PROLOGUE
It was spring when school announcements were presented on sites, posters on the streets, and one big printed ad in front of the campus' gates. The school administration are doing a good job promoting their dear educational establishment and driving new students to enroll. As for everyone else who has already set their eyes on the said school, they have stirred up feelings on a new school year greeting them within a few months. For Lucius, it's a big trouble.
Everything is planned.
But his anxiety rises up with hundreds of possibilities that something might ruin it. You see, he's not some hot shot of a student. He's not even known or noticeable! He's so basic that he only has a good group with three friends and one of them even tend to ditch him, not that he cares. The guy is doing fine with a few company or nothing at all. He's alright for a background character.
Then, what is he anxious about?
His other life where his name is recognized everywhere, that he is the talk of the town, and is earning thousands of money. He is basically a celebrity.
No, he doesn't change his appearance for his other life. He doesn't become hot and handsome overnight like the movies and teen fiction books is all about. For a fact, Lucius hate that cliché, maybe that's why he's pretty irked with his whole unexpected situation.
He is overly anxious with the plans of hiding forever. He don't want to be known and be in the middle of spotlight. "I just want to have a peaceful life." well, what he says.
He wants to hide his identity that he is in fact the famous writer "Lax Lily" who wrote a rising poetic series called, "Love Shots." It's composed of chapters of random objects' perspectives if they could see and feel things. He hates the world, but he loves how this world embark emotions. To his surprise though, it became a hit on the internet last year and was offered to publish it. A broke college student like him, accepted the offer without second thoughts and that where his problems starts.
He is constantly asked for interviews photoshoots, collaborations, book signing events, and generally just to give his presence to his readers physically.
It is indeed an uneasy and overwhelming reason. To be a hit overnight and earned tons of money just because you wrote something and posted it in the internet, especially for a person like Lucius who doesn't know how to accept validation and compliments from other people, let alone labeling him as someone "famous" and now, being demanded to show himself. He is stressed out!
Good for him though, he has a cousin who exaggeratedly loves attention. Lewis Anthony Lopez, as the girls flaunting around him, they described him as someone who's "cutely dumb." He's pretty handsome, above average you may say. Tall. Good sense of humor and very kind, but he's clueless all of the time. To the other person though, he is the perfect puppet.
Most of the time, it's the writer who is actually being paid to write for someone, but in this case, that's how Lucius became a ghostwriter and Lewis as his face.
Lucius's cousin agreed to do it if he pays him axe spray. He offered money at first, but the latter shut him up by saying, "money can buy everything, but axe spray spice anything!" Lucius didn't understand it, but he just compromised and accepted his (weirdly) requested payment.
For the in coming school year, he prays to all of gods and saints that Lewis won't blow up their cover. After all, his cousin isn't really a smooth liar and yep, he's cutely dumb.
Well, will they be able to hold on to their act if a fan went to the same school as them?
"Hello! I know you! You are the famous L.L! It's so nice to finally meet you! I've been your fan ever since before you published books!"
"I am L.L? Lewis Lanthony?"
"Oh, god. No."
END OF PROLOGUE
@for_ace