Not So Normal

Chapter 70

   The wedding planning has officially begun. Lindsey is in charge overall, but my mom, stepmom, Tyler, and Jackson are all helping. They're all getting along surprisingly well, too. It's been about three weeks since Christmas, and they're planning it so quickly it's like they think the wedding is next week, instead of six months away. They haven't all met together in person yet, but they've had probably seven or eight group calls on Skype. It's insane.

   The fans have reacted to the news pretty well for the most part. I just don't let myself read comments and stuff on Twitter and Instagram because I know if I do, I'll just get down on myself if I see negative stuff. That's why I'm splitting my time between hanging with Tyler while he works on wedding stuff, spending time with Niall, and working on my next album. I called Michelle as soon as Niall and I got back to LA, and she schedule writing time in the studio immediately. I get to work with some pretty cool people again, so I'm excited.

   Today, January 21st, is my mom's birthday. Since I haven't visited for a few months I decided to surprise my mom and fly out to see her. Niall really wants to come, but I don't want him to come because my mom wouldn't let us sleep together. She's still under the impression that I'm her good little girl that's waiting until marriage to have sex. If only she knew. That's why I didn't tell her the real story of what led up to me going to rehab. She thinks my old depression just acted up for no reason. She has no idea I was pregnant.

   Niall comes through the airport with me and then gives me a nice and long goodbye kiss. I'm coming back in three days, but neither of us want to spend even that much time apart right now. We're just annoyingly lovesick.

   My flight to Utah is quite uneventful. No one is sitting next to me on the flight, so I take it as an opportunity to take a much needed nap. Between wedding stuff, album stuff, and doing stuff with Niall, I've barely been sleeping the last few weeks. It's only about a two hour flight, but every little bit of sleep helps.

   When I land in Salt Lake City, I go straight to the car rental place and get myself a nice red Mustang convertible. I stop at the giant mall in downtown SLC to get a couple presents for my mom before I head for her house. I sure hope she's home.

   On the way to my old house, a bunch of people get pictures of me while I'm stopped at lights and such. I make sure to smile and wave for all of them, and I find it all very amusing. My friends from here tell me that I'm more popular here than anywhere else. I guess all those people from school that were mean to me finally realized that I'm so much cooler than them.

   When I pull up to my old house, my mom is outside working in the flower beds. She doesn't look up when I stop in front of the house, so she probably thinks I'm just someone stopping at the neighbor's house. I grab my little duffel bag and my mom's presents and then start walking across the lawn.

   "Surprise!" I yell, startling my mom. She turns around and does a double take when she sees me. Her look of surprise turns to that of happiness as she gets up and gives me a hug.

   "I can't believe you're here! I thought you'd be too busy to come visit," she says, throwing her gardening gloves into the flower bed.

   "I managed to squeeze you into my schedule. It's been too long since I've visited."

   "Well I'm glad you could come. Your brothers are at school, but they'll be happy to see you. Riley's been asking when you were planning on visiting," she says, referring to my youngest brother. He's 12 right now, and he's a little cutie.

   "I'll pick them up if you want," I offer.

   "Oh that would be great, honey. Parker gets out at 2:45 and Riley gets out at 3:15. You know where the schools are, right?" she asks.

   "Yes, mom. I'll be fine. You need to relax; it's your birthday. You don't turn 41 every day, you know."

   "I know, I know. I just didn't want to sit around doing nothing all day. I guess I'll start getting dinner together for tonight. What do you want to eat?" my mom asks.

   "Mom, are you crazy? I'm not letting you cook on your birthday! Dinner's on me tonight. We'll all dress up and go out. Not buts," I insist. Mom looks ready to fight me, but I think she knows there's no way she'll win this one. She's probably relieved that she doesn't have to cook now.

   My mom and I sit in the kitchen and talk for a bit before I leave to pick up my brothers from school. I want everyone to be jealous of Parker, my other brother, when they get out of school and see me in my shiny red Mustang, so I make sure I'm parked in the very front, right outside the doors. I don't know if Parker flaunts the fact that I'm his sister, but you would think a junior in high school would brag that his older sister is famous. I would if I was him.

   When the bell rings, students pour out of the doors. A lot of them gape at me and start whispering excitedly. A crowd gathers between me and the doors, so I don't see when Parker comes out. People start asking for pictures and autographs, so I get out of the car and go talk to people.

   By the time Parker figures out that the crowd is surrounding his ride home, I've been in probably 75 selfies and signed quite a bit of stuff. A guy even had he nerve to ask for my number, and he was cute, but too young for me. I'm not a cougar.

   When I see my brother, I can't help but put him in the spotlight.

   "Parker! Hey little brother!" I say, ruffling his hair. He swats my hand away and grumbles while he fixes his hair. He looks so happy to see me.

   "Parker, you never told us Elissa was your sister!" I hear some girl squeal. Parker's cheeks turn red and he bites his lip. He's not used to lots of attention. As weird as it sounds, maybe I'll get him some girls. He's probably be happy about that.

   I finish getting pictures while Parker sits in the car, and then we drive off so we can pick up Riley. Pretty much the same thing happens at his school, but it's a little different since it's a bunch of little middle schoolers. Riley is already a bit of a ladie's man, but I think my little visit just boosted his standing by quite a bit. Middle schoolers are easy to manipulate.

   Later that night, me, my mom, my stepdad, and my brothers all get dressed up and I drive us all downtown for dinner. A couple days ago I made reservations at a fancy restaurant that usually takes months to get into. Celebrity perks, I guess.

   I have a fun evening with the family, and for a small time, I forget that Ella isn't here. When I remember her, I calm down a bit, and I think everyone else is thinking it too. It's been a little more than a year since her death, but the wound is still fresh. She'll always be missed, but we're slowly learning to cope with the sadness.

   

   The next couple days are really fun. We hang out at home and go out and do stuff, and we just have a good time. I even set Parker up on a date with some girl I thought he'd like that I met at his school when I picked him up. He totally owes me one. I didn't realize how much I missed my family. As much as I enjoy being away from them, I need them every once in a while. They are family after all.

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So I'm sure you all heard about Robin Williams by now. Guys, if you're suffering from severe depression, there are people here for you. I suffer from depression myself and know what you're going through. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. You should never think that you're all alone.

So back to NSN... I'm truly sorry that I haven't updated. I know I keep saying that, but I really mean it. I have been busy out of my mind the last few weeks. But now I'm back home for three more weeks before school starts, so I'll have  more time hopefully. But I still have to do all my summer homework.

Guys, NSN got more than 1,000 reads since the last update, and that is amazing to me. Last time the huge time gap between updates only got a couple hundred reads, so this made me super happy. Keep telling people about this story!

You guys are amazing and I love you. Vote, comment, and spread the word!  :)