CHAPTER 1
Hi, I’m Raine.
Raine Williams - August 17th, 2025
When I was younger, I spent years developing a plan for my life so I could achieve everything I wanted. I earned straight A’s, graduated with Honors, and was a member of various leadership clubs and the dance team. I’d even managed to get into my dream performing arts school with a full-ride scholarship, so things were looking up!
Until they weren’t…
Although my first few years of college were enjoyable, my junior and senior years taught me that it didn’t matter how much you wanted something if you weren’t willing to fight for it. I realized that there would always be someone who wanted it just alittlemore and would do anything for a chance at the spotlight. The number of friends I’d lost over the years to jealousy or just plain old sabotage was actually quite alarming, but there was one instance that still sticks with me to this day.
The day my ex-best friend showed her true colors.
Because of her, I lost out on an opportunity of a lifetime, and I’m not gonna lie, my confidence took a major hit. It was already not the best, thanks to the insults my older sister, Myra, had hurled at me since high school, but at least back then, Ihad optimism on my side. Now at 29, the optimism was slowly waning, and so was the dream that I’d had since I was a little girl.
After I graduated from college, I stayed in Los Angeles for a few years before moving back home a couple of months ago. I was homesick and thought helping take care of my elderly mother would help, but when I made it back, the house was sold, and my mom was in a nursing home, much to my surprise. When I asked my older sister about it, she told me that she didn’t have time to care for our mom, her kids, and her husband.
I was distraught at first because I couldn’t understand why she hadn’t included me in such a major decision. She claimed that since she had power of attorney, she didn’t have to run anything by me anyway. I was frustrated because she’d always been bossy as shit, but this went beyond that. We’d never been close, especially because she was so much older than me and was rarely around when I was younger.
When shedidcome around, the visits were always short, but she was tolerable, so I always looked forward to her visits. I just hated that they always ended with her and our mom fighting before she stormed out and didn’t come back until months later. By the time I started high school, I’d finally stopped letting it get to me that she was rarely around, but that’s, coincidentally, around the time she started visiting more.
And around the time I realized just how unbearable it was to be around her for long periods of time.
It’s like some switch was flipped, and instead of her treating me like a sister she missed, I was treated like some hopeless kid she’d been forced to care for, and I hated it. She was overbearing and judgmental, and I quickly regretted wishing she would come around more.
When she first learned what I planned to major in, she repeatedly tried to talk me out of it, saying I was setting “unrealistic goals” for myself. When our mom paid for me to goto one of the top dance camps the summer before my Freshman year of high school, she nagged for weeks about how it was a waste of time and money, saying that I’d never be as good a dancer as the professionals, no matter how hard I tried, so what was the point.
To some people, it might have seemed like she was looking out for me, but to me, it was discouraging. She had made me feel inadequate for far too long, and it was getting played out. That’s why when she reluctantly invited me to come live with her, I declined without hesitation.
“Stop being stubborn, Raine,” she’d said. “The house is gone, and I know you don’t have enough money to live on your own, so come stay here until you can get on your feet.”
“Thanks, but it’s okay,” I replied. “I’m good, I promise.”
I wanted to tell her that there was no way in hell I was going to live under the same roof with her, but I held my tongue. As much as I hated the way she treated me, it still felt weird to disrespect her because shehadbeen the one to take care of our mom while I was living in Los Angeles. Somehow, I felt guilty for not being there, even though our mom never said anything other than encouraging words to me.
“I saved up some money, and I have enough for a couple of months of rent,” I assured her.
“And what are you gonna do after you run out of money? You know there aren’t that many dancing jobs here,” she nagged. “See, and this is why I told you to major in something practical, but nooo, you wanted to follow some fairytale dream.”
I had let her continue to spew her opinions as I sat there quietly, waiting for the lecture to be over. When she realized that I had zoned out, she sighed heavily, saying that she hoped I’d “grow up” one day. All I could do was nod before getting up and leaving her house.
That was about three months ago, and I’ve been trying to keep my distance ever since, but to no avail. She had a habit of popping up on me at least once a week to annoy the hell out of me, making sure to downplay my hopes and dreams. I was sick of letting her walk all over me, and I would be happy when I finally got the chance to prove her wrong.
But until then, I was going to work my boring office job to the best of my ability.
“How was your weekend, superstar?”
I glanced up from my lunch to see one of my best friends, Ginger, sitting down at the table across from me. She was one of the only friends I still had from childhood and was as loyal and encouraging as they came. When I called and let her know I was coming home, she offered me her spare room and even got me an interview here. I’d always be thankful for her.
“Superstar?” I chuckle. I turn my plate to her while nodding. She thanks me before grabbing a French fry.
“Yep!” She nods, popping the fry into her mouth and chewing. After swallowing, she continues, “I just checked earlier, and that video you uploaded the other day had almost 200k views. The world is finally giving you your flowers for your talent. I knew making a separate page would help!”
I roll my eyes but smile softly. A couple of weeks ago, she suggested that I start an account just to post my dance videos. I was hesitant at first, but she assured me that as long as I had confidence in my skills and enjoyed what I was doing, I’d have people interested in no time.
As usual, she was right, because in less than a month, I’d racked up over five thousand followers, and my engagement was going up every day. It felt good to dance freely, even if it was just a hobby at the moment. But this hobby was bringing so much joy to my life, and optimism back to my heart. Every day, I felt likemaybe, just maybe, one day I’d finally be able to turn it into a full-time career.
“I mean, it also had a lot to do with that song I used,” I pointed out. “Not sure why I’m surprised, though, because the singer seems to be popular.”
