Page 96 of Somewhere Only We Know
“Catherine!” my mom yelled from my bedroom doorway. “Don’t talk to your little sister that way.”
I sputtered, holding up the defiled sandal. “Sister?! She’s not my sister, you weirdo!”
Fern hopped into my mom’s arms and my mom crooned into her fur. “Don’t worry, you’re a better daughter than her.” I had to laugh and my mom looked up at me with twinkling eyes. “Clean your room.There are no hotel maids here.” She padded down the hallway with the dog smugly nestled in her arms. There was only one princess in this house and it wasn’t me.
It had only taken a few days for my family to get used to having me back home. No coddling, no fussing. I had to do chores, follow curfew, and have dinner with my family every night. Myactualhuman sister, Vivian, immediately borrowed my clothes.
I loved it.
The October day was warm, not that unusual for the Valley. I cracked open a window and stared out into the cul-de-sac. Neighbors were unloading their groceries from their compact SUVs. A few kids were riding bikes. The day was coming to an end and the sky was a pale blue edged with pink.
It was familiar and foreign, and I relished every second I was home.
When the infamousLater Tonight Showepisode was recorded that afternoon a year ago, Joseph had almost burst a forehead vein from the shock. I had braced myself for the screaming and yelling, but was met with confusion instead.
“Was that what your rebellious day was about? You want to change your image?” Joseph had asked.
Ji-Yeon was frazzled, sitting cross-legged on the floor of the greenroom. “We could have planned it so much better.”
I stared at them in shock. “What? You mean, I’m not fired?”
They both looked at each other before Joseph answered. “I don’t know. The management label isn’t going to like this. You might lose everything.”
I took a deep breath. “What did you guys think of the performance, though?”
A few seconds passed and my heart stopped beating.
“I loved it,” Ji-Yeon said with a smile.
Hope flared through my chest. “You did?”
Joseph cleared his throat. “We have to see how the public reacts. But it was good. Very good, Lucky.”
Those words unleashed a flood of tears. It was relief, it was exhaustion—it was everything that I had been holding back.
And soon after, the reactions from fans and media had been equally affirming.
Everyone wanted my sponsorship.
Everyone wanted to book me on their shows.
Everyone wanted a tour of the “New Lucky.”
Despite the success of that performance and Joseph’s initial support, I had eventually left my label a few months after the show. There was simply no way to make my new vision of Lucky mesh with their original. My label refused to budge.
From down the hall, I could hear my mom scolding my dad for putting the tomatoes in the refrigerator again. “It’s not right to leave them out!” he protested.
“Don’t you ever watch the Cooking Channel?” my mom snapped. “None ofthosepeople refrigerate them. You thinkyouknow better?” They continued to argue, and I smiled as I closed my bedroom door to the noise.
Despite their hapless-married-couple routine, my parents had proven themselves to be extremely sharp. I had only been able to break my contract because, very early on, my parents had a lawyer comb through it and make adjustments based on American labor laws and other legalities.
I plopped down on my bed and pulled out my phone. I had a bunch of emails from Ji-Yeon. I clicked on the first one, with the subject line:This week’s recording schedule.
Cat,
As requested, here’s the schedule for this week. You’re in the studio Tuesday and Thursday with therapy on Wednesday as usual. I’ve made sure that lunches are delivered and that they are NOT salads. (But they’re not hamburgers, either!)
Also, find attached costume ideas for the next music video. The costume designer loved your idea of a jumpsuit, although of course I wish it could be shorts. (Those legs!)
