to go, dad. It's probably best if you guys beat the traffic rather than get stuck for hours," I advised.

"That's exactly what I was thinking as well. Are you sure that you're okay?"

"Yes, dad. I'll be with my friends. Thank you all for coming. I really hope that you guys had a good time," I said as I ruffled my brothers' hair.

"Annie, stop," Matthew and Bobby whined simultaneously.

I watched as they walked off. They quickly got engulfed in a mass of people. I turned around and started walking towards the stage again. A DJ was blasting music, and a dance party started on the stage and the grass in front of the stage.

How the hell was I supposed to find my friends through all of this?

I pulled out my phone and called Thalia as I walked around. I couldn't find any of my friends because it was just too crowded.

"Hey, Annie, where are you?" Thalia asked boldly.

"I could be asking you the same thing. Thals, I'm near the stage-"

"Okay, no, I am not coming back out into that mass of people. Annabeth meet me inside of the school. Everyone's gonna meet up here before going out to dinner," Thalia said firmly.

"Yeah, that sounds good. I'll see you soon," I said loudly.

I started walking towards the school, but two reporters immediately stopped me. They held a microphone into my face and started blurting out different questions.

Based on their nametags, they were from Atlas Tabloids. They were one of the largest celebrity news tabloids in the world (similar to TMZ).

"Um, I'm sorry, I'm just a student," I said quickly. "Please excuse me."