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I stood in the same spot waiting for my aunt and brother and sister to reach me. I could feel my heart beating faster with every step they took. Suddenly, my head was filled with questions. All my fears of doing this, coming back, were returning. My aunt was the first to reach me. She smiled at me.
“It
looks good,” she said quietly. “If I didn’t know better, I’d never have thought
you dyed your hair.” I smiled back at her.
“Thanks,”
I whispered.
“C’mon,
guys!” she called to Zac and Avery, who were too busy fighting to have already
noticed me. I followed her into the house.
“I
just have to change real fast,” she explained. I sat down on the couch and
waited. Footsteps and voices announced the two’s approach. I took another deep
breath.
“Hey-,”
The voice stopped abruptly.
“Whoa,”
Avery said. I smiled.
“Hi,”
I said, none of the tons of uncertainty I felt inside of me showing. My voice
surprised me. It sounded much more calm than I felt.
“Dude,”
Zac said, “when did you do that?”
“Oh…I
was just feeling…” I searched my brain for a word. “…different.”
“Well,
that’s not different,” Avery said, “that’s old.” She had a point there.
“True,”
I agreed.
“Okay,”
Aunt Kate said, coming out of the bedroom and still putting on an earring.
“Everybody ready?” she asked, looking around.
“Yeah,”
I said. Zac and Avery nodded agreement. We headed out the door.
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We
pulled up in front of the restaurant and I groaned inwardly. There were so many
fans you couldn’t even see the door. Dejá vú. Even though I hadn’t experienced
this in a few years, the times I had were still fresh in my mind. This was the
exact reason I left. Aunt Kate noticed my look and winked. When I had moved in
with her, I poured my heart out to her. I told her everything I had never ever
told my family. She knew everything about me. Dad and a few bodyguards appeared
outside the car.
“Come
on,” Zac said, “let’s go.” We opened the doors and stepped outside. Dad was
right next to me. I know the first thing he noticed was my hair. But he didn’t
say a word because of all the people around. We made it through the crowds okay
and pushed through the double glass doors. I could see Mom, Isaac, Taylor,
Mack, and Zoë across the room. Dad was still standing next to me. He smiled
down at me; his way of saying it was okay. He was like that. He didn’t say
anything like that in words, but in body expressions. I slapped a big smile on
my face and walked for the table with my dad, Zac, Avery and Aunt Kate. I
smiled even bigger when I got to the table and sat down. Everyone was looking
at me, for one reason or another. Most because of my hair. But Zoë, for example
was staring at me simply because everybody else was, I had just arrived, and
she recognized me. Avery, Zac, Aunt Kate, and Dad sat down. Zac sat across from
me and I could tell he was trying hard not to snicker. I shot him a glare,
which made him want to laugh harder.
“Hello,”
a slim young woman said, coming up to our table. “I’m Anna and I’ll be your
waitress for tonight.” She smiled pleasantly and began taking drink orders. I
swallowed hard. Anna. Her name was Anna. That had to mean something. I
mean, it must be an omen or something. I swallowed again and tried to smile as
I told Anna that I wanted a Sprite. After she left, I excused myself to the
bathroom. I had to get a hold of myself. But as I was walking through the lobby
toward the quaint sign that said “Restrooms” there was a crash and suddenly
there was a torrent of fans and reporters coming toward me.