December 20th, 1994

Luke Patterson and I couldn't be more different; while he was a free-spirited, passionate musician, I preferred to go by the book and never stray from the path I was on. You'd never think two people who were so different could work well together, but Luke and I proved to the acceptation to that. He made me more lighthearted and was the only person I would ever stray from my perfectly planned out schedule for, while I helped keep Luke on track, keeping him grounded in reality. Our entire relationship was a massive cliché, both of us grew up next door to each other our whole life, but neither of us spoke until two years ago. Luke had been failing math, and I've always been ahead in every class; and somehow, his mother, Emily Patterson, had roped me into being his tutor. It was miserable at first; the two of us were so different we kept clashing, but after a while, we became more than just study partners; we became friends, and soon after that boyfriend and girlfriend.

"Ooh," My older sister sang, leaning against my door frame, "where are you headed dressed all nice?" I smoothed down my plaid skirt, smiling lightly at my sister through my reflection in the mirror.

"I'm surprising Luke," I informed her; because of how close we live to each other, I used to see Luke almost every single day; but lately, the two of us hadn't been hanging out as often, so I thought it'd be nice to visit him.

"He's not with the band today?" Hanna asked, stepping into my room, the band, the reason Luke and I hadn't been hanging out as much. Lately, he has been devoting almost all of his time with them, leaving barely any time for his own girlfriend. I knew I shouldn't be worried and that Luke didn't mean any harm by it; this was just how Luke was when he was passionate about something, he put it above everything else, but he wouldn't put it before me; I know that.

"Nope, I saw his bike on the driveway," I explain, walking out of the room; Hanna follows behind, shutting my bedroom door behind her.

"Have fun," Hanna sang, sitting down on the couch, her textbooks crowding the coffee table in front of her; I waved before sliding out of the house; I hadn't even made it to the end of my driveway when I heard yelling coming from next door. Hearing Luke argue with his parents wasn't unusual; his mom and dad definitely did not support his music dreams; I had my doubts too at times, but I would never tell him that it would be easier for him and the boys to figure it out themselves.

"Luke come back," Emily yelled before I could even wonder what she meant; Luke's figure flashed by on his bike, speeding away from his house; I ran to the end of my driveway quickly, meeting up with Emily, who stood at the end of hers.

"What's going on?" I ask his mom, my voice shaking; Luke had threatened to run away multiple times, but I never believed it would actually happen; he would never leave me, right?

"He... he's" Emily choked back a sob, unable to finish her sentence; Mitch pulled up before she could continue, and Emily instantly ran into her husband's arms, bursting into tears. Hanna must have heard the commotion because she ran out of the house a few seconds later, concern evident on her face.

"Is everyone okay?" She asked.

"I-I don't know," I stuttered; I refused to believe that Luke would really leave without saying goodbye to me first; his parents must have misunderstood, "we'll go look for him," I tell Emily, referring to my sister and I, "it's gonna be okay." I tried to sound reassuring, but my voice was still shaky.

"Let's go," Hannah grabbed my hand, leading me to the car parked in our driveway; I pointed to the direction I saw Luke turn, "Harper, I'm so-"

"No," I cut her off, "I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding." Hanna didn't seem convinced, but she didn't question it; we drove in silence for a few more minutes, both of us searching for my boyfriend; I begin to feel hopeless after a while until I see a familiar shaggy-haired boy riding his bike a few feet ahead. "There he is," I point, my voice full of hope; Hannah pulls over, and I rush out of the car, "Luke," His bike skids to a stop at the sound of my voice, Luke turns around to face me, his expression more solemn then I'd ever seen it before.

"Harper," He spoke, his voice full of guilt; I frowned when I noticed all of the things he'd been carrying with him, "I-"

"Y-you're leaving?" I stutter; sure, Luke had always threatened it, but I didn't think he'd actually go through with it.

"They don't get it," Luke tried explaining, "no one does; except for the band-"

"What about me?" I ask, my voice full of hurt; sure, I thought his dreams were a bit unrealistic and far-fetched, but that didn't mean I didn't support him.

"Harps," I cringed as he said my nickname; instead of the usual butterflies I got in my stomach, I felt dread; he sounded as if he was about to let me down easy, "You don't deserve me; I'm a rocker, who wants a life on the road and you're going to go on to win a Nobel prize and change the world."

"So what? you just planned on leaving without telling me?" I ask; Luke takes a step forward, reaching for me; I step back.

"I thought it'd be easier," he said, trying to make me understand where he was coming from; but I didn't, the Luke I know would never run out on me, and if he did, he would have begged me to come with him; it used to be Luke and Harper against the world.

"For who?" I ask, scoffing at his response.

"Harps, please," He pleaded with me, taking another step forward, "I need to do this," He paused, unsure of how to say the next part, but I'm pretty sure I knew where this was headed.

"Without me?" I ask, finishing his sentence; Luke nodded, his eyes full of guilt; I was holding him back; the differences that I used to think made us so perfect together were tearing us apart.

"I'm really-"

"Save it," I cut him off; I reach to the back of my neck, unclasping the necklace he'd given me for our anniversary, "I hope it's everything you've dreamed of," I say, throwing the necklace onto the road, "Goodbye Luke." And with that, I ran off to my sister's car, slamming the door once I sat down.

"Are you-"My sobs cut her off before she could finish her sentence, all the emotions I'd been holding in finally taking control of my body. Hanna wrapped me into her arms, muttering comforting words to me as the two of us watched Luke ride away for the last time.

July 22nd, 1995

"Are you sure about this?" Hanna asked, parking the car on the side of the busy streets; I glanced at the venue ahead of me; it had been seven months since I'd last seen Luke or any of the other members of sunset curve. It wasn't until about a week ago that I saw a flyer promoting their upcoming show at the Orpheum; it had practically sold out already when I tried to grab tickets; but luckily for me, there was precisely one seat left. Playing the Orpheum is huge, something I'd heard Luke talk about all the time when we were together, and even though we're broken up, and I'm still not completely over what happened the night he ran off, I knew I couldn't miss this.

"Not really," I respond, chuckling nervously; I didn't even plan on talking to Luke tonight; I just needed to see him, see if leaving me was worth it; which considering they were playing the Orpheum, it clearly was.

"I'm going for dinner with a friend; meet you here?" She asked; I nodded, taking a breath as I stepped out of the car, "Harper," She called one last time, rolling the window down, "you've got this."

"I've got this," I repeat her, letting out the breath I'd been holding; I stayed on the sidewalk, watching Hanna's vehicle drive off. Due to Hanna meeting up with a friend, I had to get to the venue pretty early, meaning I had about an hour to kill before the show. I decided to wander around the city, peeking into small shops every once in a while; it wasn't until I got a little bit closer to the venue that I could hear girls excitedly babbling about the boys; all of them talking about which one was their favorite. I began regretting my decision as soon as I stood outside the venue; Luke had left me for this; he put these fans and fame over the relationship he used to claim was the best thing that ever happened to him. "I can't do this," I mumbled to myself, running off from the venue; I walked as quickly as my feet would allow me; I can't believe I'd thought this was a good idea; he didn't deserve for me to show up, he left me absolutely broken without a care, so why should I care about him or support the stupid band he left me for? Instead, I decided to go to the coffee shop across the street and read the book I always carried with me in case of emergencies. I so was lost in my thoughts, no longer focusing on the business that surrounded me that I hadn't even realized I'd crossed the street until someone yelled at me.

"Hey, watch out," A man yelled from somewhere behind me. I froze in my spot, turning to see bright lights coming in my direction before my brain could process what was happening, and I could rush out of the way, the car slammed into me, knocking me onto the ground; I was gone before the ambulance showed up.
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^^^Harpers outfit before time jump
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^^ Harpers outfit after the time jump ...

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Ahhhh the first chapter of other side of Hollywood; what do y'all think so far?
So excited for you to read the rest!