The First Steps (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 1 of the Hardships Saga)

Chapter Three

❝chameleon (pronounced kəˈmiːlɪən or ka-mee-lee-un) noun
1. a small slow-moving Old World lizard with a prehensile tail, long extensible tongue, protruding eyes that rotate independently, and a highly developed ability to change colour.
2. (figurative) a person who changes their opinions or behaviour according to the situation.❞

Hunter was sure that there was something wrong with Lilly.

Maybe it was the way that she had lost some of the spark in her eyes. Maybe it was because she constantly had shadows under her eyes. Or maybe it was the scary amount of weight she lost.

She used to have fuller cheeks, a little bit of a stomach, but nothing too bad. She was beautifully curvy, and she was overall gorgeous. But now, she seemed sickly skinny, and her tiredness was overbearing in some ways.

"Lilly, darl, eat something," urged Lynette when Lilly was over at Hunter's house for his sixteenth birthday, and Hunter had gone to the bathroom. Lilly shook her head.

"No, thank you, Mrs Hayes," she said. "I'm not feeling hungry."

Lynette leaned forward. "I've been a teacher long enough to recognise an eating disorder, Lilly."

Lilly was shocked, but only for a second. "You don't know me."

"I'd be willing to bet that I know you better than your mother does."

"You can't make that bet."

"I could."

Lilly looked down. "Nobody knows me."

"I know-"

"No, you don't," Lilly said firmly. "I'm- I'm like a chameleon."

Lynette frowned. "A what?"

"I pretend to be someone I'm not, whenever I'm around people. Around my parents, I'm posh. Around the teachers, I'm smart. Around you guys, I'm... I dunno. But I'm never myself."

"Except around Hunter."

She bit her lip. "Not even him. I hate to admit it, but I've lied to him a lot."

Lynette narrowed her eyes. "What do you-"

"Cake!" yelled Hunter, waltzing into the room, and Lilly laughed at him.

"You dork," she said. "Mrs Hayes, I think your son wants cake."

She laughed, pretending that the conversation they had just been having never existed. "Of course, hon. Cake!"

The lot of them sang Happy Birthday, and as Lynette began slicing cake, she slid a slightly bigger piece onto Lilly's plate. Lilly noticed and narrowed her eyes at her. Lynette stayed silent, as Hunter began to dig in. "Lilly, you gonna eat?" he asked with his mouth full.

"Hunter, finish eating," scolded Lynette, and Hunter swallowed his massive mouthful.

"Well?" he asked. "Go on!"

Looking at the two of them, Lilly raised the spoon to her mouth and ate the first proper thing she had in months. When she tasted the amazing vanilla sponge with the coffee icing, she couldn't help herself. She ate so fast that Hunter stared.

"Did you eat before you got here?"

"No, I skipped lunch," said Lilly, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "Dang, that was good."

Hunter smiled, noticing that Lilly was in a better mood. "Wanna go up to my room?"

"Sure," she said.

They wandered into Hunter's room, where all his recording equipment was still out. "Sorry, I, uh, forgot to clean up," he said sheepishly, and Lilly smiled, flopping onto his bed.