The One and Only [COMPLETED]

Chapter 18

This is dedicated to @UsernameRandom, because she's awesome you guys. She's also new to Wattpad, so go show her some love and follow her please! I promise she's totes cool and totes sweet. :)

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In my family, Independence Day is more of a way to show off your loyalty to America, than it is celebrating America's freedom. The more patriotic you look means more respect. Or, in my opinion, the harder it is to win next year.

In this competition, there's no such thing as overdoing it. A light-up American flag hat or wearing the U.S. flag as a dress isn't going to do. It's more like red, white, and blue body paint and hair dye, or a Lady Liberty costume. And that's the minimum. So believe me when I say this, you do not under any circumstances want to participate unless you plan on dying. I can tell you think I'm exaggerating, but I'm really not. Last year, my Uncle Jack pushed my dad into the street for having a better outfit than he. Did I mention that a car was coming full speed down the road?

Yeah... he ended up in the hospital with a few broken bones and bruised ribs. It wasn't pretty.

So yeah, that's the Fourth of July for ya. Mostly the men in the family participate in this stupid tradition, while I stick to something cute, but still patriotic nonetheless. Just having the colors of the flag somewhere on me is as patriotic as I'll get.

Thankfully, everyone in my family went on vacation this year, so we're all dispersed throughout the country, meaning there will be no competition this year. At least, not in person. Instead, they're all Tweeting and Instagramming pictures of their outfits. This way, no one gets hurt.

I turned sideways and examined the way my outfit fit me. I didn't want to spend my first Independence Day with a boyfriend looking like shit. Satisfied with the way I look, I smoothed down my sideways fishtail braid to eradicate the stray wisps of hair. Smiling at my reflection, I slipped on my white sandals and headed downstairs.

I left Aunt Karen to finish my job of decorating the cookies while I went to get dressed. As you can probably tell by now, I'm usually the one dealing with sweets when it comes to celebrations.

I entered the kitchen, only to find that it was empty. The tray of cookies was left abandoned on the counter half decorated. A tub of icing and sprinkles was placed beside them neatly. Walking over to the glass patio doors, I peeked outside to find it deserted as well.

Frowning, I turn back around, going back to the cookie trays and began decorating them in silence. Seriously though, it's so quiet that it's eerie. Four red, white, and blue cookies later, I was too bored to sit still any longer. Yesterday's interaction with Aunt Karen arose in my mind, and I remembered how hurriedly she shoved those papers into the drawer. Almost instantly, my eyes snapped to the closed drawer only a few feet away from me. All of the answers are in those papers, I just know it.

Don't do it Hailey, I warn myself. Don't you dare do it.

Andrew's face popped into my head. He was so upset when Aunt Karen didn't tell him whatever she's hiding. I owe it to him to find out the secret within those pages. Glancing around, I make sure that no one is around, before I get up cautiously and make a beeline for the drawer.

I push aside paper clips, scissors, and recipes, and pull out the papers hidden at the bottom of the drawer. I scan the papers in my hands, not quite registering what it means.

And suddenly, realization hit me harder than a brick wall, and my heart stopped in my chest.

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