Childhood Crushes

Chapter Eighteen - I Am Not A Baby

Hazel's smile fell slowly. She looked so confused. Expecting me to be jumping up and down like the rest, she was shocked by this quiet and confused girl with a stupid hat on.

"What are you talking about?" She asked. I quickly grabbed her by the shoulder and dragged her out of the heavily crowded area. We snuck around back where it was quieter, but you could still hear the principle saying names in the microphone.

I pulled out the letter from my back pocket - ripping off my gown in the process, it was hot out! - and gave it to her. Hazel read it much quicker than I did, but then again this wasn't her dad. The words didn't have meaning to her like they did to me. When she finished reading, her eyes shot up to mine. She had that face...

"OH MY GOD-" And there it goes. "YOU'RE DAD INVITED YOU TO!-"

"Can you hush?!" I shrieked. The other side of the stage had gone silent for a second; they obviously heard her. She rolled her eyes at me.

"Annabelle, this is big! You haven't seen these guys since you were what, ten?-"

"Thirteen."

"-Right! Well, I think this will be good for you. Go and reconnect with the family, you know-"

"Who said I'm going?" I asked.

"...Um, you did. About five seconds ago."

Oh, damn, she was right. I shrugged and turned away, looking at the trees swaying in the light breeze. This was probably the last 'nice' day of the summer. Now it'll be scorching hot and miserable. Nothing but staying indoors in the A/C for me. If I go down to Tennessee, I'll have to be outside, unless I want to be locked in the house with brothers I haven't heard from in years and a dad that hasn't even tried to come and see me.

I would probably bake to death if I was outside all the time. My pores would be full of dust and all my shoes would have horse poop on the bottom of them. All around, this sounded like a terrible idea.

I shrugged, "I don't think I want to anymore."

"Why not?! Do you know how awesome this is? You're like one of those actresses you read about in those magazines. You have a dad you haven't seen or heard from in years! A crush back home you haven't even asked out yet-"

"How do you remember that? It was years ago. He's probably a buck toothed geek by now." I glared at her.

"Not Harry Lyttle, I remember his picture. He had the makings of a cute, cute, cute, cute, guy." She winked.

"You're such a pedophile."

Hazel rolled her eyes once again, "Will you listen to me! This is your chance to have a new beginning! Here, you're the quiet girl that never really went on a date...unless you count the time I sicked you on that jerk, but I don't."

I looked back at the tree. The leaves were emerald green, shining in the sunlight, standing out against a bright blue sky. "I don't know..."

"Just go, Belle! I'll go with you!" Hazel clapped her hand over her mouth after that. She knew she really didn't want to go. Horses, rednecks and banjos? That wasn't her scene. She accepts she's a city girl and always will be, she has no problem with it.

What she said already came out though, and it was too late for her. We have a rule; once you promise something, you have to do it, no matter what. I stick to that rule, 'no matter what', and she needs to as well.

"You're on." I nodded, turning and marching back to the celebration part of the stage. Hazel ran after me, yelling things like 'I'm not going to Hillbilly Town!' and 'Rule or no rule, you're going on your own!'. "What'd you say?!" I shouted. "I can't hear you over all of this excitement!"