Amber

02| the collin green show

[not edited]

I am perplexed when I see a pool — of what I assume is cold water — , a bucket of slime and a slew of other items used for pranks scattered on the stage. I don't ask any questions and follow my adoptive family members, sitting down in an unoccupied seat. My face is painted with a practiced smile that doesn't fade when my headache returns as a consequence of the crowd's roars.

Collin greets us with a welcoming smile as the audience's applause subsides.

"How have you guys been?" The enthusiasm in his voice sounds genuine and I can't help but wonder if his exuberance is real.

"We've been great," Lucas answers on behalf of everyone. "We can't always have the best days because life is such, but we've been pushing through," he says, beaming.

"That's incredible," Collin exclaims, his smile never leaving his face.

"So, we're gonna play a game," he starts again and the audience 'oohs'. "Basically, in this game, I'm going to give each of you a random card with a number on it, and these flashcards in my hand-" he holds up the flashcards "each has your number on it with a question."

"When I say your number, I will read the question. Then, if it's your number, you will answer the question — honestly." Collin stops speaking and takes a set of cards off the table. "If you don't want to answer the question, you have to complete the dare at the back of the card," he says and the audience roars in excitement.

Collin gives each of us a card and like he said, there is a number on each. I check my card. It is adorned with the numeral three in golden glitter.

"All right, let's begin," Collin grins like a kid in a candy store. "The first question is," he pauses dramatically "Have you ever had a crush on another celebrity? If so, who?" the audience screams. "Number five!"

Zahra innocently gets up from her seat beside me and the audience cheers, waiting to hear her response. "Get slimed," Zahra reads the words on her card. The room is silent as she looks around before walking towards the bucket. "Are there any volunteers?" She gestures towards the bucket.

The audience starts cheering again, despite the fact that it was evident they wanted her to answer the question. Sophia rises up and walks up to where Zahra is standing, a smirk on her face. The audience applauds even louder. She takes the bucket and turns it over on Zahra's head.

Even though she knew what was coming, Zahra's mouth was opened in shock. "Mom!" Her voice is high-pitched as she screeches. As if watching a comedy show, the audience laughs in unison. "I didn't expect you to throw all of it," She feigns anger as Sophia laughs alongside the audience.

His manly voice laughs as he says his next words, "Okay," he pauses to laugh some more and the audience joins in. He laughs so hard his face begins to turn red. I start to think that it won't end until he finally calms down, "moving on."

Sophia and Zahra take their respective seats and she leans over to me, "Does it look bad?" She asks me, gesturing to her now slime-covered dress. Taking a look at her dress, I grimace. Before, she looked gorgeous, but now she looks like she was regurgitated from a fictional character.

Being the person that she is, I know Zahra will freak out if she learned how she looks, so I allow a smile to replace my grimace, "You look great."

She gives me a grateful smile, and we both refocus our attention on Collin, who is still speaking. "OK, but that doesn't matter," he dismissively waves his hands. I shrug, not knowing what they're talking about. "All right, the next question is," he says, pausing to read his card. "What is the most egregious thing you've ever done?" he inquires. The crowd makes sounds of curiosity, and he continues, "Number two!"

Sophia takes a deep breath, and the audience chuckles. "Ha!" Zahra screams as she mocks her mother, "That's what you get!" The audience laughs at Zahra's childish behavior before re-focusing their attention on Sophia. 

She takes a deep breath, preparing to answer the question, "At sixteen, I remember when I was in the washroom and I didn't think anyone else was in there. So, I decided to go on top of the stalls and swing from them like a monkey," When the audience recognized where her narrative was headed, they began to chuckle as though it was funny, "There was a girl in one stall using the bathroom. I remember the look on her face-" She pauses and changes the subject, "It's not funny because I know I violated her privacy, and I'd do anything to take that day back," she concludes and the audience stops laughing. It really wasn't funny, and I respect Sophia for recognizing that.

"Even though they this might not be excusable, children do foolish things — things that they will regret in the future, but it's our job to help them, right?" Collin laughs uncomfortably. "Moving on," he says hurriedly, changing the subject.

It must be my turn now. I'm sure of it. Bracing myself forwards, I put a smile on my face. "How many exes do you have?" He smiles cheekily when he reads the question, "Number one!"

I double-check my card number; it still has a 3 on it. I swallow a sigh. Lucas stands up and, without saying anything, pours the bucket of ice-cold water on himself. "I was a playboy," he confesses, raising his hands in surrender as everyone looks at him in curiosity.

The audience explodes in laughter once more. I think they just might be enjoying this more than we are. As Lucas takes his seat, I note the fact that only Raven and I haven't been called yet.

"Okay, we're down to just two more so let's go," Collin — who was laughing along with everyone else — says, amusingly.

"Alright next question," Collin wipes a tear from his eye, "Who is your role model?" He reads the card. I pray this is my question. In comparison to Lucas' and Zahra's, I believe it is clear and simple. "Number four!" This time, I'm sure my distress is visible because Zahra leans over and nudges me, asking if I am okay. Forcing a smile on my lips, I tell her, "I'm okay." And as expected, she leans back over to her seat after a firm nod.

Raven, as I had already figured, gets this question and her lips tilt into a grin when she hears how simple the question is, "My mom," She answers glancing at the beautiful woman whose eyes watered when she heard what her daughter said. The crowd awes in admiration and I smile at Raven. A genuine smile. If I was ever a mom, that would definitely be something I wanted to hear. And since Sophia's mood was still solemn from her question, this definitely enhanced it. The two go to hug, while the audience applauds.

Collin squeals, "That's wonderful, you guys." Everyone chuckles as he hastily exclaims, "Moving on!" since he doesn't want to cry. "Obviously, the last question is for Amber," he continues, and the focus moves to me.

I wasn't sure what to be expecting, I didn't want to answer a question that could complicate things. I sigh lowly as Collin clears his throat in preparation to read the question on it. When he unfolds the paper, I stop breathing. I think of my life before this. I don't want to go back. I don't want to go back.

"Have you grown to love your new family?"