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MSA, formerly known as "My Story Animated," is a dynamic YouTube channel that brings real-life stories to life through engaging and visually captivating animations. Specializing in personal drama, emotional journeys, and life-changing experiences, MSA transforms viewers' submissions into powerful animated narratives that resonate deeply with its audience. Each video tackles a wide range of topics, including relationship struggles, overcoming adversity, and self-discovery, making it a platform where real-life events are depicted with creativity and authenticity.
The channel's content is crafted to be relatable and inspirational, offering viewers a blend of entertainment and life lessons. Through animated storytelling, MSA explores complex social dynamics, personal growth, and the challenges of everyday life, providing viewers with stories that are not only entertaining but also thought-provoking and emotionally engaging.
**Disclaimer:** The stories presented on this channel are based on personal submissions and are animated for entertainment purposes. While the narratives are inspired by real events, the characters and specific details may be fictionalized to protect the privacy of the individuals involved. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The opinions and experiences expressed in the videos are those of the individuals submitting the stories and do not necessarily reflect the views of MSA. Viewer discretion is advised.
MSA, formerly known as "My Story Animated," is a dynamic YouTube channel that brings real-life stories to life through engaging and visually captivating animations. Specializing in personal drama, emotional journeys, and life-changing experiences, MSA transforms viewers' submissions into powerful animated narratives that resonate deeply with its audience. Each video tackles a wide range of topics, including relationship struggles, overcoming adversity, and self-discovery, making it a platform where real-life events are depicted with creativity and authenticity.
The channel's content is crafted to be relatable and inspirational, offering viewers a blend of entertainment and life lessons. Through animated storytelling, MSA explores complex social dynamics, personal growth, and the challenges of everyday life, providing viewers with stories that are not only entertaining but also thought-provoking and emotionally engaging.
**Disclaimer:** The stories presented on this channel are based on personal submissions and are animated for entertainment purposes. While the narratives are inspired by real events, the characters and specific details may be fictionalized to protect the privacy of the individuals involved. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The opinions and experiences expressed in the videos are those of the individuals submitting the stories and do not necessarily reflect the views of MSA. Viewer discretion is advised.
Category
🦄
CreativityTranscript
00:00Hi, I'm Layla, and yep, that's me in the front row of a gala, seconds before I betrayed my best friend and almost ruined his life.
00:09But before we get to all that, please, make sure to like and subscribe.
00:14Ever since I was little, I've been a lot to handle, or at least that's what I've been told, by my mom, Layla, by my dad,
00:22Layla!
00:25I, well, any adult, really. But really, I'm just always trying to do the right thing. And sometimes, that gets me in trouble.
00:33That's why my parents sent me to Woodmere Academy to begin with. That and other reasons.
00:41It's only the fifth-ranked preparatory school in the country, but heavens, no one else will take you, no matter how much money we throw their way.
00:48Good grief, Layla. How will you replace your father as CEO of Idrizitech if you keep up with these morality plays?
00:55Woodmere was supposedly elite, but to me, it was just like every other rich kid cesspool my parents plopped me into.
01:02Complete with snobby, entitled lookalikes who wore the same navy blazer and walked the halls like the world owed them a standing ovation just for showing up.
01:11You think you belong here? You're just a poor, worthless...
01:15Funny you think he doesn't belong here, when your dad basically had to donate a wing to get your sorry butt in here.
01:22The scholarship kid ran, but Milo's ego didn't.
01:26You're gonna regret that. My family basically runs this school. I'm untouchable.
01:32Cool. But are you waterproof?
01:35Huh?
01:35I bent down and turned the knob on a nearby sprinkler, which aimed straight at Milo and sprayed water all over him.
01:43Some other kids watching us laughed.
01:45Fifteen minutes later, I found myself in a familiar place, the headmaster's office.
01:51Do you think drenching a student with irrigation equipment is leadership material, Miss Idrizite?
01:58I don't think threatening a kid with a lacrosse stick is exactly student-of-the-month behavior, either.
02:03That student of the month is my grandson.
02:07Of course he is.
02:09Which is why you're not just suspended. You're expelled.
02:14Wait, no, please. If I get expelled, my parents will actually disown me.
02:19You don't understand. I'm supposed to be the next CEO of Idrizitech!
02:22As the school door slammed shut behind me, along with, you know, my future, I did the only thing a girl with no options and rapidly shrinking inheritance could do.
02:33I walked home. Every step was basically a countdown to whatever fresh nightmare my parents had waiting for me.
02:40Mom? Dad?
02:42Pack your bags.
02:43Immediately. Wait, you already know?
02:46You bet we do.
02:48You got accepted to Adventna Academy!
02:51I am so sorry, I...
02:54Wait, what?
02:55It's the number one school in the country. Looks like they changed their mind.
02:59Wow! So you're not mad about the sprinkler?
03:02The what?
03:03Nothing. When do we leave?
03:05Apparently, we were leaving that night.
03:07No time to overthink it, no time to sabotage it.
03:10Just a suitcase and a second chance that, let's face it, I totally deserved.
03:15And when we got there, my jaw almost dropped.
03:20Adventna made every other fancy school I'd ever been kicked out of look like a daycare run by raccoons.
03:26I waved goodbye to Mom and Dad and approached the doors with a fresh start in mind and a promise in my heart.
03:33But as soon as I walked through the doors...
03:35Layla Idrissi to the Headmaster's office immediately.
03:38Oh, what now?
03:40I hadn't so much as I rolled at anyone, and I was already in trouble?
03:44I braced myself as I entered the Headmaster's office.
03:47But something felt different this time.
03:50For one, the Headmaster was smiling.
03:53Ah, Miss Idrissi. Welcome to Edvina. I'm Headmaster Quinlan.
04:00Hi.
04:01Don't worry. You're not in trouble. Not yet, anyway.
04:05We brought you here for a very specific reason.
04:09Let's call it an assignment.
04:12What kind of assignment?
04:14One that requires your particular talents.
04:18Quick thinking, initiative, a healthy disregard for rules.
04:23Wow. Most schools just call that detention.
04:27Here, we call it useful.
04:30But if you mess this up, we will expel you.
04:35So, no pressure.
04:38He kept going on about some top-secret mission.
04:41About how the only reason I was at Edvina was to follow someone with as little contact as possible
04:47and await instructions for my next steps.
04:50Then, he slid a manila envelope across the desk like we were in some low-budget spy movie.
04:56I expected a photo of a criminal mastermind.
04:58Maybe a hacker. A ninja.
05:00At the very least, someone with a scar or an eye patch.
05:03But nope. It was Louis Block.
05:06A kid so aggressively average, he practically faded into the folder.
05:10Brown hair, brown eyes, scrawny.
05:14You could lose them in a crowd of two.
05:16And yet, that was my mission.
05:18Follow Louis.
05:20So I did.
05:21And at first, everything about him was even more ordinary than I'd expected.
05:25He was the quietest kid in class.
05:27He didn't eat with anyone.
05:29Even his locker code was 1234.
05:32But because he was allergic to attention,
05:34he actually turned out to be weirdly hard to follow.
05:37After all, we couldn't both sit in the back row and pretend to be invisible.
05:42And there's only so much space between the vending machine and the science wing.
05:46But in all that solo stealth mode,
05:48there was exactly one group activity where he appeared to be somewhat comfortable.
05:53The chess club.
05:54A place so mind-numbingly dull that it made math class feel like a rock concert.
05:59And, thanks to this seemingly pointless mission,
06:02I guess that's how I'm going to be spending my afternoon.
06:05Pawn to be for.
06:07Before what, though?
06:09I watched as Louis moved a pawn,
06:11then another pawn,
06:12then the horse one,
06:13whatever it's called.
06:15Riveting stuff.
06:17But then, his opponent leaned back,
06:19grinning like he just solved world hunger.
06:21Check me!
06:22Again!
06:23Well, Louis,
06:25did you just come here to be reminded about what a loser you are?
06:28Man, even in chess club he was an easy target.
06:32My brain was screaming,
06:34stay out of it,
06:35observe,
06:35don't blow your cover!
06:37But my instincts,
06:38they already stood up.
06:40Did you just come here to forget that your mom cut your hair with a weed whacker?
06:43And out of the corner of my eye,
06:51I saw Louis do something I hadn't seen him do all week.
06:55He smiled.
06:56After the three-hour chess club that felt like three years,
07:00I felt a tap on my shoulder.
07:02And when I turned around,
07:03it was him.
07:04Hey, thanks.
07:06You can talk?
07:07Uh, I mean,
07:08yeah,
07:08no sweat.
07:10And just like that,
07:11we started chatting.
07:12Nothing dramatic,
07:13nothing spy-worthy.
07:15But for the first time since I got here,
07:17it didn't feel like an assignment.
07:19It felt...
07:20normal.
07:21Actually,
07:22it turns out,
07:23we had a lot in common.
07:24My parents put so much pressure on me.
07:26I figure it's better for my future to keep a low profile.
07:29You probably wouldn't understand.
07:31Oh, trust me.
07:32I do.
07:33Maybe he was just a regular guy after all.
07:36But as we talked more often,
07:38I started noticing something unique about Louis.
07:41He had a knack for expressing himself in a way that was poetic.
07:45So you always eat alone?
07:47Mostly.
07:48But sometimes the birds show up.
07:50They all swoop down for the crumbs,
07:52pecking at them like it's their last meal on Earth.
07:55Yet somehow,
07:56they always leave enough for each other.
07:58And I think that's kind of beautiful.
08:00Yeah, it kind of is.
08:03Even his voice had this magnetic pull.
08:06Like there was something musical about him.
08:09And over the next few days,
08:10my whole just observe and report strategy
08:13kind of crumbled.
08:15I told myself I was keeping things professional.
08:17That staying close to Louis was just part of the mission.
08:20But the truth,
08:21we were becoming friends.
08:23Real ones.
08:24He was also weirdly funny.
08:26In that dry, blink-and-you-miss-it way.
08:29And he could quote MSA videos like they were Shakespeare.
08:32Which, let's be honest,
08:34is a wildly underrated skill.
08:36Why don't they teach those videos in school?
08:38I know, right?
08:40Then one afternoon,
08:41I saw him slip into a place
08:43I didn't even know students were allowed into.
08:45The old theater backstage loft.
08:47I waited for a moment,
08:49then crept in after him.
08:50And that's when I saw it.
08:52Louis, alone,
08:54tucked into the shadows
08:54with a battered violin under his chin.
08:57Playing.
08:57But not just playing.
09:00Humming, too.
09:01A soft, steady note
09:03that floated above the strings
09:04like it was made of air and magic.
09:07It was beautiful.
09:09Like,
09:09make your heart hurt kind of beautiful.
09:12And then,
09:13before I even knew what was happening,
09:15I was crying.
09:16At music.
09:17Me!
09:18Who knew I could even do that?
09:20Unfortunately,
09:21he heard my sniffles
09:22and looked directly at me.
09:24Oh,
09:24I'm so sorry.
09:25What?
09:26No,
09:26no,
09:26don't apologize.
09:27No,
09:27I'm so sorry.
09:29And before I could say anything else,
09:31he bolted.
09:32Like he'd accidentally set the building on fire
09:34with a G major chord.
09:35And I ran after him.
09:37I didn't know you could do that.
09:40No one does.
09:41I mean,
09:42they used to.
09:42But after what happened with my brother,
09:45I stopped, mostly.
09:47What do you mean?
09:48What happened?
09:49I don't know how to explain it exactly.
09:52It's like,
09:52when I play,
09:54it messes with people.
09:55Their emotions.
09:57Their
09:57insides.
09:59I don't try to do it.
10:01It just happens.
10:03He was going through something really hard.
10:05And I thought I was helping.
10:07I thought if I could just
10:08play the right notes,
10:09he'd feel better.
10:11But he didn't feel better.
10:12It just got worse.
10:14And then he...
10:17My parents sent me here after that.
10:20Said I needed a break from too much feeling,
10:23whatever that means.
10:24Suddenly,
10:25everything made sense.
10:27The quiet,
10:27the staring out of windows,
10:29the assignment in general.
10:31I wasn't just
10:31following a weird boy
10:33with a sad vibe
10:33and a violin.
10:35This was
10:35something else.
10:37Something powerful.
10:38And broken.
10:40Later that week,
10:41I got called into
10:42the headmaster's office again.
10:43Miss Idrisi,
10:45how are things progressing?
10:47With what?
10:48Oh,
10:48Louis?
10:49Uh,
10:50yep.
10:51He's just a
10:52totally normal guy.
10:53Nothing to see here.
10:55Definitely not emotionally gifted
10:56to the point of concern,
10:57if that's what you're wondering.
10:58I understand the two of you
10:59have become quite close.
11:01What?
11:02No, I...
11:03I'm the headmaster,
11:05Layla.
11:05I know exactly what happens
11:07around here.
11:08You do know
11:09about the incident
11:10involving his brother,
11:12right?
11:12I tensed up.
11:13This was going deeper
11:14than I ever could have thought.
11:16He blames himself.
11:19He hasn't spoken about it
11:20to anyone.
11:21His parents
11:22tried everything
11:23to help him out,
11:25got him the best
11:26therapist in the world.
11:27Nothing worked.
11:29But we believe
11:30his silence
11:31is part of the problem.
11:33When he plays,
11:35he connects,
11:36he releases
11:37what he's been holding in.
11:39Suppressing a gift like his
11:41is not healthy,
11:42especially
11:43when it's tied
11:44to guilt.
11:46That's where you come in.
11:47You need to help him heal, Layla.
11:51There's a gala next month.
11:53Nothing flashy,
11:54just a showcase
11:54of student work,
11:56a safe space.
11:58If Lewis were to play again,
12:00even just one song,
12:02it might be the first step
12:04back to himself.
12:06Convincing the quietest kid
12:08in the universe
12:08to sing at a fancy fundraiser?
12:10No pressure or anything.
12:12I found Lewis
12:13in his usual spot,
12:14tucked behind
12:15the music building,
12:16sitting on a chipped
12:17concrete ledge
12:17that overlooked
12:18the soccer field.
12:19Want one?
12:20The cafeteria
12:21throws them out
12:22a day before they expire.
12:23Still perfectly fine,
12:25just no longer
12:26worth the shelf space.
12:27Wait, what?
12:28That's like
12:28a criminal amount
12:30of food waste.
12:31Someone needs
12:31to stage a protest.
12:32You know what you should join?
12:33The Social Activism Club.
12:35They'd love you.
12:36Yeah, well,
12:37not sure I have time
12:37for that given my assignment.
12:39Assignment?
12:40Uh,
12:40assignments.
12:42Like,
12:42school assignments,
12:43homework tests,
12:44never mind.
12:45Anyway,
12:46you know what you should join?
12:48The roster of performers
12:49at the annual gala.
12:50Oh,
12:51no, I...
12:52Come on,
12:53I heard you play yesterday.
12:54It was...
12:54I said no,
12:55Layla.
12:59Sorry,
13:00it's just...
13:01not my thing.
13:02I should go.
13:03But,
13:03for a while,
13:05I kept trying,
13:06subtly.
13:07Isn't it weird
13:07how the word
13:08gala rhymes with
13:09voila,
13:09like a big
13:10performance reveal?
13:12Uh,
13:13sure.
13:14But,
13:14it was hopeless.
13:16I could feel my future
13:17as CEO of a
13:18crazy tech
13:18slipping through my fingers.
13:20I'd already burned
13:21through every other school
13:21worth mentioning,
13:22and the headmaster
13:23had made it clear,
13:24screw this up,
13:25and I was done for good.
13:27And if that happened,
13:28my parents
13:29would never forgive me,
13:30so,
13:31I felt like I had no choice
13:32but to do
13:33the ultimate betrayal.
13:35I signed him up
13:36for the gala anyway.
13:37And then,
13:38I told the headmaster
13:39that Louis had agreed
13:40to play.
13:41Next thing I knew,
13:42Louis wasn't just
13:43on the schedule.
13:44He was the centerpiece.
13:46They printed his name
13:47on the flyers
13:48and announced it
13:48in assembly.
13:50Was it manipulative?
13:51Yes.
13:52Did I feel bad?
13:53Also yes.
13:55But it was for his own good,
13:56right?
13:56I mean,
13:57he had to break out
13:58of his shell eventually,
13:59right?
14:00Unfortunately,
14:01he didn't see it that way.
14:04How could you
14:04do this to me?
14:05Uh,
14:06do what?
14:08Oh,
14:09please.
14:09You think just because
14:10I don't talk much
14:11means I'm stupid?
14:13I know it was you
14:13who signed me up
14:14for the gala.
14:15Thanks for reminding me
14:16why I don't trust anyone.
14:17I'd done the opposite
14:18of what I was trying to do.
14:20He wasn't coming
14:20out of his shell.
14:22He was burrowing
14:22deeper in.
14:23Thanks to me.
14:25So I went to
14:25the headmaster's office,
14:26rehearsing my confession
14:27in my head,
14:28how I pushed
14:29Louis to face
14:30far,
14:30how I'd betrayed
14:31his trust.
14:32That maybe
14:32I wasn't the right person
14:34to help him
14:34overcome his dark past.
14:36But when I reached
14:37the door,
14:37it was already
14:38cracked open.
14:39And what I heard
14:40made me freeze.
14:41Everything is
14:42right on schedule.
14:44The boy plays
14:45his little melancholy
14:47solo.
14:48The audience tears
14:49up and boom!
14:51Fifties!
14:52No,
14:53hundreds!
14:53No,
14:54thousands of dollars
14:55fall into
14:56our laps.
14:58Easy
14:59peasy.
15:00And yes,
15:01you'll get
15:01your 50%
15:02as agreed.
15:04I couldn't believe
15:06my ears.
15:07He didn't want
15:08to help
15:08Louis.
15:09He was using
15:10him for profit.
15:11And I was just
15:12a pawn in his
15:13scheme.
15:14But I'm not a pawn
15:15or one of those
15:16horse thingies.
15:18I was going to show
15:19him who he was
15:19really messing with.
15:21A queen.
15:22Chess club stuff.
15:24I sprinted to
15:25find Louis.
15:26He was sitting
15:26alone as expected.
15:29Louis!
15:31What do you want?
15:33Well, first off,
15:34to apologize.
15:35I never should have
15:36signed you up for
15:37the gala.
15:38But honestly,
15:38I swear to you,
15:39I only wanted to
15:40help.
15:41I didn't ask for
15:42help.
15:43Why does everyone
15:44keep trying to fix
15:45me?
15:46What if I'm not
15:47broken?
15:47What if I just
15:49want to be left
15:49alone?
15:50You have every
15:51right to feel
15:51that way.
15:52Then why are you
15:53here?
15:54Because something's
15:55not right.
15:56I overheard
15:56Headmaster Quinlan
15:57on the phone.
15:58He's not trying
15:59to help you.
16:00He's using you.
16:01The gala is just
16:02a cash grab.
16:03And your solo's
16:04the tearjerker.
16:05That's the plan.
16:06You suffer,
16:07and they get paid.
16:09I expected him
16:10to explode the way
16:10I was about to.
16:12But to my surprise,
16:13he didn't get angry.
16:14I guess he was
16:15too broken to
16:16even react.
16:18Of course.
16:19It tracks.
16:20I thought I was
16:21pushing you
16:21towards something
16:22good.
16:22But I got so
16:23caught up in
16:24juggling my own
16:24problems and
16:25trying to do
16:26the right thing
16:26that I guess
16:27I never asked
16:28what you wanted.
16:30Yeah,
16:31no one ever does.
16:32I'm so sorry,
16:34Louis.
16:35You know,
16:36when I first
16:37met you,
16:38something clicked
16:38in me.
16:39And I played
16:40something.
16:41Something different.
16:43What do you
16:43mean?
16:45Can I
16:46hear it?
16:47He didn't say
16:48a word,
16:48but the way
16:49he looked at me
16:50hit me harder
16:50than any note
16:52ever could.
16:53No audience,
16:54no gala,
16:55just me.
16:56I promise.
16:57To my surprise,
16:58he picked up
16:59his violin.
17:00I braced myself
17:01for another
17:01emotional gut punch.
17:03But what came out
17:04wasn't heavy or sad.
17:06It was light.
17:08And suddenly,
17:09so was I.
17:11I was grinning
17:12like an idiot,
17:13flooded with the
17:13kind of hope
17:14I hadn't felt
17:15since before
17:15I got kicked
17:16out of my
17:16first fancy school,
17:18back when I still
17:19believed the world
17:20could change.
17:21And then,
17:21through my joy,
17:22I blurted,
17:23Lois.
17:24Oh,
17:25you hated it,
17:26huh?
17:27Hated it?
17:28I've never felt
17:28so amazing
17:29in my life.
17:31Look,
17:31I know I can't
17:32get you out
17:32of performing
17:33anymore,
17:34but that doesn't
17:34mean you have
17:35to fall into
17:35their trap.
17:36If you played
17:37like that,
17:38you'll be making
17:39people feel good,
17:40including yourself.
17:42He gave me
17:42the smallest smile
17:43and left
17:44without a word.
17:45But I could tell
17:46something was
17:47shifting in him.
17:48On the night
17:48of the gala,
17:49I had no clue
17:50what to expect.
17:51Either the one
17:52person in my life
17:53I truly cared about
17:54gets exploited
17:55and traumatized
17:56even further,
17:57or he goes off
17:58script and
17:59reclaims his story,
18:01which meant
18:01I was probably
18:02getting expelled
18:03again.
18:05And then,
18:05just when I thought
18:06my bundle of nerves
18:07couldn't get
18:08more twisted,
18:09I spotted them
18:10in the audience.
18:11My parents.
18:12Guys?
18:13What are you
18:14doing here?
18:15Layla,
18:16look at you.
18:17Still enrolled.
18:18How nice.
18:19Come sit.
18:20We saved you a seat.
18:21We hear you're
18:22close with
18:22tonight's
18:23little prodigy.
18:24If getting expelled
18:25was my worst
18:26case scenario,
18:27then watching my
18:28parents' live
18:29reaction to it
18:29was the apocalypse.
18:31But as Louis
18:32made his way
18:32onto the stage,
18:33he looked
18:34unchanged
18:35in a way
18:36that made me
18:37sad.
18:38It was like
18:38the spotlight
18:39was too hot
18:40and had shriveled
18:41him back
18:41into the
18:41broken boy
18:42they all
18:43expected.
18:44And sure enough,
18:45a sad melody
18:46followed suit.
18:47As I looked
18:47around,
18:48I could see
18:49the audience
18:49tearing up,
18:50dabbing eyes,
18:52sniffles
18:52everywhere.
18:53And right on cue,
18:55Headmaster Quinlan
18:56started slinking
18:57between rows,
18:58smiling and
18:59collecting checks
19:00like it was
19:00church.
19:01As I watched
19:02Louis crumble,
19:03I expected,
19:04as always,
19:04for my body
19:05to move
19:06before my mind
19:07had a chance
19:07to think.
19:08But for once,
19:09I paused.
19:10It was my decision
19:11now.
19:12I could sit there
19:13and be the good girl
19:14everyone wanted me
19:15to be,
19:15or I could stand up
19:18and be me.
19:19You're amazing,
19:20Louis!
19:20I believe in you!
19:22Louis froze
19:23mid-note.
19:24As the wealthiest
19:25people in the country
19:26stared me down,
19:27I still stood firm.
19:29And then,
19:30like he just remembered
19:31who he was,
19:32Louis' lips
19:33twitched into a smile.
19:34And suddenly,
19:36the music changed.
19:37It became lighter,
19:39happier,
19:40and the audience,
19:41they forgot all about me.
19:43In fact,
19:44they actually started dancing.
19:46Headmaster Quinlan's donations
19:47became an afterthought.
19:49And just as I was ready
19:50to start joining the dancing...
19:52Layla,
19:53what have you done?
19:54Huh?
19:55What do you mean?
19:56The donations are stopping.
19:58Do you know what that means
19:59for the company?
20:00This was supposed
20:01to be a proof of concept
20:02for investors
20:03for our latest tech.
20:05Emotional music activation.
20:07You've ruined it.
20:08Make it stop.
20:10And it dawned on me.
20:11The person on the other side
20:13of the phone call
20:13with the headmaster
20:14was my father.
20:16I...
20:17But I...
20:18How do you think
20:19you got into this school
20:20in the first place?
20:21You had one task.
20:23Now we'll never be able
20:23to convince the board
20:24to make you CEO.
20:26No!
20:26Wait!
20:27I can...
20:27But I couldn't finish
20:29the sentence.
20:29I looked up at Louis
20:31and saw something
20:32I almost never saw
20:33in myself.
20:35True joy.
20:36And then,
20:37I remembered
20:38what he'd said to me.
20:39No one ever asks
20:40what I want.
20:42Did I even want
20:43to be the CEO
20:44of some big tech company?
20:46I realized
20:47the answer was no.
20:49If Louis could find
20:50his voice,
20:51then maybe I could too.
20:53You know what?
20:54Fine.
20:55Find another CEO.
20:57Layla,
20:57you don't mean that.
20:58Stop telling me
21:00what I mean.
21:01I don't want
21:02to be the CEO
21:03of Idrisi Tech.
21:04I want to work
21:05on something
21:05that helps people,
21:06not manipulate them.
21:08Now,
21:08if you'll excuse me,
21:10I have some dancing
21:11to do.
21:12I walked toward
21:13the front of the stage
21:13feeling more alive
21:15than I ever had.
21:16For a second,
21:17Louis looked up
21:18mid-note
21:19and our eyes locked.
21:20I didn't know
21:21what the future held,
21:22but I knew one thing.
21:24Unlike so much
21:25in our lives,
21:26we'd earned
21:27this moment.
21:28The next morning,
21:29I was called
21:30into the headmaster's office
21:31and I was rehearsing
21:33my speech
21:33to talk my way
21:34out of expulsion,
21:35but I walked in
21:36to find
21:36Headmaster Quinlan
21:37looking weirdly ashamed.
21:40You're not
21:41being expelled.
21:43I blinked.
21:44But your parents
21:44said if you
21:46wanted to
21:47transfer
21:48to any school
21:50of your choice,
21:51they'd support it.
21:52I didn't know
21:53what shocked
21:54me anymore.
21:55That I was
21:56still enrolled
21:56or that they
21:57actually cared
21:58about what
21:59I wanted.
22:00Maybe,
22:01for once,
22:02they were trying.
22:03Thanks,
22:04but I think
22:05I'll stay here.
22:06I hear there's a
22:07social activism club
22:08that may need
22:09some help.
22:10I walked out
22:10of the office
22:11towards Louis,
22:12who was waiting
22:12for me down
22:13the hallway.
22:14Still enrolled?
22:15Shocking,
22:16I know.
22:17You were kind
22:17of amazing
22:18last night.
22:19Kind of?
22:20Wow.
22:21Stop.
22:22I'm blushing.
22:23He suddenly
22:23stopped walking
22:24and looked at me,
22:25more sure of himself
22:26than ever before.
22:28I'm really glad
22:29you followed me.
22:31Yeah,
22:31me too.
22:32Turns out,
22:33I didn't need
22:34a mission
22:34to save someone.
22:36I just needed
22:36to stop chasing
22:37who I was supposed
22:38to be,
22:39and finally start
22:40choosing who I
22:41wanted to be.
22:42And maybe,
22:43for the first time
22:44in forever,
22:45that was enough.
22:47I missed everybody.
23:01You got me,
23:02I missed everybody.
23:04You got me.
23:08What was working on
23:09with?
23:10I missed everybody.
23:11I was really
23:12Woo-hoo.
23:13You hit my...
23:14I missed everybody.
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