Hello World

My fiancé is known for a lot of things, being a good singer, lovely man who supports me, dedicated to his fans; but one thing he has never been known for is being tolerant of people treating others badly. When Brian decided he’d express his opinion of me in front of everyone like that and Charles saw it’d startled and upset me it only took a matter of seconds before Charles and Brian were engaged in a verbal fight. Soon it seemed as though coming to the dinner tonight had done nothing but cause a problem. Not wanting to be known for being the sister that caused a family meltdown I left.

I’d only gotten halfway down the street before I heard loud footsteps running after me and Charles pulling me into his arms. I hadn’t realised I’d been crying until when he began to apologise, as though it was his fault that I was a crying mess. It wasn’t his fault, it wasn’t anyone’s really, just everything becoming too much and reality hitting me hard. I was always going to be an outside in life, it didn’t matter that I’d found my biological family; I wasn’t there for any Christmas Day’s growing up, I wasn’t there for birthdays, Father’s Day or even 4th of July celebrations. I wasn’t really ever going to be family to them.

“Can we go back to the room?” I asked, pulling back from his embrace gently. With a gentle kiss on the lips Charles lead me back to the rental car and drove us back, the entire time my hand in his tightly. Walking into the hotel lobby I received a few sympathetic looks which let me know that I looked like I’d been crying. After letting ourselves into the room I sat on the bed and stared at the mirror in front of it, maybe I wasn’t their family? I had green eyes while they all had brown eyes, my cheek bones aren’t as well structured as theirs, I don’t have the same look as them and I don’t act like them. How could we be family? Charles knelt in front of me and took my hands in his, kissing my knuckles gently.

“I shouldn’t have gone off at him, Del, I’m so sorry,” He muttered, I slid off the bed and into his arms making him wrap his securely around me. I told him it wasn’t his fault, and it really wasn’t. Running his hand up and down my back I couldn’t help but relax, it always made me feel sleepy. Moments later I felt Charles lift me up and put me into the bed, pulling my shoes off me and pull the sheets over the two of us.

By the morning I felt dirty, I’d slept in my clothes from the night before and not washed the makeup off my face. It become so uncomfortable that I went straight to the shower and washed myself from head to toe, the previous night’s events replaying in my head. Part of me couldn’t believe that it went so smoothly than suddenly all it took was Brian to snap to ruin the night and make me question whether or not I’d go back. The last thing I wanted was to cause any fights in a family that I wasn’t really a part of to start with.

After I got dressed for the day, I frowned at the loud banging at the hotel door. Charles remained asleep through the noise, but I opened the door nonetheless a little bugged that people would be banging on the door at nine in the morning that loudly. Upon opening the door I was shocked to see McKenna standing there, she was wearing jeans and a plaid top with a leather jacket over the top, a look she pulled off really well. I looked around, she’d come alone or at least was there alone now. “What’re you doing here?” I asked her, letting her inside and hoping to not sound as though I didn’t want her there.

“Please don’t leave, don’t go back to Nashville. I’ve only just met you and I want to get to know you,” She explained quickly. I looked behind me to see Charles woken up, sitting up in the bed half asleep and no shirt on. “Oh, I can go if you want,”

Charles laughed and pulled some clothes out to get changed into, “Don’t sweat it, you stay and talk, McKenna,” He smiled, stepping into the bathroom. I took McKenna out onto the veranda and gave her a bottle of orange juice from the bar fridge. We sat on the deck chairs and I waited for her to talk.

“Brian isn’t a bad guy; he’s just upset at the moment. His best friend died last year and he’s still struggling, he thinks he’s fine but he’s not,”

“I just don’t want to upset anyone,” I told her, sipping on my iced coffee. “You guys don’t deserve to have me come trampling into your lives and mess them up,”

“But you’re not, you see. You’re the only sister I have, and I hate not having anyone to go shopping with or have someone to just talk to. I can’t take the boys, or Mum because she’s embarrassing,”

I smiled, “How about we go shopping today then?” She grinned widely and nodded excitedly. “Does your Dad or anyone know you’re here?” I asked her.

“Ah no,”

“McKenna,” I groaned, “We gotta let them know first, then we can go, deal?” She nodded and agreed, Charles stepped out onto the balcony now dressed in a black button down shirt with the sleeves folded up to just above his elbows and a pair of dirty and faded dark blue jeans. With a small kiss on his lips I went into the bathroom with McKenna where I did my hair and makeup while she talked to me. She asked me if she could have her hair straightened so I did so, giving her small curls at the end. Her hair naturally was slightly wavy, soft and long. We both had the same hair, hers a light brown while mine was dyed a darker brown.

“Want to come shopping?” I asked Charles as I pulled on my high heeled ankle boots, he nodded and teased it’s his money we’d be spending anyway – true fact. The three of us went down to the rental car, where we piled in and Charles drove us to the Haner house hold. I hadn’t before taken the time to see that the house was decorated outside with a number of wind chimes and other trinkets that seemed to be of spiritual significance, probably to Suzy whom I learnt was a hypnotist performer.

“I’m just going to wait in the car-” I began, but with a sign McKenna told me Brian wasn’t going to be there, he was at his house with his wife Michelle or at the recording studio at Matt’s. The chances of him being inside the house were a thousand to one. Despite those odds I wasn’t too keen on going inside, however the three of us went inside with McKenna leading the way. Inside Suzy was on the phone with our father standing across from her, she was talking to someone asking if they’d seen McKenna anywhere.

“Hi Mum, hi Dad,” She casually spoke, sitting down beside her father. I couldn’t help smile at her confidence, she was confident that she was not going to get into any trouble for sneaking out so early in the morning, but by the look on their faces she was in trouble indeed. “Before you get pissy, I was going to see Delilah to make sure she wasn’t leaving. Did you a favour I think, I should be rewarded, not punished,”

“McKenna Haner, you know better than to do that,” Suzy pointed out, “You could have been hit by a car or worse kidnapped,”

“Firstly, I didn’t cross the road once on a road where there were even any cars and secondly I’m more likely to get kidnapped at an Avenged concert where people will recognise me, and you still let me go to those,”

Brian sighed, “I got nothing,” He shook his head and sipped his coffee, “But I’m glad you didn’t leave Delilah, I’m so sorry for last night. And Charles, I’m truly sorry for the way Junior spoke to you, he had no right to do that,”

“It’s okay,” I murmured, “I was going to take McKenna out, if that’s okay? Shopping trip or something,”

“Sure, here take my card for McKenna. Two hundred tops, McKenna and no piercings.” With a kiss on her cheek McKenna bounced up stairs away from her father to get her purse and a bag, leaving us to stand there awkwardly in the kitchen. “I really am sorry Delilah,”

“It’s seriously okay, I was kind of expecting it all to turn sour, honestly,”

“Brian’s just touchy about little things, he’ll come around,”

“And if he doesn’t, don’t force him to – he was part of the family first, anyway.”