Hailey could remember the first time she sat down and made a video. She was only thirteen, but she longed to be an influencer. She could remember when she first created her Instagram account and the models and celeberities who generated millions of likes and comments. She was only sixteen, but she imitated their photos to draw the world’s attention. She could remember when her first viral video came only months after graduating high school and telling her parents she was going to pursue Social Media full time. She was only eighteen, but the joy she felt brought her to a high she had never felt before. What Hailey was struggling to remember however was when she lost herself.

Years had passed since that first video, even since that first viral video. Hailey had accomplished her dreams. She had millions of followers, she had dated actors and athletes, she had even starred in a few acting roles herself. She had graced multiple red carpets, constantly found herself as the life of the party, and had more friends in her phone than she could count.

Her worst days were filled with comments praising her looks or talents on one of her posts renewing her spirits and bringing a smile to her face. Her best days did the same. She never went a day without being validated by some stranger online. She felt seen. She felt heard. She felt known.

No one had told her how quickly it could all fade away. Sure, she had seen the countless celebrities fall from grace when the exploits met the tabloids, but that was them not her. She had never done anything illegal, and her resilience was praised by her friends. She wouldn’t be one of those celebrities who became more infamous than they ever were famous. She had made sure of that.

It took one video. One video with one joke that went too far. One joke that brought more anger than laughter. More frustration than joy. One video. One joke. Had ruined it all.

The day following was the first day that Hailey hadn’t been glued to her phone in years. She hadn’t realized how dark the world really was without that blue light shining in her face. She sat in her mansion curled up on the couch her eyes puffy and her cheeks streaked with tears. With no validation to distract her from the pain she was feeling.

Hailey laid there for hours. No noise, no technology, no lights. She only stared out of her large glass doors at view of the sprawling ocean before her. Darks clouds billowed through the sky releasing drops of rain in a steady stream onto the sandy shore below. She watched the waves rise and fall, pulled by the momentum of the wind driving them. She thought about how too the waves climbed to such great heights only to crash in the end. She supposed all things had their time.

That thought wasn’t enough to brighten her mood, but it was enough to draw her to her feet. She made her way through the living room and into the adjacent bathroom. She stopped herself as she passed by the mirror. She gazed into the person trapped within. She didn’t recognize her. Her make up was ruined, her hair disheveled, and her eyes wore bigger bags than any she had in her closet.

How long had it been since someone had truly known her? Her fans, ex boyfriends, and “friends” only knew what she presented to them. They only knew her celebrity and never actually her. They had fallen in love with the mask she wore and not the person who lied beneath. She supposed that she too had fallen in love with that mask. How long ago had she wore it? Where did the mask end and her true self begin?

“I am Hailey.” She said to the stranger in the mirror. “I am more than a celebrity… I am a daughter… I am a friend. I am… _loved_.” She felt the last word croak out from her tired voice as she remembered all the people who had loved her before. All the ones who had truly known her before she agreed to wear that mask. She wasn’t alone. She wasn’t a stranger. She wasn’t unloved. She had just lost sight of it all along the way.

Long ago Hailey had desired the attention of the world. Now she knew what truly mattered. To be fully known and truly loved.