Vancouver, British Columbia June 2026

The hallways were louder than Gordon Cormier expected.

Lockers slammed shut. Students laughed across crowded corridors. Friends reunited after summer break while someone somewhere was already complaining about homework.

For most teenagers, this was ordinary.

For Gordon, it was completely new.

He adjusted the strap of his backpack and glanced around the school lobby.

An actual high school.

A real one.

No online classes. No studying between filming schedules. No logging into lessons from hotel rooms.

For years, Gordon's life had looked different from everyone else's. While other kids experienced school dances, field trips, and cafeteria gossip, he spent most of his childhood balancing acting projects and virtual education.

Now, at seventeen, he finally had the chance to experience everything he had missed.

And honestly?

He was excited.

"Gordon!"

A familiar voice pulled him from his thoughts.

He turned and instantly grinned.

Hussein was walking toward him with Juan and several others from their friend group.

"There he is," Hussein announced dramatically. "The homeschool survivor."

The group laughed.

Within minutes, Gordon found himself surrounded by people.

That happened a lot.

Not because he tried to be the center of attention. People simply liked being around him.

He was friendly, easy to talk to, and somehow managed to get along with everyone.

Athletes.

Drama students.

Honor-roll students.

His circle included a little bit of everything.

As they walked through the hallway, students waved from every direction. Some stopped to say hello. Others smiled as they passed.

Gordon had already become one of the most recognizable students in school.

Partly because people knew him from movies.

Partly because he was impossible to miss.

Tall. Dark shaggy hair. Bright smile.

The kind of appearance that made people look twice.

And plenty did.

A group of girls near the lockers immediately started whispering when he smiled politely in their direction.

By lunchtime, he had already met dozens of people. Some recognized him. Others simply thought he seemed nice.

And that was what Gordon liked most.

For the first time, he wasn't spending his teenage years behind a screen.

He was actually living them.

Basketball games. School events. Group chats. Inside jokes. Food runs with friends after class.

The kind of moments most teenagers took for granted.

As the first bell echoed through the building, Gordon and his friends headed toward class together, laughing and talking over one another.

To everyone else, Gordon Cormier already seemed to have the perfect life.

Successful career.

Great friends.

Popularity.

But somewhere in Vancouver, there was someone he hadn't met yet.

And Gordon would soon discover that fame and popularity meant absolutely nothing when it came to first love.

Because unlike every role he had ever played, this story wouldn't come with a script.