Lucas stared at his Twitter account, eyebrows furrowing as he saw the notification of a five million follower increase. It should have been thrilling, but it didn't seem to phase him much. Instead, he continued to scroll through his social media, casually taking in the buzz surrounding his songs. He knew it was thanks to Neil, the one who'd set up his YouTube channel and uploaded his music without his knowledge. It was going viral, and that was without any intense promotional efforts from "Big Machine Records," the label he'd signed with.
His songs were everywhere, but what baffled him the most was that only the audio tracks were posted, not even his finished music videos. He was in the middle of a conversation with Lucy and Nina when a voice interrupted them.
"Are you Lucas Knight?"
Lucas glanced up, his fingers pausing on his phone's screen. Standing in front of him was the young actor he saw earlier.
"Yeah, that's me," Lucas replied, feigning a smile. "What's up?"
"I'm Ezra Miller," the young actor said, extending his hand for a handshake. Lucas shook it, his expression neutral. Ezra then turned to Nina and Lucy, but they both ignored him.
Lucas couldn't help but notice the tension. "Is there something between you guys?"
Nina scoffed, not even bothering to hide her disdain. "Nothing. I just find this person a bit... disgusting," she said, jerking her head towards Ezra.
Ezra quickly raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, hey, I'm sorry about the whole gum thing, alright?"
Lucy rolled her eyes, "Ugh, don't even remind me."
Lucas was confused but Nina quickly filled him in on the earlier incident. "Well, as long as you don't do it again, Ezra, we'll be fine," Lucas said, trying to diffuse the tension.
Ezra chuckled uneasily, "Yeah, alright."
"Guys, get ready! We're about to start filming!" A member of the crew called out, urging everyone to rush around and get into their places.
The director, Stephen, walked up to Lucas and whispered in his ear, "Lucas, you look like you just rolled out of bed. Can you please go wash your face?"
Lucas's cheeks flushed, "Oh, right. I'll go." He muttered, and quickly made his way to the restroom to splash some cold water on his face.
As he returned, the makeup and wardrobe crew descended on him, transforming him into his character.
Meanwhile, Nina and Lucy chatted nearby.
"It seems Lucas is playing the Charlie here." Nina said, watching the transformation.
Lucy nodded, "And guess what? I'm playing his older sister in this project. I mean, we do look around the same age."
Nina chuckled, "Yeah, but don't worry, the makeup artists will work their magic."
The filming commenced with Lucas portraying Charlie, in a room adorned with posters and books. He sat at the desk, and as the camera rolled, he began writing.
After filming the heartfelt monologue, the production crew began to set up for the next scene.
The scene changed to a high school setting, where Charlie, played by Lucas, joined his classmates. His posture screamed social awkwardness, as he sat hunched in his chair at the back of the classroom, observing his peers. However, every time he was caught staring, he'd quickly avert his gaze.
"Hey, what are you looking at, tough guy?" A burly freshman approached Charlie, laughing with his friends.
Charlie mumbled, "N-nothing."
"He looks so timid!" The pretty girl in their group chuckled.
The tough guy puffed out his chest. "Yeah, he's been staring at us like a creep." He nudged Charlie, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "If you got a problem, say it, alright?"
The class erupted in laughter as the freshman continued to humiliate Charlie, who remained silent, his eyes welling up with unshed tears.
"Aww, are you going to cry?" The bully pushed Charlie's chair, causing him to tumble to the floor, and the class roared with laughter, except for one student — Patrick, played by Ezra.
In an attempt to defuse the tension, Ezra, as Patrick, decided to shift the attention away from Charlie by mimicking their next teacher. The class erupted in laughter, unaware that the actual teacher had just snuck up behind him. The teacher playfully called out, "Nice impersonation, 'Nothing'."
More laughter ensued, though subdued this time, as the teacher took charge of the class.
Later, during English class, Charlie took out his trapper keeper to get a pencil. A smart-aleck freshman couldn't resist. "Nice Strapper Creeper, faggot." The class erupted in laughter, which only died down when Mr. Bill Anderson, their teacher, entered the room. He started asking questions and roamed the rows, while almost every student raised their hand except for Charlie.
Mr. Anderson's curiosity was piqued. He walked over to Charlie's desk, glanced at his paper, and saw that he'd written the answer.
Mr. Anderson observed Charlie intently as he called on another student, who gave the wrong answer. He then read out the correct answer, which was exactly what Charlie had written down. The same thing happened for the next question and the next, with Charlie's answers being spot-on.
Class dismissed, and only Charlie and Mr. Anderson remained in the room.
"Why didn't you raise your hand?" Mr. Anderson asked gently.
Charlie shrugged noncommittally.
"Do they call you a teacher's pet? Or a freak?"
Charlie hesitantly nodded.
"I used to get called 'spaz.' I mean, really? 'Spaz?' " Mr. Anderson chuckled. "But they say if you make one friend on your first day, you're doing okay." He smiled reassuringly.
Charlie smiled back, "Thank you, Mr. Anderson."
***
The film continued to show Charlie navigating high school life, hiding his mental health from his family. He eventually befriended Patrick, played by Ezra, who then introduced him to Sam, played by Nina Dobrev.
As Sam, Nina exuded confidence and a rebellious streak, her every movement oozing with self-love.
Behind the scenes, however, Ezra pulled pranks that rubbed some cast members the wrong way. Lucas, understanding that Ezra might have mental issues, took it in stride and even pranked him back. It was a seesaw of emotions for Ezra, who couldn't decide if he liked or disliked Lucas.
However, as soon as the cameras rolled, he transformed into a professional actor.
The film progressed with Charlie, Sam, and Patrick becoming best friends. They shared a joint and cracked up at each other's jokes at a party.
Then, in a heart-wrenching scene, Charlie unexpectedly revealed to Sam that his friend had committed suicide.
Sam and Patrick both felt for Charlie after knowing his past, and they started seeing him differently. They welcomed him into their group, and for a while, it seemed like his life was looking up.
However, during the holidays, Charlie struggled with his depression and flashbacks of Aunt Helen's death. He confided in Mr. Anderson, who encouraged him to share his burdens.
As the story progressed, Charlie revealed that his sister, Candace, played by Lucy Hale, was in an abusive relationship.
Mr. Anderson reported it, and Candace was furious at Charlie.
It was only when she became pregnant and decided to have an abortion that she trusted him to drive her to the clinic.
Meanwhile, after Charlie participated in the Rocky Horror Picture Show, a girl named Mary Elizabeth, took a liking to him. They started dating soon after.
The film continued with Charlie's relationship with Elizabeth ending when a game of "Truth or Dare" led him to kiss the prettiest person in the room—Sam. A drunken mistake, but one that couldn't be taken back. A hurt Elizabeth stormed out of the room.
Meanwhile, Nina, who was kissed by Lucas, blushed despite it being part of the script. Lucas's charm was hard to resist.
As the scene rolled, Brad, played by one of the supporting actors, was seen making snide remarks about Patrick's sexuality in the school cafeteria.
In the cafeteria, the scene unfolds as one of Brad's football teammates "accidentally" trips Patrick, causing a commotion as his books fly everywhere. Patrick had enough and lunges at the laughing jocks, fists swinging.
The fight escalates, and Sam spots her step-brother in the commotion. "Stop!" she screams, but her friends held her back.
Charlie, who had been watching from a distance, has had seen enough. He sprints in, fists flying, sending the bullies crashing to the ground one by one.
The cafeteria is silent, all eyes on the scene. Charlie helps up a dazed Patrick, who is nursing a bloody lip.
Back at their table, the group, including Sam scolds Patrick for starting the fight.
However, Charlie defends him. The group reluctantly agrees, and the tension dissipates.
Later, during a drunken party, the tables turned. As a drunk and emboldened Patrick, pulled Charlie, into a kiss.
Charlie, caught off-guard, pushed Patrick away. "Whoa, dude, we're wasted," he said, hoping the hazy nature of alcohol would erase the incident from their memories.
Patrick, sobering up quickly, apologized profusely. "I'm sorry, man, I didn't mean to… I was drunk, I swear!"
As the story progressed, Patrick witnessed Brad kissing with another man. It was a turning point for him, and he realized that people often project their own insecurities onto others. Though hurt, he chose to focus on better things in his life.
Meanwhile, Charlie's anxiety grew as his friends, especially Sam, neared the end of their high school journey. He'd always admired her but she was in a relationship.
However, as graduation loomed closer, their paths kept intersecting, and they shared a moment of intimacy.
However, during their intimate moment, Charlie couldn't help but be reminded of his Aunt Helen, the one person he thought truly understood him. Tragically, he realized the dark truth – she had been manipulating and abusing him as a child.
***
"Lucas, your next scene is up. It's the one where Charlie trying to end it all," Stephen said, gently patting him on the back.
Lucas snapped out of his thoughts and nodded. "Yeah, got it." As he prepared for the scene, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. Just like Charlie, he too was about to bid farewell to the close-knit cast and crew, a group that had become like a second family to him during the course of filming.
Throughout filming, even though Ezra had his moments of being a jerk, he eventually came to understand his character. Nina, on the other hand, remained more of a friendly acquaintance than anything else.
Lost in his thoughts, Lucas couldn't help but remember Patrick's words to Charlie: "You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand."
Stephen sensing Lucas's melancholy, placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You've done a fantastic job portraying Charlie's character, but you don't need to push yourself too far for the role. I think you've given us enough."
Lucas snapped out of his reverie and shook his head. "No, Stephen, I'm alright. It's just... I've grown attached to the character and the people here. I'll be fine, I promise."
After assuring the director, Lucas prepared himself mentally and emotionally for the next scene – Charlie's lowest point.
As Lucas chatted with Stephen, the filming resumed. Lucas seamlessly transformed back into Charlie, donning the character's emotional turmoil as if it were his own.
Charlie, visibly distraught, entered the house, his expression a blend of despair and detachment. The haunted look in his eyes spoke volumes of the unbearable pain and relentless flashbacks that plagued him.
Lucas's acting was so exceptional that it was hard to tell where his performance began and reality ended. He stumbled upstairs, tears streaming down his face, and doubled over in his room, as if the weight of the world was too much to bear. The camera captured every nuance of his body language – from the way he curled into a fetal position, to the way he covered his ears, trying to drown out the cacophony in his mind.
The scene transitioned to the kitchen, where Charlie, stood in front of the sink, a knife in his trembling hand. He stared at the reflective surface, haunted by the image staring back at him. The camera panned in on his tormented expression, a mix of anguish and resignation.
As the scene continued, it was revealed that Charlie's sister, had alerted the authorities just in time. A police team forcefully crashed through the front door, expertly subduing Charlie.
At the hospital, a haggard-looking Charlie, met with a psychiatrist who helped him work through his traumas. Slowly but surely, the pieces of his shattered psyche began to mend.
Then came the heartwarming scene where Charlie, now on the mend, received a care package from none other than Sam. The letters she'd written him over the days spilled onto the floor, each one brimming with warmth, support, and encouragement.
In the final scenes, a visibly healthier Charlie reunited with Sam. They hugged, both teary-eyed, as Charlie's father watched them with a proud smile.
The cameras rolled for the last time, and as the director yelled "Cut!" the entire set erupted in applause. Hugs, high-fives, and congratulations were shared all around.
Lucas, still in character as Charlie, hugged Nina and the rest of the cast and crew, his eyes shining with unshed tears.