“Yeah, but there had to have been some free time,” Madelyn says as she gets up from the table. “Flynn! Do you want pizza?” she yells up the stairs.
His footsteps sound above us and she comes back over to the table with a new bottle of wine. Flynn darts in and grabs the pizza box before he disappears back upstairs. Madelyn pours each of us some more wine and sits back down.
“I got asked out for prom. He stood me up,” I admit.
“That asshole!” Iris shouts and it startles all of us. “He’s an idiot. You’re so pretty and nice.”
“Thanks,” I say with a smile. “I kind of swore off guys after that and just buckled down to get through college.”
“And now you have Teller,” Madelyn says with a dreamy smile.
“I guess? Honestly, it’s been a struggle to let him in sometimes too. Old habits, I guess. I think that’s why my mom put so many relationship tasks on the bucket list.”
“What else is on the bucket list?” Lyla asks.
“Um, it was come to Destiny Falls and meet my great-uncle Stan and spend the summer working at the Mystery Cabin. Dye my hair a crazy color, do something crazy like zip line or ride a mechanical bull, skinny dip, adopt a pet, date, and fall in love.”
“What have you done so far?” Iris asks.
“The first two, something crazy, adopt a pet, and date.”
“You got a pet?” Madelyn asks, pouring us another glass of wine.
“Yeah, I adopted this adorable stray dog the other night. I named him Bandit,” I tell them.
“He’s really cute,” Lyla adds and I smile.
“Thanks.”
“Ready to dye your hair?” Madelyn asks as she finishes off her wine and I laugh.
“Yeah, let’s do it!”
We crowd into Madelyn’s bathroom upstairs and Iris helps Lyla while Madelyn helps me. I laugh as Iris tells us about the last time that she tried to dye her hair and how the bleach had turned it orange. Lyla looks slightly afraid and like she’s regretting letting Iris help her with her hair and that only makes me laugh harder.
The conversation moves onto town gossip. I don’t know any of the people that they’re talking about but it’s still just nice to be hanging out with friends.
The conversation moves onto the mayor and his family and I learn that Chet is the actual worst. Everyone seems to have some creepy story about him and it seems weird but I feel like I fit in more now that I have my own horror story about the mayor’s son.
“I still can’t believe that you went out with Chet!” Madelyn says with a dramatic shiver and I can’t help but laugh at her dramatics.
“He was the worst.”
“Why did you go out with him?” Iris asks, her nose wrinkling but I can’t tell if it’s in disgust or from the fumes of the hair dye.
“Honestly? I’ve had this idea of what my life should be since I was a kid. I want to be successful. I don’t want to worry about money or bills or any of that, and I thought that Chet could have given me that. But then he opened his mouth.”
“No financial stability is worth putting up with that,” Lyla mumbles.
“Agreed. I think my mom wanted me to see that too. You can’t plan everything.”
The girls nod and I drain the last of my wine. The conversation turns once more and Iris and Madelyn tell Lyla and me about growing up here and some of the mischief they got into over the years.
Madelyn and Iris have been best friends since kindergarten and they are obviously as close as sisters. They have an ease about them that reminds me of my mom and me.
We used to do movie nights. We’d get our pajamas on and splurge on a pizza on Friday night then sit around and watch movies. It was nice to hang out and unwind after school and work all week. It was our special time together and this reminds me of those nights with her.
The familiar ache of thinking about my mom is still there, but it feels different now. Not as acute or sharp. Instead it’s a dull ache and I smile as I look around the crowded bathroom.
I think I know why.
“Ready to see the new you?” Madelyn asks as she finishes washing out my hair and wraps it up in a towel.
I stare at my reflection in the mirror for a moment, weighing her words.
Am I?
“Absolutely,” I whisper with a smile.
16
My pink hair barely gets a reaction from Stan the next morning when I come down for breakfast. He’s digging around in the fridge, Bandit at his side, and he glances over at me, grunts a good morning, and turns back to the fridge.
Today is my day off and I plan on walking Bandit and then running a few errands. I wanted to explore Destiny Falls a little more. Maybe I’ll spend some time at the beach or take a tour of the lighthouse.
“Want an egg sandwich?” I ask Stan, nudging him aside and grabbing the eggs and a slice of Kraft cheese from the fridge.
“Sure,” Stan says, tossing some bacon onto the counter too.
I get to work making breakfast and I can’t help but smile when I see Stan getting Bandit some food and water out of the corner of my eye. It looks like I wasn’t the only one bonding with new friends last night.
“Do you like my new hair?” I ask Stan, curious to see his reaction and wanting to make small talk.
“It looks like cotton candy.”
I laugh at that and the bland tone of his voice.
“Thanks?”
“It suits you,” he admits as he takes the plate that I pass him.
“I like it too.”
We both dig into breakfast and I catch Stan sneaking Bandit some of his bacon but I pretend like I didn’t notice.
Teller comes in a few minutes before nine and heads to the coffeepot. He freezes when he sees my new hair but then grins.
“I like the hair,” he tells me, twirling a strand around his finger. “You look like a unicorn or a fairy.”
“Wait until you see Lyla’s,” I tell him with a laugh.
“What about me?” Lyla asks with a yawn as she walks into the room.
“I like your hair,” Teller says, pouring each of them a cup of coffee.
Lyla grunts, taking a big sip of her coffee and I grin.
“Teller said that I look like a unicorn,” I brag and she laughs.
“Stan, what do you think?” Lyla asks and Stan pretends to be annoyed but I can see the amusement on his face.
“You both look like unicorns. Happy now?”
“Ecstatic,” Lyla deadpans.
“Yeah, yeah. Get to work. I don’t pay you to stand around lollygagging.”
“Lollygagging?” I ask with a laugh.
Stan just huffs and dumps his dishes into the sink before he heads down the hall to get everything ready for the first tour.
“How are you feeling?” I ask Lyla and she rubs her head.
“A little hungover. I’m hoping that the Tylenol kicks in soon.”
“Do you want me to stay and help you out in the gift shop?” I offer.
“Nah, I’ll be fine. Thanks though.”
She gives me a side hug before she fills up her coffee cup again and heads out to the gift shop. Teller is leaning back against the kitchen counter, sipping his own coffee and giving me that easy smile of his.