Disclaimer for the entire series:
Everyone in this story - and in real life - are 18+ years of age.
All locations, art and music in this story are real.
Any celebrity actions or motives similar to their real-life counterparts is entirely coincidental.
Part 1 (Chapters 1-5) to be released ASAP. Part 2 (Chapters 2-10) to be released next week. Part 3 TBD.
Tags are set for each chapter, not the series as a whole.
This story was originally intended to be somewhat one-dimensional. However, as I began to write it started developing into an engaging story that explores deeper and darker themes. So in saying that, some scenes may be disturbing for some readers.
This is my first published story, so I'm interested to hear some feedback from the Literotica community. Thanks!
Disclaimer for this chapter: null
*****
Chapter 1 - The Party
Angourie focused with excitement on the eighteen candles in front of her, as the reflection of the flames brightened her young, radiant teenage face. Her wide smile emanated across the room, displaying to the world just how happy she felt.
Promising young actress Angourie Rice had just turned eighteen. The blonde Australian had starred in a number of Hollywood films in recent years, and for the last few months had been shooting Spiderman: Far From Home in Europe. She was playing the role of Betty Brant, one of Spiderman's high school friends.
In a fashionably gothic Prague hotel room, Angourie sat at the head of an old oak table. A few seats down sat Tom Holland, the star actor who plays Spiderman himself. Positioned next to her was the multi-talented brunette Zendeya (which, to her surprise when they'd met, was actually her real name). She plays Spideman's love interest Mary Jane, and gripped Angourie's hand with a ferocious grin. Nearby stood the bubbly American-Asian actor Jacob Batalon, her other friend and co-worker who plays the role of Spiderman's best friend Ned.
In the back of the room stood some of the production crew who she'd befriended in recent months, alongside celebrity actors Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei, and Jake Gyllenhaal, all smiling and raising their wine glasses in anticipation.
She struggled to imagine a better place to celebrate finally becoming an adult. Zendeya, who'd she'd grown quite close with in recent months shooting the movie, had secretly organised the party with people from the shoot. Zendeya was insistent that Angourie properly celebrated becoming a woman.
However, Angourie knew she still had a teenage look to her. She had a sweet, petite, blonde, pale appearance, and was relatively short.
She had cemented her role in Hollywood during her teen years playing the typical shy, innocent child. The Beguiled with the hunky Colin Farrell, The Nice Guys with Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, and most recently the Black Mirror episode 'Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too' alongside Miley Cyrus, who she'd been ecstatic to work alongside with, was just some of her recent work.
'Hang on!' yelled Jon Favreau, right before Angourie started blowing out the candles on the cake. 'We forgot to sing Happy Birthday! They still do that in Australia right?'
He got a stern look from Samuel L. Jackson. 'Bitch please, she's a woman now - she doesn't need everyone singing Happy Birthday in her face.'
Angourie just giggled. 'No, no, you're right Jon', she replied, in her natural, friendly Australian accent. 'Come on everyone, sing for me. I'm clearly the biggest star here.'
Angourie had always prided herself on her sense of humour. Her agent said her maturity had helped her take the leap into Hollywood. She knew that if she couldn't dominate a room full of people older than herself, she could at least make an impression. It was a good way to conceal her natural quietness.
Almost as if on cue, the twenty or so people in the room started to sing Happy Birthday. They swerved and raised their wine glasses throughout the song, the adults obviously becoming more than tipsy. At the end, she stood and bowed, sarcastically thanking everyone.
Today was the first of January, an unusual date for someone's birthday, but it never bothered her. Angourie wasn't a fussy person, and to reflect this she simply wore a casual sky-blue polka dot dress with limited makeup.
From one of the nearby windows, the lively Prague street was inviting, and she was looking forward to wandering the city with her friends later on. However, their room was currently warm and glowing with the people around her.
Today she was eighteen. Smiling, she began to blow out the candles one by one, and Angourie came to the realisation that she was finally an adult.
**
After everyone had enjoyed some of the cake, Angourie took the time to meet and greet some of the others she didn't know at the party. She spent a considerable amount of time walking around, shaking hands, smiling, and mingling, getting to know some of the production crew who'd made the effort to celebrate her birthday.
It's the least I can do, thought Angourie.
'Happy birthday rockstar,' came a familiar voice, coming from behind.
Angourie turned.
'Hey Cobie', she replied with a smile.
Angourie grew up knowing Cobie Smulders from her days playing Robin in the hit sitcom How I Met Your Mother, but in recent years she'd cemented her role as Maria Hill in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She was a tall, radiant figure, wearing a long red dress, and had clearly helped herself to a few wines.
As Jacob noted earlier, Cobie was looking 'fine as fuck'.
'You look good!' Cobie remarked. She was dancing slightly to the distant beat of a tune.
Angourie smiled. 'Thank you!'
'Still going out tonight?'
Angourie was eager to explore Prague afterwards with Tom, Zendeya and Jacob, who'd all come up with the idea to go out and embrace the local culture (and maybe visit some nightclubs).
'Yep! Sure am.'
Cobie leaned in to whisper something, which was a considerable effort considering the height difference. Angourie respectfully pretended not to notice Cobie's slipping cleavage so close to her face.
'If you need some more company...shoot me a text.'
Without warning, Cobie licked Angourie's teenage face. It was fast and sensual, and Angourie closed her eyes and gasped.
Angourie then blushed and looked down in embarrassment, but Cobie just grinned, stuck her tongue out in a teasing motion, and winked. Moments later, she disappeared through the crowd.
Startled, Angourie took a moment to gather herself.
That was odd, she thought.
However, before she could think about it for too long, she spotted Tom and Jacob setting up SingStar, and within minutes they were performing an interesting rendition of Miley Cyrus and Mark Ronson's "Nothing Breaks Like a Heart".
As the crowd gathered by the two actors singing, Angourie took the opportunity to get away and have a bit of quiet time to herself.
Seeing the crowd cheer the duo on, who both stood on two dodgy-looking chairs, Angourie snuck to the back wall of the hotel room. She spotted some antique paintings hanging from the wall, encased in ornate frames.
A number of the paintings caught her eye: old portraits, nature paintings, and what looked like meaningless splashes across a canvas. Reading the descriptions of each painting, she recognised a few familiar names: Van Gogh, Picasso, Rembrandt.
Angourie had always had a deep admiration for 'high life' culture: art, classical music, poetry. It was something that had always gnawed at her, growing up in Australia she felt remiss not knowing much, if anything, of upper-class society.
She stopped at a peculiar piece by William Blake, an etching titled "The Ancient of Days" and studied it. It was a fierce image of god pointing down from heaven to what looked like a pyramid made of two arms, and Angourie tried to dissect its meaning.
Apart from something basic about god giving humans power, Angourie gave up, feeling embarrassed that she couldn't decipher any deeper meaning. She sighed, reaching for her phone to check her Instagram.
Instagram, Facebook, Spiderman...this is the life I know, Angourie thought.
'You like it?'
'Huh?' Angourie looked up from the screen of her phone and turned to see a familiar face behind her. Tall, brunette, and ageing like a fine wine, Marisa Tomei gave her a smile.