LOST IN REALITY [LUKE HEMMINGS] COMING SOON

1. Bad Decisions

PRESENT DAY

Hailey Rose Callahan was feeling impulsive.

"Thanks again for the help, guys," she found herself yelling a bit as she competed with the steady whir of the running faucet.

Her head was strategically placed underneath the lukewarm stream, rinsing out the remaining hair dye that coated her once perfectly golden mane. She blindly reached for the knob to shut off the water, making sure to keep her head over the sink to prevent her sopping hair from dripping onto the tile floor.

Not that it seemed to matter, she noted, eyeing the already messy state of the very small, very cramped bathroom.

"Anything for my favorite celebrity relative," her twenty-nine year old stepbrother, Ashton, quipped, tossing her a beach towel to dry her hair, "Sorry, it's all we have left," he added, gesturing to the various used towels scattered across the floor and counters.

"I'm your only celebrity relative, Ash," she pointed out with a chuckle, giving the towel a quick once over as if to ensure that it hadn't already been used.

The former blond cringed at the entitlement her response unintentionally carried. Examining her freshly box-dyed hair in the mirror, she continued, "My hairdresser's going to have a stroke when she sees this," Hailey muttered, running her fingers through the dark brown mess of damp strands, "Do you know how long it took to finally remove all of the blue and make it the perfect blond?"

"And here I thought you'd left impulsive choices in L.A.," Michael quipped, sliding off the counter beside her. He was her oldest friend in Sydney, and a shameless co-conspirator in most of her bad decisions. This wasn't the first time he'd seen her act with such spontaneity; and something told him that it sure as hell wouldn't be the last.

"I like it," he finally concluded with a wink as he ran a hand through his fire engine red hair, "Now you've got me wanting to dye mine again."

Hailey rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the smile tugging at her lips. Michael had always been too confident for his own good— especially with hair dye choices.

Before she could reply, Ashton chimed in, "It's Hailey Rose now, Mikey, remember?" he teased, emphasizing the use of her middle name. This earned a slap on the shoulder from his stepsister after securing the towel around her shoulders.

"It's just a stage name," she mumbled, crossing her arms as she sheepishly looked down at the floor.

That's how her only slightly intimidating agent, Clara, sold the idea to her at least. Hailey's stomach briefly twisted, knowing that there'd be many words to be had once she finally turned her cellphone back on. She'd been off the grid now for a little over a day, though she can already see the headlines now.

This just in! Hailey Rose fucks up again! Should we have expected anything less from the twenty-six-year-old crashout?

"I just wanted a quick fix, okay? The less I get recognized, the better." She justified, circling back to the hair situation.

"Ah yes. Nothing says 'laying low' like a dramatic hair transformation," Michael rolled his eyes with a laugh.

Hailey shot him a death glare before trailing the two boys out of the bathroom.

"Glad to finally have ya home, sis," Ashton finally added with a bright smile.

Home.

The word stuck. Sydney had once felt like home; before everything got messy.

Hailey Rose Callahan grew up an only child with a father that would move Heaven and Earth to provide for his little girl, ensuring that she never felt less than in this world. After David Callahan lost the love of his life to a tumultuous mental health battle one year after delivering their first and only daughter, he vowed to do everything in his power to keep Hailey happy and healthy— physically and mentally.