Born to Perform

Chapter 28

My heart starts to thud in my chest when the seatbelt sign lights up and a voice on the intercom announces that we are about to land. I clutch the armrests to stop my hands from shaking. I’m surprised that I’m more nervous about coming home than I was about leaving for LA but then I remember the awkward conversation with my parents I have ahead of me explaining why I walked out on my acting career and I feel like my fear is justified. Not to mention the fact that I ignored my best friends for a whole month and they probably hate me now and that my almost-boyfriend is now dating one of my enemies. Yeah, I have plenty of reasons to be worried. 

I am too busy thinking about this to even notice that the plane has safely landed and that the passengers are already filing off in a neat queue. I get up and pull my bag down from the overhead locker and then get off the plane, giving the air hostess a shaky smile as she thanks me for my custom. 

As soon as I get out, I am hit by the cool breeze that sends a shiver through my body and I realise that I am used to the steamy California weather and maybe shorts and a crop top were not the best things to wear in early May in Rosedale, since Spring is only just beginning. Luckily, it is a little warmer inside and I manage to navigate the airport to reclaim my suitcase and make my way to arrivals. 

I search the crowd of people for my parents and I feel a mixture of happiness and fear when I spot them. They look a little confused as to why I’m here but still happy to see me and their smiles widen as I approach them. 

“Melody, we’ve missed you so much!” my mom says as she pulls me into a tight hug. I hug her just as tightly and bury my face in her shoulder, realising how much I’ve missed them too. 

“It’s so good to see you again,” my dad adds, resting his hand on my back and I look up to smile at him. 

We walk back to the car in happy silence and only make small talk throughout the journey home. I can tell they’re both avoiding asking why I’ve come back but I’m glad because I don’t quite feel ready to tell them yet. I’m just so happy to be home and I don’t want to ruin that good feeling until I’ve made the most of it. When we’ve arrived home and I’ve unpacked, I know I can’t avoid it any longer so I walk into the living room where my parents seem to be waiting for me and just tell them everything. 

I explain how my audition went pretty badly but I got accepted anyway, how I felt completely alone on the first night, I tell them about Lavinia and her telling me I was too fat, how Jenna had gone through the same thing and how we became friends, how Mr Ferelli hated my acting and just criticised me all the time and how bad this made me feel. I leave out the bit about Austin because it’s too humiliating and I realise that he wasn’t the reason I left. His betrayal helped me understand how unhappy I was there but I left because I didn’t enjoy the work, not because of some stupid guy. Throughout all this, my parents stay silent and listen to me intently, not giving away any hint of their emotions. It’s only when I finish my story at the point where Jenna drove me to the airport and I came home that my mom speaks. 

“But sweetie, if you were so unhappy why didn’t you tell us? You always said everything was great whenever we called,” she asks gently. I look down at my hands in my lap, feeling embarrassed that I lied. 

“I…I guess I didn’t want to admit to myself that it was going so badly,” I admit, tears starting to fill my eyes, “I thought things would get better and then it would be true. But they didn’t, so I left. Are you mad?” 

“Of course we’re not mad,” my mom says, pulling me into another hug as tears start to roll down my cheeks. “You did the right thing, honey. That place obviously wasn’t right for you and those people were making you unhappy. You shouldn’t have to put up with that.” I choke out a sigh of relief between sobs and rest my head on my mom’s shoulder, feeling so much better to know my parents support my decision.