'Making unpleasing decisions that you did not have plans for. That's just the basis of real life.'
I do not know how I feel about this realization, I do not even know why I have a problem at all with having Kai's sister being my tutor. But deep down in me I have a feeling it's because there is something fishy here that I can not quite point my finger to.
She teaches me but my focus is nowhere near what she is educating me about and hey, the worst thing about being homeschooled is that there is no way out for you I tell you.
You focus by force because well, the tutor only has attention for you and only you.
You learn by force because the tutor is only there for you,
All the freedom you get at school, say bye to that if you sign up for being homeschooled.
I get away by lunch, we serve her in the dining room and I go to share it with Angel in the kitchen. Guess that's what I was telling myself.
"Hello." We look back at Tiffany. Oh forget to mention the thing making me feel so warily about her is the smile she has on her face that never fades.
I have learned to be so wary of that because my sister always smiled at me even the night she drowned my life in a whale, she had smiled at me that same morning.
"Do you mind having lunch with me? Leaving me out there alone it's so….." she shrugs her shoulders with the same still smile on her face and I turn to share a knowing look with Angel.
"Do you mind?" She asks me and I shake my head. Even though I do mind a lot?
Of all the tutors, why would Kai get me his sister? His sister? Really, am I being dramatic about this? Or is it fine? Someone come and tell me please because I feel like my sister damaged me than I am willing to accept.
"It's fine, let us join you," I say to Tiffany and Angel carries our food to the dining table but I have an inner battle going on in my head. Lily Samantha get it together.
"So you do not mind me chatting with you guys informally?" Tiffany asks looking between me and Angel.
Angel smiles at her and when she turns to meet my gaze, I smile nodding my head too.
"Please, do not tell my boss that I crossed this line even if it's just for lunch." She says with the same smile on her face that really, it's keeping me wary of her.
"You see am just an ordinary girl trying to make a living."
I smile at her not believing it. I know something is off here. How do you tell me that daughter of the Hollywood queen is working her ass off in an education category. Ordinary girl trying to make a living my ass.
I turn to smile at her like she is smiling at me, I guess if I want to know what is going on I need to play the same game she is trying to play here.
"Really?" I ask and she turns to raise her eyebrows at me looking surprised.
"How come the daughter of Amy Daniels is hustling in tutoring to make a living?" I ask with a smile on my lips but I am replied by Angel's exclamation. "Oh my God, is Amy Daniels the main actress in Shadow Witches the one we are talking about here your mother?"
"Yes Angel, tell me about how the daughter of the female lead in Borrowed Love is hustling for a living?" I ask sarcastically wanting to unleash the real Tiffany out because I doubt the real one is the one smiling like there is no problem in this world.
Hello girl, am fucking eighteen but I also face the harshness of this world, so please grow a pair and stop pretending.
"Yeah, you guys… it's just, I do not think you can get it but if you may allow it may we change the subject?"
She says really looking like she can really use a change of a subject and I realize it's when she is not wearing her not fading smile.
"Please can we not change the subject yet, at least not yet when I can get you to promise me to get me Amy Daniels' autograph tomorrow?" Angel says to her blushing even though her idol is not even here.
I guess just thinking of her does it for her. "Oh my God, I can not believe am sitting with her daughter. Daughter daughter? Her blood?" She says and the way she looks I can not help it anymore. I bust out and laugh and Tiffany joins me and we laugh together.
What would she do if she were to realize Kai, her boss is the real fresh of Amy Daniels?
"Angel right?" She asks her but I nod for her.
"I will get you my stepmother's autograph."
"Oh right, stepmother," I say because when Kai told me he was Amy Daniels real mother, I had forgotten that she had stepchildren.
But speaking of Kai.
I reach for my phone and sneak a text to him.
'Baby, you remembered to have lunch?' I ask because it's almost one so I hope he has plans for it.
I realize not being his secretary is going to be one of the hardships things I am going to face by wonder if he is not overworking himself because of the time I spent being his secretary I have seen him do that a lot of times and also he likes missing lunches, I realize I just have to worry about him a lot.
My phone lightens with a notification. I open it and realize it's a message from Kai.
'Am about to head out for lunch darling, did you have yours?'
I quickly text back. 'Yes, my lunchtime is almost over.' I text back and he quickly replies.
'How did classes go? Are still sure about homeschooling?'
'Yes baby, oh and it went well.' I text back, I can hear the girls beside me giggling but really, who cares about them now? I remember about Tiffany and I feel like I have to talk it out with him.
'My work also is going well. Change of scenery not bad at all.'
'Really?' I text back feeling surprised by his text.
'Yes. Darling. I will catch you up more when I get there. Now go back to study.'
'Have a nice lunchtime baby. Love you xoxo.
'Love you more darling.'
I turn to Tiffany chatting with Angel. "Ready for the last section of the day?" I ask going back to finishing my food now feeling great after talking with my man.
They get to tease me but technically me being the boss, I rush them back to work as an excuse to get them off my back and it works.
It's at three Tiffany and I get to finish classes for the day.
She says goodbye and leaves, leaving me with Angel.
"I guess it's my turn to leave too." I frown not liking the idea of being left alone in this big house.
"Do you have some other plans?" I say and she looks at me and smiles. "Not really, I do not have other classes for the day guess I will head home and do some essays that I have unfinished." She says and I smile knowing that will be my life soon after this summer.
"What is college like? Oh, where do you go anyways?" I ask realizing I do not even know where she attends her college.
"UCLA, and it's amazing you know. Well for me I guess. I feel so adult for being in charge of my life, for knowing I do this when I want and not do it when I also don't want to." I smile excitingly looking forward to living life like that. Though looking from a different angle, I somehow already got it.
"That is so cool." She nods. "What year are you in?"
"Freshman." She says and I nod understandingly. She did look young not much older than I am.
"So, I am going to go."
"No, wait," I say when I realize she is picking up her bag.
"You said you were going home so how about you take me around the city." She just looks at me and I realize I need to elaborate more for her.
"Technically I want a haircut," I say and she frowns.
"Don't you like long hair?" She asks and it makes me look at her straight blond hair that falls just above her ass.
I shrug my shoulders because really, I have never put so much thought into it but I need a change of scenery and change of myself to fully embrace my new self and my new life.
"I just want my hair short. I have not done it before but I want it so badly now." I do not even know why I felt like it in the morning but now that I voiced it out. I want it like my life depends on it.
I look at Angel with an exciting smile on my face. "Take me to your hairdresser?" I say and she smiles embarrassingly a pink cute blush creeping on her cheeks.
"I do not have a hairdresser." She says and I frown. Is there a girl out there who doesn't have a hairdresser? Guess Angel is the first one of all.
"I do my hair myself." She says again and I frown not knowing what to do now. I feel like I settled it in my head and I won't be surviving if I do not get this haircut that I so desperately need.
My excitement feels like it just got drowned in a cold lake.
"But I have this hairdresser, I follow on TikTok. He is good at what he does, I see his videos and I can tell he is good but the problem is his costs are a lot." She says and I can feel it awakening my excitement.
"Let me change quickly and take me to him," I say happily before I jump up in my room and change into an oversized sweet pant with its set cropped hoodie that leaves my stomach unclothed.
I love the cloth the set is made from is so comfy and makes you feel confident in it.
I put on some sneakers before I reach for a small purse that I put my belongings in and head out.
"I hope I did not take long," I say to Angel and she shakes her head with a smile.
"It's fine. That set looks good on you." She compliments me and I grin at her. "Well, you do not look bad yourself in that dress." She smiles looking embarrassed. "Thanks."
I walk into the garage and lead us to the same jeep that Kai and I always fought to drive back in Rwanda and now he brought it here for me.
I mean what more can I ask for really?
We get in the car and she puts us in the direction of where we are going.
It takes a little bit longer to get there but I do not mind because technically Angel is the kind of person you would wish to be stuck in traffic with, she knows how to enlighten a place without really doing much. She is just light herself in her calm simple way.
We make it to the saloon and it turns out to be so much fun because of Angel.
The guy had a lot of reservations but given Angel kept gushing over him at how she is a fan of every hair he does and posts on TicTok, he ended up doing my request first as Angel happily chatted with him to get him to do his work.
I tell him how I want my hair done and he also tells me what he would do to make me look like a start. Oh, his words, not mine.
He told me, that cutting wouldn't be enough, he told me he was going to lighten some brownish at the end of where he was going to cut it from and add some highlights.
I sat back and trusted him to do what he envisioned.
By the end, I could not realize myself even.
"Oh my God! oh my God! Samantha." Angel beamed me and I stood there and allowed her to beam over me because truly I also was beaming at myself.
"You are making me want to cut my hair too." She says and Zion, the hairdresser chuckles.
"Sweetie, you are my fun and Je t'adore pour ça but trust me as a hairdresser. Your blonde straight hair is parfaite the way it is."
"You think so? Because I also do not like short hairs but Samantha's hair is making me so jealous."
"Look, let Samantha be who she wants, and allow yourself to feel and be what you love sweetie. You are perfect just the way you are. Just the way you are, and when you smile the whole world stops and stares for a while cause girl you're amazing, just the way you are." Zion sings for Angel and it makes me giggle from where I stand in the mirror gushing over myself.
"Listen, sweetie, mark my words"
"Zion."
"Zioon." Someone calls him from the other side of the room. He pretends to close his ears with his fingers like that would stop the noise of whoever calling for him.
"That is my cue to leave cuties." He leans in and kisses Angel on both cheeks and then comes over to my side and kisses me too.
"Do not forget to tag me when you post about your new look babe.@Zionhairmaster Love you xoxo. Come back again." He says running to the woman calling him. So I have to yell back at him. "I do not use social media anymore," I yell to him but I am surprised when he comes back to comment.
"What century do you leave in Grandma?"
"17th century," Angel says back teasingly and I roll my eyes at them not saying anything back.
They just do not know, how tough it was for me to also let go of my accounts but I keep learning that, that's just life. Making unpleasing decisions that you did not have plans for.
I pay for my looks and then head out with Angel.
"So, I guess this is where I should say bye to you." I shake my head tucking my arm in hers. "Not yet baby girl," I say leading her back into my car.
The day is just far from getting over yet.
Los Angeles, here I come.
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