Crystal Clear

Chapter Twenty Five

GABBY

I'm awake at nine thirty in the morning, I already took a shower and got dressed—I'm wearing a racer back tank with boxers and my hair is in a messy bun on top of my head. I don't have any makeup on. Matty's downstairs baking cookies with Dee, who is surprisingly awake. My dad must have left and gone to work already.

The doorbell rings.

I hear Dee say, rather loudly as usual, "I got the door!" to Matty. And I hear her open it—I'm in the middle of drawing in my sketch book though to realize.

"You know... just because she comes off strong doesn't mean that she doesn't goes to bed crying and even though she acts like nothing's wrong, well she might be lying," I hear Dee say. She was full of quotes, this girl. Outside, it's pouring of rain.

"Crystal!" Dee shouts from the bottom of the staircase.

"What!?" I yell back.

"Come here!"

"No, you come here!" I snap.

Dee tells the person to hold on then comes running up the stairs. I figure it's probably Moe, who might be surprising me.

"He's here," she tells me.

"Tell Moe to stop being lazy and walk up the stairs. It's not even near his scrimmage yet, why is he so early? I thought Joe was coming anyway," Dee looks so confused.

"Tony," she says, barely inaudible.

My eyes almost pop out of its sockets.

"H—how? Why? You left him downstairs with my brother?!"
"No, I left him in the rain,"

"Ohh...alright. I guess I'll see what he wants," she looks as though I have six heads.

"Uh, well, but, you're not Crystal," I look at her like she's the crazy one.

"You don't look like Crystal, you look like Gabby!" she corrects urgently, realizing how slow I am processing this.

Shit!
"Do my makeup, please. And hair?" I beg Dee, who got right on it.

See, in New Jersey I am known as Crystal Boyd. My mom's a famous TV show host, of the Sara Live Show, Sara's her name, obviously. She's based in NYC. See, my original name is Gabriela Graise. Crystal is just a name my mom wanted me to have, but my dad refused. Once they divorced, my mom got her way with me. My mom doesn't like the name Gabriela. So in school, my teachers call me Crystal. So do my peers. And Crystal is very popular, high class, bitchy. That type.

And yes, I've been in movies. On my mom's show. I even had my own sitcom—Crystal. I'm just a recognizable, popular celebrity and nobody in North Carolina can know. This whole deal though... it's just not who I truly am. I've found myself here, my actual soul, in North Carolina. I've been caught in the paparazzi before, but I was known as Crystal. And I do truly look different. It's like my whole life is just... a show... I guess that's what it's like to be a celebrity. Dee is just about done fixing this wig on me—it's platinum blonde with pink highlights.

The only person that actually knows the real me, is Deanna. Also known as Diamond, on the sitcom Crystal that was produced by my mom. And that's why I keep her around as my best friend, she knows what I'm really like. She knows too many of my secrets to get rid of her. But the thing is, is that I cared so much about what people thought about me back in Jersey. Over here in North Carolina, in Stanfield, I just don't give a shit anymore. I'm not with my mom and I was totally expecting to have a miserable time—whenever my mom describes her marriage to my father, she describes it as completely miserable and isolated, so I was just sort of expecting the same for me—I didn't want to have another boyfriend after Tony. I also believed that if I didn't wear this much makeup like I usually do as Crystal that I wouldn't be accepted by everyone and that was my goal at first but now everything's changed. I don't want to be fake anymore, I know I don't need makeup, I've spent most of the entire summer so far without it. I like North Carolina because I can just be myself here instead of Crystal, instead of being weighed down by these expectations. I like being a kid.

Once Dee coated my face in makeup and lathered me in glitter, added some tips to my nails, fake eye lashes, tweezed my eyebrows and drew on them. Then put me in a golden tube wrap dress it was time for me to go talk to Tony. I feel so fake. Dee even gave me her extra colored contacts which is a clear blue that is really pretty. Dee comes downstairs with me and we open the front door. Tony is standing there, half smiling, soaking wet. He looks happy to see me.

"Hi," I say to him, mumbling. I don't smile.

"Crystal," he breathes as he wraps me into his arms, hugging me. I recoil from him almost instantly.

"What do you want? Why are you here?" I ask monotonously.

"I want to talk," he demands.

"Okay. Talk," I retort.

"Alright... listen, I know you have every right to be mad,"
"And you have every right to go to hell," I spit freshly.

I can tell Dee's holding in her laughter.

"Just...can I have a word with you, privately?"
"No, you can have two: fuck off," I say.

"Crystal! Sometimes, sometimes all you need is a second chance because time wasn't ready the first try," I don't have a comeback for it.

"Now, can we please talk privately?" I nod, fine, we walk to the back of my house on the deck, which is covered by the roof. It's still downpouring.

"Listen, Crystal, I'm sorry for everything I did... but... sometimes the truth hurts, so we lie."
"I already know that when you were lying with another girl," I say sharply.

"And I want you back," he finally says, giving a deep breath.

"Okay let's play a little game called HONESTY. First of all, I cared too much in the past to care now. Second, when you kept telling me 'forever' was that supposed to mean until you found someone else? Third, you left me nothing but with tears in my eyes." I'm trying to not break down into tears as I say this.
"But I want you BACK!" He shouts, before answering I get a text message from Dee:

Joe + Moe r here- game got cancelled. I told Moe ur out.

I text back: Thank u ! !

Then I'm looking back up at Tony.

"I knew Tony, that sooner or later, you were going to see the mistake that you made. That you would come running back to me. You should've never made me cry like you did and boy, let me tell you why... cause you had the best. You know that and so do I. But you traded me in for a different girl."
"I WAS STUPID!" He's shouting at me.

I cringe.

OMG, what if Moe can hear him?!
"Yes I know, and... I hate you, for what you did but I'm in love with you for who you used to be," I tell him softly. In return, he gives me a soft smile.

"Crystal... everything comes out right in the end. If it isn't right between us, it's not the end..." However messy this may be, I know that I'd want to go back to him too. Back to the Tony I thought he was. But now I'm being treated better, and I must remember that. That would mean I have no self-respect if I just went crawling back into his arms.

Another text from Dee:

Shit.

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Love to love you!!! Gabby would appreciate if you ever tell her the thoughts on this chapter!

- Eleni