"Hadley if you don't get down here in five minutes you will miss the bus! I'm not driving you today! I've got work!" My mom called to me from down the hall, probably in her bedroom.
"Mom," I weakly call into the hallway from my room, pressing a heating pad to my forehead. "I don't think I can make t to school today, I don't feel very well." Of course I should be going to class, but there was something much more important happening in town today.
"Oh my goodness," My Mom walks into my room, still putting in her left earring. She sat on the edge of my bed. By this time I had already shoved the heating pad under my bed. "You feel extremely warm, you definitely wont go to class today."
"Thanks Mom, If it's alright I'll just hang around here and rest a bit," My Mom removed her hand from my forehead. I fake a tiny cough and smile up at her.
"That's fine Hadley, I'm only about thirty minutes away so if you need anything, feel free to call or text me. Remember that Dad will be coming home around seven tonight, we've got to go pick him up from the airport," My Mom stands up and adjusts her work pants.
"Okay, I'll call you after I eat lunch," I say, waving to her as she shuts my door behind her. My dad was a CEO of some big company in California, and he often flew to Los Angeles from Pennsylvania, where we've lived since I was born.
I threw the covers off my body as soon as I heard the door shut. There were about five months of school left, and I've still got a few days to use as absent days before the year is over. I've been counting down the days until I finally get to try out for the new talent show in America. My Mom and Dad instantly rejected the idea, but I was very persistent and adamant about at least seeing if I could get past the first round.
January tenth, today was the day. I've had my outfit planned out for weeks now, a pair of simple jeans and a nice cropped sweater. There was still snow on the ground here in Pennsylvania, but the light pink sweater was completely my style. Maybe if I sing my heart out today I'll make it to round two, where they'll fly me out to Los Angeles, as my Dad so often does.
"Hadley?" My friend Jack calls from downstairs. "Are you ready yet? I've got the car running." Jack slowly walks up the stairs to the second story of my house, where my room was situated. He pushed open the door with his knuckles as I finished swiping eyeliner across my eyes, gently winging it out at the ends.
"Yep!" I smile, turning around to face him. "Let me just find my shoes." I push the heat pad out of my way as I dive under my bed, looking for my boots as Jack sat on the edge of my duvet.
"Have you got the song picked out yet?" Jack picks up the heat pack that I had tossed aside as I looked for my shoes. Jack and I have been very close ever since our Mom's had joined a book club before we were born. Jack is actually one year older than me, he's seventeen and I'm barely 16.
"Yes, I can't stop listening to it actually," I respond, pulling one boot on my left foot. Jack helped me plan this entire scheme, also faking sick to stay home from school and drive me to the auditions. Of course, Jack is a very cute boy and we're very close. I've admitted to my friend Cara about having feelings for Jack, but I'm almost positive that they are unrequited.
"I can't wait to be able to say that I know the famous- best singer ever- Hadley," He says, running his hand through his hair. He glances upward at the ceiling. "Ill look up at your billboards and tell everyone that I snuck you into your first audition."
"Yeah, and then a pig flies in front of your line of vision and the billboard disappears," I laugh and push him in the arm. "I'm not the world's bet singer or anything, really." I'm an average singer, but I think I could at least make it to round two. Maybe three if I manage to pull out a good song.
