You and Me (Plus Everyone In Between Us)

Family Matters

While I was once again gyrating and trying to pass it off as dancing while Lennon glared at me and Cody barked at me, a producer came to pull me out. I let out a sloppy exhale and Cody dismissed the dancers for a break while I followed the producer into the hallway. Then I stopped right in my tracks.

"Surprise!"

Mom, Dad, Maria, and Emmett all smiled at me as a flurry of cameras surrounded us.

Relief lifted off my shoulders, but it became replaced with something colder. Like something was slipping out from underneath me and I couldn't grasp it.

A haphazard smile formed on my face, and I ran to wrap them all in a group hug. The collective scent of my family wafted into my nose and a wave of nostalgia for a place I once was a month ago hit me. Something felt different.

I hadn't realized I had missed all of them and their constant presence wavering over my life. All it took was almost two months.

"How did you guys get here?" I asked.

"By a plane, Ezra," Maria joked, wheeling into a place beside me.

"But how?" I asked once again, still confused.

"We got invited to come see the final round," Dad jumped in. "The show paid for all of us. We are so happy for you! You've grown so much!"

"It hasn't even been two months, Dad," I gushed. "I'm still Ezra."

It was almost like I was reading lines somewhere, but I couldn't find the script, so I was half-assing my way through it. Two months ago, they would have treated my music as the ever-looming presence in the house, like an annoying uncle who said he would stay for two weeks and then moved in for three years.

"You're eighteen now," Mom gushed with a strained smile. "I'm so proud of you for being here. I cannot believe you've made it to the finals."

"Me neither," I replied.

Slowly, the cameras cut and moved away, leaving us alone in the blank hallway. Mom pulled away from the hug. Suddenly, her happy eyes looked more concerned.

"How has it really been?" she asked. "Is the competition hard?"

"It is," I admitted. "But it's not too hard. I can deal with it."

"People on the internet are saying some mean things," Mom realized. "Are you sure you like it here? If you want to drop out or go home, you can. You've already made it so far."

I stiffened. Leave it to Mom to pester me about leaving.

"No Mom. It's fine. I'm fine here."

"It'll all be over soon," Dad said. "I cannot wait for you to be back home and away from all of this. We need to spend more time as a family."

"Of course," I lied.

That was a stark contrast. Just a minute ago, they couldn't be more excited. Now they seemed concerned. Emmett and Maria stayed silent, letting my parents slowly sink their claws of disappointment into me.

I hadn't really told anyone that I had been searching for apartments online. I didn't even want to admit it to myself. The label was here, so I needed to be here. But I needed to.

Only if I won through.

"There have been people calling us," Dad whispered. "There are photographers outside of our house. They all want us to make some statement or something."

I sighed. They were already getting to my family. I didn't even think I was that relevant.

I suddenly became aware of the ink on my back. I would have to explain that to my parents somehow.

They didn't need to know now.

I just smiled and laughed when the cameras came back on.