A Rich Heart

A new me...again

I sat in the living room later, awaiting Charlize. She was apparently running late.

My mother had left a few minutes ago to go job hunting. I was planning on inviting my father over for dinner in the evening, I just hoped I wasn't pushing it.

I heard the crunching of rocks under tires, the guards at the gate called me and I told them to let her in.

Mitch entered the room with his briefcase, "you're late for work." I told him, smirking.

"Because you're late for school." He retorted.

I shrugged. "School can wait."

He collapsed on the couch across from me as the doorbell rang.
I took a deep breath and stood to answer the door.

Charlize's eyes widened to the size of saucers when she saw me. "Oh my gosh!" She squealed. "I was supposed to be picking up a friend, but this is so much better!" She gushed. "She must have mistyped the address..." She said staring at me with wide eyes.

"Can I have your autograph?!" She  exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes. "I didn't know you were a fan." I said.

She laughed. "Who's not a fan of you?" She reasoned.

"I could think of someone." I muttered. She didn't seem to hear me though, she began searching her pockets. She held up a finger.

"Don't go anywhere. I need to get your cd from my car." She ordered.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not going anywhere. I live here." I said as she turned to run to her car.

"Wait! Come back Charlize!" I shouted at her retreating back. She immediately froze and turned to face me with bewildered look on her face.

She came back slowly, staring at me intently. "How do you know my name?" She asked quietly.

I pretended to be lazily chewing gum as I said. "I'm Charlize, but you can call me Charlize." That was how she greeted me when I met her.

Her mouth dropped, then to my surprise, her face broke out in a grin. "You're Estelle?!" She exclaimed incredulously.

"This is so exciting!" Her face fell then, and she glared at me crossing her arms. "Why didn't you tell me?"

I moved aside so that she could come in. Her eyes roamed my house wildly as she took it all in. "That's why Brandyn was your date...and why you never invited me over...and why you were gone for five ever!" She concluded looking at me.

"Actually, there was another reason for that." I admitted.

She sat on the love seat and began to bounce up and down. "Well, are you gonna tell me?" She asked impatiently.

I sat across from her, looking down.
"In December, on Christmas Day I went with Brandyn ice skating. We go every year." I began.

"Wait, weren't you dating Leo at the time?" Charlize interrupted.

"Yeah." I replied irritated at her interruption. "I didn't think it mattered though." I said shrugging. I told her about how Leo had been there with his cousins and how he'd treated me.

"He didn't know it was you though," Charlize pointed out.

"That's not the only reason I was upset, I was scared because I was supposed to meet him later and tell him I was you know...me, but not after that. I didn't want to see him anymore...so I stayed home and I stopped singing for a while. I needed a break...I was just so stressed from keeping up Estelle. It's hard work." I told her.