Reborn and Done with Fame

The karaoke lounge throbbed with bass-heavy beats and swirling neon lights. Laughter and voices overlapped in the thick air as people passed around fruit platters, rolled dice, and tipped back bottles of beer.

Where the hell… am I?

Why am I even here?

Liam Carter blinked, disoriented, as his gaze locked onto a girl sprawled like a queen on the leather sofa across from him. Sophia Bennett. Gorgeous. Untouchable. But why does she look… so young?

“Liam.”

Sophia’s cold eyes pinned him in place, her beauty as sharp and flawless as frost in bloom. But her voice carried a thread of irritation. “Does it really take this long to get barbecue?”

“Yeah,” chimed in Mia Lawson, Sophia’s ever-smiling best friend, her tone syrupy sweet with a sharp edge hidden underneath. “The food’s cold now. How’s Sophia supposed to enjoy it?”

Liam’s thoughts stalled.

Sophia Bennett—his first love, the girl who owned his entire youth. But she’s dressed like a high school senior. And Mia? Weren’t they long estranged in his memory?

Did I drink too much last night?

Or… is this a dream?

He pinched his arm hard. The sharp pain jolted through his senses. No. Too real to be a dream.

Before he could form a coherent thought, a familiar voice broke through. “The scooter ran out of juice on the way back. Liam had to jog the whole way with the barbecue. Not his fault it’s cold.”

Ryan Mitchell.

Liam turned his head slowly. His best friend—his brother from another mother—was sitting there, looking every bit as young as he had in senior year.

Something’s not right.

Scanning the packed room, Liam caught familiar-yet-strange faces watching him. Some with amusement, others with pity… and a few with outright mockery.

And then it hit him.

No way. I’m eighteen again.

His heart hammered. He shoved a hand into his pocket and pulled out an old, beat-up Nokia with a cracked screen. The date flashed across it: July 10, 2013.

Memories came rushing back like a tidal wave. His last summer after high school graduation. The night of the class party. The KTV lounge. Sophia suddenly craving that famous barbecue place downtown.

And him—pathetic, eager-to-please Liam—volunteering to fetch it. He’d dragged Ryan along, zipped off on a scooter, only for the d*mn battery to die halfway back. He ran the rest of the way to avoid keeping Sophia waiting.

It hadn’t mattered. By the time they returned, the barbecue was cold. Sophia had scowled, her expression unreadable, and turned away like he was invisible.

This scene, or ones like it, had played out countless times before.

Sophia Bennett. His white swan.

His first love. His first heartbreak.

They grew up in the same neighborhood, their parents friendly enough for him to cling to that fragile “childhood friend” label.

In middle school, he fell for her. By high school, he was hopelessly devoted, chasing her with every ounce of his being. She’d brushed him off with the classic, “I don’t want to date yet.”

So he waited. And waited.

By senior year in college, Sophia finally gave in—whether out of exhaustion or pity, he never knew. They moved in together, shared a shabby 700-square-foot apartment. He got her first time there and swore to himself he’d make her happy forever.

But she never softened. Sophia remained untouchable, proud, cold. She took his devotion as her due. Even in intimacy, Liam tiptoed as if one wrong move would shatter her illusion of perfection.

And then came the betrayal.

Graduation. Her breakout on a reality talent show. Center position. Stardom. One curt text message: “Dating will affect my career. Let’s end this.”

No excuses. No apologies.

Liam had spiraled. Drinking. Sleeping around. Wasting away. Until tragedy struck. His parents—rushing to comfort their son—barely survived a devastating car wreck.

The hospital bills buried him. Out of pride, he’d hesitated to call Sophia. When he finally did, her response had been chillingly simple: a $100,000 transfer marked “No need to repay.”

Love? Pity? Guilt? He never found out.

To pay the debts and support his parents’ care, he’d sold himself to an agency. Years later, he was the company’s top star. The money came. The women came. But his heart stayed dead.

And last night? He barely remembered drinking with some young model calling herself a fan. His bloated body, his weary eyes… He had been pushing forty.

But now—

Now he was here. Eighteen.

Liam’s eyes cleared. His chest felt strangely light.

He looked at Sophia, sitting there in her high school uniform, as beautiful and proud as ever. The girl who had once defined his world.

“Sorry,” he said quietly. His voice was calm, almost detached. “For chasing you for three years. That was my mistake.”

Sophia’s eyes didn’t flicker. “So?”

“I’m done.” Liam straightened, his expression unreadable. “I won’t chase you anymore.”

The room fell silent. Someone killed the music. Heads turned, shocked faces staring.

Was this real? Liam Carter, the boy who’d spent all of high school groveling at Sophia’s feet, just… quit?

Sophia’s face remained impassive, her posture perfect as ever. After a beat, she replied coolly.

“Fine.”

She might as well have been signing off on a vacation request.

Liam almost smiled. This woman—his white swan—hadn’t changed. Not then. Not now.

“Alright.”

He placed the takeout bag gently on the table. “The barbecue’s still warm. Share it if you want. I’ve got somewhere to be. Wishing you all the best.”

And without another word, Liam Carter turned and walked out.

The hallway outside the KTV was quiet. The chaos behind him faded to nothing.

He lifted his eyes to the summer sky. Eighteen again. The stars burned brilliantly overhead.

This time…

Things will be different.

Gazing at the starry sky.

Keeping his feet firmly on the ground.

Liam Carter had to admit—he’d been a fool. In his past life, he hated Sophia Bennett at one point, even fantasized about revenge. But then he remembered the year his parents were in that accident, and she had wired him the money he needed to save them.

How ironic.

Now, reborn, Liam had no intention of chasing Sophia again, but neither would he ever stoop to revenge.

After all, they grew up together, childhood friends of sorts. Aside from a messy tangle of feelings, there wasn’t any deep hatred. And for the sake of that $100,000 she gave him—without blinking or asking for repayment—there was no reason to keep nursing old wounds.

He’d been a lovesick fool. He mistook groveling for devotion.

Besides, in his past life, Liam had chosen NYC Academy of Arts for one reason: Sophia. He’d even picked the same major. They’d been classmates, seeing each other every day for years.

No.