You're My Celebrity

By the first hour of the meeting, Astrid Yu has killed Jerome Young twenty-three times. In her head, of course. Kind of hard to commit a real murder when your showbiz ex-boyfriend literally has a lawyer by his side. Hell, Jerome was the reason Astrid was in a difficult position in the first place. Seated across each other with only a long table separating them and their representatives, Astrid would argue that they were in one of those reality TV shows that feature a couple that’s about to divorce. Astrid was even dressed for the part. She wore an all-black dress under a dark gray blazer —with the shoulder pads! She opted not to wear pearl accessories like the wives in the movies because she wanted to at least look humble when she rips Jerome into shreds. Only there were no cameras, no film crew, no directors yelling “Action!” across the room to signal the start of the scene. Just Jerome and his lawyer, and Astrid and her mother, in the middle of a legal meeting discussing a Non-Di

“That bitch said what now?” Dreia Rodriguez asked as she gingerly poked the disinfectant on the small cut on Astrid’s cheekbone. Astrid hissed in protest as soon as the wet cotton touched the wound. They were sitting on the white leather couch in the living room of Astrid’s condo unit with a medical kit sprawled across the coffee table in front of them. Dreia, on the other hand, was trying to to treat the cuts on Astrid’s face. “It’s really one thing to hold my actions against me,” Astrid started as Dreia stuck an invisible patch on her cut, “but to compare me to my mom—" “Oh, yeah. I’d probably be charged with murder if anyone tried to compare me to my dad.” Dreia said as she used a pair of tweezers to pick up another cotton ball and dunk it in the bottle of disinfectant. “Right? Like, my mom did everything to provide for me. She sacrificed her entire career just to have me. It would be an insult to compare me to her.” Astrid continued. Dreia paused and gave her a blank look. “No

If Astrid was truly honest with herself, she was terrified of the idea of being alone. She is truly crippled by the very thought – hell, the entire concept of being rejected and left behind if she was not next to perfect. Astrid constantly felt as though she needed to go more than just above and beyond so she could exceed expectations. Just so people would continue to love her, to stay by her side. Can you blame her? She was the product of a failed relationship and the reason behind her mother’s career being flushed right down the drain. The 90s was anything but forgiving to single mothers who decided to keep their baby out of wedlock. And right now, Astrid felt as though she had been abandoned. She felt as though she was facing the scrutiny of the world completely and utterly alone. She had destroyed the family she created in Cebu in her pursuit for success. She has disappointed her mother when she failed. And now, what is there left for her? Astrid didn’t know. She didn’t know

Astrid sat cross-legged on the floor with an array of paper and Post-It notes scattered around her. A marker in hand, she was determined to think of a new content idea that would top her last one. Or at least, officially launch her social media debut. Not like that mess of a make-up tutorial, she thought to herself. Still, Astrid didn’t understand why that worked so well. Was it because she looked pathetic, drunk on camera post-breakup? Or was it because the whole video was a scoop waiting to happen? Astrid recalled how her mother’s phone rang at least six to ten times a day for week from reporters requesting an interview–or at the very least, a statement. “My daughter is preparing something amazing for her fans. I hope everyone looks forward to it,” was all her mother would say every time. Still… Astrid stared at the view count of over two million on her phone. The bar is set a bit too high now, isn’t it? Astrid jumped when her phone suddenly started ringing loudly with the dev