Cameras flashed, I smiled. Questions were thrown rapid-fire at me, but I just waved and followed my bodyguards into my limo.

Once inside, I breathed a sigh of relief. Flashes continued, trying to capture my image through the tinted glass. The car slowly pulled forward, away from the studio.

I took off my oversized glasses, my scarf, and my smile. I asked one of my bodyguards for a glass of wine. It was such a relief to be able to take off the fake happy smile and drink away the hassle of the day.

I called my friend Whitney. She knew what being a starlet was all about, lying about your age, pretending to be in love with the fans, and she was a good ear. She also had great advice, being in this business for a couple years longer than me.

But her cell was off. She probably had to put in a late night shooting her new movie.

I stared at the sunset, a dark orange through the window tinting, and spied a dark tree, it’s branches breaking up the color with heavy black lines. Oh to be a bird in that tree! So free!