On the road with Ryder Crawford (Haylor Fanfic)

XXXVI - Celebrations

Mayor Anderson has invited me to perform on the town's founding celebration today, it feels good to be in front of people from the town who have seen me grow up. Although I didn't always have the best memories with everybody, still this is home and these people whether they like it or not are part of my home.

Abigail's trotting around trying to find me a suitable dress for the ball.

"Ugh why do you only own stripes, sweaters and sundresses?!" She huffs out frustrated.

It's true I don't own any long dresses unless you count mom's prom dress passed down to me. I look at Ryder and he's on his phone talking very silently for anyone to hear.

"Drop it Gail, I'm performing anyway I'm not taking part on the ball. You however need to get ready Miss Bisbee" I say slightly snickering.

She narrows her eyes on me and I burst out laughing.

She's competing for this year's founding ball - it's not your typical beauty contest it's like a debut of seventeen-eighteen year old girls where they get "shown off to the world" more like in town, year after year they go flawlessly down the town hall's beautiful and intricate staircase and dance in the town square with their handsome escorts. In here, it's a right of passage for every girl.

But as for me, I've decided to skip it. I think I already had my fair share of being shown to the world.

"I don't know what's worse, my mother forcing me into it or being escorted and waltzing with Andrew" She says cringing.

Then Abigail's mother arrives and she starts prepping her for the ball, while I sit near Ryder and eye him as he shoves his phone to his jeans hastily when I neared him.

He looks at me raising his eyebrows innocently.

"It's your birthday?!" Abigail suddenly shrieks earning her a pull on her hair by her mother.

I follow her gaze and she's looking at Ryder with wide eyes, I turn my head to him and see him with a mock hurt look.

"Really thought you both were planning a surprise" He said with a light laugh.

"Surprise! We didn't know!!" Abigail exclaims with jazz hands then both of them chuckle.

How can we not know it's his birthday? I feel so much guilt inside, it's causing me a lot of weird qualms.

"I think my mom forget her lunch, I'll go run it to her real quick" I say quickly leaving no room for questions and dart out.

Ever since the stunt we pulled with Andrew, the media has relatively lost their interest in me and I don't know why that comforts me when I should want them all over me to help my EP sell.

So now I can actually walk around town without being written a new rumor about. I head to my favorite boutique, where they sell a lot of cute clothing and trinkets.

"What do I give someone who has everything?" I silently asked myself.

Then I let everything I know about him drown my thoughts as I walk around the boutique.

Something catches my eye, I walk towards it and brush my hands to it slowly.

"It's perfect" I say with a grin while holding it to my chest.

After the boutique I head back home, I slid myself in very silently careful not to be heard from upstairs.

I scramble to the kitchen and bring out everything I think I might need in baking a cake.