They Have No Idea

This is a contest entry for "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge"  (as a part of the Writer's League Challenge) using the following prompt:

Your character becomes famous overnight. Detail how this has happened and how s/he feels about sudden fame..

299 words

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         “And now, we have the latest news on the mysterious disappearance of Jason Hartman, a 25-year-old from Los Angeles…”

         Blah, blah, blah. Jason Hartman turned off the TV, tossing the remote aside disgustedly. If he saw his face plastered across the television screen one more time, he was going to puke.

         Every news channel was telling his story. He’d become famous overnight. A spoiled brat who had everything that he’d ever wanted, things that most only dreamed of. For twenty-five years of his life, Jason had occupied a mansion with his wealthy family, complete with a pool, a stable, tennis courts, and a golf course. He drove a black Escalade, shopped at Saks Fifth Avenue, and attended Harvard.

         The last time his family saw him was at dinner the night before, when he was visiting from college. The news reporters speculated that he’d been kidnapped and was being held ransom, while Roswell fanatics were positive that he’d been abducted by aliens. What the police thought had happened wasn’t being released yet.

         The media, as usual, had it all wrong. Didn’t they understand that Jason had disappeared because he didn't want to be found? He had disappeared because it was the only way to escape his demanding, unreasonable father. By nature, Jason was shy and quiet, but his father had forced him to be someone he didn’t want to be. Jason had allowed his father to live his life.

         He wasn’t a spoiled brat who’d gotten everything he’d ever wanted. The one thing he wanted the most, he had been denied for twenty-five years. He wanted to live his own life, make his own decisions, learn from his mistakes, and experience what the world had to offer.

         Jason may have been twenty-five years old, but his life had just begun.

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