Scratched

Thirty Three

THIRTY THREE

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My time in London had come to an end.

Christmas and the New Year's had come and gone, and now it was time for  all of us to make our way back to the States. I packed up my clothes, performing a miracle to get everything to fit. I had come with a lot of stuff, but I was leaving with even more. I had new records and clothes. I couldn't pass up all the wonderful stuff I had seen while here. Once I had everything I drug my bag down the stiars to join Ellery and Callum.

"All packed up, doll?"

I nodded. "Think so," I said.

"We'll be off then."

I stood off to the side as Ellery and Callum said their goodbyes to their parents. Mr. Young took it well, but Mrs. Young got emotional. As little as she saw them I couldn't blame her. I wonder what it had been like before Callum and Ellery had been launched into stardom. It seemed strange to picture them not in Love & Squalor. It seemed such a fundamental part of who they were—their lifestyle, the way they were. They seemed like they were just meant to be famous.

"It was so nice meeting you, Piper!" I jerked out of my thoughts as I heard my name. My eyes snapped up from where they had fixed on the expensive wallpaper. Mrs. Young wrapped me in a hug, and I had never been more surprised. I awkwardly patted her on the back, not knowing how else to react. My eyes met Callum and Ellery's over their mother's shoulder. They just smiled. "You must come back sometimes. Perhaps, sometime other than the holidays. Our family can be dreadfully... dreadful." I laughed, surprised at her words.

We finished our goodbyes and climbed into the car. The airport was busy when we arrived, and I instantly wished that we could get back any other way. The airport was such a pain in the ass. No one ever enjoyed flying. We made our way through the line and a stupid amount of time later we emerged on the other side. The good thing was that we were flying first class. It made everything so much better. I plopped down into the seat, letting my eyes slip closed. "You ready to get back on the road?" Callum asked as he dropped down beside me. I rolled my head to the side, looking at him.

"Believe it or not I am."

"No kidding," he said.

I slipped my headphones on, cranking up my music. I planned to grab whatever sleep I could before I landed back in Lechston. I was still feeling worn down since the other day, and with everything that had happened I was running low on energy. I glanced out the window, looking out across the runway. The music had barely been on before my eyes fell shut, and I was sleeping before the plane even left the airport.

♪         ♫        ♪

"Can you explain this?"

Andrew dropped a magazine into my lap no sooner than I had slid into the limo next to him. I looked from him to the glossy cover of the magazine. I knew without even reading it what it was all about. I glanced over at Callum who was trying to look uninterested but was failing miserably. How come this was getting all dropped on me? I wasn't the only one who was out on New Year's. Thousands of people celebrated New Year's every year, and I was the only one who was reprimanded about it.

"We were just having fun."

"Ah, yes," he said. "Fun."

"What is so bad about it?"

He snatched the magazine out of my lap, pointing a finger to the image displayed on its cover. It was a rather flattering picture of me and Callum. I would have loved to meet the photographer, and kicked his ass. Why did no one takes pictures of me when I looked good? In the picture was crooked and my hair was wild. Callum, for his part, was looking down at my with a dazed expression. To a viewer it might look like we were intimate with how close we were clinging to each other. "It's not as if we were doing anything. We were at a nightclub!"