A Rich Heart

The greatest discovery

Since we both had dates to winter formal, Charlize and I went shopping together the next day. We went out for lunch first, I always needed fuel before I went shopping.

"Why won't you tell me who your date is?" She asked for the hundredth time.

I sighed. "I told you Char, you wouldn't believe me if I did."

She pouted. "You don't know that."

I smirked. "Yeah. I do."

We were eating at some sub shop down the street from the boutique I shopped at. It was finally our turn in line. I ordered the sub with avocados while Charlize wrinkled her nose and got an Italian sub.

We took our meals to an outdoors table. For a Saturday morning in December, it wasn't that cold.

"So, what are you doing over winter break?" Charlize asked me.

Over the holidays, I usually visited my mother in Australia. She lived there with her family.

My mother was never one for the spotlight. When my father got the recording studio, she warned him not to get me involved in Hollywood. She didn't want all the stress on me, she wanted me to have a normal life, go to school, have a steady career, and most of all, keep my privacy.

My father pulled me in anyways. When I was fourteen, I began recording and I fell in love with it. Then, two years later, after quitting school and going through tons of voice lessons, dance, and performance classes, I released my first single. My mother had moved away a year before that.

She was disappointed in me for going against her and angry with my father for "ruining my life."

She'd only been a little right. Sure, I had no privacy, my days were usually jam packed and rest free but I loved it and I wouldn't trade my life with anyone in the world. Except for maybe Angelina Jolie.

After hearing my single, my mother seemed okay with my new life. She called more, sent letters and sent me tickets to visit. She wasn't ready to visit my father yet. I still hoped they would get back together. My family had been perfect.

We'd lived altogether in this huge mansion off the coast, we went on yearly family vacations to various countries, we had house parties, attended premieres. But then I became fanous, mother moved away, father got depressed, so I bought my own house and Mitch moved in.

It was a tradition for me to go every December for two weeks and take a "well deserved break," as my mother always put it.

In Australia, December to February was actually summer time so it was always really nice. I figured this year, instead of going by myself, I could take Charlize.

"Have you ever been to Australia?" I asked her.

(•)

Charlize didn't unbuckle her seatbelt when I pulled up in front of my favorite boutique.

"You shop at Jessica's?!" She exclaimed in disbelief. "You have expensive cars and you shop with celebrities?!"

She shook her head and followed me out of the car.

"Do you know a girl named Iyanla?" I asked her inside.

Charlize scoffed. "You mean Raevyns right hand man? Yeah, I know of her."

I frowned knowing I wouldn't like what I heard next. "What do you mean?"

Charlize fingered a silk, shimmering dress. "Well, Iyanla shows up when she feels it's convenient, and when she does, you'd wish you were home. She's way worse than Raevyn."