The hall was spacious, with a perfect incline that allowed a clear view of the screen from any point. The 250 seats, upholstered in dark velvet, were arranged in impeccable rows.
The lights were dim, not yet fully turned off.
Festival ushers guided the arriving audience with low-intensity flashlights, while soft ambient music filled the space in a constant murmur.
The first tw...
2025-10-03 16:34:49 +0000 UTC View PostThe poll has ended. The winning option was A. Out of 185 total votes, 77% chose A and 23% chose B. So Andrew and Pippa will make up in the upcoming chapters. I don’t know exactly when I’ll write it, but I don’t want to take too long either.
Here’s today’s chapter!
...
Andrew drove his Camaro toward Katie’s house, one of the team’s cheerleaders. That was where the...
2025-10-03 16:05:05 +0000 UTC View PostHi everyone. Here comes another poll, long live democracy!
Several of you mentioned that it would be nice for Andrew and Pippa to make peace. Just to clarify: not in the sense of getting back together as a couple (that won’t happen), but rather in the sense of closing their relationship on good terms. Right now, they ended things in a pretty cold and tense way, as we saw in the cafeteri...
2025-10-01 21:40:45 +0000 UTC View PostFifteen minutes before eleven, Owen finally saw Sophie walking alongside her family.
Sophie led the group, wearing a simple, fitted black dress with thin straps, elegant without being pretentious. She was smiling, though she looked a little tense.
Beside her was her mother, Margaret, whom Owen already knew well enough to recognize when her smile was only out of courtesy. She wore a ...
2025-10-01 16:47:10 +0000 UTC View PostLong Island, New York — The Gellers’ House
Just like the previous Friday during the Bosco vs. Mater Dei game, the Gellers’ living room TV was tuned in to ESPNU.
This time, they were broadcasting the big league final: Mater Dei against Servite. The clock was running out in the final seconds, and the result was already decided.
In the room, just l...
2025-10-01 16:05:09 +0000 UTC View PostJune 24, 2022
This day the Palm Springs International Film Festival was celebrating its second day of activities.
The night before, the festival had opened with the inaugural screening of 80 for Brady, a comedy directed by Kyle Marvin featuring actresses Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, and Sally Field.
During the opening gala, Owen, Sophie, Matt...
2025-09-29 17:09:04 +0000 UTC View PostAfter greeting his family, Andrew turned around. The stage for the award ceremony was nearly finished.
The stadium roared: drums, shouts, the marching band tuning their instruments, ready to explode at any moment. ESPN’s cameras swiveled nonstop, broadcasting every detail.
'And this is just high school…' Andrew thought, sweeping his eyes across the scene.
The stadium, thou...
2025-09-29 16:09:57 +0000 UTC View Post“Hi,” Owen said simply, his voice firm and calm.
Elizabeth was the first to move. Her lips trembled slightly, as if she had many words to say and didn’t know where to begin. She slowly stood up, and for a moment Owen thought she was going to hug him.
But she didn’t.
She only took a step toward him and looked at him with wet eyes, filled with restrained emotion.
...
2025-09-28 16:45:02 +0000 UTC View PostHi everyone. I want to clarify something about Pippa.
That last chapter, told first from the Fitz-Amobi family’s perspective and then from Pippa’s, was simply meant to show how both of them were living in the days following the breakup with Andrew. I included it because in the poll, the winning option was that you wanted to see it.
But let’s be clear: this does not mean that A...
2025-09-27 15:45:33 +0000 UTC View PostLos Angeles, California — The Fitz-Amobi House
The living room TV was locked on ESPNU. Mater Dei vs. Servite.
The announcer’s firm voice came through the speakers:
“Halftime in Santa Ana: Mater Dei 26, Servite 15. A huge night for Andrew Pritchett-Tucker, three touchdowns so far. On the other side, Cody Fajardo keeps Servite in the game with two...
2025-09-25 18:14:36 +0000 UTC View PostElizabeth decided to show Owen’s videos to her husband and son.
An hour after Sarah had shown her the videos, Edward arrived home from work, since it was Saturday, he didn’t work that late. Then Elizabeth called James, Owen’s older brother, to come over to the house.
“Why? I just got back from work and I’m with Emily,” James said on the other end of the phone.
“I...
2025-09-25 17:11:56 +0000 UTC View PostSarah didn’t know when it happened, but as she watched the two trailers, tears began to fall from her eyes.
It wasn’t a loud or dramatic cry.
She saw her brother again. Not the chaotic Owen of the past few years, the one they found doing drugs at home, the one their father hit, the one who left without ever looking back.
She saw the passionate Owen she had known since chil...
2025-09-23 17:53:44 +0000 UTC View Post5:25 p.m.
POV Troy Niklas – Servite Defensive Lineman
We’re still on campus. In a few minutes, the position meetings and the final game-plan review will start. After that, we’ll finally head to Santa Ana Stadium.
I sit quietly, watching my teammates. Some talk, trying to fake calmness; others stay completely silent, sti...
2025-09-23 16:18:56 +0000 UTC View PostJune 18, 2022 – Studio City, Los Angeles District
Located in the heart of the San Fernando Valley, Studio City is a district of Los Angeles known as a hub of the entertainment industry.
Its streets, lined with tall trees, trendy cafés, recording studios, and spacious homes of traditional Californian architecture, offered the best of both worlds: proximit...
2025-09-21 16:53:38 +0000 UTC View PostThe first period of classes had come to an end. It was lunchtime. Andrew left the classroom at a brisk pace; he had been holding back the urge to go to the bathroom since third period.
The hallways were starting to fill with students. Some greeted him as they passed, offering encouragement or a pat on the shoulder as if they’d been lifelong friends. Andrew replied with slight nods, alre...
2025-09-21 16:16:35 +0000 UTC View PostSophie smiled, stretched, and picked up her phone from the backrest of the couch. “Now to promote it on our socials,” she said, almost like a disguised command.
Within seconds, each of them was on their own device, in silence, typing, editing, picking emojis and hashtags.
From the Twitter account he had created for Second Take Films, Owen wrote a new tweet with the trailer link....
2025-09-20 16:33:25 +0000 UTC View Post
Here’s a visual reference of how I picture Andrew. I’ve been searching, and out of all the photos, this one comes the closest to the image I have in mind.
...
Friday, October 17, 2010
The day of the game against Servite had finally arrived. Andrew woke up early, as always. He had his usual breakfast and, just a few minutes later, was climbing into...
2025-09-19 16:50:58 +0000 UTC View PostJune 15, 2022
A little over a month had passed since Palm Springs accepted Paranormal Activity.
The short film titled The Black Hole, which Owen had uploaded as the very first video on his newly created YouTube channel, had been online for about six weeks.
To the surprise of Owen and everyone else, the video had surpassed 300,000 views.
An enorm...
2025-09-18 15:32:41 +0000 UTC View PostThe table was set with one of Cam’s typical dinners: roast chicken and potatoes, accompanied by salad and warm rolls. Lily shook her plastic cup of orange juice while Cam served generous portions onto each plate, especially Andrew’s, who eyed his serving with scrutiny, as if he were calculating calories and macros in his head. In fact, he was.
Moments earlier, both Cam and Mitchell ha...
2025-09-17 16:55:23 +0000 UTC View Post“Turn around and look at the screen,” Owen said with a slight tilt of his head.
Sophie turned her head over her shoulder and saw that Owen’s email inbox was open on the monitor. The first message, just arrived, stood out in bold.
[Sender: Palm Springs]
[Subject: Status Update Regarding Your Film Submission]
Sophie’s eyes widened ...
2025-09-16 15:54:05 +0000 UTC View PostFrom the kitchen came a delicious aroma, the clatter of pots, and Cam’s humming, as if he were hosting his own cooking show.
Mitchell appeared from the hallway, hands in his pockets and a grimace on his face.
“Lily kicked me out of her room. She’s building a block empire and apparently I’m not needed in her kingdom. I’ll be back in five minutes, before she tries something ...
2025-09-15 17:43:30 +0000 UTC View PostSecond Take Films.
A simple name, but with a meaning only he understood: his second take, his second life.
On this channel, the initial goal was to upload short films. Much cheaper in budget and, just like many movies and series Owen had seen, the short films he remembered from his past life didn’t exist here.
Although the idea wasn’t for it to be...
2025-09-14 17:42:24 +0000 UTC View PostAndrew opened the door, and there was Willa. Leaning on one hand at her hip, she wore a fitted black leather jacket, a long light-colored shirt underneath, and shiny leggings that clung like a second skin. The look was completed with long necklaces and an expression somewhere between bored and inquisitive, as if she were already prepared to judge him before they even started.
She had arri...
2025-09-14 16:21:15 +0000 UTC View PostThree days passed before Owen received the email from A24. In it, they sent him an attachment, a PDF file.
Owen downloaded it and began reading carefully, line by line.
“Twelve months of option… exclusive use… maintaining writer’s credit…” he murmured to himself, going over the terms.
Everything was clear and professional. They were offering him $10,000 USD for the...
2025-09-13 18:08:52 +0000 UTC View Post9:59 AM
Owen checked once more if the audio was working. He had already joined the video call a few minutes earlier and was waiting for the A24 representative to log in.
A few seconds later, when the clock struck 10:00 AM, someone entered.
On screen appeared a man in his forties, with a neat beard, glasses, and a calm expression.
"Owen? I’m Cr...
2025-09-12 16:48:36 +0000 UTC View PostThe poll is over, and the option to show Pippa’s family’s POV won. So I’ve prepared it for the upcoming chapters. Thanks for voting and sharing your thoughts!
...
Thursday, October 16, 2010
Andrew came home after practice at Mater Dei. It hadn’t been just any practice: the staff had set up an intense session of film study, tactical review, and...
2025-09-12 16:16:12 +0000 UTC View PostI’ve been reading some comments where several people mentioned they would like to see the reaction of Pippa’s family after her breakup with Andrew, including Pippa’s own perspective.
At first, I hadn’t planned on writing it, though the idea did cross my mind for a moment. It would be a rather sad story, since Pippa’s parents held Andrew in very high regard, and her brother Josh ...
2025-09-11 02:00:22 +0000 UTC View PostSince Matt had classes at the university, Owen covered for him this time and worked with the editor today.
After the session with the editor, Owen went back home.
When he reached the door of his apartment, he slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He tried to unlock it, but the screen was completely black.
“Damn it… I didn’t charge this piece of junk,...
2025-09-10 17:02:46 +0000 UTC View PostBristol, Connecticut — ESPN Offices
Saturday, October 11, 2010
POV Jacob Brown
I’d only been at ESPN for about a year, working in the data production department, long enough to know that on a Saturday morning, the offices were rarely this loud… unless the NCAA or NFL had played.
But neith...
2025-09-10 16:07:57 +0000 UTC View PostApril 20, 2022 – 6:46 p.m.
The first cut of Paranormal Activity was ready.
It wasn’t the final version yet, if everything continued as planned, it would be ready between May 22 and 30.
Owen was sitting in front of his laptop. Matt was standing behind him, too excited to sit down.
Owen logged into FilmFreeway, a web platform that allows filmm...
2025-09-08 16:42:41 +0000 UTC View Post