Hollywood: Star Kid

"Christine, hurry up, we need to leave!"

A sixteen-year-old girl dragged a girl around twelve years old out of the hotel. The cab they had called was already waiting by the roadside.

"Laryl, slow down." The girl called Christine was carrying a lot of stuff and almost tripped.

"Damn it, Christine, what are you carrying?" Once inside the cab, Laryl told the driver, "To Times Square, please. And hurry!"

"Not just hurry—use the fastest speed possible!" Christine was clearly more hot-tempered. ".fly… Oh my God… This is Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, The Ryan Story Collection…"

Laryl was speechless. "Christine, we're going to Ryan Jenkins' album signing, not a book signing!"

"Isn't it the same?" Christine shrugged indifferently. "It's all Ryan's work—I have to get his autograph!"

"You girls are going to Times Square for Ryan Jenkins' signing?" the driver suddenly asked.

"You know Ryan too?" Christine's eyes lit up as if a middle-aged man recognizing her idol was the highest honor.

"Of course. Who in America doesn't know him these days?" The middle-aged man chuckled, "I really liked his performance in Terminator 2, and I'm a big fan of Jurassic Park. Hmm… I also like .fly!"

"Wow! Do you have anything you'd like to say to Ryan? We can pass the message on." The two girls cheered.

"Unfortunately, young ladies, I must tell you that when I passed Times Square at six this morning, there was already a line of over a thousand people. I'd guess by now, there are at least several thousand. You might be making the trip in vain today."

"No… no way?" Christine's smile vanished immediately, and disappointment took over her face.

"I told you, I told you!" Laryl grumbled, tugging at her friend's blonde hair. "Christine, I told you we should've lined up last night. Don't you know how popular Ryan is? Why did we have to stay at the hotel overnight?"

"You know I was taking part in the Mickey Mouse Club auditions. I wanted to be available in case a call came from Pittsburgh." Though she said this, Christine's face showed clear regret.

"I'm sorry, Laryl!" Christine's eyes welled up with tears, on the verge of crying.

"Forget it." Laryl waved magnanimously. "Didn't you get into the Mickey Mouse Club? You'll be going to Disney soon. You'll definitely get a chance to meet Ryan. Just be sure to get me an autographed photo."

"I promise!"

The taxi finally reached the destination. Before the girls got out, the middle-aged driver said, "May God bless you. Hope your wish comes true today!"

"Thank you!"

Laryl offered her thanks, while Christine had already turned to look into the distance, muttering in her heart, Today, God has a new name. In Times Square, Ryan is God!

It was not even 8 a.m. yet, but one corner of the square was already packed with thousands of people, most of them teenagers like them. The two could no longer wait and dashed forward.

"There… are so many people!"

They were stunned. At least a thousand people were lined up outside the record store, and even more were gathered in front of the stage. Forget lining up—there was no way to even squeeze near the stage.

"So annoying!" Christine stomped her foot hard.

They had come all the way from Pittsburgh to New York just to get an autograph from their idol. A photo together would be even better. But now, that chance was becoming vanishingly small.

Her heart sank further. She felt like crying. Technically, she was also a singer. She had been performing on stage since a young age and even participated in a nationwide talent show. Although she didn't win, she had appeared on Pittsburgh's TV channel and sung the national anthem for several sports clubs. She was relatively well-known in Pittsburgh.

Though her childhood wasn't a happy one, she always took pride in her musical talent, believing she would become a superstar like Madonna one day.

Then, last year, she suddenly noticed that many students at school were singing a song called He. It was playful and upbeat, with lyrics that were just too clever. She was quickly captivated. She even rewrote the lyrics and sang it loudly at a school assembly to mock someone she hated.

And that's how she came to know the creator and performer of the song—Ryan Jenkins. A boy just one year older than her had already released a single. That didn't sit well with her. She felt her talent was no less than his!

She started collecting information about him and was more and more shocked the deeper she looked—his works, his talents, his many identities!

This boy was a young novelist, a hit screenwriter, a famous Hollywood child star, a songwriter, and a brave soul who dared to stand up to big-name stars!

She became increasingly fascinated by him. She bought all his works—Jurassic Park, The Ryan Story Collection, Harry Potter…; all his VHS tapes—The Sixth Sense, Home Alone, Terminator 2; and the more she watched, the more stunned she became. What he had accomplished at his age was unprecedented in Hollywood history!

And so, she was smitten. Along with her neighbor sister Laryl, who often watched with her, she became a die-hard fan of Ryan Jenkins.

She loved his books, loved his films, but most of all, loved his music. Even though he had only performed one song, after the release of The Bodyguard, she had listened to the soundtrack he composed at least a hundred times and could sing all ten tracks. Especially [song title missing]—many said she captured 80% of Whitney Houston's style when singing it.

For over half a year, she had been hoping Ryan would release a new song. She had heard he was going through voice changes and felt disappointed. But then, just after the New Year, .fly started being promoted and climbed the charts. This inspirational song reminded her of her own dreams.

I believe I can fly! Spread my wings and fly! It was while listening to this song and singing it that she auditioned for the Mickey Mouse Club, carrying the dream of being in the same company as her idol—and she succeeded.

But now, she felt like a failure, likely to miss the chance to meet Ryan up close. No one knew just how badly she wanted to run up to that boy and shout, Thank you. It was your song that made my dreams take flight!

"Christine, Christine, what are you thinking?" Laryl tugged her hand. "Should we try to squeeze near the stage or get in the line at the record store?"

"You're too late," said a boy nearby. "You might still squeeze into the crowd at the stage, but the autograph line is impossible. I roughly counted—over two thousand people are already lined up!"

"No other way?" Christine asked stubbornly.

"See that guy?" The boy pointed to a boy far ahead. "I talked to him. He's been here since last night. Everyone in front of him came last night."

"Ryan's a big star now," Laryl sighed.

"Big star?" The boy sneered, clearly disagreeing. "Do you know who Ryan is? He's the author of Harry Potter and Jurassic Park, an Oscar-winning child actor, someone who can dictate the script of The Bodyguard in three hours, and wrote I Will Always Love You in half an hour. Can any so-called big star in Hollywood do that? Tom Cruise? Ryan blows him out of the water!"

The boy looked every bit the crazed superfan.

"Yes! Yes!"

His voice carried and reached others nearby, who began to cheer loudly.

"Ryan~ Ryan~"

Someone took the lead, and several people started chanting. Christine also raised her arm and shouted, and the chant quickly spread across the entire square. Thousands of people began shouting in unison.

Their clear cries echoed through Times Square, down Fifth Avenue, and across the mouth of the Hudson River...

Christine suddenly felt someone bump into her. When she turned, she saw a frail-looking girl with a small backpack walking past. A little teddy bear charm had fallen to the ground.

"Hey! Hey!" She grabbed the girl's arm and pointed at the charm.

"Thanks!"

The girl picked up the bear and leaned close to speak, but the chants were too loud—nothing could be heard.

She pointed at her ear and shook her head. The girl looked a bit helpless and pointed into the distance. Christine hesitated, looked at where she was standing, then decided it wasn't much different from going a bit farther. She pulled Laryl and followed the girl to a quieter spot.

"Everyone's crazy. What's so great about that guy? He's just a dumb idiot."

The girl had dark brown ponytails, a beauty mark on her cheek, and looked very cute despite her thin frame—but the words from her mouth weren't so pleasant.

That guy? Ryan? Christine immediately understood who she was talking about. How could she say that!

"Thanks!" the girl said again.

"No need!" Christine's tone changed. "You don't have to like Ryan. No one's forcing you. But you can't insult him in front of us!"

"Me?" The girl's mouth hung open in shock. Realizing her muttering had been overheard by Ryan's fans—was this what he meant by die-hard fans?

"So, you need to apologize!" Laryl clearly heard her words too.

Apologize? Wouldn't that be like admitting defeat to that guy? No way! The girl shook her head immediately. But seeing the two girls pressing toward her and glancing down at her own thin frame, she quickly said, "W-wait! Do you want Ryan's autograph? Want to meet him up close? Maybe even get a photo with him?"