Lights, camera, action! These are the words that still haunt me to this day. My soul was held in a bottle as an actor. I stored it there so that it remained mine no matter how many thousand looked directly into it, directly through my gaze. I believe that when you are known and adored, you must keep it safe in a bottle for your own safety; else, how could you share it with all those people?

Every celebrity has a story about the auditions, the tries, the greatest moments, and the urge to get back up and keep going. It's incredibly hard, but I was destined to succeed. I had no choice. The only way I could be recognized as an equal in my father's eyes was to follow in his footsteps. On the other side, my mother despised it. She despised driving me to every audition and witnessing me, like my father, become further detached from reality. She wished for me to grasp the substance of life, create genuine pleasant experiences, and achieve success in my own right.

I wish I had paid attention to her advice. My mother did not desire for me to become a kid actor. The torture I endured as a result of perverted directors summoning me and using my career as bait was traumatic. There are occasions when my mind becomes agitated. It's not an excuse; I'm responsible for my actions. I attempt to assist, to be a kind person, and suddenly a switch is flipped. My feelings shift - I become cold, afraid, and anxious... I shrink back, withdraw, or lash out at someone I care about. In these instances, I am the most ashamed of who I am, since I failed to make my mother happy.

As I snapped out of my reverie, my alarm went off. It was 7:00 p.m., and it was time for me to put on my mask. As I was getting ready for the party, a knock on my door startled me. I answered the door and greeted Bryan as I buttoned up my worn-out denim jacket.

"You ready to go?" Bryan asked as he stood by my door, waiting to be invited inside.

Before closing the door behind me, I took one final look around my room to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything. "Is it alright if we go to the liquor store first?" I asked as we walked down the corridor together.

"Yes, I also need to get a few things. Don't be nervous about tonight; there will be a few girls who will be all over you," he remarked, nudging my rib with a grin on his face.

Great, more people.

Upon arrival at one of the houses, I realised it was House Justine.

They sure like throwing parties.

Two younger girls trotted out and sprang into Bryan's arms. These two would perfectly depict prep school if it were a person.

Bryan smiled as he looked over to me and said, "Girls, this is Wolf. Wolf, this is Sasha and Erika," said the couple.

"Oh, Wolf Drewitt, we know who you are!" Sasha exclaimed her grin extending from ear to ear.

Erika embarrassingly added, "I'm quite sure I used to have posters of you," as she slid her arm into mine.

This is going to be a long night.

We walked through the kitchen to the backyard where a bonfire was lit. A few people were throwing some twigs and leaves into the flames, while others sat around it and let the bonfire gently roast them in the front while a slight breeze chilled their backs, reminding us that Spring isn't far away. There's something about the flame that makes me sad but comfortable, perhaps the whispers of the hearth.

"Wolfman is here!" Dante called as he and Jared mimicked the sound of howling wolves.

For the first time, I couldn't help but chuckle half-heartedly. These individuals were looking for me, and while I was offended by their poor attempt at greeting me, I was glad to see them.

"Time to crack open a few beers," Dante smiled as he fist pump me.

Dante was a fascinating person. He was built like an athlete, but not one who did contact sports, and he had a bright smile that contrasted his caramel skin tone. He was a top-ranked tennis player in the university divisions. He had a fun-loving personality, the same personality I saw in Sam. On the other side, Jared was the polar opposite of him. In the field of classical music, he was a skilled musician. He had a flair for his style and almost always wore a colourful vest with a buttoned-up collar. He had the sense of keeping things cool, calm and collective. With that being said, man, he loved to party.

"Intruding on House Justine again?" a familiar voice said as they tapped on my shoulder.

I turned around to see Sam and raised an eyebrow. "Technically speaking, you're also 'intruding'," I mentioned and I crossed my arms.

"I guess," she reluctantly replied. "I didn't think I'd see you at a party again, with who are you here?" she asked curiously.

"Those guys," I said as I pointed over to Bryan and the others.

"Did they replace Adrian with you?" she snarked as she took a sip from her drink.

"Adrian's running late, not that it's any of your business," I scoffed as I turned around and made my way over to Bryan.

They were laughing and teasing each other while pouring drinks into those signature red plastic cups. Their laughter filled the deck, where the alcohol was strewn around in an unorganized fashion.

"We made you this," Bryan smirked as he handed me over a cup.

Upon closer inspection, it looked like watery diarrhoea. I was disgusted, to say the least.

"What the fuck is this?" I asked as I swirled the drink around in the cup.

Bryan looked over to Dante and grinned, "Let's just say it's a 'welcome to university' drink."

"Look there are smarter ways to kill a man," I smirked with a raised eyebrow.

"We're not trying to poison you," Jared said as he burst into laughter. "It's just a bit of a... mix," he added.

I took a deep breath and downed the drink, my gaze fixated on Bryan, who was desperately attempting to contain his laughter. The beverage was vile. It was made using brandy, beer, whiskey, and tequila. I was on the verge of puking.

"You guys are terrible people, you know that, right?" I said as I opened a can of beer to even out the terrible taste in my mouth.

"All with peace and love," Dante said as he flashed a smile, holding up a peace sign.

"Hope you guys didn't forget about me," Adrian smiled as he threw his arms around Dante and Jared's shoulders.

"Finally, took you long enough," Bryan said as he let out a chuckle.

"I almost didn't come, but Quinn coaxed me into coming. She's a stubborn one," he said as he let out a gentle grin.

"Hey, I'm not obstinate!" a girl with golden blonde hair greeted the group with a hug and a chuckle

She came to a halt in front of me and looked at me. "I haven't seen you around, are you new?" she asked cheerfully.

I shook her hand and said, "Yeah, I'm Wolf."

"I'm Quinn," she giggled as she walked back to Adrian. "You should be careful with these guys, they're a bunch of clowns."

Quinn and Adrian were a good match for each other. Adrian was a reserved individual, whereas Quinn had a very bubbly personality. She reminded me of a champagne bottle on the verge of exploding with joy.

We grabbed our drinks and walked over to the rest of the party-goers. I decided to part with the guys and took a seat on a wooden bench, lighting a cigarette. Sam spotted me and swiftly made her way over to me.

"May I join?" she asked, her hands behind her back as she stood a few strides away from me.

Standing there, she appeared to be quite... adorable. She wore a pale blue spaghetti top with a white skirt and trainers. As she swayed back and forth, her hands lovingly held each other behind her back.

"Only if you have your own pack," I said as I stuffed my cigarette packet into my jacket.

She held a cigarette in the air and said, "Got it," and took a seat next to me. Quite close actually.

"Where's Matthew?" I asked as I scooted away from her.

"We had a bit of an argument earlier and he didn't want to come out," she explained as I offered her my lighter.

"What was the argument about?" I asked intrigued.

"I have the feeling that he is only interested in having sex with me. Don't get me wrong, he's a great guy who treats me well when we're out, but when we're alone, it's-" she realized what she was saying and quickly changed the subject. "Excuse me for rambling on about that, but I heard what happened between you and Ben, is everything all right?"

I was perplexed that she didn't want to continue her story, but I quickly dismissed it. I don't want to hear about it if she doesn't want to talk about it.

"Nah, he walked out of our room without saying anything to me. Which I don't mind because I now have the entire room to myself," I said as I tilted my head up, gazing at twinkling lights in the sky.

"You know, you're quite a softy sometimes," she smirked as she took a drag from the cigarette.

Softy my ass.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I huffed as I rolled my eyes.

"Well, on the outside, you're a big scary... Wolf!" she said as she let out a chuckle. "No pun intended, but on the inside, you care a lot about people," she said with a sincere smile.

I don't care a lot about people. What is she talking about?

With a serious expression on my face, I stood up and looked her in the eyes. "People will only hurt me if I start caring about them. Exactly like Ben."

I moved away and rejoined the group of guys. As I greeted everyone, it was becoming late, and my social meter was slowly starting to dip. It was time for the wolf to rest for the night.