I woke up the next morning and decided to not leave my bed. At one point, my mother had knocked on my door and asked if we could talk but I ignored her. My phone was blowing up from all the text and calls I was receiving from people who acted like they were my friends.
I guess some employee leaked the footage of Shawn kissing me spontaneously.
"Mellie and Shawn sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G? More details after the break!"
We were all over the news and on every cover of all the gossip magazines. It was embarrassing. There was video of Shawn kissing me and the whole garage situation. Everyone had seen it by now and everyone who knew me wanted the inside scoop.
'OMG Shawn and You? When did this happen?'
'Mellie you lucky bitch!'
'Does Shawn have any single friends?"
Message after message. It was nonstop. Even some reporters called me and wanted a statement.
What if I had never followed the sound of the music? What if I had just minded my own business and went back to the party? I could have endured the torture of talking to guys I had no interest in and then I would have went home. End of story.
No leaked videos or insensitive text messages.
Since my dad was a public figure and always in the news, I had gained a small following. The family christmas card of 2012 was leaked before we sent it out. The internet went crazy. We were '#familygoals' on twitter for 2 weeks straight. Thanks to my father's status, I had also gotten asked to do some modeling, make small appearances for charity and school events. I even got to appear in a few tv shows. They were small roles but they still were fun.
My father's media team had set up my twitter account when my father first became a diplomat and gave me access to it a month or so after the '#familygoals' broke. I liked being able to connect with people from around the world.
I went from 12.8K to near 5 million followers overnight. I was approaching 6 million and hadn't tweeted a word about the incident.
My phone started buzzing again, I picked it up to find Natasha calling.
Natasha and I met in France. Just like me, her family had sent her off to become a child prodigy. She currently was living in New York City and loving every second of it. I visited her when I could. She recently was signed to Victoria's Secret so it has gotten harder and harder to keep in touch.
She was my only real friend. During this entire situation, she hadn't called or texted me once. She knew me so well that she just knew to give me some space.
"Hello?" I asked, answering the phone.
"Check twitter, now." she demanded.
I got up and sulked over to my desk. Wiggling the mouse to wake up the computer, I cringed as the bight screen blinded. I slowly typed Twitter into the search bar.
"#oops?" I asked, very confused.
For some reason, '#oops' was trending. What idiot made oops a hashtag?
"Click on it."
I rolled my eyes and clicked.
"What the... fuck?" I whispered to myself.
There were thousands of screenshots of a tweet sent out by Shawn. It was a still from the security video of him kissing me with '#oops' written above it.
"Come visit me." Natasha begged. "Get out of there and let this all blow over."
"I can't." I replied, holding back tears. "My parents have me locked in."
I couldn't help but burst into tears. Natasha calmed me down and told me that everything was going to be okay.
"You just need to stand up for yourself. Tweet something back or give a statement. Do something to show how much you don't care."
She was right, if he was going to make this a joke, then why shouldn't I?
We said our goodbyes and hung up. I set down my phone and prepared myself to reply to his tweet. What should I say? Should I send a simple emoji or should I write an official statement?
I ended up shutting off my computer. I didn't have anything funny to say.
I convinced myself to shower and put on clean clothing considering I was still in my bra and panties from the gala. I combed my hair and washed my face before conjuring up some courage and leaving my room. Creeping through the house as quietly as possible, I descended down the stairs.
The whole house was dark except for one light left on in the kitchen. In the center of the island, there was a small note that read:
'Will be back Monday morning.'
I crumpled it up and threw it into the darken dining room. It was lightly sprinkling outside and the sun was setting. I pressed my hand against the french doors leading to the patio.
"Find me already." I said to myself. "Please just find me."
I made myself some toast and sat alone on the kitchen counter. Using the remote that controlled the stereo of the house, I turn on some light music, flicked on a few lights and went back upstairs. It was time for a major change. Flinging open my opened my dressing room door, I walked inside and stared at all of the pieces.
It was full of gowns and clothing picked out by my mother. Anything I would buy and bring home would just be given away.
"I'm so tired of being controlled."
I started ripping clothes off a hangers and from drawyers, carried them out of my room and threw them over the balcony, making them land all over the entryway. I accidently knocked over a vase and shattered it to pieces, "Oh well, I thought to myself and shrugged. Can't turn back now, better keep tossing shoes, jewelry and gowns overboard.
The only thing mother managed to let me keep was a pair of jeans and a black pullover hoodie.
Slipping into my casual outfit, I grabbed my wallet, found an old pair of sneakers at the very back of my closet, ran down stairs and started my search for keys which my parents kept locked away so that I wouldn't leave.
The drawers on my father's desk were all locked so I had no other choice but to break in. Shutting off my music and the lights, I kicked my clothes out of my way so that I could get to the garage. There was always agents stationed outside the main door, the garage door, the back gate and two at the front gate.
"I was given the orders to keep you in the house. You aren't allowed to leave." an agent said, stepping in my way.
"I would like to point out that legally, I am an adult. Despite the way my parents treat me. You're job is to protect my father and whomever he decides he wants protected. As an adult, I have the choice to refuse your protection. So as an adult, I'm refusing your protection. If you try and stop me, I will call the police and file a complaint." I said, crossing my arms. "Now move."
"I will step out of your way, but I will report back to your father that you have left the house and refused our protection." he replied.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night buddy."
I walked around him and got in. He nodded at me and opened the garage door. The car started with a hum as I buckled.
This was the first time in 2 years that I have driven myself somewhere.
Eventually I pulled out of the driveway and into the street. As soon as the reporters noticed my car, they all ran over and surrounded me. They all were yelling questions at me, that's when I decided to roll down my window and said nice and clear:
"Oops."
I rolled up my window and drove off.
New clothes was my main priority because mine obviously were on the floor. The nearest mall was only 15 minutes away. Upon arriving, I kinda went crazy.
Hitting up as many stores as I possibly could and picking out ripped jeans and fun colored socks I was never allowed to have. I got hats and watches, a leather jacket that I would never be able to keep if my mother had a say.
Nat requested pictures of everything purchased. She was shocked at how different I looked when I dressed myself.
The entire time, paparazzi was snapping photo of me and following me around. It didn't bother me at all. Nat said that it was good that I got out of the house and was treating myself.
It actually felt good to be in control.
Over the mall loudspeaker, a bubbly woman announced that everything was closing in 5 minutes. I grabbed my last purchased and went back to my car.
The trunk and back seat was completely filled. During the day on Sunday's the housekeepers and chef got to go leave the residence and do what they needed to do. They came back that same day around 7PM.
By the time I got home, I knew all my clothes would be out of the entryway and in the laundry room. Our staff always worked in mysterious ways. One minute everything is messy and the next, it's sparkling.
Zooming home, I so excited to put my new things away. I pulled into the garage and was greeted by Zoe, my favorite housekeepers. She had worked for my family for 25 years and practically raised me.
"You made the top of the news!" Zoe joked, helping me carry my new items into the house.
"Ha. Ha. Very funny."
Zoe helped me put my clothes away all while laughing and talking about Shawn.
"I don't know what it is, he just makes me melt." I said in awe.
"When I was little, my mother used to tell me this story about a beautiful young woman and a handsome man. The woman and man had met by complete accident but when they locked eyes, they fell instantly in love. There are some types of love that you can stop. When these two hearts meet, you can't undo them. They are tangled for life and crave the other. Some hearts are meant to be bound. The man and the woman were inseparable. They became one."
I smiled and looked down at my feel.
"There are few people like the man and the woman. True love is one in a million." she said, lifting my chin up. "You and Shawn, are the one."
"I really upset my parents." I said, wiping away tears. "They have always had this plan for me. I was going to marry a nice man who they thought was good for me. I was going to be a stay at home mother and attend charity events. I have always been a zombie. I was told to wear this and do that. I skipped thought my childhood and became a tiny robot adult. Then I met Shawn and for the first time in forever, I felt alive."
"From now on, you get to write your story." Zoe said, smiling and holding my hands. "Your new chapter starts today. Where do you wanna start?"
"I wanna find Shawn." I said.
Zoe smiled. She always knew how to make me feel better. She gave me a loving hug. She did more for me than my mother has ever done. She left the room to ask the chef to make me some dinner and see what she could do about finding Shawn.
I didn't want to just message him. I wanted to be with him. Zoe called me down and sat with me while I ate. It was getting late so she sent me to bed and told me that my new chapter begins in the morning.
My entire body got tired so I decided to get ready for bed and snuggle in. Today started off bad but turned out okay. I drifted off to sleep dreaming about Shawn.
The next morning I woke up and dressed myself, did my own hair and applied my own makeup. I had a bunch of events planned for the rest of the week which I planned on canceling. I could hear my parents talking quietly at the breakfast table. I sulked downstairs, regretting leaving my room already. My mother turned towards me as I came down the stairs.
"That's a... unique outfit." she said, lying through her teeth.
I ignored her and go myself a bowl of cereal. I sat down at the opposite end of the table from my parents. We sat in silence for 38 minutes, I timed it.
"So, your mother and I wanted to talk about this boy." my father started. "He's not really an ideal choice."
"We just want you to be with someone who has a good reputation!" my mother chimed in.
"Shawn isn't like us, he's... different... in a bad way."
"I like him." I said quietly.
"We has decided to let you attend the Winter Gala. We submitted you application and you'll be paired up with a nice young, responsible man, very soon! I also saw what you did with your clothes. I had the maids put them in the guest bedroom closet. I still expect you to dress appropriately while at events but I'm giving you some slack. I gave Zoe your schedule for the next month. With the Gala approaching soon, you need to be doing any many public appearances as possible! Also..."
"I like Shawn." I interrupted.
"No, you really don't Melody! It's just a phase! Trust me on this one. I thought I found the love of my life when I was your age. He was just like Shawn, dangerous and mysterious. But then I finally got smart and listed to my mother. That's when I met your father. Look how far I've come! You don't like Shawn and I forbid you from screwing up your life over some low class loser like him. He will tarnish your image and that my child, is irreversible."
Is this woman crazy?
"You mother is right." my father said.
Are these people crazy? It's ingrained in their tiny pea brains that you have to get far in life to be happy. What if I want to just settle down with Shawn on an island far away from here? What if I just wanna have island babies and lay in the sun all day? What if their picture of happiness is different than mine?
"I am not just going to..."
"That's enough Melody!" my father yelled, interrupting me. "We've given you everything you could have ever asked for. We have a plan for you. You need to stop being a little bitch and do as we say."
Silence
"Clear?"
Shaking my head yes.
"Good."
He picked up the newspaper and continued reading as if nothing had happened. My mother went on about the events she had planned for me. She dragged me into my new second closet and started handing me things to change into because we had a busy rest of the day. Zoe stood silently and watched as I was forced back into the robot I was the day before.
The next few weeks were a blur. Wake up, event, event, event, go home, sleep, repeat.
I kept up with the gossip. Shawn and I slowly turned into Shawn and an alleged new fiance. My stomach would churn as pictures of him kissing another woman flashed on the screen.
I was luckily enough to be kept busy for a month straight so that I wouldn't have any time to even think about him.
A MONTH LATER
My mother rushed into my dressing room followed by my stylist, Jake, pushing a rack of long gowns ranging in length and color.
"Oh Melody! I've waited so long for this!"
Faking a smile and started shoving dresses in my face to try on. I don't know where anyone would wear any of these dresses. They seemed like they were from other planets. Honestly, they were so impractical and if I had to wear something like this all night, I would have to be carried around because there was no way I was going to be able to walk with a huge train.
"How about this one?" She asked, handing me another dress with sleeves.
I get that she was trying to be modest, if I was 40 years older, these dresses would be perfect for me.
"Is there anything without sleeves? Something that breathes and I can successfully walk in?"
Jake, who first had brought the rack in, had ran out and bought another rack in.
"There were the dress I picked out for you but your mother said they weren't appropriate for this event. No offence Mrs. Hutson but she is only 19, she needs to dress like any other girl her age would."
"All the dresses you picked out are so... red.... All the other girls will be wearing neutrals and baby blues. The theme is silent night! The invitation even says to wear neutral elegant colors." my mother chimed in.
I tried on dress, after dress, after dress and you guessed it, another dress.
Jake handed me one last garment bag and reassured me he save the best for last. I sighed in protest but put the dress on anyways. He was right, this one was my favorite.
"This is is." Jake said smiling."
My mother on the other hand was not happy about it.
"It's red and to revealing. You're going to stand out too much."
"I'm tired of fitting in." I smoothed the skirt.
Mother threw her hands up because she knew she has been defeated. She rushed out of the room calling for her assistant.
This dress really did make me feel pretty. I had worn some extravagant gowns in my life, but nothing like this. I never got to wear red. Red was the color love, passion, desire, lust.
Red was attractive.
When someone wears red, it's to stand out. Beige and white were blending colors. I was watching this republican debate once. There were 16 men all wearing dark grey suits with a light colored tie, all yelling and debating politics. The next day, the headlines read "The lady in red". Among these 16 men stood one single brave woman. She was wearing a complete red suit coat and matching skirt.
She stole the entire debate and only talked for 6 minutes out of the 2 hours. You didn't see these grey suits on the front page, you saw red.
I'm sure this woman had many other options. She could have worn grey or tan and blended in. She would have been mentioned maybe once at the bottom at each article about how little speaked. Instead of just giving in to what the norm is, she stood out.
"All those other pretty little girls are going to but turning head but Mellie, you're going to be breaking necks." Jake said, squeezing my shoulders.
I laughed at his encouragement, actually I was looking forward to this event. My night sure as hell won't be anywhere near silent.
