“Hey YN,” my older sister, Anna, said, “what are you doing? It’s your turn to take Charlie on a walk.”
I swiveled in my chair to face her. “Can you, *please*? I’m applying for a job.”
“You owe me,” she said sharply.
“I’ll do the dishes for you for two days,” I offered.
“A week,” she said, leaving the room with a laugh.
Back to the screen. I let out a sigh and stared at the application. I filled it out slowly, hovering my cursor over the ‘Send’ button. I stood up and went downstairs.
“YN! I thought you were filling out a job application, well that’s what Anna told me,” my eldest sister called out.
I hesitated, sitting next to her. “Phoebe, how many jobs have *you* had?”
“Okay… three, why?” she asked slowly.
“I’m applying for this job, but I’ve never done anything like this before.”
“What’s the job?” she asked.
“Makeup. Obviously. I’m trained to do it, but this is… a big job.”
“Where is it?”
“In America, working on the new Marvel movie, Spider-Man Homecoming.”
“OMG, YN! That’s amazing! But if you don’t think it’s right for you, don’t do it. You’re only twenty-one. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. Don’t burn out before you’ve even started.” My twenty-five-year-old sister said wisely. I had to go; Aidan was waiting.
“When are *you* two getting married?” I asked playfully.
“He hasn’t asked yet, but we’ve been together seven years, so hopefully soon,” she said nervously.
She left, and I went back to my chair, staring at the screen. Without thinking, I clicked ‘SEND’. I took a deep breath and closed the browser tab.
I checked the time: 4 pm. Time for YouTube. I flopped on my bed and opened my laptop. AlishaMarie’s video, the one I’d been watching earlier, blasted on at full volume.
TIME SKIP | NEXT DAY
I yawned and slowly got out of bed, switching off my still-ringing alarm. I pulled on a dressing gown and a single slipper – I’d lost the other ages ago.
“Hey,” my youngest brother, Lucas, said, sitting at the table. Lucas’ twin, Caleb, came running in, yelling.
“LUCAS, WHERE IS MY XBOX CONTROLLER?” Lucas smirked and took off running, Caleb hot on his heels.
“Jesus,” my younger brother, Ethan, said, coming in. He smiled at me before going to separate Lucas and Caleb.
“PHOEBE!” Anna yelled, coming into the room. “She’s out with Aidan, I think.” I grabbed a bowl of Honey Nut Cornflakes and sat down to eat.
“Shit,” she said, looking at her phone.
“Anna May [Last Name], mind your language,” my mother said, coming into the room. “For once, could we have a peaceful family breakfast?” She sighed and looked around.
“That went out the window when you had six kids,” I replied, scrolling through my emails. “Fuck,” I said, choking on my cereal.
“YN, WHAT DID I JUST SAY?” my mother screamed.
“Sorry, Mum,” I said, wiping milk off the table. “But I got the job!”
“YN!” Anna yelled, coming over and hugging me tightly.
“What job?” my mum said, clearly confused.
“I’m going to be a makeup artist on Spider-Man Homecoming!”
“That’s great, YN, but isn’t it in America?” she said slowly.
“Yeah, but, Mum, it’s going to be an amazing opportunity. I have to go in two weeks. Please, Mum, I’m begging you. I have to go!”
“Anna,” she said sharply, “go get YN’s suitcase because she’s going to America!” She smiled at me.
“YN, is there any way I could come with you?” my sister asked hopefully.
I shook my head sadly. “I’m sorry, Anna, but you can’t.”
“I want lots of picture videos and presents then,” she said, tears welling up.
“Oh, Anna!” I exclaimed. “Don’t cry!”
“I’m going to miss you so much,” she sobbed for a moment before wiping her face and straightening up. “Well, little missy, we better get you ready.” She wiped a single tear off her face.
“Say hi to some famous people for me,” she said, pulling me into a hug. “Don’t worry, sis, I will.”
TIME SKIP | TWO WEEKS
“Passport, miss,” the large security guard said, looking down at me.
I handed it to him, taking one last look at my family. Anna was crying, but trying to hide it. Lucas and Caleb were fighting over who got to sit down. Ethan was holding Charlie, my King Charles Cavalier, making him wave his paw. Phoebe had just seen Anna, hugging me and waving. My mum was dabbing her eyes with a tissue, and my dad was grinning. “Good luck, kiddo,” he mouthed at me.
“Here ya go,” the security guard gave me back my passport and ticket. I took a deep breath and walked through the doors to board the plane.
I put my headphones in and the video started to play. A girl came and sat next to me, opening her book before noticing me staring.
“You okay?” she said. I recognized her from somewhere.
“M-Me?” I stammered.
She nodded. “Yeah, I just… recognize you.” I finished.
“Oh,” she laughed. “I’m Zendaya, what’s your name?” She held out her hand to shake.
My mouth dropped open as I shook her hand.
“Z… Zendaya?” I said nervously.
“Yep. I’ve never had that reaction before,” she laughed, flicking her brown hair.
“You know my name now, so what’s yours?” she repeated.
“YN,” I said quickly. “Well, nice to meet you, YN.”
We talked for the rest of the nine-hour journey, and all my nervousness faded away.
We got off the plane and went to get some food at Burger King.
“Aren’t you acting in Spider-Man Homecoming?” I asked.
“Yep,” she said, taking a bite of her burger.
“No shit!” I said. “I’m working on that now as a makeup artist! Wait, don’t you live in America? Why were you in England?” I asked curiously, picking at my fries.
“Visiting a friend,” she shrugged, finishing her burger.
“Ohh, okay,” I laughed, finishing my meal.
“I love your accent,” she said suddenly.
“Why, thank you,” I laughed.
“But it’s even funnier when Tom says it. He’s so British, he says ‘darling’ a lot, yet can do an amazing American accent.”
I sat there, stunned. Tom Holland. I’d forgotten he was working on this movie. Oh, shit.
“YN?” Zendaya said, waving a hand in my face. “We should probably get to set.”
“Yeah,” I said subconsciously.
We headed off, but I couldn’t stop thinking. Holy shit, I’m going to be working with Tom Holland.